I bought the FK1 Decontamination Kit for one of my vehicles (a 2008 white car) that had become badly contaminated with orange rust spots (brake dust I presume) and black tar spots over the winter. I made this decision after trying to clay the car, starting with the rear quarter panel, and after about 45 minutes of getting no where fast, I gave up. At this point, getting the orange spots off was becoming such a pain in the @ss that I decided to buy the FK1 decon system. Got home tonight and decided it was time to "decontaminate" the car. For those who haven't used this system, it is 3 steps. Step #1: This step is a decontamination step that removes tar, brake dust, and any sealant/wax on the car, etc. You essentially mix the solution 4 parts water to 1 part solution. It has a very strong smell. I made the mistake of putting the entire bottle (they supplied two) in my bucket. I could have used 1/5 of the solution mixed with water for the entire car... oh well, lesson learned. This gets applied to the car and rubbed in. It is, as mentioned, stinky but seemed to melt the tar and most of the contaminates away. Car was then rinsed thoroughly with water. Step #2: Next step is a subsurface steel iron remover. They say it opens the pores of paint whatever that means :shead: Anyway, this step completely removed any remaining orange rust spots. Also, this solution did not smell at all. Rinsed thoroughly. Step #3 PH neutralizing shampoo... basically washed the car. Well, I have to say that I'm impressed. Total time was about 40 minutes. The car was NOT clayed and feels absolutely smooth... no clay needed. Also, it is squeeky clean!! No protection on it at all but I have never felt paint so clean feeling!!! I will wash again tomorrow and do a IPA wipedown (to be safe) and apply sealant and wax. I have to imagine this is a great base for a sealant... perfectly clean paint. It was easy, worked exactly as promised, and saved me about 3 hours of claying. I will use this going forward... not necessarily as a clay replacement but rather as a complimentary process. I will use this first and then spot clay where needed... if needed. Overall... an A... not an A+ because Step #1 is REALLY stinky :shrug:
I've heard great stuff about this. Seems great for those ridiculously contaminated cars that destroy an entire clay bar.
I thought about trying the decon kit on my SUV. i already clayed it, but wanted to deep clean the paint. thanks for the info.
Don't confuse the Valuguard system with FK's...there are significant differences. A lot has been written on here about both. TOGWT did a good comparison between the two I remember. I am a BIG fan of the valuguard system and have used it several times. It never ceases to amaze. One big warning though, and I'm sure you saw it if you read the instructions "Never allow to dry on paint or use on hot surfaces"....big no-no for this product. Respect that, and you're golden. Truly amazing stuff. I would recommend against the FK and get the valuguard.
Great to hear it worked, I posted something on it a while back and no response. I've heard these types of kits are a must for really old cars.
Couple questions for the OP as I am planning on using the Valugard version on my white car. It has a good amount of winter contamination How long did each section sit(dwell) for per step? Did you end working panel by panel? What kind of media did you use to apply the first and second stages?
I had heard the Valuguard system was better but could not actually buy it anywhere... their site was also down, etc. Maybe they are out of business ?:shrug: In any event, I was very happy with the FK1 system and how well it worked. Richy... what is it about Valuguard that makes it better? Is it safer or more effective? The FK1 worked great so if Valuguard is better it must be amazing!! I have looked and still can't find it available for sale anywhere!?!
I worked it over the whole car (each step) for about 10 minutes. Didn't go panel by panel mainly because it was raining outside (I was in the garage with the door open) so I wasn't worried about it drying on the finish. I just kept going over it and over it. I used a microfibre wash mitt (3 actually).
Here you go... http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/f50/bunch-products-9895.html http://www.valugard.net/cms/xramp/ValuGardNeutralizationSystem/tabid/84/Default.aspx I cant find it for sale as a kit anymore, but thats what I have.
I can't find the package deal, but here is the new group of chemicals on the site: Valugard - Neutralization System
