Help A N00bie

[Matthew_McNally]

Hey guys, looking for some advice.

been working solidly for quite a while, and planning time off now!

one of things is a damn good polish up of the car - it gets cleaned around twice a month at a car wash (hand washed - no brushes or bristles) - but now I'm thinking I should give it the works.

My car is an IS, in Strathcaron Blue - image below for an indication of the colour

I am thinking of getting;

clay bar

The Perfect Shine Kit

what do you reckon?

is there enough here for me to give the car the full works?

am I missing anything?

I know I am based in the UK - but the guys on the UK forums can't see any further that Megiuars three stage products - I want to use something different!

[silvermate]

hey matt.

thats great u are gonna give her the works, it'll be fun :)

if you read my post on my detail i did a couple of weeks ago, you can see the pics i added, and this is what i did, and i came out great.

Magic Clay bar

Meguiar's colo X (great product)

Megauir's #7 Show Car Glaze

Meguiar's NXT polymer wax

it really did a great job on my dark paint. its a good combination of products also. ;)

[silvermate]

oh sorry i didn't read that u didn't want to use meguier's products.

i don't know why everyone is this forum doesn't prefer, or want to use meguiar's procucts. man they really work good.

and give a great deep luster and shine. :D

good luck

[Matthew_McNally]

i don't know why everyone is this forum doesn't prefer, or want to use meguiar's procucts. man they really work good.

not saying theres anything wrong with megiars - its just on the UK forums there are a bunch of people who already use them, and I want to try other stuff - so 'we', as a community, get the experience of a larger range.

I also really want to use the P21S Carnuba Wax - I have heard this stuff described as legendary by one guy over here ;)

[silvermate]

oh ok :D

i believe SW03es has used that ps1s carnuba, he will probably be along shortly and he will give u his take.

[SW03ES]

Oh yeah, can't go wrong with that! One thing I'd reccomend is to also buy a bottle of Klasse SG and put it in between the AIO and the P21S/S100 that comes with the Perfect Shine kit. The SG is VERY durable and will increase the amount of protection. Its tricky to use but I can get you good directions.

Any scratches or swirls? Because you'd want to remove those before you seal it in.

[Matthew_McNally]

Oh yeah, can't go wrong with that! One thing I'd reccomend is to also buy a bottle of Klasse SG and put it in between the AIO and the P21S/S100 that comes with the Perfect Shine kit. The SG is VERY durable and will increase the amount of protection. Its tricky to use but I can get you good directions.

Any scratches or swirls? Because you'd want to remove those before you seal it in.

yeah - nothing major, but still a few swirls.

what would you recommend for these Steve?

Menzerna Intensive Polish

1Z Metallic Polish (although actuall - I am sure my father has a tube of Scratch X - might just use that).

bear in mind I will be doing it by hand - and this is my first go at doing this - so something that requires special techniques is prolly not a good idea.

By Klasse SG do you mean Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze mate? or is it another acronym?

[SW03ES]

The Klasse SG is the sealant glaze.

You're not going to be able to use the Menzerna polishes by hand, they're actually fairly difficult by machine. I would get some Meguiars #9 Swirl Mark Remover and work it into the paint well with a terry cloth towel folded in fourths. Be warned though, removing swirls by hand is pretty hard ;)

[Matthew_McNally]

Cheers Steve ;)

So my shopping list is

clay bar

The Perfect Shine Kit

Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze

I'll probably just use the scratch X from my father.

My plan is;

1 -wash and clean thoroughly

2- clay all over

3- use scratch X to try and get rid of swirls (they're not too bad)

Then I'll pretty much stick to the recipe in The Perfect Shine Guide - except for using the Klasse Sealant Glaze before the wax.

sounds like a hard, but (hopefully) rewarding days work. B)

One more question - the description of the Klasse Sealant Glaze David mentions people applying 20 - 40 coats of this and having amazing results.

Don't think I want to spend a week getting 40 coats of this stuff on! How many do you think I could get on in a day- and still finish waxing etc?

[TOGWT]

~One man’s opinion / observations ~

I’m not convinced that you can apply 30-40 coats/layers of wax/sealant without the new application removing the previous one. IMO 30-40 coats is marketing hype

Layering- by applying more products on top of one that has already cross-linked you can increase it’s density (up to a point). The thin film of product that’s applied isn’t really another layer.

Each subsequent applications adherence process is that the solvents work their way into the microscopic gaps and valleys of the previous ‘layer’ thereby creating an anchor, and by surface tension, when the paint film surface is level then this density can no longer be increased (i.e. there is nothing to anchor to)

A level paint film surface improves the paint film surface’s desired optical properties (i.e. surface reflectance, clarity, gloss, and depth of shine)

~Hope this helps~

Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/

justadumbarchitect *so I question everything*

[SW03ES]

I agree with TOG, probably at 2-3 layers the SG is at its optimum durability and shine.

[Matthew_McNally]

I agree with TOG, probably at 2-3 layers the SG is at its optimum durability and shine.

cool - cheers guys.

I can 2-3 coats on and still finish in day I reckon

[silvermate]

matt,

be sure to post some pics for us :D

[Matthew_McNally]

matt,

be sure to post some pics for us :D

oh - thats a given mate. ;)

if I spend all day making the car looks the mutts nuts - you know I am gonna bore you rigid with pics B)

of course - if I it up, and it looks like crap - I'll delete this thread and we'll pretend it never happened - OK <_<

[VBdenny]

Matthew,

I detail vehicles using the following steps.

Wash the car

clay the car

Maquires #1 Paint Cleaner

Collinte #845 Insulator Wax

Mother's Detailing Spray

Lasts a year maybe more, I tried to apply another coat after a year and it would hardly take any. Since I couldn't tell the difference betweeen the part I had done and the other, I just hit it with the detailing spray.

Denny

[SW03ES]

Generally speaking from my experience the Klasse and the Collinite are about the same in the longevity department when heat isn't an issue. Part of the reason you get such longevity from your Collinite is because your car is white. Collinite is a carnuaba, and the main failing of carnuabas are their relatively low melting point. I only got about 3 months out of Collinite on my car because its a dark color and thusly gets hotter in the sun, even in the winter.

Thats the point of the Klasse in the "Perfect Shine" kit. Klasse is an acrylic polymer that can actually be layered. In fact when you've got 2-3 layers of Klasse it can even be scratched, protecting the paint from being scratched. You can't layer carnuabas, especially liquid carnuabas like the Insulator Wax because of their solvent content, they literally dissolve the layer beneath them. Polymers like Klasse are 100% solvent free, they wont even clean water spots off (which water will). Hence why they can be layered.

That said Polymers don't offer nearly the depth and look of a carnuaba, which is the point of the P21S in the kit. It has one of the best looks of any wax, but very low durability (only a matter of weeks) whereas the Klasse will last 6+ months. So you maintain with the P21S (which is like butter to apply) and the Klasse offers the real protection.

As carnuaba goes Collinite is about the most durable, maybe tied with other heavy waxes like Blitz and Meguiars #16 but its still a carnuaba and its achilles heel is going to be the temperature. One time out on an 80 degree day on a black car and its going to be gone, while the polymer will be unnafected. Thats why I use polymers underneath carnuabas. You could top a polymer with Collinite 476 and get AWESOME durability, but you can't top one with the IW because its too solvent rich, it will remove the polymer layer.

[TOGWT]

Klasse SG

Sufficient time should be allowed to enable cross-linking, 8 - 12 hours is recommended before the application of further ‘layers’ or other products (i.e. a Carnauaba or QD)

[acf]

As carnuaba goes Collinite is about the most durable, maybe tied with other heavy waxes like Blitz and Meguiars #16 but its still a carnuaba and its achilles heel is going to be the temperature. One time out on an 80 degree day on a black car and its going to be gone, while the polymer will be unnafected. Thats why I use polymers underneath carnuabas. You could top a polymer with Collinite 476 and get AWESOME durability, but you can't top one with the IW because its too solvent rich, it will remove the polymer layer.

Wow, I didn't know this. I assume then even with my white car, living in the deep south, that a few 90 degree scorchers would toast my 476? :o

[SW03ES]

It very well may. The melting point of most waxes is 180ish, a dark car bests this daily during the summer.

[HRP]

Abouit 2 1/2 years ago, after retiring, I researched car detailing products in great depth (I'm a physician). I finally settled on Zaino (available on-line from www.Zainostore.com ). I've been using it for the past 2 1/2 years and have been getting comments like "new car?"; "how do you like your new car?", etc. These about a 1991 Buick Reatta Convertible. My 1977 black Excalibur Roadster looks like my Buick, better than it did on the showroom floor new; as does my 2002 LS430. I've been waxing and polishing cars for at least 50 years and go back to the old yellow can Simonize, applying tire blacking with a paintbrush, and removing and painting the back of bumbers with Rustolium, and using a whisk broom to clean the carpet. Zaino gives you the best looking and most durable finish out there. Here's what convinced me from the Reatta discussion board:

"There's lots of hype out there, but here's a test conducted by an Acura NSX owner that proved interesting. He pitted his "custom" $144 a jar Zymol NSX wax against zaino, Mequiars and the inexpensive Zymol wax sold in discount stores.

He also used several other NSX owners to help judge the results. Considering that many of these guys think of their cars as if it were their religion, I knew they would "take no prisoners" when it came to determining which wax worked best."

Here's the link to see the results of the test: (past this into the search bar on your browser):

http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html

The Guru Wax Report just rated Zaino #1.

[SW03ES]

Zaino is a very durable sealant, but don't be fooled by hype. There are many sealants just as durable on the market.

"miracle products" don't exist. Detailing is a craft thats 10% product, and 90% skill."

The guru wax test is a great report, and they rated Zaino #1 among the SEALANTS they tested (not #1 overall, they didn't compare that way) but they didnt test all that many sealants, several (most noticably Klasse) were absent from their comparison.

[acf]

It very well may. The melting point of most waxes is 180ish, a dark car bests this daily during the summer.

K, I may have to look at a polymer layer then. It gets pretty brutal here during the summer.

[HRP]

[

Check out www.autopia.org. They have several discussion boards and product reviews. Many are done by professional detailers. Suggest you check out their reviews and comments regarding the different products for appearance, ease of application, and durability. Whichever product you eventually choose, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!! Zaino did well and is considered to give one of the most durable finishes out there.

Check out the pics of a red SC430 down the page here:http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25958&highlight=Zaino

BTW, I'm in Greensboro and my Zaino done 2 1/2 years ago has held up beautifully. Never wait that long, but personal life got too busy to have time to really devote to fine detailing to my cars other than wash and vacuum and give a lick and a promise. But this weekend (after the tomato plants are in the ground).....

[SW03ES]

After 2 1/2 years the Zaino is definately long gone ;)

[HRP]

After 2 1/2 years the Zaino is definately long gone ;)

Well, the car is garaged when not being driven; it still beads water finely, and is slick. I know it wasn't like that 3 years ago since it still has the original paint. It is kept washed with Zaino car wash. And scheduled for a complete detailing this weekend.