newbie soft paint questions

[hapaknack]

Ok



I`ve been hauting the site for a while but now as spring is upon me I have decided to go ahead and really clean my car. I have a new subaru and its black (looks really nice when clean). The paint on subaru`s seems to be reknown for being soft. I can vouch as the clear coat has picked up some really minor scratches already (only 1.5 months). I have looked around and so far I decided to go with the zaino aoi/cs/z6 product line for ease of use and application. However, after looking at the slight scratching in the clearcost I am going with menzerna 106FF for polish. The question is with my soft paint is it alright to use:



1) a sheepskin wash mitt for washing

2) ultra plush MF towels from pakshak for the polish application and removal

3) waffle weave towels from pakshak for the drying



Looking for some feedback as my car is kinda dirty :P

[xhaust50]

Although I have no personal experience with the Zaino product line you should be happy with it. Your products look good, just make sure to pick up a quality car wash solution. You way also want to look into rinseless washes (QEW, ONR) as I`ve found them to mar the paint less than traditional washing.

[Accumulator]

hapaknack- Welcome to Autopia!



A few sorta-random thoughts follow:



I wouldn`t use a sealant on a black car, with soft paint, with which you`re having marring issues. I`d use a leaves-something-behind polish (or glaze) and carnauba combo instead. I only use sealants on two of our vehicles and keeping them nice enough for that approach isn`t easy.



The Zaino AIO has a bit of cut to it. Maybe enough for the final finish, if not I`d wonder about how it and that Menzerna would work..the Menzerna might leave a better finish!



I`d get a foamgun for the washes and work at not inducing more marring when you wash. IMO that`s the biggest challenge you`ll face. IF you keep a stream of suds flowing between your mitt and the paint, and IF you rinse the mitt out when it gets dirty (maybe several times *per panel* if necessary!), and IF you move the mitt in a "jiggling fashion" instead of in long wide strokes (short scratches don`t show like long ones do) then you should do OK with the mitt.



In the absence of a foamgun, try filling the mitt with wash solution, holding it shut at the cuff, and gently whisking it across the panels while the shampoo seeps out of it. When people wear the mitt like a glove and press it against the paint IMO they`re just asking for trouble: pressing dirt against the paint, and then *moving* that dirt is what causes marring.

[hapaknack]

I take it no one recommends using a clay bar then giving the soft nature of the clear coat.

[hapaknack]

Oh i forgot to mention I live in the north east where I get lots of lake effect snow so thats why I was going to use a paint sealant. Sorry its pretty difficult to wash and wax your car when the water freezes up pretty quickly.

[Accumulator]

Oh i forgot to mention I live in the north east where I get lots of lake effect snow so thats why I was going to use a paint sealant. Sorry its pretty difficult to wash and wax your car when the water freezes up pretty quickly.



Ah, I wouldn`t worry about the Collinite wax not offering sufficient protection. FWIW one of our winter vehicles always has 476S on it and it holds up just as well as the sealants do. Heh heh, I know from winter too ;) The Collinite I put on our Blazer (winter dog-hauler/beater) is still holding up well and I applied the last coat *long* before winter. Holds up well to touchless washes too, which can be nice if the weather is interfering with your detailing. Sorry for the hard-sell on the Collinite, but IMO it can be important to match the detailing products/regimen to the specific situation, at least if you want to save time and effort.



On the clay, the Sonus green Ultra-fine might be too gentle to get *everything* off your paint, but is sure is nice and gentle. Doesn`t even remove wax for me.