Sold on Klasse and P21S, but....

[imported_ThreeSixT]

(this question may be redundant)...what is the best car wash to use on my new car prior to applying AIO? Is it safe to start with blue Dawn to remove previous products applied by the dealer? I have heard that blue Dawn can actaully oxidize your paint while stripping it. I also have Meguiar`s Soft Wash shampoo, but am afraid it won`t get the paint down to it`s clearcoat, as it states it will not remove wax or polish. Or do I even need to worry about Dawn harming my paint? Thanx:xyxthumbs

[RegalGS]

You`ll get differing opinions here on the use of dishsoap. Some people use it, some people don`t. I used it once to strip wax and didn`t notice any real difference, so I would think that regular car shampoo would be ok. My understanding is that the cleaning action of the AIO will remove whatever the dealer applied anyway. If you`re not sure, try 2 coats of AIO... one to clean/polish, the next to protect.



But... the resident Klasse experts will be able to tell you for sure. I`ve only used Klasse once, and it`s still going strong. I`ll be doing the "remove and reapply" in the spring, except I know I`ll be needing SMR (which will strip the Klasse).



Don`t forget pics when you get your new baby protected! We LOVE to see clean rides here! :xyxthumbs

[chevyguy28]

I see no reason to use dawn. AIO will be fine, especially if you decide on two coats.

[BradE]

The cleaners in AIO will be enought to strip anything that is on the surface. I would agree with the idea of doing AIOx2.



Although it`s not necessary in this case Dawn won`t do any damage to your paint if it`s not used often. Once or twice a year is not going to cause damage. Now if it was used every occasion and a good amount was used it could strip the plasticizers right out of the paint. In short, occasional use will not cause harm but it`s not something I would use often.

[NattyBumppo]

Originally posted by JustinTRW

I see no reason to use dawn. AIO will be fine, especially if you decide on two coats.



I`ll go along with the crowd. Whenever I use AIO I always do two coats.

[PakShak]

Hi ThreeSixT,



I would also agree with the others. You could use a car shampoo like Meguiars Gold Class and follow up with two applications of Klasse AIO and you will have definitely remove anything you have on your sweet looking Audi A4. Then you could follow-up with 3 to 5 coats of Klasse SG or you can go straight to S100 or P21S. Some members have said that SG and S100 or P21S don`t do well together... :nixweiss



With Aloha,

~Ranney

[imported_ThreeSixT]

Hey Ranney, appreciate the advice. However, in retrospect, allot of users here on Autopia say they work great together. The same if not better than the Klasse and Souveran combo. I think with the research that I`ve done the past few days here on Autopia, that the combo will give great results. We`ll just have to see huh? Be sure to come to the show on the 21st to see for yourself. Aloha:xyxthumbs



Ok, now someone brought up using a SMR prior to AIO. I have heard that this is useless becuase AIO will remove everything on the surface of the paint when applied, including the SMR, therefore defeating the purpose. This makes sense. And I am under the impression that the purpose of topping AIO and SG with carnuba was to hide minor swirls that they didn`t fill. :nixweiss

[ashsarna]

I have been using the klasse twin pack for a long stretch. I agree with the members that all you need to use is the meguiars gold class wash prior to AIO (that is what I have been doing and seen excellent things only).

[chevyguy28]

SMR is a swirl mark remover and it leaves little behind that would be removed by the AIO. The main purpose would be to remove swirl marks and then AIO would help clean up the paint and improve surface gloss. Topping SG with carnauba is mostly for looks, as the SG provides enough protection on its own. Yes, the carnauba wax may hide a few swirls, that that is not the primary purpose.

[RegalGS]

Originally posted by ThreeSixT

Ok, now someone brought up using a SMR prior to AIO. I have heard that this is useless becuase AIO will remove everything on the surface of the paint when applied, including the SMR, therefore defeating the purpose. This makes sense. And I am under the impression that the purpose of topping AIO and SG with carnuba was to hide minor swirls that they didn`t fill. :nixweiss



I need the SMR because I have swirls I have to remove. :) Not worried about the fillers in the SMR (I`ll use #9), because hopefully I won`t have anything left to fill, and as I said, the AIO will clean that all off anyway. I think whatever is left will fill in with the SG, not the wax. (Somebody please correct me if I`m wrong! I`ve been under the impression that wax doesn`t have any "fillers" and thus doesn`t do much to hide swirls.) My car isn`t new... about 2 years old now, and just turned 22K miles. But it`s dark, and my non-autopian washes have left their mark, though minor. Something to look forward to in the spring!



BTW, what color is your car? Just curious!

[chevyguy28]

With many coats, SG can hide some swirls. Many carnauba waxes have filling properties as well.

[RegalGS]

Originally posted by JustinTRW

With many coats, SG can hide some swirls. Many carnauba waxes have filling properties as well.



Ok, I`ve been corrected. Thanks Justin!

[Jngrbrdman]

Originally posted by RegalGS

I need the SMR because I have swirls I have to remove. :) Not worried about the fillers in the SMR (I`ll use #9), because hopefully I won`t have anything left to fill, and as I said, the AIO will clean that all off anyway. I think whatever is left will fill in with the SG, not the wax. (Somebody please correct me if I`m wrong! I`ve been under the impression that wax doesn`t have any "fillers" and thus doesn`t do much to hide swirls.) My car isn`t new... about 2 years old now, and just turned 22K miles. But it`s dark, and my non-autopian washes have left their mark, though minor. Something to look forward to in the spring!



BTW, what color is your car? Just curious!



I`ll bring a bucket of stuff with me in the Spring when I come up there. Between the two of us and our PCs we`ll make short work of your swirls. You shouldn`t have to worry about filling them because we`ll remove them.



The truth is, if you are doing any swirl mark removing then you shouldn`t need to use AIO afterwards. AIO is pretty much just a paint cleaner and a mild protectant. I doubt that AIO itself would last or protect nearly as well as just a coat of Blackfire or something like that. It certianly doesn`t hurt to use it, but it isn`t really necessary. It would be similar to using two coats of AIO instead of one. What is the point of cleaning an already clean surface? That is essentially what you would be doing by appling AIO after #9. We`ll probably do it anyway though. ;) I love Klasse too much to miss out on getting to use some.



PS Really good waxes don`t have fillers in them, but there are many that do. P21S and Souveran don`t have any fillers in em. I don`t think that Blitz does either. Meguiar`s Gold Class liquid wax does. I`ve had it stain my trim before.