?? on proper procedure and products.

[tvolt]

I am new to this site and detailing in general. I just received a PC for Christmas and canâ€â„¢t wait to use it. I have tried to do as much research as possible to understand just what I need to do and how to do it. Thanks to this site, I think I have most of the âہ“how toâ€Â� stuff worked out but before I make any attempts, I would like to run this procedure by some of you more seasoned veterans along with a question or two about specific products. The car is fairly new (7 months), metallic black with some micro abrasions and minor swirls.



Steps:

#1: Wash using Z7 (or dawn depending on feedback)

#2: Clay bar (if necessary and wash again with Z7)

#3 Menzerna FPII with âہ“green giantâ€Â� pad and flexible backing plate

#4 p21s cleanser (is it ok to use a MF mit on PC to apply?)

#5 Z2pro

#6 Z6

#7 possibly a topper of carnauba (nattys or trade secret)



Does any one know if I can put a topper after the Z6? I am assuming the topper will act as additional protection and prolong the life of the Z2. Is this assumption correct?



Also, I know the Zaino site says to wash your car with dawn before using the clay bar but I have also read in some posting on this site that it is not good for your paint (removes oils) and dries out rubber seals. If anyone has input on this or the above listed procedure I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

[fertzguy]

Washing with Dawn once or twice a year will not harm your car. If you have a bunch of nuba wax built up on your car its a good idea to dawn wash as Zaino like a very clean surface to bond to. Really the clay should take care of all the old waxes and oils so if you have a real concern about the dawn the z7 was will be sufficint before and after the clay. I would do a light z7 was after the p21s gpec to make sure you got a oil free surface prior to the z2 pro. The p21s has some fillers in it

[Accumulator]

tvolt- Weclome to Autopia! I can`t help with the Zaino Qs, but as for the other stuff...



You will want to clay. Really, even though you can`t always see the contamination on black.



Unless you have some *super* soft paint (as in, unusually so), the "green giant" pad will be too mild to fix the swirls, and probably even the micromarring. The FPII can work well as long as you a) don`t have hard clear, and b) don`t have serious (but what is "serious"?) defects. But I dunno if it`ll have the bite to remove what you`re dealing with. IMO most newbies underestimate what it takes to remove marring by PC. But at worst, things *will* end up looking a lot better so don`t be discouraged.



I don`t see the P21S GEPC really adding anything to the process except work :D As fertzguy said, you just have to clean it`s stuff off so the Zaino will stick. Shouldn`t really need much cleaning after using the FP and if you`re worried about the Zaino bonding you could always wash again. FPII oughta leave a ready-to-go finish all by itself.



If you *do* want to use the P21S I`d use a finishing (or maybe a polishing) pad instead of the MF bonnet.



If the MF bonnet is *very* soft you might use it to remove product, but some will micromar certain paints so try a test spot before doing a whole panel.



Any topper will provide a sacrificial layer that`ll take the punishment instead of the Zaino, at least until it (the topper) gets compromised. Whether it`s a *better* sacrificial layer than just adding another coat of Zaino is another question. I dunno if waxes like Natty`s or TS (I`m only familiar with the latter) will really add anything functional, IMO they`ll just alter the look. A "heavy" wax such as Collinite or Meg`s #16 might be a differnet story, but those would sorta undo the "Zaino look".

[imported_Burlyq]

If you want to maximize durabilty they say wash after p21s. However, I use this product then go to Zaino with good results. I usually top the old Zaino after about a week, even though I know I`m sacraficing long term durabilty. I haven`t tried Z2pro yet, but a lot of people are saying it looks deeper than the old z2, so you might not need it. If you decide you want to top anyhow, I do like natty`s for the price and quality. If you detail your car every two or three months I wouldn`t worry about durabilty, just do what you like and it will work out. If you want the 6 months of durabilty that product gives, follow the instructions on the website. Tell us what you think about the z2pro, I`m kinda chapped as I have a couple more months supply of the old stuff, I might have to break down and get some z2pro.



BTW, if it`s necessary to use FPII, it`s necessary to clay first IMO. Yes, you can apply p21s with MF mitt, too. However, if you got a new PC you might want to try it with a finishing pad. Either will work, if you use a MF mitt I like to make sure it doesn`t slip a lot. But with that product it`s not much of an issue. Zaino is a layerable product, so if stripping is a concern you have, you might want to just use Z2 with no topper. Then when it`s time for a new coat, you can just wash the put your next coat with no other steps. If you use a topper, you will want to strip everytime.



There go my manners again, welcome to Autopia. I just noticed it`s your first post. Stick around this is a cool place. I notice your a neighbor, kinda (sonoma county). Hopefully the weather will cooperate with your plans. Take pics.

[White95Max]

Definitely clay the car.

As far as washing with Dawn, I`ve done it plenty of times (before Autopia I used to wash my car with Dawn every couple days for several months).



To revive your rubber seals, apply a protectant of some kind to them. I use 1Z Gummipflege and love it, but there are many other products that will work well for that purpose too.

[imported_Burlyq]

Classic Motoring is having a sick deal on klasse protectant, if that would be something that would work on seals like gummypledge? Which was disco`d here right?

[White95Max]

I`ve never tried/heard of a Klasse product that works on rubber seals. That doesn`t mean there isn`t one though.

[imported_Burlyq]

Originally posted by White95Max

I`ve never tried/heard of a Klasse product that works on rubber seals. That doesn`t mean there isn`t one though.



http://www.properautocare.com/klasvinleatr.html

[tvolt]

Thanks for the input everyone. I just ordered the stuff that I will need to accomplish this task. I will probably be attempting all of this in about 2 weeks. I will post before and after pics. I can say one thing for sure, there is no way I would even think about attempting this without all of the help from this site and the input from you guys.