Wanting to try out our line of cleaning products, I only had one option, my "Land Yacht". Being a poor webmaster, I cannot afford one of the beautiful boats like we work on daily.
Background on the car - it is a 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS which I drive as often as possible. The car has been entered in many car shows in the past and has won trophies and awards but has been neglected recently due to my hectic schedule. The paint is showing its age and the wheels were coated in a layer of brake dust. The interior was a bit dirty, especially the carpet which had some stains that would not clean with Resolve® Carpet Cleaner.
The car was always been maintained with Meguiars products until the
past three years where it has been maintained by the folks at the local
car wash (I'm not real proud of that).
Taking a little initiative to try our products, I spent 5 hours on a Saturday scrubbing and polishing using the following products from our site: IMAR Yacht Soap, IMAR Yacht Polish, IMAR Yacht Clean & Shine, 303 Aerospace Protectant, Whip-It All Purpose Cleaner and the Absorber.
The Yacht Soap did a decent job cleaning off surface dirt. It rinses off nicely and has a pleasant scent. The wheels were sprayed liberally with a dilution of Whip-It All Purpose Cleaner, 4 oz. in a 32 oz. spray bottle (28 oz. plain water). Using the remaining mixture of Yacht Soap with the help of the Whip-It, the brake dust and road grime washed off easily. The car was thoroughly dried using the Absorber (I love this thing). Following this, the car was put under a tent and polished using an orbital buffer and the IMAR Yacht Polish. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the polish went on and off leaving a beautiful shine that my car hasn't had in too long a time! This was followed with a light coat of Meguiars Carnauba Wax which further enhanced the shine and gave it that "deep" look, very important on a metallic paint.
Next I tackled the interior once again using the Whip-It dilution as above. I let it soak into the stains in my carpet for about 5 minutes and followed up with a sponge and plain water. All the spots came right out! Having used the IMAR Yacht Clean & Shine on Lexan with pleasant results, I tried it on my tinted interior windows. It leaves a slick, anti-static surface which I am hoping will leave the glass clearer for a longer period of time. It also worked nicely on all of my interior trim removing slight scuffs from the shoes of my careless children who think this is "just a car".
My overall impressions - The IMAR Products were easy to use and highly effective. The polish removed light scratches in the clear coat and left a brilliant shine. Add to this the UV protectants in the polish, it should protect the paint from further damage by the harsh South Florida sun. The wax enhanced the shine left by the polish and I am pleased with the results.
On the interior, The Whip-It representative wasn't kidding when he told me how effective this stuff is! It is a non-toxic citrus cleaner (he proved this by drinking a little) that cuts through the toughest stains. When it cleaned some ugly carpet stains, I was sold. It also did a wonderful job on my aluminum wheels and chrome exhaust tips. The IMAR Yacht Clean & Shine was very to use and not only cleans but leaves a slick surface that, with the anti-static properties, should keep the windows cleaner longer.
Finally, I used the 303 Aerospace Protectant on my tires instead of the shiny stuff. The 303 does a nice job of blackening the tires without that "cheesy" shiny look left behind with many other tire treatments. As always, it rained soon after the car was finished but the tires remained the same. Normally the rain leaves runs in the finish with other treatments.
