Sealants as a base for carnubas

[cptzippy]

I guess the first question for those who like to use carnuba waxes is DO you use a sealant under them?



If you do, what do you use? Anything work really well? Not at all?



I have Optiseal (which I plan to primarily use on my wife`s car) and Prima Epic (which if it is a good choice I could use up since I`ve had it since 2007).



TIA,

Tony

[Dan]

I usually use an AIO under a carnauba. ZAIO and DG501 are some I really. KSG is another solid option.

[umi000]

Same as Dan - if I don`t use a pre-wax cleaner, I`ll use an AIO (usually KAIO) before applying my carnaubas. Not really into layering waxes over sealants.

[pwaug]

I usually use an AIO under a carnauba. ZAIO and DG501 are some I really. KSG is another solid option.



Dan--does 501 have any cut at all??

[Accumulator]

captzippy- I generally use *something* under (or maybe I should say "before") my LSPs, but I don`t really do the "sealant topped with carnauba" thing.



With all the different sealants out thesed days it`s easy to find one that looks like/mimics carnauba, so I have to have a pretty good reason to use a wax instead.



Are you thinking about the XJS? My Crown Vic is a total POS cosmeticaly speaking, yet the white paint is *so* forgiving of [everything] that I plan to use FK1000P on it, just so it`s easy to clean and stays nice for a long, long time without my having to mess around with it.



Now, if you want to think the Jag is more special that that (which I could sure understand!), then maybe something from Collinite would be like a sealant and a wax both (best of both).



But in any case, I`d try to use something durable. "Do as I say, not as I do" says the guy who uses Souveran over SRP on *his* JXS!

[cptzippy]

@Accumulator: Yes I`m thinking about the XJS. I can`t go to the route that you do on yours because I drive mine everyday but I want to preserve the original paint as long as possible. I`m going to keep using the ONR and all the OPT stuff on my wife`s MDX as a type of experiment to see how it holds up.



I`ve got a lot of Prima stuff (hydro, epic, amigo, banana gloss) and thinking about using it on the Jag until I`m done with it and make a choice after that.

[Dan]

Dan--does 501 have any cut at all??



Very little cut at all, most of the work is done by the foam pad. ZAIO has much more cut.

[Scottwax]

I use the LSP I think looks best on a particular color and use it as often as needed. Only time I do any topping anymore is when a customer specifically requests it.

[imported_MCA]

I use to layer quite a bit when I first started "Autopian-level" detailing. It was either:

- KAIO, KSGx3, S100

- KAIO, WGx3, Souveran



Now, I fall on the side that a sealant base / carnauba LSP is a little over-rated. There are so many great looking, durable products that can stand on their own that I really can`t see the value of sealant/carnauba layering. I will admit there is a therapeutic quality when it comes to putting on another layer of LSP...



These days, I still like using KAIO because of it`s cleaning prowess - However, any pre-wax cleaner would fit the bill here. Based on paint color and durability requirements, I will choose an LSP.