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May 18th, 2010
Water and the Car Wash
Although we often hear that “every car wash is different”, you can be sure they all have one key thing in common: water. Water is considered to be the universal solvent. It is the most consumed resource in a wash. It can have a great impact on quality of the wash. However, not all water is the same.
Different locations across the country obtain their water from a variety of sources, and different sources can provide significantly different qualities of water. Understanding your water’s quality and the impact it can have on your car wash can help you optimize the performance of your system and the products you are using.
Where our water comes from
Most of us use water that at some point in time, came down to the earth as rain or snow which is (or should be) relatively pure. As the precipitation lands on different types of soils and land use areas, it dissolves a variety of materials which alter its quality. The water eventually finds its way to the lakes, streams, or groundwater reservoirs from which we draw our water supplies.
Every car wash operator should be aware of the source(s) of their water supply, and be familiar with the quality of the water they use. Those who receive their water from large lakes or reservoirs can usually count on fairly consistent water quality. However, if you receive your water from a municipality with numerous wells drawing from different areas, you may regularly see significant changes in water quality. Even those, whose water source is a single municipal or private well, may see seasonal or periodic variations in water quality.
Effects of Water Quality – Water Hardness
“Water Hardness” is the most common and significant component of water quality that effects car wash operations. The term “Hard Water” originally came from the observation that water which contains a lot of dissolved Calcium and/or Magnesium effects laundry detergents and makes it “hard” to get clothes clean.
While these “hardness minerals” are soluble in water, they prefer to combine with other materials, such as soaps and some detergent ingredients, causing them to precipitate out of solution. This results in water hardness stealing the cleaning power that you paid for, requiring you to boost the amount of detergent you use, and increasing your detergent costs.
Water hardness can be removed from the water with a “water softener”. This device removes the Calcium and Magnesium and replaces them with a much more soluble mineral, Sodium. If your water contains over three grains/gallon of hardness, a water softening system will usually pay for itself by enabling you to reduce your detergent usage. If you have a frictionless car wash, it is best to mix your detergents with water that has zero grains/gallon of hardness to obtain peak performance.
Although there are other minerals besides Calcium and Magnesium which can contribute to water hardness, including: Iron, Manganese, and a few other trace minerals, they are generally of little significance and are more likely to cause staining problems than to effect your detergent consumption.
Effects of Water Quality – pH, Alkalinity, & Acidity
Some other chemical factors of water quality that can be of significance to car wash operators are the pH and the Alkalinity or Acidity of the water. If your source water is low in pH, the Acidity of the water can neutralize some of the cleaning power of alkaline detergents. In such cases, the operator may have to use detergents at stronger dilutions to achieve the same performance as operators with neutral or more alkaline water sources.
On the other hand, operators that commonly use low pH detergents and have highly alkaline water may have to use these products a little stronger than operators with less alkaline water.
Such extreme conditions are uncommon, however there is little that the operator can do to compensate for them other than increase the strength of the detergents.
Effects of Water Quality – Total Dissolved Solids
The sum of all the dissolved solid materials in the water (those which cannot be filtered out) is called the “T.D.S.” or “Total Dissolved Solids”. An extremely high T.D.S. can affect car washing regardless of the type of dissolved materials.
The effect of a high T.D.S. on the cleaning process is less commonly understood by operators, and somewhat different than that of water hardness. Where hardness actually removes detergent ingredients, T.D.S. is more of an interference to the detergents. Consider walking across an empty room vs. one filled with people. In either case, you can cross the room, but it will take you longer if there are a lot of people (interference) in the room to slow you down.
In that T.D.S. causes interference to cleaning and is not a complete deterrent, it is difficult to say at what level it is really a problem. In frictionless systems, where detergent performance is critical, it has been observed that using water with zero T.D.S. provides the best detergent performance, yet many washes operate effectively with T.D.S. levels over 500 mg/l.
The problem most commonly associated with T.D.S. has to do with the very last water that goes on the car. Any solids that are in that last water to stay on the car will still be there when the water evaporates. These remaining solids will leave a spot on the vehicle’s surface, and the higher the T.D.S. the worse the spotting. The best way to avoid spotting problems is to use very pure, or “Spot Free” water as the last water to be put on the car.
“Spot Free” water can be produced in one of three ways, Distillation, Deionization, and through Reverse Osmosis. Distillation is not practical for car washes because it is slow and expensive. Operators in need of spot-free should consider the following two methods and work with their suppliers to decide which is best for their circumstances.
Deionization is efficient and cost effective, but it requires the handling of two very dangerous chemicals to regenerate the exchange media. When “Spot Free” systems were first tried at car washes deionization units were used but the chemical handling problems handling problems made them quickly fall out of favor.
Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) is also economical and does not require handling hazardous materials, but it is slower than deionization, which necessitates an additional holding tank to store the processed water. Virtually all “Spot Free” systems in car washes today use R.O. water.
Effects of Water Quality – Temperature
While the temperature of your source water is also a quality factor, it is not often thought of. The colder the source water, the more it will cost to heat it up to the desired temperature. Other than solar pre-heating there is little that you can do to the water to save on your fuel bills. However, you can control your water heating costs during warmer weather by reducing the presoak temperatures, and by using cold or only slightly tempered water for rinsing.
Finally, cold water is generally the best option for sealants, and drying agents throughout the year. These products are seldom helped by using warm water, and frequently perform best in cold water. One exception would be for scented products in which hot water helps disperse the scent much faster. Consult with your supplier for their recommendations.
Conclusion
Like any other aspect of your business, information and understanding are the keys to optimal performance. If you obtain water from a municipal source, they can usually supply you with a complete water analysis report. If you have a private well, there are many private and public laboratories that can run a few standard tests for you to help evaluate your water quality situation.
Finally, work with your equipment and solution suppliers to help you better understand your water quality and achieve maximum performance from your wash and the products that you are using.
Posted in Car Wash | No Comments »
May 12th, 2010
Author: Bill Rice
Vehicle paint systems are a combination of a pigmented color coat (referred to as the base coat) and a clear protective coat (clearcoat). Together, they combine to form a very durable and relatively easy to maintain surface.
A wash once a week, a good wax every month and periodic buffing to remove light scratches and blemishes will keep the clearcoat shine and luster like new for years to come. The problem is most vehicle owners don’t take that formula for keeping paint maintenance to heart. Commonly, it’s the people who don’t brush their teeth at least twice daily who let vehicle paint maintenance go for months or even years.
Paint: A vehicle’s protective armor
The color coat of vehicle paint is not near as thick as it was when single stage paints were the norm. Back then, you had 4 to 6 mils of paint to safely work with when buffing or sanding a paint imperfection.
Today, the protective clearcoat is only 1.25 to 2 mils thick. Manufacturers can void the warranty if over 0.3 – 0.5 mil of clearcoat is removed by buffing or sanding. Once the clearcoat is breached, the pigmented paint below is doomed.
So, what process explains why paint fades, oxidizes, discolors or chalks? To understand the answer it is useful to explain the ingredients to a paint or coating since the same factors figure into the loss of color and gloss on any paint system.
All pigmented paints have four basic ingredient categories:
- Binder;
- Solvent;
- Pigment; and
- Additive.
Within each category there may be more than one ingredient.
The binder is the resin or blend of resins which give the paint most of its thermal, mechanical and weathering properties. The binder is the backbone of the paint, the foundation upon which every other component is built. Typically, binders are polymeric and are chosen by the formulator to give the optimum combination of cost, quality and performance profile.
The solvent or solvents are referred to as carriers because they make the paint flow and “carry” the coating to the surface to be painted. When they are completely evaporated the paint is “cured.” Solvents can be oil based, water based, or both. When a water based paint needs a co-solvent that is miscible or compatible with water or dihydrogen monoxide, the chemical name for H2O. The degree of surface tension affects adhesion.
Pigments are nothing more than finely ground minerals dispersed into paint. To be blunt, they’re really just colored dirt, so it’s easy to understand that when left exposed to the elements and without protection from the binder, they become the proverbial “dust in the wind.”
There are two types of pigments. The prime pigments give the paint its color and the extender pigments (or fillers) impact hiding, color retention, fungal and algae resistance, and durability. They both provide color opacity to an otherwise clear or translucent binder, weather resistance (elements such as titanium dioxide in either regular grade or micro-fine particles) and corrosion resistance.
Additives are any modifiers that provide all kinds of special effects to paints, from rheology (the study of the deformation and flow of matter under the influence of an applied stress) agents that increase flow, to ultraviolet absorbers and stabilizers that give it increased resistance to sun fading. They do some wonderful things but unfortunately, not for long.
Long before a paint loses its integrity and starts to crack, peel or flake, additives are like Elvis: They’ve left the building. This is a result of the additive migrating to the surface and dissipating over time rather than developing bond links to the polymer core for longer term stability. Obviously, the only difference between a clearcoat and base coat is the pigmentation. Now that we know the players, we can get to the heart of the answer.
Chemical composition
If you examine a coating under a microscope you will find the polymer (binder) matrix can run the gamut from essentially straight or linear molecules (like a box of uncooked spaghetti) to highly complex molecules (like a coaxial cable wrapped inside another opposite directional coaxial cable) to anything in between. Much of their characteristics are determined by their molecular weight. Polyurethanes, like those used on cars and trucks, have a very high molecular weight. Molecular weight doesn’t mean much if you don’t have complete material reactivity.
In essence, reactivity is the linkages between liquid #1 and liquid #2 of a typical polyurethane coating. In fact, incomplete reactivity is the “dirty little secret” of the industry. They are always trying to get it better, but so far haven’t. Think of these polymer matrixes as being chains of molecules which get their strength from the bonds that hold them together (like links in a chain used to pull a heavy object). Whether simple or complex, they have one unalterable characteristic: they are chains that are only as strong as their weakest link. That’s why the reactivity is so important in urethanes.
Reactivity is the chemical process that makes those linkages. Break the link bond at any point and you begin to weaken the chain that gives a coating its protective capabilities. Un-reacted bonds are “weak links” from the beginning. Don’t misunderstand: Quality polyurethanes from any name manufacturer are good coatings, just not as good as some might like you to believe.
Thermal, photo-oxidative, mechanical, chemical, and biological degradation bring about changes in physical properties in polymers. They disturb or weaken the links that give the chain its integrity. There are other stress agents like airborne pollution, salt, sand, abrasion, solvents, biological contaminants, acidic or alkaline substances, chlorides, etc. that also add stress. But, as damaging as they are, they are only contributory elements leading to bond failure, or as some call it “polymer unzipping” because of the similarity to a zipper being unfastened. The big three are sun, moisture and heat, and more important than any one of them, is how they interact with each other.
Bad for you, bad for your car
Let’s start with sunlight induced damage known as photo-oxidation. Perhaps you’ve read about how “free radicals” are bad for you and how anti-oxidants of whatever kind (foods, vitamins, supplements) will control them and prevent damage to your body. Well, the same free radicals are part of this story as well.
It is important to understand that polymer backbones are made up of multiple elements. Key among these are hydrogen and oxygen. When the coating absorbs photons of UV radiation from sunlight, some of the energy “excites” the binder’s molecules to a higher energy level and causes bond cleavage, like a hot knife through the molecule’s heart, resulting in free radicals.
Free radicals are simply scavengers trying to steal an electron from a weaker molecule that has one. They react with oxygen in the air to create oxygen radicals, which then attack the polymer backbone. In doing so, hydrogen atoms break from the coating to form hydrogen radicals and more free radicals. This is where a vicious cycle begins.
The free radicals combine with oxygen again to form — you guessed it — more oxygen radicals. The cycle repeats itself over and over in a chain reaction. More and more molecular links break, leading eventually to failure of the coating’s properties.
Moisture accelerates this degradation through a chemical process called hydrolysis. Once again, this process involves the splitting of a hydrogen bond causing a reaction between the hydrogen from the coating and the hydroxide from the water (H2O).
Finally, the infrared heat energy from the sun comes into play, expanding and contracting the coating during a 24-hour cycle, causing accelerating stress fatigue degradation. High temperatures also accelerate the process of link breakage outlined in photo-oxidation.
All these stress factors lead to one additional form of degradation, the porosity of the coating film. It’s like having an umbrella attacked with hairpins. The holes created are small and relatively insignificant until they become so numerous that the integrity of the umbrella (coating) is compromised. Once moisture, with all the contaminants it can bring along, and oxygen (that’s why they call it oxidation) gain access to the coating’s weak underbelly, the coating’s protective barrier (whether clearcoated or not), is attacked from inside and under to devastating effect. The paint’s pallbearers with a trumpeter playing taps won’t be far behind.
What to do?
For most cars and trucks, compounds and waxes are fine as a temporary and inexpensive “quick fix.” And, we all know, cost is a big factor. But, look at the problem from a different perspective. We know the base coat has color but no color intensity or gloss on its own. It relies entirely on the clearcoat to give it a deep luster. Every non-clearcoated paint or fiberglass gelcoat has the same profile when it fades: dull color with diminished or no shine. So, whether clearcoated or not, the real solution is to put on a new layer of clearcoat.
I know you’re thinking: It’s not practical. For cars and trucks, maybe it’s not. But, that doesn’t change the fact that what you want to do for a badly faded surface is restore the original sphericality to the pigment(s) and replace their moisture content. That restores like new color. The clearcoat also gives the paint gloss or shine. If you want to test this notion, take something badly faded and apply an ounce of corn oil to it. It looks pretty good, doesn’t it? Of course, it won’t last more than a day, which just emphasizes the importance of choosing a clearcoat for long-term durability.
Think about offering your current and potential customers something new: Be their clearcoat detailer. Check supplier training, on-going support, and reputation. Use your wash bay at night when it is not making you any money. Maybe start a mobile business. Bottom line: you can make a great deal of money doing something in high demand by restoring the original color and gloss to almost every dull, faded, oxidized surface.
Posted in Paint Care | No Comments »
April 28th, 2010
Whether prepping or drying a car, answering the phone, fixing a problem, selling a retail product or reconciling an unpaid invoice, the quality of the interaction between one human being and another is what will be judged by the customer to determine how much you care about them and their business.
If the state of your relationship skills (and those of your staff) do not equal or exceed your sales and marketing skills, your “lifetime value” relationship with your customer is in danger. The “customer experience” is the sum total of the feelings you evoke as a result of any interaction that takes place at any touch point in your organization. Anywhere along the line, and yes, even in the tunnel, a customer can experience a moment of truth where they have the opportunity to make a judgment about the quality of the service you are delivering.
As a manager you should know that survey after survey reports that people prefer to do business with a positive, upbeat person. As a customer, you instinctively know that people want to do business with people who enjoy what they are doing, are having a good time doing it and genuinely care about being able to help you solve your problem, or achieve your goals. So, here are some tips on creating a more positive, up-beat, can-do workforce.
1. Remember, the best teacher is a good example. First examine your own behavior. Are you talking the positive talk or are you mumbling beneath you breath “three more days ‘til Friday.” Take great care to listen to your own language. Do you frame things in the positive, or do you often start your sentences with “No.” Do you say “Yes, but..” negating the first half of your sentence with your last? If so, purchase a copy of “Learned Optimism” by Martin Seligman for your corporate library and inhale it. Then pass it on.
Optimistic people adapt easier to change, are more creative, have more fun and are healthier then pessimistic ones. Think about it, looking for innovation? Think optimism, that’s one way to get there.
2. Learn (and teach) the power of positive self-talk. Often our internal chatter is negative. Reprogram your own chatter first and then listen carefully for signs of it in others. When you hear someone saying “boy am I stupid” gently coach them away from that attitude by replying with “don’t be so hard on yourself, you’re not stupid. You may have made a bad decision, we all do, from time to time. Lets talk about that, what you’ve learned, and how to avoid it in the future.”
Our body responds to our self-talk, if we tell ourselves we are disorganized, we behave just that way. Tell yourself, with conviction, you are an organized person, and the behavior will begin to change. Our brain responds literally, like our computers. Learn to replace negative programming with positive.
3. Ban whining. One whiner in the group can bring everyone down. A whiner is like an infection — it spreads. Put one strong whiner in a room and they can turn it into a pity party. Stop it at the source. Learn to spot them during the interview process. Don’t hire them in the first place, unless you are prepared to keep vigilance over their behavior and attempt to change it. Good luck. Whiners love whining. Put a “No whining” sign on your office door.
4. Teach the art of “win/win.” In our competitive society we have a win/lose mentality. It may be a good strategy to fill a sports stadium, but is a good way to run a company. Help people to understand that thinking “win/win” opens up the possibility for new solutions.. Remember, in the 21st century, it’s innovation and creativity that will give us the edge, innovation comes from open minds and “possibility thinking.”
5. Dump the drama. Melodrama sells tabloids, and gets people to watch shows like Fear Factor but it’s something you don’t need in your company. It saps valuable creative energy. If you’ve been using “crisis management” as your modus operandi, get out of the office, read a few good books, (like Steven Covey’s), benchmark yourself with “new thinkers,” and learn a new style. Crisis management is passé, wasteful and destructive.
6. Learn, teach and reward stress management techniques. A Harris poll says that 90 percent of all Americans live in a state of chronic stress. YIKES!!!! No wonder customers get treated so poorly. Make sure people understand the role they play in controlling their own stress. We don’t have control over every circumstance; we do have control of how we perceive them. Take a deep breath, count to 10, walk away (physically or mentally) when you have to and call a “time-out.” Short circuit stress on the way in. Learn it and teach it. Reinforce it. “Bob, I noticed how well you reacted with that angry customer yesterday, I was glad to see you take a deep breath and not react defensively — good job — you saved a valuable customer, and your own health as well. I’m proud to have you on the team.”
7. Encourage people to live in the “now.” Dwell on the past only long enough to figure out what you want to learn from it, then move on. Stop talking about “the good old days.” What is important is what is going on right now. Give your fullest attention to exactly what you are doing now. Do it well, do it right and enjoy it. Customers can always tell if you are giving them your undivided attention, and they really appreciate it.
8. Start a list. Title it “The 10 Best Things about Working Here.” Let people add to it and watch it grow. It’s fun, positive and a great way to focus on what’s right with your business. After the list is finished start one called “Ten More.” Remember you get more of what you focus on.
9. Get psyched! Recognize that almost 80 percent of what the average person takes in is negative. You’ve got a job to do. Create a positive sanctuary in your workplace. Develop a corporate library that includes all kinds of motivational literature, audio and videotapes. Play audio tapes and video tapes in lunch rooms, keep inspirational books around and start discussion groups. Create positive energy; people inside and outside the company will feel it and want to come back for more.
10. Don’t worry, be happy. Playing upbeat music helps lift your spirits. Challenge the staff to develop the “happiest” of happy music tapes, a collection of tunes that will keep people smiling and whistling while they work. (They make great coming to and going home from tapes too).
11. Smile. When you activate the smiling muscles in your face, you activate the “happy” brain chemicals that help you feel good. You can’t be depressed when you are smiling, and smiles are contagious. So, smile.
As a manager, as a leader, it’s your responsibility to help to create an experience for your customer that has the word “value” written all over it. Customers respond better to a company that provides them with a quality product at a fair price when it’s served up by positive, upbeat, can-do people. Really, who wants to do business with a grump?
Posted in Customer Service | No Comments »
April 28th, 2010
Detailer’s Spotlight
A step-by-step guide to this profitable detail service.
The first step in proper carpet and upholstery cleaning is to educate yourself. You just know what type of fabric or carpet materials you are working with. Don’t guess; do your homework. Find out from manufacturers what materials they are using in their vehicles. In most cases the carpets are nylon, but the upholstery can be any number of synthetic fabrics you need to familiarize yourself with.
Second, you must identify the problem, or problems. That is, the type of dirt or stain(s) that has to be removed and to what extent you can remove them.
About 85 percent of the soil in carpets/upholstery is dry. The other 15 percent is oily soil on the fibers of the carpet/upholstery. Then there are the stains. Stains will typically be related to:
- Food;
- Grease;
- Red dyes;
- Coffee and tea (tannins);
- Rust; and
- Pet waste.
The next step after identifying the type of carpet/upholstery as well as the soil or stain is to evaluate and choose the best cleaning method.
Cleaning procedures
There are two types of cleaning methods: Friction and non-friction. Friction cleaning involves hand or rotary scrubbing, while non-friction cleaning depends upon extraction or vapor steam cleaning tools.
In the case of non-friction methods, the dirt is removed by the action of the chemical being injected into the fabric under pressure while simultaneously vacuuming the area. It can also be liquefied by hot steam and then removed by vacuum or extraction.
The following procedures are those recommended by the Carpet Cleaning Institute:
1. To remove the dry soil, give a very thorough vacuuming and use a vacuum with good suction. Use thoughtful and thorough vacuuming to remove as much of the dry soil as possible before introducing moisture into the fibers.
2. Next, analyze any stains that are on the carpet/upholstery and the application of the appropriate stain removers. (See side bar on Removing stains)
3. To remove the oily soil, a carpet/upholstery shampoo and spray it lightly over the entire area to emulsify the oily soil.
4. Next, use a friction shampoo with a scrub brush or better yet, a rotary shampoo tool.
5. Then, using a heated soil extractor rinse clean the shampoo and oily soil residue from the carpets and upholstery.
6. A final vacuum will then aid in removing any residue moisture.
A hypothetical example
Let us take a hypothetical interior that has plush carpets and velour upholstery. The carpets have grease stains as well as coffee and what appears to be gum. There is also a heavy concentration of ground-in sand. The upholstery is in unusually good condition considering the condition of the carpets.
The first step would be to use an air gun to blow all dirt and grit out of the cracks, crevices, seams, etc. Next, thoroughly vacuum the entire interior utilizing both a snorkel nozzle and the long slender crevice nozzle to get to those hard to reach places between seats, etc. Utilizing the appropriate stain remover chemicals apply to all spots on carpets, upholstery and door panels.
For chemicals to work effectively they must have time to dwell. This is especially true with stain removers which need to dwell for several minutes, and then be agitated with a hand brush. Be sure to move inward toward the center of the spot rather than outward which can spread the stain.
Certain stains should be blotted rather than scrubbed. This process could require two or three spotting applications. Gum can be removed by using an appropriate remover or hardening it with ice and using a putty knife or scraper.
After removing the spots, you are ready to shampoo the carpets and upholstery. A vapor steamer is an invaluable tool to quickly and effectively remove stains.
Cleaning carpets
The kind of process you use (rotary/hand scrubbing versus extracting/vapor steaming) depends on the types of soil and stains to be removed. Shampoos designed for scrubbing have foaming agents. When agitated by the hand or rotary brush the foam encapsulates the dirt particles and lifts them to the surface where they can be easily extracted and vacuumed up.
In our hypothetical case, we have a carpet with a lot of ground-in dirt. In my experience, a good way to remove ground-in dirt is as follows:
1. After thoroughly vacuuming, spray the area with shampoo, allow dwelling for a few minutes, and then aggressively scrub with a hand brush or rotary shampooer. After you have created a lot of dirty foam, use the heated extractor to rinse and vacuum.
2. Depending on how dirty the carpet is you may have to repeat the process two or three times to “drag out” all of the dirt. The only other way is to remove the seats and the carpet shell and pressure wash the dirt out and then shampoo.
3. Be mindful of the condition of the carpet after you have cleaned. High foam shampoo can leave a residue even after you have used the extractor. This will make the carpet fibers sticky and attract new dirt.
Instead, you must thoroughly rinse the carpet fibers of all residues to avoid what is called resoiling. Carefully inspect your work after you have rinsed to make sure you do not need to rinse again.
4. For carpets that are moderately dirty you can vacuum and spray with shampoo and scrub with a hand brush or rotary shampooer and then use the extractor to rinse.
5. In the case of surface dirt the extractor can be used as the sole cleaning method if the carpet is not too dirty. One problem with the extractor is that the nozzles are sometimes too large to reach all areas so you do need to hand scrub and then use a crevice tool to vacuum up the residue.
Cleaning upholstery
Upholstery fabrics (excluding vinyl and leather) are far more varied than carpets and while they all seem to clean the same, they are different. Dismissing these differences in fabrics would be like dismissing the differences between base-coat/clear-coat and single stage paint finishes.
In cleaning upholstery, you will apply the same logic as with carpets. Identify the fabric, identify the cleaning problems, choose the proper chemicals, and select the best cleaning methods. As with carpets, you will have to spot stains based on the type whether grease, protein, etc. Then after evaluating the extent of the dirt decide whether to use the scrubbing method, vapor steamer, extraction, or a combination of all.
With velours, whether heavily soiled or not, I recommend a light shampoo, moderate scrubbing and extraction. For some with only surface dirt the extraction will work. With some fabrics, like tightly woven tweed that is extremely dirty, you may have to spray shampoo, aggressively scrub and then extract.
Never give up
One last thought I will leave you with is that you should not give up too easily when confronted with really dirty carpets or upholstery. Once is not enough in most cases, especially with ground-in dirt.
If you understand the differences between chemicals and have available all the cleaning tools and methods you can clean almost any dirty interior.
Posted in Carpet Care | No Comments »
February 4th, 2010
Detailer’s Spotlight
How a dilution control system can reduce waste and improve the bottom line at your detail shop.
by: R. L. “Bud” Abraham, Detailing Editor
Chemicals are the life’s blood of the detailing business; a very expensive life’s blood. Detail business owners are confronted with the costs which add up over a year’s time whenever they pay the chemical bills. In many cases the bill is higher than necessary, and that excess money could instead be going into their pocket, or for more equipment, advertising, or building improvements.
Watch for waste
The first step in managing your chemical bill is to realize that more is not always better. For example, using more carpet shampoo on an extremely dirty carpet is not necessarily the answer to cleaner carpets. Choosing the right product, the proper dilution, and following the proper procedure is a better and more economical process.
The second step is to evaluate your mixing methods. When detailers are in a hurry and need to fill spray bottles with glass cleaner or shampoo and it says to dilute 1-to-5 or 1-to-10 they usually use the “glug, glug” method of measuring the chemical concentrate. Or, they intentionally use more concentrate because they think more will do a better job. Or, being in a hurry, they spill the concentrate on the floor. All methods are a big waste.
Then there is shrinkage, a sophisticated word for stealing. Many a detail business owner has learned, too late, that they have been financing the employee’s weekend detail business for several months, or even years.
Metering and dispensing
How many times have you or your detailers been in a situation where a measuring cup is not handy, or lost, or it is too much bother or too messy to use? What about your extractor? Is it an eight or 10-gallon tank? Is the shampoo 40-1 or 60-1? Have you paid attention to what happens in these situations? Do they exist in your shop? What are you doing to prevent them from happening? Yes, you can find the correct answers to these questions in the “book,” but where is the book? Without the book what happens? Of course, “glug, glug, glug.”
More and more detail business owners are finding that using water-based chemicals is a tricky business, especially with the number of them being used in the detail industry today. There are engine degreasers, all-purpose cleaners, wheel cleaners (acid and non-acid types), white-wall cleaners, shampoos, glass cleaners, vinyl and leather cleaners, etc. The potential for both over and under dilution increases and with it numerous issues come into play. For example, chemical costs and the quality of cleaning are two factors affected by improper dilutions.
Keep in mind that under-dilution (the solution is too strong) of chemicals is a problem. It can damage carpets, upholstery, wheels, etc. It costs more and can cause additional labor to correct any problems that occur due to improper dilution.
Over-dilution (too weak of a solution) can cause poor cleaning performance, which means you or your workers will have to re-clean the same areas several times. With carpet and fabric upholstery, this can lead to over-wetting, resulting in mold, mildew, shrinkage, etc.
Either way it leads to dissatisfied detailing customers who become lost customers, and worker compensation claims that result in money out of your pocket.
Product-related complaints are numerous, yet most complaints are due to misusing products. It is important to read the labels and to make sure you and your employees are diluting them correctly.
Plug the glug
While you cannot make your employees read labels, there are two things that can be done to “plug the glug” and ensure that chemicals are being used at the proper dilution:
1. Train properly. If your supplier will not provide the necessary training, find one who will.
2. Get a dilution system.
Dilution-control systems
There are a variety of methods and systems available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The following explanations may help you decide which are best and which would work for your detailing operation.
Measuring cups: This is, sorry to say, the most common system used by detailers. It is the cheapest and least specialized, and the most prone to misuse. Cups are lost or misplaced. They are not properly rinsed between chemicals, causing cross-contamination. Pouring chemicals into a cup can be messy and dangerous. In addition, if you use 5-gallon or 55-gallon containers what happens then? Direction labels are not always written in a concise and clear manner. The result is “glug, glug, glug.” In the end, a measuring cup is a dilution device that offers little or no control.
Pumps: An easy fix for the measuring cup problem is to attach a hand pump to the pail or drum. These are available in delivery volumes from 1-ounce on a gallon pump to 8-ounces or more for a drum pump. It offers a consistent measured dose. The disadvantage is they often lose their prime. For example, the first pump might be a portion of the dose, so you must use a second pump. There is little control over how many pumps are used. Again, be wary of the “if one works well, two will work better” theory.
Chambered bottles: Some manufacturers offer bottles with a small measuring chamber attached. Squeezing the bottle fills the chamber with concentrated chemical, or you can tip the bottle to fill a cup on the neck of the bottle. This is convenient, simple to use and generally more difficult to misuse. These bottles are relatively small (32 to 64-ounces) making employee theft quite easy. Nevertheless, the bottles do offer advantages over the measuring cup.
Unit dose packaging: This method uses a preset volume of chemical in a tear-open pouch, which is then added to a set amount of water. This method is used quite extensively in the janitorial business, but not so much in the detail industry. They are available in most of the water-based chemicals used today. They are convenient, but a more expensive approach to dilution control, and are subject to the same issues as measuring cups. While there is no simple way to make sure that workers use the correct amount of water, you can control theft by having supervisors mix the chemicals.
The venture system solution
Bearing recent OSHA cases in mind, and considering the concern over the long-term effects of chemical exposure, product liability lawsuits, and lost productivity, many detailers would prefer a chemical dilution system that minimizes employee contact with undiluted chemical products.
A venture proportionator is a foolproof dilution control system which automatically adds the correct amount of chemical to the water. With this system, water flows through a specially designed tube that creates a vacuum in a side port. One end of the chemical feed line is attached to this side port and the other is attached to the container of concentrated chemical. The vacuum draws the chemical out of the container at the push of a button. A preselected metering tip determines the dilution rate by restricting the chemical flow through the port. For example, the smaller the hole in the metering tip, the higher the dilution rate. The larger the hole, the lower the dilution rate.
There are two types of venturi systems. The first system consists of a simple proportionator that can be attached to a wall. The chemical concentrates are placed on the floor below the proportionator and feed lines are dropped into each chemical to be diluted. You can purchase a single proportionator or as many as you need for however many water-based chemicals you use in your detail shop.
This type of system will dramatically improve control over chemical usage, and to a degree, improve worker safety. However, chemical containers can spill and when the container is empty, the worker must handle the feed line that has been in the concentrate container. This can be a problem unless the worker wears gloves.
The other type of venturi system is called a sealed system or closed-loop system. It consists of a venturi proportionator and feed line that is attached to a special fitting that is attached to a special chemical container, cartridge, or bag-in-the-box. This type of system will minimize worker contact the best. While several designs are available, the best ones dispense the product only when the product container is properly attached to the dispenser. Few detail chemical companies package their chemicals in a plastic bag in a cardboard box.
Keep your eyes on the size
The dilution rates of these systems are dependent on the height of the container in relation to the dispenser. The greater the height, the higher the dilution rate (providing a weaker chemical). This is a problem with the simple proportionator system that is attached to the wall.
Another problem is that dilution rates can vary depending on water flow rates. Systems will operate correctly if the flow rates match the recommended manufacturer rates, but can lose some accuracy if the rates are different. What you want to select are dilution systems with a fixed draw height and those that work across the widest flow rates.
These systems can be wall-mounted, and water flow is provided by a simple hose connection. However, because they are attached to the water supply, plumbing codes will require proper backflow prevention. Most plumbing codes require a minimum of a 1-inch gap between the clean water side and the product injection point. This prevents the chemical from being drawn into the water supply due to any changes in water pressure.
Be sure to select only the dispensing systems that have a built-in, 1-inch air gap. If you presently have a dispensing system, ensure that it has this 1-inch air gap. If it does not have the gap, you could be in violation of local plumbing codes. Your chemical supplier or dispensing system supplier can tell you if your unit has this 1-inch air gap.
Posted in Waxes and Polishes | 1 Comment »
February 4th, 2010
Detailer’s Spotlight
Debunking the myths and falsehoods of detailing’s most common chemicals.
by: R.L. “Bud” Abraham, Detailing Editor
There is probably no chemical used in the detail business today that is more misunderstood than waxes and paint sealants. When asked by the editors of Professional Carwashing & Detailing to do a story on these two products, the first thing I did was contact knowledgeable individuals involved in the formulation of these chemical products.
Kim Wilson is a chemist with U.S. Chemical and Plastics and has nearly 30 years of experience in the formulation of chemicals. Dave Phillips is a principal at P & S Sales and in charge of the company’s chemical formulations.
There is no function in our daily lives that does not involve wax. Formulas and variations are used as coatings to beautify, lubricate, laminate, and insulate. And, in detailing, they are used to protect.
The chemical and physical properties of waxes differ and vary. How the waxes are gathered, produced, and refined affects the properties and composition. As well, other ingredients used in the overall formulation affect the properties of true waxes. As a result, the term wax has been erroneously and carelessly used over the years, nowhere more than in the detailing business.
The various kinds of waxes
There are a number of waxes available that can be used to formulate a good automobile wax:
• Vegetable waxes; i.e. carnauba;
• Animal waxes; i.e. bees wax;
• Petroleum waxes; i.e. paraffin and microcrystalline.
• Mineral fossil waxes; i.e. montan;
• Synthetic waxes; i.e. ethylene polymers
When considering a formulation, chemists consider the waxes’:
• Hardening characteristics;
• Melting point;
• Water repellency; and
• Resistance to breakdown.
Most waxes will provide protection and shine for no more than 60 days, under the best conditions.
What is the best wax?
According to the chemists, when it comes to wax, there is no real advantage of one form over the other. Which form is chosen has to do with what the formulator is trying to achieve:
• A low cost;
• Ease of application and/or removal;
• Emulsification properties;
• Protection; and/or
• Gloss.
Actually, there is no difference between hard pastes, creams, or liquids if we are talking about true car waxes. Given the formula has a high percentage of wax; the form does not affect the product.
However, some spray waxes or fast waxes on the market have small amounts of wax and silicone in them so they offer very little protection and have little durability. Most retail, off-the-shelf products have very little wax and are loaded with abrasives, evidenced by the powdery residue present upon drying.
Sealant vs. wax
Since the term “paint sealant” hit the market, there has been a great deal of misinformation disseminated on the product. Some believe many of the manufacturers or marketers of paint sealants do this intentionally.
For those of us in the detail business there must be a clear distinction between these two protection products. You need the information in order to convey to your customers honest information. You know why a wax is a wax and what it will do with regard to protection and shine. The remainder of this article will provide you with similar information on paint sealants.
A sealant is something that seals. But if a wax seals, is it also a sealant? Technically yes, but typically sealing is not one of the requirements of a wax product.
Sealants may have wax in their formulation but because of the other ingredients; they are more than just a wax. If a wax has some of these other ingredients in its formulation then it is properly not a wax, but a paint sealant.
A paint sealant for the detailer is any product that forms some sort of cross-linking film over the surface of the paint that forms a durable barrier on the surface that will last for a considerable length of time.
What does a sealant contain?
Like waxes, sealants can include in their formulation solvent, wax, water and amino functional silicone fluids held in suspension by emulsifiers. They can take the form of creams and liquids.
You also will see ingredient terms like polymer and resins, or polymer-resins. These are marketing buzzwords.
The polymer
Wilson defines a polymer as a macromolecule formed by the chemical union of five or more identical combining units called monomers. Silicones and resins can be generalized as polymers. The list of polymers available to chemical formulators is practically endless.
Phillips also defines a polymer for us in the simplest descriptive sense: “Poly” meaning many and “mer” meaning unit. So, any chemical that consists of endless repeating identical units is a polymer.
Examples of polymers include polyethylene, polyurethane, and polytetrafluoroethylene. For example, polyethylene is simply many units of ethylene.
In the detail chemical business, the word polymer is the single most abused word you will find. For example, most of the thickeners used in detail products are polymers, which make it suspiciously easy to put the words “contains space-age polymers” on the bottle.
What is a resin?
Wilson defines resin as a semi-solid or solid complex amorphous mix of organic compounds; animal, vegetable, or synthetic (man-made).
According to Phillips, the chemical dictionary definition is so broadly used it has almost become meaningless. It is a catch-all term. To be specific, resin is a polymer that melts or is soluble in specific solvents. In some cases, the material used to make a plastic is a resin. If you see the term resin on the label of detail product how do you know what it means? The answer is: You don’t. In short, the use of resin, polymer, etc. is marketing jargon.
Silicone fluids
Silicone fluids are a relatively short chain inorganic polymer called polydimethyl siloxane. (Note the prefix “poly” before dimethyl siloxane.) Technically, a silicone is a polymer. So, to see the word polymer on a sealant label could mean anything as the definition becomes clearer to us.
The properties of silicone fluids range from very thin, volatile liquids that look and feel like petroleum solvents to very thick and heavy liquids that look like clear honey. The only difference between a thin and thick silicone fluid is the number of units in the dimethyl siloxane chain.
Almost all waxes and sealant products have some type of silicone fluids in them to provide shine and durability.
The amino-functional silicones
These are silicone fluids that have been slightly modified. The polymer content is different. The amino portion of the amino-functional silicone is what causes the silicone to crosslink and physically attach to the paint surface.
This cross-linking capability is what makes a paint sealant more durable than a wax. Typically, waxes only include standard silicone fluids. Therefore, they are not as durable as a paint sealant.
What is teflon®?
Teflon® is a trade name of DuPont Chemicals for a polymer, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In spite of what some detail chemical companies may say, Teflon is a polymer that is not well suited for use in a paint sealant or wax because of several properties unrelated to its durable slippery nature.
Teflon is a powder that melts at 600° F or dissolves in fluorinated solvents such as Freon. Those are the only known ways to liquefy Teflon. If it cannot be made into liquid, it cannot coat or stay on a surface.
Can wax be put over a sealant?
Yes, if you have allowed the sealant to air dry for a few hours to let the cross linking molecules form. But why do it? The only possible reason would be to fill the spider scratches and possibly increase the depth of the shine on a black or dark car.
So which is better, a wax or a sealant? If you are looking for durability, then a sealant must be your choice. The best waxes will last maybe 50-60 days, tops. A paint sealant will last up to six months under the best conditions.
From a shine point of view, a wax might provide a deeper shine on a dark car because of the greater oil content. This is not to say that a sealant will not shine.
Personally, I prefer a paint sealant. Why? It goes on faster, comes off easier, and lasts longer. There is more value for the motorist and it is easier for the detailer to use. In some instances, you can put a coat of good wax over the sealant if you want to fill in spider line scratches on the paint. So, my conclusion is that a paint sealant is a better product to use than a wax in most instances.
Posted in Waxes and Polishes | 2 Comments »
February 4th, 2010
Improve business practices with this easy-to-follow guide to trim restoration and care.
by: Jim Pyatt
Thirty years ago, the trim on most cars was chrome. It was shiny and strong. It added flair and color to the old classic. However, the chrome days of old have moved over for today’s vinyl and other plastics. The trim of any vehicle is the final statement in overall presentation.
Trim
In recent years, black plastic trim has become popular among auto manufacturers, especially sport utility vehicles and pick-up trucks. All these vehicles have two things in common:
- They have black molding either over the wheels, or on the front, or both; and
- They’re rugged, off-road vehicles that incur more abuse than your average sedan.
For these two reasons, you have to apply protectant to this trim. If you don’t, it’ll turn gray faster than you can say “unhappy customer.”
Trim that has not been maintained will become polluted, dry, and worn, thus taking away from the appearance of the whole car. Well-maintained trim stands out and makes a statement so that the whole car looks like the metallic version of a well-groomed, derby-winning racehorse.
It is important to protect the plastics and rubber from harmful ordinary oxygen, ozone, and UV light, since they cause destruction that will crack and discolor these materials. But before you protect the trim, it needs to be clean. Cleaning will ensure that no stains are set in, and that the protectant/dressing used will adhere better to the surface and last longer.
The appearance provided by exterior plastic/rubber protectants varies from flat matte to gloss, with lots of stops in between. Some people like a matte or more natural appearance, while others consider a high-gloss, shiny look attractive. The choice depends on the customer’s personal taste, so when I use terms like matte or gloss, picking among the possibilities is very subjective. Most high-gloss products are based upon raw silicone oil.
As always, there are exceptions to these rules. The exact products and procedures that you use will depend upon many factors including regulation requirements, available chemicals, and your knowledge and experience. The following will give you some general information as a foundation upon which to develop your own preferred procedures.
Cleaning
Most unpainted trim is plastic or rubber; it includes decorative side panel trim, window seals, and the housings on many side view mirrors. If the vehicle is a newer, well-maintained vehicle, no extra cleaning of these surfaces is necessary aside from the general wash.
If the car is older or not well maintained however, clean the trim using a scrub sponge or a soft-bristled brush with a mild-to-medium-strength citrus-based all-purpose cleaner. You can usually dilute 40 parts cleaner to 60 parts water. Be aware that strong or under diluted cleaners can stain the painted panels that surround the trim being cleaned.
A very soft polypropylene brush will be very effective at cleaning these surfaces without scratching the bordering painted panels. We have all seen plastic molding that has old dried-wax residue; this white residue is not only unsightly but also contributes to drying out the plastics. It can be difficult to clean. I use isopropyl alcohol, or a brand name body solvent.
Dressing protectants
There are several dressings available for the exterior. Personal experimentation will help you determine which to use. For example, solvent-based dressings will last longer (but might not meet regulations in your area), especially on rubber surfaces; water-based dressings on trim areas may be perfectly sufficient, especially for express or frequent detailing.
It is important to determine your customer’s preference: high-gloss or other. There are several silicone-oil-based products on the market that will give your plastic that shinny effect if that’s what your client is looking for. I prefer low-gloss, or at least something that will not rub off on my customer’s clothes. (Note: a final wipe of the tires with a dry cloth usually removes excess dressing that may rub off on clothing.)
Application
Spray dressing on applicator and spread on all plastic. Wipe dressing on trim parts with a damp sponge or with a foam applicator, moistened with dressing. Take your time and be thorough; sloppy dressing is very noticeable, just like sloppy house painting. It is important to dress all rubber and plastic exterior trim (prior to polishing and waxing painted surfaces).
If the customer’s textured black plastic is heavily weathered or faded, you can bring it back to life with a trim re-conditioning product. Products such as these restore faded black bumpers and trims to a like-new condition.
Masking may not be necessary: (check Manufactures label) it adheres only to porous plastic and rubber. It’s advertised as a permanent solution, but in my experience it will last only a couple of years if the vehicle spends a lot of time in the sun. Also, don’t think this is a replacement for dressing. It’s not. After it cures, you still need to keep the trim protected and looking good with a plastic and rubber dressing.
Other trim materials
Anodized aluminum must be treated with great care. The coating is very thin. Even the mildest abrasives (polish and cleaners) will quickly scuff or remove the coating. The sun is a problem, too, as exposure to UV rays will fade black anodized trim.
Painted black trim is often difficult to maintain properly. If you wax it, the original satin finish will begin to take on gloss. If you don’t treat it, the trim will fade and become flat.
The best solution I’ve found is to treat with satin black trim protectant (windshield wipers are a good example). These types of products are amazing on these trim areas, offering a natural satin finish. It also wipes off to a greaseless finish and won’t soften the black paint. To use, simply spray on applicator and apply thoroughly; buff dry after applying.
Rubber seals
Rubber and moldings around windows, doors, lights, hood, trunk, and bumpers are designed to protect the car from water, wind, and dirt. These rubber components also trim the car to enhance its appearance.
If you do not maintain rubber seals, they will become stiff and brittle, and will eventually crack or tear. Clean rubber seals for door, trunk, and hood with soap and water. Treat the seals with a water-based rubber dressing. After coating the seals, allow the dressing to penetrate for 10 to 15 minutes, and then dry the seals with a clean towel.
Some high-end car manufacturers recommend using talcum powder on door and hood seals to provide lubrication. This will extend the life of the door seal. Simply sprinkle a small amount of talcum powder on a piece of cloth and wipe it onto the seal after applying rubber and vinyl dressing. Rubber seals around windows, lights, door handles, and mirrors should also be cleaned using a brush and soapy water. However, these exposed rubber seals should be treated more frequently than door and hood seals, as they get heavy UV radiation from the sun.
Badges and emblems
Many cars have badges or emblems sporting the manufacturer’s crest or the name of the automobile. These badges are easily cleaned with a soft toothbrush or detailing brush and soapy water. Car-name emblems are often more difficult to clean and wax than badges. Most often, the emblem is a script that sits right on the paint.
Waxing around these emblems is a challenge, as a polishing cloth won’t reach between the letters to remove wax residue. The problem isn’t only polishing around letters; it is also polishing inside parts of letters, for example, the letter ‘o.’ In this case, use a detailing component cleaning head and a microfiber towel to help clean tight, hard-to-reach areas that cannot normally be reached by using conventional tools or by hand.
It’s all in the details
It’s the small details that make the difference between a good-looking car and one that’s stunning. At the Monterey Concours Italiano last year, I couldn’t help but notice how the beautifully restored cars had polished and treated trim that made for a stunning display, especially on some of the exotic cars.
Pay special attention to the trim, and see what a big difference it makes in the final appearance of your customers’ cars. They will be saying, “Wahoo!” and returning to your business for years to come.
Posted in Restoring Trim Parts | 2 Comments »
February 4th, 2010
Detailing
Understanding why paint fades can help you market and profit from clear coat services.
by: Bill Rice
Vehicle paint systems are a combination of a pigmented color coat (referred to as the base coat) and a clear protective coat (clearcoat). Together, they combine to form a very durable and relatively easy to maintain surface.
A wash once a week, a good wax every month and periodic buffing to remove light scratches and blemishes will keep the clearcoat shine and luster like new for years to come. The problem is most vehicle owners don’t take that formula for keeping paint maintenance to heart. Commonly, it’s the people who don’t brush their teeth at least twice daily who let vehicle paint maintenance go for months or even years.
Paint: A vehicle’s protective armor
The color coat of vehicle paint is not near as thick as it was when single stage paints were the norm. Back then, you had 4 to 6 mils of paint to safely work with when buffing or sanding a paint imperfection.
Today, the protective clearcoat is only 1.25 to 2 mils thick. Manufacturers can void the warranty if over 0.3 – 0.5 mil of clearcoat is removed by buffing or sanding. Once the clearcoat is breached, the pigmented paint below is doomed.
So, what process explains why paint fades, oxidizes, discolors or chalks? To understand the answer it is useful to explain the ingredients to a paint or coating since the same factors figure into the loss of color and gloss on any paint system.
All pigmented paints have four basic ingredient categories:
* Binder;
* Solvent;
* Pigment; and
* Additive.
Within each category there may be more than one ingredient.
The binder is the resin or blend of resins which give the paint most of its thermal, mechanical and weathering properties. The binder is the backbone of the paint, the foundation upon which every other component is built. Typically, binders are polymeric and are chosen by the formulator to give the optimum combination of cost, quality and performance profile.
The solvent or solvents are referred to as carriers because they make the paint flow and “carry” the coating to the surface to be painted. When they are completely evaporated the paint is “cured.” Solvents can be oil based, water based, or both. When a water based paint needs a co-solvent that is miscible or compatible with water or dihydrogen monoxide, the chemical name for H2O. The degree of surface tension affects adhesion.
Pigments are nothing more than finely ground minerals dispersed into paint. To be blunt, they’re really just colored dirt, so it’s easy to understand that when left exposed to the elements and without protection from the binder, they become the proverbial “dust in the wind.”
There are two types of pigments. The prime pigments give the paint its color and the extender pigments (or fillers) impact hiding, color retention, fungal and algae resistance, and durability. They both provide color opacity to an otherwise clear or translucent binder, weather resistance (elements such as titanium dioxide in either regular grade or micro-fine particles) and corrosion resistance.
Additives are any modifiers that provide all kinds of special effects to paints, from rheology (the study of the deformation and flow of matter under the influence of an applied stress) agents that increase flow, to ultraviolet absorbers and stabilizers that give it increased resistance to sun fading. They do some wonderful things but unfortunately, not for long.
Long before a paint loses its integrity and starts to crack, peel or flake, additives are like Elvis: They’ve left the building. This is a result of the additive migrating to the surface and dissipating over time rather than developing bond links to the polymer core for longer term stability. Obviously, the only difference between a clearcoat and base coat is the pigmentation. Now that we know the players, we can get to the heart of the answer.
Chemical composition
If you examine a coating under a microscope you will find the polymer (binder) matrix can run the gamut from essentially straight or linear molecules (like a box of uncooked spaghetti) to highly complex molecules (like a coaxial cable wrapped inside another opposite directional coaxial cable) to anything in between. Much of their characteristics are determined by their molecular weight. Polyurethanes, like those used on cars and trucks, have a very high molecular weight. Molecular weight doesn’t mean much if you don’t have complete material reactivity.
In essence, reactivity is the linkages between liquid #1 and liquid #2 of a typical polyurethane coating. In fact, incomplete reactivity is the “dirty little secret” of the industry. They are always trying to get it better, but so far haven’t. Think of these polymer matrixes as being chains of molecules which get their strength from the bonds that hold them together (like links in a chain used to pull a heavy object). Whether simple or complex, they have one unalterable characteristic: they are chains that are only as strong as their weakest link. That’s why the reactivity is so important in urethanes.
Reactivity is the chemical process that makes those linkages. Break the link bond at any point and you begin to weaken the chain that gives a coating its protective capabilities. Un-reacted bonds are “weak links” from the beginning. Don’t misunderstand: Quality polyurethanes from any name manufacturer are good coatings, just not as good as some might like you to believe.
Thermal, photo-oxidative, mechanical, chemical, and biological degradation bring about changes in physical properties in polymers. They disturb or weaken the links that give the chain its integrity. There are other stress agents like airborne pollution, salt, sand, abrasion, solvents, biological contaminants, acidic or alkaline substances, chlorides, etc. that also add stress. But, as damaging as they are, they are only contributory elements leading to bond failure, or as some call it “polymer unzipping” because of the similarity to a zipper being unfastened. The big three are sun, moisture and heat, and more important than any one of them, is how they interact with each other.
Bad for you, bad for your car
Let’s start with sunlight induced damage known as photo-oxidation. Perhaps you’ve read about how “free radicals” are bad for you and how anti-oxidants of whatever kind (foods, vitamins, supplements) will control them and prevent damage to your body. Well, the same free radicals are part of this story as well.
It is important to understand that polymer backbones are made up of multiple elements. Key among these are hydrogen and oxygen. When the coating absorbs photons of UV radiation from sunlight, some of the energy “excites” the binder’s molecules to a higher energy level and causes bond cleavage, like a hot knife through the molecule’s heart, resulting in free radicals.
Free radicals are simply scavengers trying to steal an electron from a weaker molecule that has one. They react with oxygen in the air to create oxygen radicals, which then attack the polymer backbone. In doing so, hydrogen atoms break from the coating to form hydrogen radicals and more free radicals. This is where a vicious cycle begins.
The free radicals combine with oxygen again to form — you guessed it — more oxygen radicals. The cycle repeats itself over and over in a chain reaction. More and more molecular links break, leading eventually to failure of the coating’s properties.
Moisture accelerates this degradation through a chemical process called hydrolysis. Once again, this process involves the splitting of a hydrogen bond causing a reaction between the hydrogen from the coating and the hydroxide from the water (H2O).
Finally, the infrared heat energy from the sun comes into play, expanding and contracting the coating during a 24-hour cycle, causing accelerating stress fatigue degradation. High temperatures also accelerate the process of link breakage outlined in photo-oxidation.
All these stress factors lead to one additional form of degradation, the porosity of the coating film. It’s like having an umbrella attacked with hairpins. The holes created are small and relatively insignificant until they become so numerous that the integrity of the umbrella (coating) is compromised. Once moisture, with all the contaminants it can bring along, and oxygen (that’s why they call it oxidation) gain access to the coating’s weak underbelly, the coating’s protective barrier (whether clearcoated or not), is attacked from inside and under to devastating effect. The paint’s pallbearers with a trumpeter playing taps won’t be far behind.
What to do?
For most cars and trucks, compounds and waxes are fine as a temporary and inexpensive “quick fix.” And, we all know, cost is a big factor. But, look at the problem from a different perspective. We know the base coat has color but no color intensity or gloss on its own. It relies entirely on the clearcoat to give it a deep luster. Every non-clearcoated paint or fiberglass gelcoat has the same profile when it fades: dull color with diminished or no shine. So, whether clearcoated or not, the real solution is to put on a new layer of clearcoat.
I know you’re thinking: It’s not practical. For cars and trucks, maybe it’s not. But, that doesn’t change the fact that what you want to do for a badly faded surface is restore the original sphericality to the pigment(s) and replace their moisture content. That restores like new color. The clearcoat also gives the paint gloss or shine. If you want to test this notion, take something badly faded and apply an ounce of corn oil to it. It looks pretty good, doesn’t it? Of course, it won’t last more than a day, which just emphasizes the importance of choosing a clearcoat for long-term durability.
Think about offering your current and potential customers something new: Be their clearcoat detailer. Check supplier training, on-going support, and reputation. Use your wash bay at night when it is not making you any money. Maybe start a mobile business. Bottom line: you can make a great deal of money doing something in high demand by restoring the original color and gloss to almost every dull, faded, oxidized surface.
Posted in Paint Chip Repair | No Comments »
February 4th, 2010
Detailing
When it comes to interior odor removal knowledge and the proper process are king.
by: Renny Doyle
Interior odor issues are a fact of life that we as professional detailers are expected to properly deal with. The days of simply masking an odor with fragrances and expecting the customer to be satisfied are long gone. Today’s consumers are flooded with advertisements highlighting products that offer odor removal and while many of these products may not truly work, that customer expects his or her detailer to be able to properly deal with odors and remove the smell, not mask the smell.
Like many elements of the auto detailing industry, odor removal techniques have witnessed remarkable changes with the advancement of technology. When one speaks of technology within the auto detailing industry, most technicians automatically think of equipment advancements, but today chemical companies are developing new products that just a couple years ago were only figments of own imaginations. While there is no doubt that equipment advancements are fascinating and changing the way in which we deal with such problems as interior odors, the changes within the chemicals we have available to assist us is simply remarkable.
Within the trainings I perform at detail centers and carwashes across the country, I am amazed at how many within the car care community are confused or simply not educated on the processes, products or equipment that are available to assist the professional within the topic of proper odor removal.
The equipment and products
Both the vacuum and the extractor play a role within odor removal and both of these items are commonplace within detail operations. In addition to the vacuum and extractor, the vapor steamer is a tool that remains new to most detailing professionals.
The vapor steamer has become an irreplaceable interior cleaning and odor removal tool with top performing shops for good reason; these units greatly reduce labor while improving quality within both interior cleaning and proper odor removal. Within many industries, steam is recognized as a superior agent to clean and sanitize surfaces. When used within auto detailing operations, units with vapor steamers assist detailing professionals at neutralizing both interior stains and odors like few other tools within our available arsenal.
While most within our industry have heard of ozone machines, few utilize these tools. Ozone generation machines create 03, which is also known as activated oxygen or trivalent oxygen. Ozone is within the air we breathe daily but found in lower quantities or simply missing from interior environments. Ozone is a powerful natural oxidizing agent that has the ability to break down most organic chemicals and can gain access to nearly every part of the interior including the ventilation ducts and vents.
Ozone machines come in array of shapes and sizes. There are units specially designed to be used within the auto detailing industry and there are commercial units. We prefer the commercial units due in part that we can use them with large trucks, RVs and rent the units out to motels and hotels for additional profits.
When we ozone an interior, we request that we have the vehicle all day or over night. To properly treat an interior with ozone will take 3-8 hours. Shorter durations are possible, but heavy odors will require these longer time frames.
Another tool that many within the auto detailing industry are utilizing is the fogger. Fogger units reach into tight areas much in the same way that ozone machines work, but utilizes chemicals instead of ozone. In the event foggers are utilized, follow-up with an interior detail as foggers often leave chemical residues behind on surfaces that will give the interior a smeared, dull look.
Chemicals to consider
The chemicals we as professionals have available today are very advanced but can be mind-boggling and confusing to new– comers to say the least. Odors and their causes are wide spread, yet thanks to some very creative chemists, the professional can now treat just about any odor and only maintain an inventory of three to four odor-related products. Within our locations we maintain chemicals that treat nearly all odors and like to have on hand the following product types:
General use odor eliminator: I prefer to utilize a liquid form, non-scented based product. We look for products that kill a wide range of odors. Usually these products will note that they are a non-masking type product but instead work by killing the bacteria (bugs) that thrive on spilled substances.
Urine/pet odor eliminator: Pet urine is a common challenge within interior odor elimination. I have found that you must utilize a specific pet urine removal product for this treatment.
Smoke remover: I prefer to utilize products that have been specially used for smoke removal when dealing with vehicles that have smoke specific issues. While ozone, foggers and bombs may deal with smoke odors, I still prefer to first treat the smoke issues chemically first before moving onto more advance methods.
Protein-based odors: Most common within many vehicles is the dreaded food smell and this smell can be one of the most challenging to remove. The key to removing any odor is removal of the source; one must remove the entire source if he or she expects to see success. This may mean removal of the carpet shell to clean the underside of the carpet and the base board of the vehicle.
The odor removal process
The first step within odor removal is proper communication with your customer. I am careful to never sell 100 percent removal of odor. A vehicle’s interior is simply too small, with too many absorbing surfaces to be 100 percent certain one can effectively remove all signs of odor. I am more out to instruct our customers that we will most likely remove 70 to 90 percent of the odor. In many cases we are much more successful and can often remove the entire odor; I simply hate to promise 100 percent success when many odors may simply not be totally removable.
When we receive a vehicle into one of our shops that has odor issues, we immediately identify the cause and location of the odor. Identifying the cause of the odor may not be obvious and may require that you discuss the odor with the vehicle owner.
Not all odors are the same
Not all odors are created equal and the process, equipment, products and techniques utilized may be slightly different for each odor you encounter. If the odor has been caused by milk that remains wet, you would want to start your process by dry extracting the area, being careful to not add more liquid to the area causing the milk to spread to a larger area. In the event you have a coffee or milk spill that has dried, you would start by vacuuming the area, followed by steaming the area with your vapor steamer, then dry extracting, repeating the process until all contaminants are removed.
One of the most common mistakes made when it comes to odor removal is water or cleaning solution over-saturation of the area that contains the odor causing elements. If a technician over-saturates an area, he or she has simply increased the area involved in causing the odor.
I prefer to remove all possible odor-causing contaminants, including anything liquid or dried. I do this by starting with a very in-depth vacuuming of the entire interior. I follow the vacuuming with a “dry” extraction followed by going over the effected area with the vapor steamer. Steam allows contaminants to “rise” onto the steamer head unlike a wet extraction that will simply sink the materials deeper into the nap or backing of the carpet or upholstery.
Proper odor removal most commonly requires that the entire interior be cleaned. If the entire interior is not detailed, chances are that the odor could return or at minimum linger behind somewhat.
Before I start cleaning the interior hard surfaces, I choose my cleaning agent and go to work on the tough carpet and upholstered areas. Once all possible contaminants are removed via vacuuming, steaming and dry extraction, I once again liberally add my cleaning chemicals to the surfaces and allow them to dwell. I then clean the hard surfaces, vents and leather.
After allowing my cleaning agents to dwell, I start on the final vapor steaming or wet extracting of the entire interior, removing all residual contaminates. I repeat these steps until the desired outcome is reached.
Following the completion, I like to keep this vehicle for 2-4 hours so that I can inspect the final outcome once the interior has dried and the interior has been exposed to natural sunlight and heat. Keeping the vehicle for a few hours after you are complete will allow you to witness the outcome of your efforts and is a great learning tool to view your work after the vehicle has had time to cure.
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