I wondered if any of you have ever had your MINI given the Deluxe Diamond finish from QuikTouch here in Prescott, AZ.
I found the company while trying to find someone to repair my BMW's wheels that were damaged by a local tire company. While I was there the owner showed me some of the photos of his work.
Since my Clubman is the chili red I was interested in the process to remove the swirls and protect the car from Arizona's harsh sun. I'm going to have the process done this week. I saw a bit of what he can do to remove the swirls in the clear coat and Otto looked great when he was done. Plus it negates the need to do a lot of washing and no more waxing.
You might want to check it out quicktouch website. Pretty interesting.

 

Is this one of those "permanent wax" scams?

 

Not at all. It is not a wax. It is a 6-step process that protects and perfects the clearcoat finish. The owner was a chemist and came up with this system many years ago. The best explanation is found at the Web site www.quiktouch.com. Plus actually talking with him is much better than any explanation I can give.

No one else anywhere does this as it is his creation and he's been in business for many years. I just had no idea he was in my own town. Although he developed this for the high heat, dust, UVA and UVB damage in Arizona, he has people from all over bring their cars here to be done. I've seen the photos of the Ferraris, Corvettes, BMWs, Mercedes, Porsches, etc. It's not a scam. I am probably the largest skeptic out there, this is not a scam.

There are other MINIs in town that have had it done. Trust me he doesn't need to look for business, people come to him.

My husband called one of the car experts in town and he highly recommended the owner. I've seen the results on my Clubman. There are absolutely no swirl marks and they will not return. It protects the coat for three years.

Sorry to go on so long. I'm just amazed at this and the guy is 100% honest.

This isn't an effort to sell him to anyone. I just wanted to put it out there as I work so hard on my car to get it to its best appearance and this amazed me. I wasn't out looking for a way to spend money, but I felt this was well worth it and it can't hurt the resale value, it should only help it when that day arrives.

 

From the site:

Creates a smoother slicker finish reducing air friction & drag

Well, then it must not be a scam.

I had a friend get this or something like it about 10 years ago when I lived in Phoenix. They even said just rinse with water, never a need to wash again.
Not sure about this stuff but his was snake oil.

 

It's not snake oil. And no one else does this, it is his own development. He didn't chase me down, I was there to discuss possible repair of my BMW wheels that were damaged by a local installer when I had new tires put on.
Prescott is a small town and does not tolerate charlatans. Some of the cars worked on there run from $200K to $400K.
I just wondered if any of you had this done. I know other MINI owners in town have had it done and are happy with the results.
No problem, just thought some other obsessed detailers might be interested. Guess I should have kept it to myself.

 

If you are happy with it that is all that matters.
I know Prescott, my folks still have place there, and your assumption that because someone does business there they are not 'charlatans' is not a very sound thought. Not that this guy is a crook or that the product is bad. It just seems like if it were as good as the web site says there would be more press about it.
Like I said above if you are happy that is what matters.

 

Actually I was considering writing an article about the process for one of the car magazines. He isn't aware of that yet, but I wanted to tell others about it.

He is not seeking publicity. He has a lot of business and his reputation in town and the car club community is stellar. My husband checked him out with local car gurus and they all attested to his expertise and knowledge. I would never leave my MINI with anyone I didn't trust.

I don't believe the owner has sought any press on the process as he developed it for the Arizona sun problems. He never expected the response he has had from the other Western states. He is the only one doing this and has a large and loyal following, including most of the car dealerships here.

He loves the Clubman and will be using mine in some of his photos from what he told me yesterday. My enthusiasm for this car is over the top and I think he may end up with one.

I'll pick Otto up tonight so I'll know a lot more then. He is going to show me how to take care of it now that the damage from a car cover, swirls, and tree sap have been eradicated. I'll see if I can download some of his digital shots to my gallery.

 

thanks for asking, no i have not tried.

 

It's a little hard to get excited about the "Deluxe Diamond" finish over the internet, because the website is pretty light on details as to what actually makes it different from any other system of using multiple progressively-finer polishes, a glaze and a synthetic sealant.

Pictures on the internet don't help much either, because you just can't see the small difference in the end results that separate one system from another. Also, I think everyone here knows that the detailer's skill & technique have more to do with the end results than the actual products used. Richard (Octaneguy) could probably detail a car using bargain-basement no-name products and still get phenomenal results.

But since you've actually seen the results in person and are happy with them, that's all that matters. I'm just a little skeptical about how different the Deluxe Diamond products really are compared to other products.

 

Now that I have Otto home and in the garage, I can tell you what was listed on the invoice.
A deluxe diamond finish is a 2-stage machine compound full exterior to optimize clearcoat/2-machine polish full exterior, using high-heat, high-gloss polish system/2-hand glazes using anti-static and polish (ASAP) to increase gloss and neutralize static cling.
He works on cars for the Barrett auction, which I only learned yesterday.
He does not claim it will never need to be washed, but recommends a high-pressure wash with spot free-wash when necessary. He knows I don't take my car out in bad, windy weather, or on dirt roads, so I should be able to California dust and apply the ASAP to keep him in his current state.

I hate to even take the car out as he is so gorgeous and mirrorlike. I am amazed at the shine and the brilliance of the chili red. And here I thought I had done such a good job. The swirls are absolutely gone now.

I'm sure not putting down anyone else's expertise or methods. I just have to say that this job was way beyond my capabilities. If I used an orbital polisher I think I'd be driving a bare-metal MINI.

To attest to his honesty, he told me about a spot of old bake-on sap on one of my black stripes. He called and said that the MINI stripes are not actually black vinyl, but are ink jet spray on white vinyl. He did get the sap off before it ate through to the paint, but it bleached the stripe in about a dime-sized area.
He contacted his clear bra/stripe guy, who also is the most highly recommended installer up here, and using my VIN within 2 hours he had the identical factory stripe delivered for me. He is paying to have the stripe replaced and new clear bra installed over it. (He complimented the job MINI N. Scottsdale did on my installation.)
The Prescott installer is great too--I had him install the protection over the lights a year ago. I watched it--amazing.

I was sure he would charge extra, but his goal is for the car to look its absolute best. He stands by his work. Over 10 years doing this with 0 complaints.

I am happy. I could never have achieved this look on Otto. He will get the new Cabrio when I finally buy one.

Thanks for listening.

 

Cloud10..thanks for taking the time to post about your experience with this detail shop. Based on what I read about their website, and what you've posted, there really isn't any different about "Diamond Touch" other than marketing the services us paint polishers perform on paint.

Most importantly they made you into a believer and a satisfied customer. However it's now clear that this "magic chemical" that the owner created, really isn't what you initially believed it to be. What you experienced is what we quality detailers strive for everytime. Using our expertise and passion for what we do to improve paint beyond the customers expectations.

I have to question whether compounding the paint was really even necessary.

Also for what it's worth, I've also worked on cars for Barrett Jackson and despite the notoriety of this auction, I've witnessed first hand some heavily swirled out custom cars that sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I'm not trying to put a damper in your enthusiasm but making claims that your paint has "... absolutely no swirl marks and they will not return. It protects the coat for three years." is misleading.

It's technically true that if the original swirls were removed then they won't return, however you can still put NEW swirl marks in the paint and it will look just as bad as it did before the work. Do you see the differentiation??

Richard

 

Thanks for the explanation. I realize I can put the swirls back in there, although I think they were there on delivery anyway.
I am trying to remember this is a car that should be driven and enjoyed and to heck with swirls or no swirls. I really enjoy washing Otto and maybe I should have left him as he was. He wasn't really damaged. I just thought it would be nice to have him professionally done and I saw several of the cars that had been worked on there.
I think I'll go metallic next time. I know I can screw that up too, but I'll look for a color that won't show it so much.
Truthfully I think only other car people would even notice. I've been happy to just keep it clean and waxed with Zymol. I do love to wax, although I've been told it will scratch it.
Geez. My 2002 330 Ci really looks great to me and to everyone else and I've always washed and Zymoled her myself.
Now, I could care less about our Suburban or the Titan truck. They go to parking lots and out in bad weather, too. I need to stop obsessing about the MINI I guess.
Thanks again for your input and for the great job I know you do. It would be so much easier if my husband was well so he could accompany me to places to figure out stuff, but unless I take him out to the garage in his wheelchair he can't even see how the MINI looks now. Sad for a guy who loved his cars so much. He hasn't even gotten to sit in it.

 

For the simple fact you are here in this forum, you've made the right decision in learning to care for your MINI. Let me also say that with the right care and techniques, you won't scratch your paint by waxing or washing.

When a detail shop "restores" your paint, and this is done by paint subtraction shaving off the scratched portions of paint, the new thinner paint beneath it needs to be taken care of by the owner, otherwise, it will return to it's "pre restoration" state..and the amount of paint that can be removed in the future, especially if compounding was involved becomes less and less.

Whether anyone will notice the detail job, it really doesn't matter. Just like the feeling I get when I drive my freshly washed MINI, it enhances the experience, that's what driving a freshly detailed car is all about.

A good detail job will be noticed by others, regardless of paint condition. Most people who don't detail their cars, don't understand why their paint is a wreck or that they even have a problem because they think it's a natural part of owning a car, especially a black one. So their expectations are low, but once they see how much better it can look, people will notice the difference.

Metallic paints definitely do a better job at hiding neglect or poor techniques, but you can still see them. If you want the easiest to care for paint, get silver, lol. Sadly silver will never have a deep rich color no matter what you do with it.

Non Metallic Black Paint
Side by side comparison, polished on left, original on right


BEFORE


AFTER


Metallic Paint
BEFORE


AFTER



I'm sorry to hear about your husband but it sounds like to me that you're doing fine with the car care yourself! Becoming more knowledgeable is the first step to learning how to take care of your MINI.

For me, the best way to think about how not to scratch my paint is to think about how I touch the car. When I wash it, what wash mitt or sponge comes into contact with the paint. Is it the best quality? And is it lubricated when it touches the paint? How dirty is the paint to begin with, has it been rinsed off as best as you can before you rub it?

Same goes with drying..what quality of towels am I using? Do they feel soft to the touch? Maybe it's better to blow the water off using air, or maybe using something that soaks up the water like an Absorber is better than dragging a towel over the finish?

Do you use a quick detailer to clean the dust off your paint and make it look just washed? How dusty/dirty is it before you begin? Imagine wetting the dusty surface of your paint, then grinding that in with a towel..it won't do pretty things to the paint.

When you wax the car, is the surface clean and free of contaminants? What are you using to apply the wax with? Is the applicator free of dirt or debris? You didn't drop it right? It doesn't have caked on/dried wax from the last time you used it does it? You aren't using the same applicator that you used to wax your wheels right?

If you think like that..you will be much better off in wondering whether you are improving or degrading your paint finish.

Hang in there and ask questions.

Richard

 

Thank you again for the input. I've never taken my MINI or the 2002 BMW 330Ci out in rain, snow, windy days, dirt roads, etc. They are fair weather, low mileage cars. (3,000 on the MINI in one year, 6,040 on the BMW after 7 years)
I have used Zymol products on the BMW and the Clubman, along with Detailers Paradise products and the best microfiber towels they and Griot's sell. The yellow microfibers available from Costco are only used on the underside of the car, or between the door frame and bottom of door when drying Otto off or applying wheel or black arch protector products.

I have read everyone's suggestions and directions on how to care for Otto 2 years before he arrived (I was waiting for him from Jan. 4, 2006 till his delivery last February).

I religiously followed the Zymol instructions to "apply the wax in the direction of the wind." I always used a Zymol paint cleanser after hand washing, with Lambskin mitt, triple bucket with grit guard system. I used a chamois gently to get most of the water off the surface after the final rinse and then a very gentle hand dry with the microfibers. I don't treat my body anywhere near as good as this car.

I've had so many compliments on the BMW's paint being like new after owning her 7 years. I use little Griot's sponges to get behind her M wheels to clean off brake dust after a thorough cleansing with wheel cleaner, than the best car soap, etc.

Otto already had swirls when I picked him up. I know it is one of the bugaboos of chili red and black. Actually I wasn't unhappy with his appearance. He never failed to get compliments. I had the work done on him after I saw one of the A pillars worked on and it was such a noticeable difference from his appearance the last year that I went ahead with it.

I am about as obsessive about my cars as anyone could be to the disgust of my family who think I'm crazy to do so much for a "car."

So, really I don't think it was my washing, waxing, California car dusting and then using speed shine in between washes that did anything bad to the MINI. I just wanted to eliminate the scratches he had. I don't expect him to be perfect. Actually driving the Titan or the Suburban is more relaxing as I don't obsess that someone will hurt them.

I don't park the MINI or BMW in parking lots. Someone spit on Buffy (BMW) once and one other time someone intentionally hit her door. That was it for me. She only goes out for a quick spin now.

Today I had the sheriff's dept. put the VIN numbers on the MINI's windows. I've never had that done before, but they suggest it. There were some nice cars in line, including a yellow MCS next to me.
I wouldn't let them near the windows with their Windex and paper towels. I got out to make sure none of their spray went near Otto's paint. I took out a microfiber and my Clarity in case they needed the windows washed. Really no need as it has not been out since the detailing and was freshly dusted and spritzed. They agreed. They also had to tolerate my instructions to not touch the paint, etc. They weren't angry or upset, they knew I loved the car. I couldn't believe how dirty almost every other car there was (not the other MINI though).

So, as much as the detailing did improve Otto for the time being, I still want to enjoy washing and waxing him. That is one of my greatest pleasures just to spend the time with him.

Rarely do I keep a car past 4 years so at least I'll try to keep him pristine for myself today and hope the next owner loves him as much as I do.

If you were closer I would have happily had you detail him. I can't go on road trips longer than an hour or two with Rich's situation.

Again, thank you for all the time you took to talk it over with me. It is most appreciated. Now back to the math book I'm proofreading. Have to pay off that job on Otto.