# Carpro fixer and reflect



## petesimcock (Aug 2, 2012)

Does anybody have any experience with these? They look to be excellent all round polishes but I can't find much other than the manufacturers write up on them. Anybody have any knowledge and experience with them? 

Thanks, Pete.


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## Rayner (Aug 16, 2012)

I've used Fixer a few times, got to be honest, I don't rate it that highly tbh but apparently they're both very good on ceramic. Not to say fixer is bad but I prefer others. 

Mostly down to personal preference, haven't used it with the Carpro pads either so that's worth considering. The best thing is the small bottles don't cost much so always worth a try


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## Ge03 (Jul 19, 2011)

I tried them as an alternative to Menz in cold weather. They certainly work well, long working times and Fixer varies cut nicely with changes of pad. Fixer finishes so well that often you don't need to use Reflect, I found it a better one step polish than say Meg's 105 and it's less dusty. Reflect, if you give it time and work it gently produces a great finish. 
Basically, they are both great all rounders, and for many they could be all that you need. Unfortunately we all seem to like trying different stuff, so I've ended up with Optimum Polish II as my "go to first" product for most jobs.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

I did a writeup on CarPro Reflect a few months ago, and that may be of some use if you want to learn more about this product: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=324901. I think that it is a very easy to use finishing polish, and the look it creates is pretty unique. Definitely one I'm happy to have in my collection, and rate quite highly.

Fixer in its current form is a decent medium polish, similar in some respects to Scholl S17+, but for me has been something more of an acquired taste than Reflect. There are some applications where it just 'clicks', and cuts and finishes beautifully in 1-step with a fairly rapid cycle-time; especially harder paint types. On others (Soft, 'sticky' paints in particular.) it can sometimes be a bit of a struggle... It's a polish that I like to keep in my arsenal for those odd situations that it seems to suit so perfectly (I have yet to come across a better polish for correcting scratched CD's and DVD's, as strange as that may seem! This with an LC Cyan Hydro-Tech spot pad is pretty epic on those sort of defects.), but because of the paints I typically work on it isn't my most used polish. Like Ge03, Optimum Polish II is typically my go-to in the P1500 range.

One thing that is nice about both CarPro polishes is the fact that they're fairly easy to clean up, which is great if you plan on using a nano-coating afterwards.

Hopefully this helps, and if you have any more questions please feel free to ask...

- Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

I have used also Fixer and it is nice polish but not so nice than OP Polish II. It is also easier to clean than Fixer.:thumb:


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## C0NAN (Jan 24, 2013)

There's a learning curve to Fixer. I alternate between Fixer and Megs Ultimate Compound. Reflect is just awesome! Easy to use and the finish it leaves is outstanding.


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## Flakey (May 5, 2013)

I have some Reflect lying around, I am very tempted to try it now.


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## petesimcock (Aug 2, 2012)

I've ordered a small bottle of each polish and orange, white and black hexlogic pads. This should see me good for a while


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## lucky_paddy (Feb 14, 2010)

I have Fixer and find it difficult to work with. Remember I'm working outside.
For enhancement - Using a rotary at slow speed with a 3m Yellow pad, it still dries out too quickly on too many occasions. And it's frustrating because it doesn't repeat itself.

EG - I was working on a Black ST last week. On Thursday I had the usual drying/piling issues and on Friday it worked beautifully (on the same car). So is it temperature/moisture sensitive??

I find Menz a lot wore user friendly but not as quick as Fixer. 

I would be interested to hear if anyone had found certain pads that are better/worse with Fixer.

HIH.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

lucky_paddy said:


> I have Fixer and find it difficult to work with. Remember I'm working outside.
> For enhancement - Using a rotary at slow speed with a 3m Yellow pad, it still dries out too quickly on too many occasions. And it's frustrating because it doesn't repeat itself.
> 
> EG - I was working on a Black ST last week. On Thursday I had the usual drying/piling issues and on Friday it worked beautifully (on the same car). So is it temperature/moisture sensitive??
> ...


I have had the odd climate-related issue with Fixer as well, and I think that it's the humidity that it doesn't like...

I will say that using closed-cell pads does seem to help to keep the polish film wet and consistent; I typically favor Lake Country Hydro-Tech pads when using Fixer, or one of the CarPro wool pads if doing heavy cutting. I have not used the 3M pads, but I myself have found Fixer to be very frustrating to use with some open-cell pads due to its viscosity, as they seem to absorb and release the product randomly. This kind of sounds like what you were talking about, so assuming the problem isn't just purely weather-related, a change of pad might help.


IMGP3712 by Mole Hill Motors, on Flickr

Here also is a photo of how I've been priming the pads when using both Fixer and Reflect; the new style of bottle caps allow for a very thin line of product to be laid down on the pad, and this semi-priming technique seems to work very well with these polishes (Kind of a variation on what you do with Scholl Concepts.).

These are what few tips I can give; the current version of Fixer (V2) can be a bit hit or miss at times, but when it works it does so beautifully as you say. After much experimentation these are some tricks that I have so far found to get the best out of it, and I hope that they help.

If you have any more questions please feel free to ask... :thumb:

- Steampunk


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## petesimcock (Aug 2, 2012)

My main question is based around varying the level of cut with fixer. I've ordered orange white and black hexlogic pads. Will the black give me any cut? 

What sort of pressure and speed are needed for differing levels of cut also. The cars I will be using these on are a mk5 golf, an e92 3 series and a skoda roomster and I expect I will need a fair amount of 'cut' to get through the damage on the roomster, but I don't want to go all out straight away as this is always a bad idea. 

Keeping the pad 'un clogged' also looks to be a priority, can I just brush the pad between sets? I presume compressed air is better used in MF pads.

Thanks for the advice, I've found barely anything on these polishes, even less that is digestible.


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## Ge03 (Jul 19, 2011)

The black hex logic pad has no cut, any cutting will just from the polish, so excellent for finishing down with diminishing polishes.
Pressure and speed will depend to some degree whether you're using DA or Rotary, but in this weather I have found that I need to keep the speed low with fairly firm pressure until the pad and the panel start warming up a little, then go to medium speed, with a Flex rotary I don't go above 1400 rpm with Fixer and around 4 on a DAS6pro or LHR12. I ease off the pressure with the higher speeds once the polish is starting to break down and clear. If you go too fast too soon I've found a thinner pad can heat up well before the panel and the polish will start to dry and grab.
As to clogging, if you're using the right amount of polish once the pad is primed, 2 small blobs for each set, then the polish should be almost gone by the end of each set. Wipe down the panel with Eraser or IPA and I like to wipe the pad clean with an old MF, only spurring the pad if I start to see a build up of removed clear coat on the pad. I find this works better with closed cell pads as the polish doesn't soak into the pad as much. YMMV.


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