How do you know - - - - -

[Nick T.]

This question is pointed toward those of you who frequently reapply your preferred final protective product on a regular basis - - and further narrowed by eliminating those of you who use a standard application of carnauba or use a synthetic that leaves an oily residue (like Blackfire). This leaves users of Zaino, Klasse, similar products, and those that use extremely thin layers of a hard carnauba (like my spit-shine method).



How do you know how much, if any, product actually remains on your paint after application and removal/buffing?



Let’s say that you do a perfect job of paint preparation - - washing, claying, washing, polishing with ever finer (less aggressive) polishes, washing - - and now your paint is perfect! There is no hazing, no marring, and the surface is completely free of chemical and mechanical contaminants. It looks like a mirror!



Now you apply your favorite product using your preferred technique - - and then stand back and say, “Wow, what a great job I’ve done!� How do you know for sure that you’ve done anything? I certainly don’t know how to tell if there is any protection on the paint, nor do I know how to tell if there is really any layering occurring with repeated applications.

[jimmybuffit]

Very perceptive observation. Really.



Me? I just put the car out in in the rain and smile! For me, that`s the answer.



My assistant just `did` his 89 Supra with proper prep, and AIO + SG. He parked next to mine (in the rain) and asked why mine looked so much better!



Answer? I`ve layered SG (3x), and applied weekly(?) coats of P21S.



Jim

[imported_10degreesbtdc]

I use Zaino and sometimes Zaino w/an S100 topper. Recently tried NXT and in the past had used 3M`s carnauba w/some sort of polymer mixed in (can`t remember the name offhand...I prefer S100`s ease of application). Anyway...



I can`t tell by "look" after a single coat of Z if the surface has been clayed and polished beforehand.



However, both current cars (Acura and Infiniti) and my previous (Lexus) have the telltale (to me) "bare paint squeak" if there`s nothing on `em.



The water tends to pool rather than sheet or bead. Less so on the Infiniti paint, the Lexus was just a big puddle, and the Acura is in between those two.



So I guess the answer, after 1 coat post-prep, is by:



1) rinse water behavior: beading, sheeting, or pooling

2) slickness or absence of squeak; general feel of the paint



Beyond that first coat on the bare paint...I dunno how much is still there post-removal/buff. But I do know it has layered: on black, I notice a fairly signficiant pop in reflectivity at coat 3 with Zaino, and diminishing returns around coat 7.

[kustomsol]

I use Zaino, both Z-5 and Z-2. I have an older car with some swirl marks easily noticable before Z-5, after a couple of applications, they are much more difficult to see. Plus watch the water beed, feel the slickness, and see the depth of the shine develop after 3 coats of Z-2. And see the difference after several washings compared to how it was before Zaino. And I noticed you are a "recovering Zainoholic"; didn`t you notice these things? Or has "Zaino withdrawal" given you the DT`s (Detailing Tremens)?

[mike79]

I just did this to my car...washed, polished all the swirls and marring out...looked amazing. I was standing there asking myself, how the hell am I going to make this look better with wax? Its already perfect! But, then I put two coats of z5 on, and one coat of z2...I was wrong! It looked amazing. The polishing added the depth, but the zaino added an amazing reflection. Not to mention that the car beeds water quite well now.

[Nick T.]

My original question was not a troll nor an attempt to start arguments about layering.



I do a lot of product, technique, and sequence experimenting and haven’t found any reliable way to judge the results other that the very subjective, “Wow, it looks better (or worse) than the adjacent panel.�



The only question that I’ve been able to objectively answer is whether or not I can actually layer carnauba. The answer is an unqualified yes. I used a small piece of painted plastic trim and used my secret spit shining technique on it. Then I put the test piece in the refrigerator overnight to make the carnauba more brittle, then flexed it a couple of times until the wax started to flake. It was then easy to see the thickness of the layered wax. Next I used alcohol to remove all of the wax and repeated layering, but applied many more layers - - and this time the flakes were substantially thicker.



The subjective answer is also a yes. Just like spit shining shoes it takes several layers to achieve that glassy reflectance, but after that each additional layer adds a little more depth to the shine. Those of you who learned how to spit shine boots in the military can think back to the obvious appearance difference between well spit shined boots and patent leather boots or shoes.



I would really like to find an objective method of judging the layering of the various synthetics! Anybody have any ideas?