Pinnacle Product Question

[MatthewR87]

Greetings,



I am a relative newbie when it comes to detailing, however I would like to give my black 2011 Mustang some TLC after a long winter. I have read some good reviews about Pinnacle products and I was wondering what everyone thought about the value/usefulness of this kit: eShine Canada: Pinnacle Souveran™ Sizzling Shine Kit (http://www.eshine.ca/pinnacle_souveran_sizzling_shine_kit-1922.php?cat=27)



Like I say I am quite new to detailing and was wondering about ease of use/ease of screw up with these products as well. Thanks in advance.

[Street5927]

Pinnacle products are very nice and easy to work with. I use them from time to time and are still a go to product on my shelf. With that said, I personally would "piece meal" a nice package. If you are set on Pinnacle, I would get the Wax, Paintwork cleansing lotion (very nice), and the foam pads. Look around online, you may be able to get foam applicators cheaper than on the website you posted. I would substitute the Shampoo with Megs Hyperwash, and I personally like the Cobra Edgeless White`s (instead of blue), but that is a personal preference. I would not waste money on a microfiber applicator (again, just my opinion, as I only like to use foam). I would look to see if you can get BlackFire Wet Diamond as a sealant...it totally rocks on black! Anyway, hope this helps a bit, and again, I am sure others will chime in on their preferences, also.

[Accumulator]

Greetings,



I am a relative newbie when it comes to detailing, however I would like to give my black 2011 Mustang some TLC after a long winter. I have read some good reviews about Pinnacle products and I was wondering what everyone thought about the value/usefulness of this kit: eShine Canada: Pinnacle Souveran™ Sizzling Shine Kit (http://www.eshine.ca/pinnacle_souveran_sizzling_shine_kit-1922.php?cat=27)



Like I say I am quite new to detailing and was wondering about ease of use/ease of screw up with these products as well. Thanks in advance.



Good stuff, but IMO geared much more towards pampered garage-queens than drivers. OK, yeah... I`ve used the same stuff on drivers before, but it finally got old even for me.



In a nutshell:



- The Bodywork Shampoo is very nice- *very* good lubricity, good cleaning, etc. BUT it seems surprisingly harsh on LSPs. That`s not really good news since...



- Souveran is a great "beauty wax". Super looks on black (and I even like it on silver and white). But it`s SO short-lived that you`ll be applying it at almost every wash. And the harshness of the Bodywork Shampoo will exacerbate that in a big way, at least IME. Souveran is *VERY* easy on/off (and I let it dry/haze instead of wiping it off right away), and it`s OK on black trim (and even on rubber!). But it can attract dust and, sometimes, also insects. Eh....I still use it on my Jag, but even though my wife *loved* it on her Audi (and I even used it for ages on one of the dog-haulers back in the day) it`s just not my idea of a good wax for real cars used in the real world.



- The Paintwork Cleansing Lotion is an OK paint cleaner with some glaze-like qualities. I like it better back when it was a bit more potent, but it`s still OK stuff. Kinda like P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser. Nothing against it, but... eh, generally I`d rather use some kind of all-in-one. Note how I kept saying it was "OK" in various respects rather than saying it was "utterly superb!" or something like that.



- I haven`t tried the new Crystal Mist. The older version was a nice QD/spray wax but could sometimes streak.



So, good stuff, but I`d reserve it for pampered toys. Easy to use though, very little chance you`ll screw up and have some sort of problem. IF you don`t mind redoing it all the time, and the dust attraction isn`t a deal-breaker, than maybe you`d like it. I will say that Souveran is one of those products that most people "simply gotta try, at least once" if only because it`s sorta a legendary staple of high-end detailing; same as, say...any Scotch drinker oughta try Johnny Walker Blue Label at least once (for lack of a better analogy).

[JohnZ3MC]

The only Pinnacle product I use is the Souveran wax and, assuming proper preparation, it`s one of my top three carnaubas for my red garage queen. Since it looks so good on red, it`ll be equally perfect for black.

Being a `beauty` wax, it doesn`t last long at all but while it`s on, it`s a winner. The other two I cycle through are Victoria Concours and Dodo Juice Supernatural.

All three are a bit pricey but not as bad as quite a few others.

Anyway, you can`t go wrong with Souveran for black. I`ll agree with Street5927 when he advises you to make your own kit/package.

[MatthewR87]

Thank you for the replies! Very informative! The fact that the wax does not last very long is somewhat troubling for me since the car is a daily driver and never sees the inside of a garage. Is there a longer lasting quality wax that I could substitute instead? I hand wash my car with Meg`s Gold Class about once a week during the summer and more rarely during the winter time (actual wash maybe once a month and high pressure rinse every couple of weeks). Thanks in advance!

[Accumulator]

MatthewR87- I definitely wouldn`t go with Souveran on an outside vehicle, just not (nearly) enough protection. I`d be all about trying to minimize the chance of some paint-etching disaster like from bird bombs and the like.



Even though it might not look the absolute best on black, I think I`d be leaning towards FK1000P. Sheesh, I`m always recommending that stuff these days, but I tell ya the way it sheds dirt, protects the paint, and lasts forever..it`s really something. I have it on my metallic black Yukon, and while it`s a bit "reflective/shiny/almost-shallow" and "sealanty" for my taste, everybody else just thinks it looks great. And it`s protecting the paint like I never expected, really impressive. You mentioned the high-pressure rinse, and you`d be amazed at how well that works with FK1000P.



Hey, if you don`t love it you can still use it for wheels/etc.



Otherwise, I`d look into Collinite....maybe their 915 (though I use 845 and 476S). You could always top the FK1000P with some kind of wax too.

[MatthewR87]

MatthewR87- I definitely wouldn`t go with Souveran on an outside vehicle, just not (nearly) enough protection. I`d be all about trying to minimize the chance of some paint-etching disaster like from bird bombs and the like.



Even though it might not look the absolute best on black, I think I`d be leaning towards FK1000P. Sheesh, I`m always recommending that stuff these days, but I tell ya the way it sheds dirt, protects the paint, and lasts forever..it`s really something. I have it on my metallic black Yukon, and while it`s a bit "reflective/shiny/almost-shallow" and "sealanty" for my taste, everybody else just thinks it looks great. And it`s protecting the paint like I never expected, really impressive. You mentioned the high-pressure rinse, and you`d be amazed at how well that works with FK1000P.



Hey, if you don`t love it you can still use it for wheels/etc.



Otherwise, I`d look into Collinite....maybe their 915 (though I use 845 and 476S). You could always top the FK1000P with some kind of wax too.



Thanks again for the suggestions! It is very easy to get lost in the sheer volume of products out there. I will definitely go with either the Collinite or the FK1000P; just did some quick reading on them and they seem to be exactly what I need. They are quite a bit less pricey too. Would it still be a good idea to treat the paint with a cleansing solution before waxing though? The last thing I would want would be for the waxing to accentuate any imperfections in the paint.

[autoobsessed]

The Collinite combo of no845 and no915 works well and is an option if you go the Colinite route. The 915 adds even more gloss and sheds water really nicely, also despite what some people have posted it goes on pretty easy if you follow the label.

[Accumulator]

Would it still be a good idea to treat the paint with a cleansing solution before waxing though? The last thing I would want would be for the waxing to accentuate any imperfections in the paint.



Yeah, that *would* be a good idea.



The Collinite, being a wax, will work fine over/after most anything. The FK1000P, being a sealant, might be a bit more finicky; sealants generally don`t work well except on clean (as in "bare") paint. But they do work fine over most All In One products.



Given the way black seems to show flaws so readily, I think I`d lean towards using Autoglym Super Resin Polish, an AIO that does a little concealing. I`ve never used FK1000P over top of it except on wheels but it worked fine on those so I sure wouldn`t expect any problems.



AIOs from Klasse and Zaino *do* work fine under FK1000P, but they don`t hide minor flaws the way the SRP can.



Oh, and FWIW, I really do think that the FK1000P is sufficiently superior to the Collinite to justify its more finicky nature. I still use Collinite on one vehicle, but the FK1000P has pretty much replaced it for me. Not that you`d go wrong with the Collinite by any means (gee, I`m not making the choice an easy one am I?!?).

[MatthewR87]

Yeah, that *would* be a good idea.



The Collinite, being a wax, will work fine over/after most anything. The FK1000P, being a sealant, might be a bit more finicky; sealants generally don`t work well except on clean (as in "bare") paint. But they do work fine over most All In One products.



Given the way black seems to show flaws so readily, I think I`d lean towards using Autoglym Super Resin Polish, an AIO that does a little concealing. I`ve never used FK1000P over top of it except on wheels but it worked fine on those so I sure wouldn`t expect any problems.



AIOs from Klasse and Zaino *do* work fine under FK1000P, but they don`t hide minor flaws the way the SRP can.



Oh, and FWIW, I really do think that the FK1000P is sufficiently superior to the Collinite to justify its more finicky nature. I still use Collinite on one vehicle, but the FK1000P has pretty much replaced it for me. Not that you`d go wrong with the Collinite by any means (gee, I`m not making the choice an easy one am I?!?).



Thanks again for the response! Now I`ll have to do some thinking :yo:

[MatthewR87]

After doing some more reading I think I`m going to go with Collinite 476S. It does seem like FK1000P may be the superior product, however I am not confident I can properly prepare the paint for its use. I do not really have the facilities to conduct an adequate clay barring, and so am more inclined to go with the wax since it is more forgiving. I will still prep the paint with a cleaning solution and hopefully a nice finish will eventually result. Thanks again for the input!

[Accumulator]

MatthewR87- I don`t think you`ll be disappointed. Just don`t try to "layer" the 476S lest you get pseudo-holograms; just do one good, even coat and then let it go for at least a few weeks before you try to rewax. I`d just wait until there`s the first sign of something changing (like the beading) and rewax it then. People try to lay on two or three coats of the stuff and by the time they pull it into the sun and spot the pseudo-holograms the problem can be pretty significant. And since the 476S is tough stuff, fixing those things is a *big* hassle to put it politely.

[MatthewR87]

Thanks again for your help. I shouldn`t get these pseudo-holograms with just one coat then? I`m paranoid enough about actual holograms in the paint and the last thing I would want would be holograms in the wax lol

[Accumulator]

MatthewR87- Nah, no worries with one coat. The problem occurs when a second/etc. coat messes with the 476S that`s already on there. Since I like having as much protection, with as few problems, as possible, that`s why I like to do a base of 845 and *then* do the 476S. And then just layer on more 845 every now and then. But you oughta do fine with just one coat of 476S, refreshed whenever it needs it.