Bruce
04-21-2003, 11:47 AM
I’m looking for a polish/glaze/cleaner/swirl remover—whatever it might be called—with a mild abrasive to use as the last step before using a sealant such as Zaino or Klasse. It’s turning out to be more puzzling than I would have thought.
My first detailing (learned right here at Autopia!) was on medium green paint that had been neglected for six years. The results were stunning. I did a lot of experimenting, but I basically used 3M’s FI-II with a PC (3.5, white pad), Dawn wash, then Zaino, with a few panels of Klasse for comparison. 90% of the improvement came from the FI-II, smooth and glossy finish before the first drop of Zaino was used. Unfortunately, by the time I was done I had contracted Autopia fever (no matter how good your car looks, could it have been better?). So this time around I would like to ramp down after the FI-II with a slightly milder abrasive, but I keep running into two mysteries:
1. It’s often difficult or impossible to tell how abrasive a product is, or even if it contains an abrasive at all. For example, 3M’s web site puts FI-II in it’s Rubbing Compound category, and lists its swirlmark remover under Glazes and Polishes. So I can presume the SMR is milder, and possibly a good candidate for me. But does it even contain an abrasive, or does it just hide the swirls? I can’t tell.
2. The highly regarded products usually use fillers and other additives to hide swirls and enhance gloss. This is fine if you’re going to use carnauba, but wasted with sealants. Sal Zaino wants you to get rid of all that stuff and leave your paint squeaky clean with a Dawn wash; Klasse does the job for you with the cleaning element in AIO. Thus, you might think you have taken care of hairline scratches, only to see them reappear when you start the sealant process. On the other hand, just because a product uses fillers doesn’t mean that it is wrong for the job. It could still provide the less aggressive abrasive I’m looking for, although I wouldn’t know for sure how I stood with the micro-marring until after using the sealant.
Having said all this, I realize that many of you—myself included—have achieved sterling results with Zaino or Klasse without going through all this mental agony. As anal or obsessive-compulsive as this may sound, there is one thing that I do know. Autopians will understand.
My first detailing (learned right here at Autopia!) was on medium green paint that had been neglected for six years. The results were stunning. I did a lot of experimenting, but I basically used 3M’s FI-II with a PC (3.5, white pad), Dawn wash, then Zaino, with a few panels of Klasse for comparison. 90% of the improvement came from the FI-II, smooth and glossy finish before the first drop of Zaino was used. Unfortunately, by the time I was done I had contracted Autopia fever (no matter how good your car looks, could it have been better?). So this time around I would like to ramp down after the FI-II with a slightly milder abrasive, but I keep running into two mysteries:
1. It’s often difficult or impossible to tell how abrasive a product is, or even if it contains an abrasive at all. For example, 3M’s web site puts FI-II in it’s Rubbing Compound category, and lists its swirlmark remover under Glazes and Polishes. So I can presume the SMR is milder, and possibly a good candidate for me. But does it even contain an abrasive, or does it just hide the swirls? I can’t tell.
2. The highly regarded products usually use fillers and other additives to hide swirls and enhance gloss. This is fine if you’re going to use carnauba, but wasted with sealants. Sal Zaino wants you to get rid of all that stuff and leave your paint squeaky clean with a Dawn wash; Klasse does the job for you with the cleaning element in AIO. Thus, you might think you have taken care of hairline scratches, only to see them reappear when you start the sealant process. On the other hand, just because a product uses fillers doesn’t mean that it is wrong for the job. It could still provide the less aggressive abrasive I’m looking for, although I wouldn’t know for sure how I stood with the micro-marring until after using the sealant.
Having said all this, I realize that many of you—myself included—have achieved sterling results with Zaino or Klasse without going through all this mental agony. As anal or obsessive-compulsive as this may sound, there is one thing that I do know. Autopians will understand.