How hot is too hot?

[GaulGW]

I live outside Houston and we just set a record for the most days in a row over 100F and it only drops to 80 at night. I have seen a lot of recommendations that say to work in a cool (under 80F) location out of the sun. That is not possible this time of year even if I work in the middle of the night. The other problem with night is the humidity goes up to 100%, which is also not good.

1. Even in the shade, is 100F+ too hot for products like Ultimate Compound, Polish, Wax, or Quick Detailer? What would a good "maximum" ambient temperature be?

2. I store everything in my garage, which is not cooled so it goes up to whatever the outside temp is. Is that going to hurt the shelf life of the above products?

[Michael Stoops]

No doubt the high ambient temp and humidity can create some issues, most notably wax drying time. But as long as the surface is not hot to the touch, as in you can comfortably hold your hand on the surface, then you can still work on the car.

[DrdetailNashville]

Re: How hot is too hot?

I feel your pain, its been a very hot summer in Nashville also. Not as bad as Texas, but we've had a lot of days over 100.

To answer your question, I just do the best I can. I do mostly mobile detailing so lots of times my work environment is not ideal. I have a couple pop-up tents that allow me to make shade even in a non-shady area. But yes 100 degrees even in the shade is too hot to do many things, especially a black or dark colored car. I'll let one of the Meguiar's people give a max temperature for any particular product.

I've found the new DA microfiber system works pretty well in hot temperatures.

[greg0303]

Re: How hot is too hot?

I worked outside with air temperature above 90*F and humidity level over 85%. I divided each panel into really small sections. I ended up probably using bigger amount of each product but the final results were good.

I worked in the shadow on cool paint surface though with EZ-Up canopy.

[GaulGW]

Re: How hot is too hot?

Thanks for the responses. I am ready to take the leap and get a Meguiar's D/A polisher and detail my cars myself, but wanted to make sure I was not wasting my time getting started before fall.

[KKloppe]

Re: How hot is too hot?

The high for this week is 105, and it has hit 100 every day for the last 2 months. It is also very humid all the time. More than once I have found myself compounding my car at midnight, because it makes it much easier.

[BlackScreaminMachine]

Re: How hot is too hot?

My exp has been as long as its not under direct light you should be fine. I can tell you that M105 can dry out quickly if working to large of area coupled with low humidity and high temps so you need to talior your technique to the situation. IF you need to shrink the area your working, then do so.

Multiple thin coats are better then one heavy and one of the best OTC waxes out there is the new Ultimate Wax from Meguiars. Has become a staple in my house hold.

My main issue with regional conditions is the Pollen Season in the North East, can be a real pain when working outside. Also results get covered in a fine yellow/green sticky dust. Also that I can't detail from December until March kinda bites.

[GaulGW]

Re: How hot is too hot?

I can tell you that M105 can dry out quickly if working to large of area coupled with low humidity and high temps so you need to talior your technique to the situation. IF you need to shrink the area your working, then do so.

Will I get longer work time in the heat with Ultimate Compound or Ultimate Polish compared to M105 or M205? I will be using a DA.

[Murr1525]

Re: How hot is too hot?

Ult Compound will be more DA friendly in general.