Casual waxer, new to sealers, looking for help - Page 3

Eliot Ness · 07-18-08, 03:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2

..............I just don't know if there is a waxing product that's even been developed to do that, lol.

If there is I haven't heard about it. I'll second the advice from Accumulator in recommending Collinite 476S wax. While not a sealant you'll get better durability than many sealants and I think you'll like the look a lot better. It'll cost less than $15 (free shipping) if you order it here:

Collinite waxes from MacTec | car waxes, boat wax, and detailing supplies

You might be able to find some locally, I hear that Harbor Freight stores carry it but I haven't noticed it in the store here in town.

The true sealants that offer good durability also offer very clear optics and what many describe as a "mirror like shine", exactly what you don't want. Going a whole year is a tough call for any normal sealant or wax, but toss on two or three layers of Collinite on a well prepped surface and you can reasonably expect pretty close to 6 months if not a bit more.

Accumulator · 07-18-08, 08:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2

Are these products [Klasse AIO and Collinite] only purchasable online or can I actually find them locally?

Online would be easiest, but Collinite is sometimes available OTC. You could probably find a DuraGloss product to substitute for the KAIO, which is only available online/mailorder.

FWIW, I sorta prefer Autoglym Super Resin Polish over KAIO for a lot of jobs, and this would probably be one of them. Similar but different.

mvw2 · 07-23-08, 10:41

Hmm...

I haven't gotten any new products yet, but I'm just keeping my car shiny in the meantime. I tried NuFinish before and hated the stuff, didn't do crap other than coat the car in some plasticy sort of stuff. However, it was a bad wrap as I did zero prep to the car.

I recently gave NuFinish a second try on better terms. To me NuFinish is simply a non-wax sealer product. It seems to do zero cleaning, zero polishing, and the finish is thin and dull, even after a couple coats. I basically used the stuff as a sealer and left it at that.

Wash car, Meg Swirl Remover 2.0, NuFinish, and Mothers wax. I figure this is simple enough and will get me by till I buy better products. I didn't really need the swirl remover again, but it took care of a few lingering swirl marks from last time and gave a clean, smooth, and dirt free surface. I really need a filler glaze like the Mothers glaze (step 2). NuFinish shows off every little nick, scratch, chip, etc. in bright white, lol. In need to apply a filler product before using this stuff. NuFinish went on second simply as a sealer product. It went on thin and dull like before but hopefully will last. I coated the top with Mothers wax to bring out some shine over the lifeless NuFinish.

This turned out rather well actually. The dull nature of NuFinish is an effect that helps cut away some of the mirror like reflections. Instead, you get a mellower gloss look to it, more like what you see off the car's glass. I still need to try the setup with the glaze and a second coat of wax. I know this will darken and richen the appearance some, and I'd be curious to see how it looks afterwards.

I need to take a couple pics of the finish. It's been a few days and some accumulated dust, but the effect is kind of unique and more subtle. I'm not a particular fan of NuFinish by itself, but I think it seems to fit its way into a process as a simple and hopefully durable sealant. The verdict is out on how long it will hold up.

So far I'm looking at
Wash
Prewax cleaner
Swirl remover (if needed)
Glaze (filler)
NuFinish
Collinite 476S
as my next try. One thing I've done in the past is to use the Mothers filler glaze between wax layers. I've never had issues with this and it seems to help provide a deeper, darker shine. I'm not sure how far I want to go with this, so I don't know if I want to go nuts or if there's even any point to go nuts like

glaze
NuFinish
glaze
Collinite
glaze
Conllinite

I mean, is this good, bad, pointless, etc.? I've generally used it in the past because I normally don't wax all on the same day. Generally, I've added the second coat a week or so later after a fresh wash and figure the glaze will get rid of any imperfections accumulated since then. I can't say I've had anything bad every happen from it, but I'm not sure at what point it becomes less helpful and more harmful/pointless. I know I need it before the NuFinish at the very least to keep every single little non-glass-smooth part from showing up. Mothers glaze does wonders for this. However, after that, is there ever a point for any more coats?

What about say a month or two later when I want to add another coat of wax. I figure the NuFinish will last a year if there's wax on top most of the time. Should I do a filler glaze and then wax again? I don't know. I just have this hankering to use the glaze when I can, lol.

Accumulator · 07-24-08, 10:38

mvw2- I think your insistance on not mailordering/online ordering products is making this a whole lot harder on you than it needs to be

Here's what I always recommend and what I truly think you oughta do:

Order some 1z Paint Polish and polish the car by hand with that. It'll correct, glaze, and wax all in one step and it's very user friendly (well, as much so as anything done by hand can be). But note that its wax will only last a few weeks so you will want to get the Collinite on there before too long. So...

After the next wash, apply the 476S.

Then just wash it for a few months or until the beading/looks change a little. If you catch things quickly enough you can just reapply the wax, but if not you'll need to clean things a little before rewaxing. In that event you oughta:

Clay it very gently with Sonus green Ultra-fine clay and reapply the 476S, *OR*, if you notice a lot of new marring, redo the 1z Paint Polish and then rewax after the next wash again.

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sal329 · 07-24-08, 02:42

I like the Duragloss line, I would say 105 top with 111.

mvw2 · 07-24-08, 08:28

It's not a matter of not ordering things. I have no problems with that. I'm just using up the variety of crap around the house, lol.

So with the Z1, do I have to worry about removing old wax at all or will that take care of that? Does the Z1 adequately hide chips, scratches, doesn't whiten over plastic bits, etc?

Accumulator · 07-25-08, 07:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2

So with the Z1, do I have to worry about removing old wax at all or will that take care of that? Does the Z1 adequately hide chips, scratches, doesn't whiten over plastic bits, etc?

Correction, because "Z1" is another, different product): this stuff is 1Z as in "one 'Z' ", the postal code for the company's location in Germany.

Nothing will hide chips, and hardly anything *really* hides scratches very well, but the 1Z Paint Polish is still what I'd recommend. It's never caused white residue on trim for me, and I use it (intentionally) on the black trim of numerous vehicles. I do buff it off said trim before it dries though.