CarPro Fixer Polish - An Unplanned Review
Hello Folks,
Introduction
Instead of following the usual review format, this is a report of the first day of
a detail, by hand, of an almost 14 year old Toyota Rav4. I took on this detail
with the car sight unseen, so my planned approach had been to jet-wash, then
ONR bucketless wash followed by a clay cloth clean. Having got that far, it was
clear that the quite fixed water-spotting was going to spoil it.
So, instead of going to CP Essence it was a case of breaking into my bottle of
Fixer. However, once the spotting became evident my first reaction was to warn
Adey, the car's owner, that I doubted that we could do much to rectify it as
it usually requires a machine. Here's what was revealed after the paint had
been clay cloth cleaned... :doublesho
http://s5.postimg.cc/ujv1waz93/cpfixer08.jpg
That is definitely the most severe case I've ever experienced and it did put a
dampener on my expectations of the day :(
Prelude
I really enjoy the prospect of bringing up a car of this age, so despite the
state of the car on my arrival, I'd been looking forward to today. The next
7 pictures show the car ahead of its jet-wash...
http://s5.postimg.cc/54rxlsvsn/cpfixer01.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/lh1zbja47/cpfixer02.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/u0ld9aign/cpfixer03.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/5ld588jjr/cpfixer04.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/5zeh7u3nb/cpfixer05.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/6dft7fnqv/cpfixer06.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/3xil7bv1z/cpfixer07.jpg
Preparation
The plan for today had been...
- Jet wash
- Bucketless ONR Wash
- Clay cloth with ONR
- Apply CP Essence
- Apply CP Essence Plus
It became apparent not long into the clay cloth clean that there were a few
problems to resolve with this car, not least this...
http://s5.postimg.cc/ujv1waz93/cpfixer08.jpg
Despite my initial reservations expressed to Adey, and ever the optimist, I
was glad I'd brought my bottle of CP Fixer with me. Talk about an "in at the
deep end" test! I rarely let things get in the way by sparing, however if it
hadn't worked, I wouldn't have been too down-hearted by the product.
After all, it was a huge ask of a new to me product.
I had ordered a polish from Craig at CarPro, notifying him that I wanted to
work by hand and asking that if Fixer better fitted the bill, to substitute it.
The Main Event
So, a firm white waffle pad was dunked into some fairly hot water to help
soften it, then given a good squeezing-out to get the pad lightly dampened.
Being that this was a tuition detail, I'd already surprised Adey with several
little knacks of doing things, but the biggest surprise was to see his face when
I applied just 3 split-pea size blobs into the waffle surface.
Trying to get 50/50 photos of the difference proved elusive, so I apologise
for the poor quality of these two photos...
http://s5.postimg.cc/h4816uqrb/cpfixer09.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/7kycde393/cpfixer10.jpg
So, the success of this meant an extra step and a good couple of hours of
extra work. With the basic shine, water-spotting notwithstanding, proving to
be looking very promising, so be it.
An Unexpected Surprise
On my arrival I remarked over the condition of the headlights. As Adey is in
the business, I was informed that they would only be an MOT failure if the
UV clouding interfered with the beam pattern hitting the road. Having spent
£400 on a new headlamp unit and new gas bulbs just recently, this wasn't
necessarily good news. The UV damage was atop the unit.
However, again, ever the optimist, I set to with the CP Fixer on these and I
could not believe my luck! I'll let the pictures tell their own story...
http://s5.postimg.cc/a3k1e2ozb/cpfixer11.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/ruvnsj4dz/cpfixer12.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/ksxq6c0s7/cpfixer13.jpg
The stainless steel bumper piece also came up well with Fixer. By this time
its pretty clear that Adey is tickled pink.
http://s5.postimg.cc/pg3s83o53/cpfixer14.jpg
So, To The Afternoon
Having left both my wheel cleaner and tyre treatment at home, tackling the
wheels was one of the first jobs of the afternoon. I have to admit that no CP
products were used for this task. Once washed, the wheels were given a coat
of wheel wax. What I learned was that there was very little iron sintering
from Pagid brake pads.
http://s5.postimg.cc/47q3qo9o7/cpfixer15.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/mbt4bb7cn/cpfixer16.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/qz3rqtk3b/cpfixer17.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/4boiko4jb/cpfixer18.jpg
One aspect of this detail was the amount of spotting on the roof. Given the
fact that we were getting rid of most of it, Adey was spurred on to tackle
this hard to reach area. I'm remiss in not taking any photos, but it would
have stood out like a sore thumb if he hadn't had a go.
While CP Fixer did a fantastic job by hand, I would not claim that the spotting
had been entirely removed. That would indeed still require a machine, but I
don't think I've encountered a polish that is so easy to use with what I think
is an astonishing finish.
http://s5.postimg.cc/89bsa2rcn/cpfixer19.jpg
Next came tackling the spotting on the windscreen. You can see what we
were up against in the right hand corner of this 50/50 shot...
http://s5.postimg.cc/af634kut3/cpfixer20.jpg
Once completed, the clean outside of the screen shouted the grubbiness of
its interior, so that was tackled quite pronto. These last five images show the
results of day 1...
http://s5.postimg.cc/hjnwdm22f/cpfixer21.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/p0x3strlj/cpfixer22.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/g767bq4mv/cpfixer23.jpg
At this point, only the windscreen and front door windows have been cleaned.
http://s5.postimg.cc/yb97wd2bb/cpfixer24.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/r9baa5ypj/cpfixer25.jpg
Conclusions
I can only sum up today as one of surprise and sheer delight at the outcome!
Although CP Fixer was in my armoury, I had not set out with any intentions
of using it. If I'm truthful, I fully expected having to contend with accepting
the water-spotting and having to make the kind of sighing noises to express
my disappointment.
None of it! I was certainly not prepared for what happened. While the
potion did spread well initially, I found it really beneficial that the pads
had been softened and lightly dampened. A small bucket of fairly hot
water to hand for rinsing out is a must. The pads need a good squeeze
to render them just lightly dampened.
One thing of note was to not apply too much pressure. There was simply no
need to work it as if you were dealing with a rubbing compound.
There is no question the CP Fixer will be part of my basic armoury for the
foreseeable future.
Where Do Buy It?
CarPro Fixer is available direct from Craig Hall, the UK distributor and other
approved UK distributors. It's available in 3 bottle sizes, from £10.99. Prices
exclude P+P.
The bottle I received had the funnel dispenser top which makes dispensing the tiny dots of polish
very much easier to control. If you apply too much to the pad, you _will_ work against yourself.
Less is more and little & often are your maxims to follow.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to Craig Hall for his usual ebullient helpfulness, considering I had
initially ordered the wrong product. He's always a positive resource even
when I ask either awkward or dumb questions. ;)
Regards,
Steve
