Good winter protection and shine

[chato]

This is my first post to Autopia. I stumbled onto the site from the Suby i club two weeks ago. What a great site for detailing info!!!I`m looking to incorporate the superior long lasting abilities of non wax products,and get a great shine too. I`ve washed and clayed the car, then used Nufinish for long lasting protection.[Yeah, I know it won`t last a year, but it should last the winter.] Lastly, applied Boehms Carnuba for improved shine. Is this approach effective? From what I`ve read, Nufinish has its fair share of critics. The biggest criticizm apears to be its adhearance to trim, and mediocre shine. I`ve used it on past cars many times and never had problems. Bottom line: Is this two step process effective for protection and shine? Any feedback would be appreciated. Sincerely, Chato

[imported_Larry A]

The longest lasting sealant is Zaino and Klasse. THe longest lasting wax is Collinite.

[Accumulator]

chato- Welcome to Autopia. Fellow Subaru owner here (WRX wagon). Opinions DO, uhm, VARY on NuFinish, but generally, using a synthetic like that, and following up with a carnauba is a great way to go. A good "trick" to making it last is to redo the wax long before it seems necessary, that way you`ll keep your NuFinish from taking much abuse.

[Lowejackson]

Welcome to Autopia :up



I would say Zaino or Klasse sound like the kind of products worthy of research. I guess it depend on what your priorities are and how much work is required on the paint.

[CRXSi90]

You are being guided on the right track. I however am thinking that, for me, Zaino and Klasse might be too much hassle. I`ve been thinking about this kind of thing for a few years [only had a car for ~2 years], and have not gotten the decision made on what to get. In the meantime, I have used other stuff. When I was little, my family`s red GMC Jimmy was fading, and I thought I`d play with it some. At that time, I had Nu Finish and some abrasive compound available. I the time, I did the best I could with those, and made some pretty good improvements. After the Nu Finish ran out, we got some Turtle Wax Finish 2001 which is supposed to be very similar to Nu Finish. To this day, I have used that same stuff on cars that I thought needed better protection than the Meguiars Gold Class which I use on my car can provide. That bottle of Finish 2001 getting empty, so I have been thinking about what to get next. On my thoughts are Meguiars #20 Polymer Sealant and Hi-Temp`s sealant. The first because it is well known and liked fairly well also. The second because I haven`t read reviews of it, and think it is worth a shot, considering it`s small pricetag. Both I would suspect last longer than average.



Like I was saying, I think Klasse and Zaino would be too much work for what I want to do, since you have to have a truely clean surface before you apply, otherwise you will have bonding issues. Klasse does have a pre-cleaner in it`s system, so that takes care of that. Klasse is the one I`m leaning towards if I don`t go with #20 or Hi-Temp sealant because it supposedly doesn`t stain trim like a lot of products do.



Take from that what you want, but it is my opinion after a lot of debating with myself that even something like Nu Finish is of great value. If you want ultimate durability and shine, then Klasse and Zaino are there for you, but you will pay [both time and money...but far less than the price of a new paint job..]



Sincerely,

Kevin

[Accumulator]

CRXSi90- Your post was quite well thought-out, but I WILL still try to change your mind ;) . Klasse is, *IMO* very easy to use. It lasts an incredibly long time (well, you know that), which makes it quite economical in the long run (my bottles of AIO and SG have plenty left after several years and many, many applications). *I* like that I can allocate a few days to getting a car Klassed (multiple layers of SG) and then only add a coat of SG every few months if I feel it needs it. OR you can just add a layer of Sg after each wash for a while (it goes on and comes off fast and easy, no lie). Otherwise, if I`m busy, etc. I can just wash (and clay) the car and it`ll look good (and be protected) for many months. On a few of our vehicles, I only have to do a major detail once a year.



Also, if you build up enough SG, it forms a surprisingly durable "sacrificial layer" (you can even feel it, like a plastic coating on the paint) that takes the abuse that would otherwise lead to marring of the paint. And yeah, it`s very trim friendly. I Klasse the black trim on our MPV and WRX. No more need to reapply ERV dressing after rain/washes.



And I`d be quite surprised if you don`t see an improvement in how the car looks as opposed to the NuFinish/TW.



OK, climbing off my soapbox! Sorry about the hard-sell :o

[imported_Intermezzo]

Originally posted by chato

I`ve washed and clayed the car, then used Nufinish for long lasting protection.[Yeah, I know it won`t last a year, but it should last the winter.] Lastly, applied Boehms Carnuba for improved shine. Is this approach effective? From what I`ve read, Nufinish has its fair share of critics. The biggest criticizm apears to be its adhearance to trim, and mediocre shine. I`ve used it on past cars many times and never had problems. Bottom line: Is this two step process effective for protection and shine? Any feedback would be appreciated. Sincerely, Chato



Just out of curiousity, in your part of California does the winter prevent you from detailing your car?



Your routine will be ok ONLY if Boehms Carnauba contains no cleaners. The majority of OTC waxes do contain some combination of wax and paint cleaner....so make sure Boehms doesnt before using it as a topper to NF.



As the previous posters said, Z & K are the most durable sealants that we know of. If getting a whole new line of sealant isn`t for you, then I think a good compromise would be to give Mother`s Reflections a shot. You won`t be disappointed in this stuff.

[chato]

Didn`t really mean to imply that these So Cal winters were severe. [Hey, I`ve seen the temp plummet into the 50`s! Had to even let the cat inside]. I was getting really antsy to detail my car, and only had access to Autozone, Kragen etc. Got some NF, did high exposure areas, but I`ll take the consensus and probably use Klasse to complete the car. The Boehms is 100 percent carnuba. Thanks to everyone for their generous feedback. Sincerely, Chato