Review: BlackFire Wet Diamond

P

Preachers Sheets

New member
I have put 303 on my dash, cleaned it a little here and there and all that stuff. It has gotten quite cold and I want to really really clean my dash and start a whole new appliation of 303 on my dash from scratch.



What is the strongest/best cleaner to use on the dash to do this? Ef-Hi? Sounds like it's too strong or something but all I ever hear of is stuff to protect your dash, make your dash shine etc... I wanna clean the sucker.
 
Well, some people use dawn here. I am not sure about how to clean it. I imagine a warm damp sponge with dawn to give it a once over, then follow up with another sponge with clean water and lots of towels to soak up the water. Then 303



Ef Hi diluted like 20% hi, 80% water, or a very small amount of Ef hi with a sponge. then a damp sponge with water. Wipe dash with water sponge, then ef sponge, repeat a few times till clean. then use a dedicated damp sponge to clean off the Ef HI residue, then dress.



the sponge can be replaced with a terry towel or mf towel though........
 
Just dont let the Ef Hi dry on the dash, and use very very little, its pretty strong stuff, and use lots of rinse water, then protect it immediately!!!



other than that, it should be safe.
 
The 80/20 mix of EFHI and water will be fine. On really dirty dashes I have even used a 50/50 mix with no problems. :up
 
Get some Griots Garage Interior Cleaner. Youl be suprised at how much grime this gets out of dashboards, ect (just look at your towel when your done). Plus its very safe.
 
If you don't want to spend money on the Griot's product, just try the EF Hi -Intensity mix. You will like it. Laters
 
Definitely use Lether and Plastic Cleaner by a company namede malco. It is great cleaner and contains softneners and will not dry out any leather.



Ryan
 
Review: BlackFire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection
Introduction:
I?ve read a great deal about this product but had no plans to purchase it as I already have far too many waxes and sealants. Par Detailing (Jon) noticed a post of mine about BFWD at some point and generously offered to send me a sample in exchange for me doing a review with it. Thank you Jon!

Product Description (from PAC website):
Wet Diamond, All finish Paint Protection is a paint-friendly, oil-in-water, emulsion safe for all finishes with or without a clear coat. This emulsion contains a small amount of a very refined mineral spirit in a water base. Multiple coats can be layered to deepen the gloss without drying or weakening the paint.


Initial Product Observations:
1.- Packaging: Elliptical Black Plastic Bottle
2.- Directions: (From PAC website) Work product until it begins to dry. Allow haze to form. Hand buff dry.
3.- Consistency: Runny
4.- Color: Light blue/gray
5.- Scent: I don?t think any fragrance has been added but the chemistry of the product does give off a mild petrol scent.
6a.- Size/Price: 16 oz. ($29.99)
6b.- Size/Price: 32 oz. ($49.99)
6c.- Size/Price: 64 oz. ($79.99)
7.- Manufacturer: Blackfire
8.- Made in: Unknown

Products used during application and removal:
1.- Flex 3401
2.- Lake Country Flat Blue pad
3.- Quality MF Buffing towels

Method of Preparation and Application:
I started by rinsing the car and then sprayed it down with P21S Total Auto Wash. Between interruptions from my neighbors I finished the wash process with my bucket of Ultima PGW and the same MF mitt I used with the TAW. After drying with some WW towels I allowed any unseen water to evaporate while I did some interior work and ate some lunch.
Using M205 with 5 1/2" Tangerine Hydro-Tech pads on my Flex 3401 I polished the hood and the driver side of the vehicle along with a little spot polishing here and there. Next I used an IPA solution to remove any oils I had left behind in the areas I polished.
Finally it was time for the BFWD. I grabbed a flat 6 1/2" blue LC pad and placed it on my Flex 3401. After applying an amount of BFWD the size of a quarter, I spread it across the first half of the hood and one fender. Then I worked it for a few passes on a speed of 3 3/4. I found that when you apply a little of the product to the pad it tries to soak into the pad rather quickly so as I applied some more to my pad I flipped the Flex over quicker this time and got back to work. I also found the speed setting of 3 to be better for me.
After I had finished the hood I applied some more product to the pad. This time I was careful to apply a very thin line around the perimeter of the pad, which seemed to serve me well as I continued the process. As the product would be used up I would occasionally press the pad (with machine stopped) against the paint to squeeze any leftover out and then work that before going back to apply a little more to the pad. I?m not a fan of applying to one panel at a time and stopping to remove sealant. Therefore I continued and finished applying product to all painted portions of the car.
Next I went ahead and applied it to the glass around the perimeter of the car (except for the driver side windows). I?d like to tell you I skipped those intentionally for testing purposes but actually I forgot and didn?t realize until I was removing product. The majority of the vehicle was under my canopy throughout the process. However, just a bit of the rear end stuck out and I was concerned that the hot panel and the sun would cause issues for me at that location.
After depositing my blue pad into my pad solution bucket I retrieved a fresh buffing towel. With the short nap side I went across the entire car flipping the towel as needed. The product seemed to come loose easily on all areas including the spot that was in the sun. However, I did have issue with some baby powder like dusting (as seen in pictures 05 and 06). It also seemed that rather than stick to the towel the dust would just get pushed around. After switching to the long nap side and finish buffing, I decided it was time to do something about the dust. I didn?t want to spray any liquid on it (obviously) since the polymers need time to cure. So I grabbed my air compressor and blew off the spots where I had collected the dust as well as along the panel lines, door jambs, etc.

Noted Observations:
Applying BFWD was a breeze and I found no issues. Removal of the product was very easy as well but had some minor issues. Normally this minor dusting wouldn?t stand out as it is no big deal and easily remedied but I have heard people say this is the easiest product to use and I found that not to be the case. It?s very nice and easy, just not the most trouble free product I?ve ever used.
When it comes down to looks and slickness I am very impressed! The paint looked great and I did notice a very nice wet darkening affect. The car was so slick I had a hard time getting the bottle (see picture 04) to stay still on the roof for a picture. A little went a very long way (as it should) and I barely put a dent in what Jon had given me. I should have marked the bottle before and after but I forgot to. Sorry about that.
The next morning I went out to take some shots while the beads (from condensation) were still there. I like to check the beads on a sealed car from condensation since the bead size isn?t affected by a spraying pattern or raindrop size. I?ve never seen beads as small as what I found when I walked out to the car. Check out pictures 16 and 17. My finger in the picture is about 0.625? thick. It looks like my finger is about 70 beads wide so those beads may be about 0.009? in diameter.
A discovery that was not so exciting was streaking across a lot of the car. It showed itself worse on the horizontal surfaces and especially the hood. See pictures 18 through 22. Being that it?s worse on the first panel I sealed there is a possibility that the product is finicky about being left on for very long. As with the dusting issue this streaking issue should also be easily rectified, but I thought both were important to make note of.
Over the following two days we happened to put over 500 miles on the car. Over 300 of it was on Sunday and I picked up a ton of bugs that day. By the time I got home the front was covered in bugs and it was dark. I went ahead and hosed it down in the dark with just a bit of light falling on it from the garage. I couldn?t really see the bugs and had to go on faith for the most part. I have to say the bugs came off pretty good considering. The next morning in the light I could see some markings from the bugs but I?d say the BFWD did make a noticeable difference in how much bug matter came off just from a good spray. Oh, be sure not to miss the last picture. Really weird? First the spot where no condensation collected but even weirder is the image to the right of it. Zoom in on it and the creature has hair. Weird!

Please take a look at the photos and rejoin me for the Pros, Cons, and Final thoughts.

01.- Before Washing

01-Before_Washing.JPG



02.- Before Washing

02-Before_Washing.JPG



03.- Before M205

03-Before_M205.JPG



04.- Product

06-Product.JPG



05.- BFWD Dusting

05_Dusting.JPG



06.- BFWD Dusting

04_Dusting.JPG



07.- After

07_After1.JPG



08.- After

08_After1.JPG



09.- After

09_After1.JPG



10.- After

10_After2.JPG



11.- After

11_After2.JPG



12.- After

12_After.JPG



13.- After

13_After1.JPG



14.- After

14_After2.JPG



15.- After

15_After.JPG



16.- Beads

16_Beads.JPG


17.- Beads

17_Beads.JPG



18.- Streaking

18_Streaking.JPG



19.- Streaking

19_Streaking.JPG



20.- Streaking

20_Streaking.JPG



21.- Streaking

21_Streaking.JPG


22.- Weird Anomaly

22_WEIRD.JPG




Pros:
1.- Application: Quick and painless
2.- Looks: Beautiful deep wet shine
3.- Slick: Leaves a very slick surface
4,- Hydrophobic: Water runs from BFWD like it?s the plague


Cons:
1.- Dust during removal of product.
2.- Streaky the next morning

???:
1.- Hey Flash, there was ?a bunch of gibberish to sift through? :) so if you made it this far I?m impressed.
2.- What is the creature in picture 22?

Final Observations and Summary:
This is a very nice sealant that leaves great looks and a very smooth slick finish. I had my wife touch the paint and she was extremely impressed. We also touched the glass that I hadn?t applied it to and then that which I had. Of course there was a night and day difference. While application/removal isn?t the most trouble free of any product I?ve used the looks are enough to make me want to give this a shot on my Sky. The paint on Sky doesn?t have all the rock chips and is in great condition so I am curious to see how it looks on her. I will update on durability of this product as the months go by.


And the Product Link:
http://properautocare.com/blacallfinpa.html
 
Corey,
Thanks for taking the time to write the review. I have used BFWD on many different cars and all colors, and I must say that I have never had a dusting or streaking problem (maybe it was mixed with that Jose Cuervo:). IMHO, I think you may have applied it too thick. The thinner the better. Also, leaving the sealant on for a longer period of time will not have any negative effects what so ever. I usually apply it to the entire car, and let it cure for 45 minutes, and then come back to buff it off.
Also, I use the LC Gold Kompressor pad to apply the BFWD. This pad makes this such a joy to apply. It helps to give a nice even, thin application. You should give it a try. Try the BFWD on your other car and let us know what you think.:rockon:
 
Good review!

I'll add my comments as I've been there, done that.

I used my Flex 3401, tried the blue,red, black and gold pads - all absorb a lot of product. Found the black absorbed the least but I settled on the gold pad as I prefered the "feel" during application. Like you, I found slower was better (I run at 2.5 to 3) with very little down force pressure - just enough to maintain smooth/even control.

I also found that applying the BFWD in a three spoked "S" with the end at the outer perimeter being "long" did two things: 1) more even spread on the paint and 2) after a couple applications it had an even saturation of the pad.
'
Once the pad was evenly saturated I was able to cover two door panels or the hood or roof without adding more BFWD.

THIN, THIN, THIN was the key and THIN eliminated all dusting. Too heavy and it dustd - very thin and no problem.

Regards,
GEWB
 
Tuck91 said:
Thank you for the honest review.
Click to expand...

My pleasure, thanks for reading it.

bmw5541 said:
Corey,
Thanks for taking the time to write the review. I have used BFWD on many different cars and all colors, and I must say that I have never had a dusting or streaking problem (maybe it was mixed with that Jose Cuervo:). IMHO, I think you may have applied it too thick. The thinner the better. Also, leaving the sealant on for a longer period of time will not have any negative effects what so ever. I usually apply it to the entire car, and let it cure for 45 minutes, and then come back to buff it off.
Also, I use the LC Gold Kompressor pad to apply the BFWD. This pad makes this such a joy to apply. It helps to give a nice even, thin application. You should give it a try. Try the BFWD on your other car and let us know what you think.:rockon:
Click to expand...

My pleasure Barry. Thanks for the verification that leaving it on for a long time isn't an issue. I was about to argue that I certainly did not apply it too thick. I really used very little. Probably not even a 1/4" depth of that little bottle was used. However, based on the length of time not being an issuewhat you are saying is in fact the most logical. After thinking about it I did apply it thicker on the hood then the rest of the car. A little more poured out then I wanted the first time. Still went on very thin but maybe a little thicker then the rest of the car. Thanks again for the tips.

akimel said:
As always, a great review. One question: How long did you allow the BFWD to set up before buffing off?
Click to expand...

Thank you sir. I allowed it to set up until I finished application. Then I went back and buffed off starting at the beginning. I'm guessing about 25-35 minutes maybe.

gewb said:
Good review!

I'll add my comments as I've been there, done that.

I used my Flex 3401, tried the blue,red, black and gold pads - all absorb a lot of product. Found the black absorbed the least but I settled on the gold pad as I prefered the "feel" during application. Like you, I found slower was better (I run at 2.5 to 3) with very little down force pressure - just enough to maintain smooth/even control.

I also found that applying the BFWD in a three spoked "S" with the end at the outer perimeter being "long" did two things: 1) more even spread on the paint and 2) after a couple applications it had an even saturation of the pad.
'
Once the pad was evenly saturated I was able to cover two door panels or the hood or roof without adding more BFWD.

THIN, THIN, THIN was the key and THIN eliminated all dusting. Too heavy and it dustd - very thin and no problem.

Regards,
GEWB
Click to expand...

Thanks GEWB! Like you I place very little pressure when applying any sealant or wax. Basically I just keep the pad flat on the paint. I wish I'd taken some pics before I buffed it off so you could see how thin it was. I slipped up on that this time around.

I appreciate all the tips and look forward to perfecting my application the next time I use it.
 
I just realized I didn't make something clear. The streaking you see in those pictures is with the condensation. As the condensation evaporated over the next 45 minutes those streaks disapeared and became completely invisible.
 
Don't mean it wrong Cee Dog but that car looked to be in pretty bad shape before you started. I am just a weekend warrior but maybe you should have clayed it and hit it with M105 before M205? Maybe could have used better prep prior to applying BFWD? I have used BFWD many times without any problems whatsoever.
 
firebird said:
Don't mean it wrong Cee Dog but that car looked to be in pretty bad shape before you started. I am just a weekend warrior but maybe you should have clayed it and hit it with M105 before M205? Maybe could have used better prep prior to applying BFWD? I have used BFWD many times without any problems whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your opinion firebird. If by pretty bad shape you mean needed to be washed then you're right. If by pretty bad shape you mean a ton of rock chips and a big dents in the hood then you're right. As far as needing to be clayed it hadn't been long since it had been clayed and the paint was very smooth after being washed. As far as using M105 you are incorrect. M205 took those scratches that I show in that picture right out. As far as anything deeper then those scratches I don't need them out. This is a daily driver that has been beat up pretty bad and I'm not going to take off the rest of the clear trying to get what's left of the deeper scratches. This is not a show and shine or a review on anything more then a sealant so I'm not sure I understand your point. Again, thanks for your opinion and taking the time to read the review.

PAR Detailing said:
Great review Corey! Thanks for doing this for us!
Click to expand...

Thanks Jon! Excellent product btw! Can't wait to use it on the Sky!
 
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