Just bought myself a Pinnacle souveran kit

[p2003]

Hi all! this is my first post and would like to say a big "hello!" to you all.

I`m from Australia and have always loved to get a show car finish on my pride and joy but have never been able to get the look that i wanted :(

I need some help and would really appreciate it if you could shine some light my way :)

my car is in pretty good condition at the moment and is in mazda`s titanium grey. Just went all out and bought myself a souveran kit:



1. Body Work Shampoo

2. Poly Clay Bars

3. Clay Lubricant

4. Paint Cleansing Lotion

5. Souveran Carnauba Wax

6. Crystal Mist Quick Detail Spray



i know that carnuaba wax doesnt last but because i wanted kick a$$ shine and depth, i went this way instead of sealant but am thinking that i should use sealant before the souveran and layer it on. I also dont have any swirl remover. I want to do the whole process and from what i can gather it should go something like this:



wash

clay

wash (or quick detail?)

swirl remover (which one will work well with Pinnacle products?)

wash (or QD?)

paint cleansing lotion

wash (or quick detail?)

paint sealant (which one will work well over Pinnacle products? would you even bother with sealant? will i get better results if i layered sealant on before souveran?)

wash (or QD?)

souveran

should i QD over souveran?



would this be the way to go or would you recommend doing anything else? if you recommend paint sealant, which one should i use?

thanks in advance for all your help!

[Way2SSlow]

wash

clay

wash (or quick detail?)

swirl remover (which one will work well with Pinnacle products?)

wash (or QD?)

paint cleansing lotion

wash (or quick detail?)

paint sealant (which one will work well over Pinnacle products? would you even bother with sealant? will i get better results if i layered sealant on before souveran?)

wash (or QD?)

souveran

should i QD over souveran?



would this be the way to go or would you recommend doing anything else? if you recommend paint sealant, which one should i use?

thanks in advance for all your help!



You must really like to wash the car. :D Washing after the claying (to me) really depends on a few things. What kind of condition the bar is in is the main one. If it`s absolutely disgustingly dirty, I might consider washing again (I usually dont wash after clay). I usually just use Poorboys Spray and Wipe after clay. I`d go with a QD after the swirl removal process. For me, I use Spray and Wipe again to make sure everything is squeaky clean. As for sealing the car, I`ve been pretty happy with Poorboy`s EX, and Adams Butterwax under Souveran. You`re technically supposed to wait 12-24 hours before adding anything on top of a sealant (be it another coat of sealant or a wax). HTH

[pup]

I have the same products as you (you brought the kit of waxit.com.au right?) anywho the Paint Cleansing Lotion is a swirl hider (and a very good one I might add) it wont remove swirls but it hides them untill you really need to remove them.



I use it to hide the light swirling I got from using recycled water (hoping to be more envirmomentally friendly) NEVER AGAIN I say.

Anyway its good!



Pinnical also makes two swirl removers one thats lighter and a heavy remover which you can get at waxit.



After Paint Cleansing Lotion don`t wash, just buff off any excess with a microfiber cloth then apply the wax with the spone applicator (I use the sponge personally for no perticular reason) then I QD with the crystal mist, it just seems to make it "pop" a little more.



my detail is as such



Wash (two bucket method)

Dry

clay and buff of excess lubricant with a microfiber (but only if I need to clay)

Paint Cleansing Lotion and buff off excess

Wax

QD

Sit in the sun for about 15 too 20 minutes (closer to 20 now that its coming into winter)

then sit and just look at my self in the panels :-)



BTW you should get your self more microfibers then comes with the kit. Infact, just buy lots of them!

[p2003]

thanks for the reply guys!

way2sslow: i dont like washing my car much at all...but if it`s going to give me what i`m looking for, i`d do it any day :D so the poor boy EX will work fine over pinnacle paint cleanser? in your opinion, how does this compare with just souveran and no PB-EX?



pup: yep, bought it from waxit. Dave is a very nice guy, i went over there in person to have a chat and get the stuff.



progress so far...washed the car (two bucket method), clayed the bonnet (so smooth! i`ve never had it this smooth before!), QD, paint cleanser, wax, QD. i only did the bonnet today and the results are kinda mixed :( it`s most certainly nice but i`m not getting that "show car" look :hairpull also, it still has some very fine swirls. does that mean my technique is wrong or maybe i need a fine polish?

could it be that i`m applying the wrong pressure on application of paint cleanser? i`m buffing off the stuff very lightly so i dont think that the swirls are caused when taking the product off, which makes me think that it`s caused when applying :confused: what sort of pressure would be considered `firm` for the paint cleanser? i`m using an MF applicator for paint cleanser, would this be the cause of my swirls? is paint cleanser something that i need to `work into the paint` or just apply it lightly like wax? would it be better if i used a random orb for the paint cleansing process? AHHHH so many questions plaguing my mind!!!! :wall :wall :wall

[pup]

I have had the same problem.

I fixed that by using even less cleansing lotion over the same amount of body panel.

I also use the microfiber applicator for applying the lotion.



I find a good amount of pressure to be enough to hold the applicator and compress it about half way.

also make sure you apply the lotion onto the section of the pad that actually touches the car.

I find personally that one small area of the pad doesn`t actually touch the car because of the way I hold it and I try to keep the lotion off that area. Wetting the applicator and wringing out as best you can so its only slightly moist helps move the applicator with less friction!

[Accumulator]

P2003- Welcome to Autopia!



The PCL shouldn`t be causing any marring, it`s *so* mildly abrasive that it just doesn`t do that (just as it doesn`t *remove* much of anything). Could it be that the swirls were already there before you started with the PCL?



About the only thing to worry about regarding "firm pressure" when applying the PCL is that you don`t want to rub so hard that you mar the finish. This should`t be much of an issue if your microfiber applicator is soft enough, but be reasonable. I would think of it as "rubbing it into the paint" as opposed to just "wiping it on the paint" the way you do with the wax. But don`t work the PCL so long that it`s completely dry, that could cause a little marring. Sorta a fine line between hazed/ready to wipe off and completely dry, but try to lean towards the former.



Yeah, you can use a machine to apply the PCL, just make sure your foam pad is nice and soft and prime it with PCL before touching the car with it.



It does sound like you need a mildly abrasive polish to use before the PCL. Not sure what you have available there. I`d try to get things looking as best you can before switching to the PCL. Remember that if you use a polish containing fillers/oils, the PCL will clean these away. That could result in marring "coming back" as the fillers are stripped away.



Don`t worry, this stuff just takes a bit of time/experience to really get squared away.

[p2003]

it`s more like spider webs than swirl. does this mean i dont need a swirl remover and my stuff ups are from somewhere else?



pup:

i did the whole process again and tried different pressures/methods and still could see spider web. i find it quite difficult to lightly buff off the PCL if the applicator was moist :( do you have the same problem?



accumulator:

thanks for the welcome! :) will doing multiple coats of PCL get better and better results? do i need to wait in between coats?



do you guys have any experience with zaino? i`m using my daily runner as an experience tool before i move onto my pride and joy, and am thinking of trying out zaino on my daily runner to see how it compares to souveran. i`ll most prbably use souveran on my good car and zaino on my daily because of the long lasting protection it offers. any tips for zaino?

cheers!

[pup]

hmmmm, I don`t actually have to puff off much at all.

and what I do buff off is extreamly fine and can be blown off!



perhaps your not applying fully and the lotion could still be overly moist requiring you to use more pressure?

[Accumulator]

p2003- Can`t help with the Zaino as I don`t use it. But plenty of people I respect *do* use it and they like it. Trick is to get the finish *perfect* first as the Zaino will show every flaw. Wonder if that`s feasible on a daily driver....



Consider the "spiderwebs" to be "mild swirls". IMO it`s all basically the same thing anyhow which is why I just call it all "marring". The PCL will almost certainly be too mild to remove it, get something more abrasive. Not sure what`s available to you; I use discontinued products for most stuff like this. You might want to look into the 1Z line of polishes- *VERY* user-friendly and good for use before Souveran.



Multiple applications of PCL won`t do much. It`s a nice product for what it is but its uses are really pretty limited. I apply PCL with an applicator primed with PCL, not water. Rub it in so the applicator is fully damp with product. If it`s just too tricky skip it and get something like 1Z MetallicPolishWax instead, which is functionally similar and easy to use. I`m not in favor of struggling with products; life`s too short.



A can of 1Z Paint Polish, a can of 1Z Metallic Polish, topped with Souveran would look incredible and it won`t make you work too hard. The same polishes topped with something durable would be good for the daily driver too.

[greer]

my detail is as such



Wash (two bucket method)

Dry

clay and buff of excess lubricant with a microfiber (but only if I need to clay)

Paint Cleansing Lotion and buff off excess

Wax

QD





Is it common to put on quick detail spray after you have put on wax?

[pup]

from what I have read on here, some say yes, others no..

Personally, I do it because it really makes the paint and everything else just sort of pop(like the metal flakes, crome and so forth) I also put it on my rims after putting on a rim sealent which gives them a higher luster!



I polished my car yesterday and I applyed a good amount to cover a panel and buffed (with the applicator) untill it had hazed and started to dry.

I then used the yellow (plush) microfiber towel to buff it off, the excess was drying as I was taking itoff, was practically white dust.



these spiderweb scratches your talking of, are they there before you apply the lotion or only after? can you feel them when you run your finger over the paint work inside of a plastic bag (I personally use my fingernail inside of a bag)

How are you removing it ? the same direction? (I remove it in very tight ciricular motion, just be careful you mf is very clean and check it reguarly)

[drewski59]

Welcome to Autopia!!



That kit has some great products in it, and it sounds like you know what you`re doing, so the results should be nothing short of stunning!!!



Good luck and post some pics!:)

[p2003]

Thanks for the welcome guys! it`s great to find a site like this with such a great wealth of knowledge along with friendly people who are willing to help :D




these spiderweb scratches your talking of, are they there before you apply the lotion or only after? can you feel them when you run your finger over the paint work inside of a plastic bag (I personally use my fingernail inside of a bag)

How are you removing it ? the same direction? (I remove it in very tight ciricular motion, just be careful you mf is very clean and check it reguarly)



Just did another bonnet with poorboy`s ssr2.5 then ssr1 followed by zaino (3 layers of Z5 followed by 3 layers of z2pro with the proper drying times between each coating) then parked it in the sun again and still noticed very fine spiderwebbings :( got my brother to have a look at the two bonnets side by side and was bit(hing to him how i cant seem to get things right :bawling: we were there scratching our heads until he asked if he could touch it...i hessitated a bit because i didnt want finger marks/more scratches on the bonnet but thought `what the hell` touch it. when he touched it, he told me that the fine scratches `moved`?!?! then it occured to us both...it was the MF`s fibre left on the bonnet that was reflecting the light of the sun making it appear to have fine spider webs :wall :wall :wall

i know what you`re all thinking...i feel pretty stupid myself...well, at least i know what went wrong now!!! :woohoo:

[Pennypacker]

I usually just use Poorboys Spray and Wipe after clay.



I like that idea. I`m going to do that after my next claying session. Thanks

[pup]

ROTFPMYL :har:



My notebook is now coverd in solo!



erm, your suppose too wash the mf before using them hehehe



OMG thank you so much for the good laugh.



Well then, you can relax now, have a laugh about it wash the car give it a wax and enjoy your now completely swirless car.



at least now you know you where doing it pretty much right hehehe