Teach an old dog new tricks? Or stick with what has been working?

[noorth]

My wife’s Leaf got hit hard by sprinklers. It was wearing a Heinz 57 mix of sealants and spray waxes. I did an FK ABC to get rid of the water spots and then followed by McKees coating. We traded the car before it was completely dead but at close to the two year mark, parked outside 24x7 of course, it was finally wearing off. I don’t think it’s what most would call McKees a super durable coating so it did well in my book.

It must of been a garage queen?

I really don`t think its a good idea to coat a car that`s not freshly polished. That`s just me but polishing is my favorite and really that and clay are the kings of gloss. I still haven`t gotten around too coating 2 doors with cancoat on my car and i doubt anyone can tell the difference - i can`t. They were heavily clay and polished like most of the car. haha Give up on the front bumper. Need`s a paint job.

But i have the glossiest car on the block haha Its a nice blue color, white SUCKS.

[Dan]

It must of been a garage queen?

See above. Parked outside 24x7. I don`t really bother talking about my cars that are garaged because unless a daily driver, and even then, durability reports are pretty meaningless.

[Accumulator]

Bassett72- I`m late to this party, and have no advice regarding the Polish.

But FWIW, I used the KAIO + Collinite for ages (still use it on one area of one car) but switched the Collinite to FK1000P as *for me* it lasts longer and protects better. (by a wide margin).

That said....I wouldn`t be in a hurry to change what`s working for you. "Don`t try to fix what isn`t broken" and all that.

[bassett72]

Bassett72- I`m late to this party, and have no advice regarding the Polish.

But FWIW, I used the KAIO + Collinite for ages (still use it on one area of one car) but switched the Collinite to FK1000P as *for me* it lasts longer and protects better. (by a wide margin).

That said....I wouldn`t be in a hurry to change what`s working for you. "Don`t try to fix what isn`t broken" and all that.

is the FK1000P easy to get off? Also, I know with Collinites you have to avoid all black trim. Same with FK1000P?

I ask because my wife`s new dark blue Pilot has a crapload of damn blackish/grayish trim on it. RIGHT where I need the most protection....Near the bottom of the car.

[Dan]

is the FK1000P easy to get off? Also, I know with Collinites you have to avoid all black trim. Same with FK1000P?

I ask because my wife`s new dark blue Pilot has a crapload of damn blackish/grayish trim on it. RIGHT where I need the most protection....Near the bottom of the car.

It can be easy to remove but it isn`t Bubba proof like Collinite. It can be as hard to remove as even the most difficult waxes like KSG.

It does stain some black trim but not badly.

Also personally I`ve never had great durability out of it. It does look really good though. Like a layer of glass.

[Accumulator]

is the FK1000P easy to get off? Also, I know with Collinites you have to avoid all black trim. Same with FK1000P?

Eh, sorry...but I`m not the right guy to answer that as I basically never find any LSPs hard to buff off (probably because of my ultra thin *thin* *THIN* applications).

Also, I know with Collinites you have to avoid all black trim. Same with FK1000P?

Noting that I have never had any problems using Collinite 845 on black trim (did it for decades)...yeah, you`d better keep the FK off of that trim. At the risk of sounding like a real [jerk] it shouldn`t be hard if you`re applying it with what I`d consider normal care (I have lots of black trim to avoid too, just isn`t an issue unless I`m careless). Aw man, I just *know* I sound all pedantic posting such stuff and I don`t mean to insinuate that you`re being a hack. It drove me nuts for years until I finally spent some time getting my LSP application technique truly dialed-in, now it`s simply a non-issue.

I ask because my wife`s new dark blue Pilot has a crapload of damn blackish/grayish trim on it. RIGHT where I need the most protection....Near the bottom of the car.

If avoiding that trim just isn`t feasible, maybe just stick with Collinite 845, which you could use on both the paint and the trim. But !oh man! would I prefer to just go through a few minutes of significant hassle to get the protection of the FK.

IF the trim is hard plastic, I`d use the FK on it. If in doubt, buff it off *before it dries*, which doesn`t compromise the durability nearly as much as I`d expected.

Oh, another idea comes to mind: do the trim first with a Trim Sealant, which can then be maintained/boosted with a quick wipe of Spray Wax. That`ll make it easier to (quickly!) buff off any oops! with the FK (before it dries).

Funny, this exact issue really did drive me *NUTS* for ages, wouldn`t use LSPs that stained trim over it, but now...no problem. Guess I`m doing things differently these days. Anyhow...

IF FK1000P/Collinite paste waxes are hard to buff off, consider:

-Use far less. IMO most people use at least 4X as much LSP as they oughta. IF I can clearly see the LSP residue on the paint after it flashes, I figure I used *WAY* too much. I`ve been using my first tin of FK for well over a decade, and I`m doing many coats on big vehicles. Got many years` worth left too.
-Fog the surface with your breath while buffing; the little bit of moisture can make all the diffference.
-Or try a *VERY* light mist/spritz of FK425, followed by a final buff with a perfectly dry MF

[JustJesus]

Oh, another idea comes to mind: do the trim first with a Trim Sealant, which can then be maintained/boosted with a quick wipe of Spray Wax. That`ll make it easier to (quickly!) buff off any oops! with the FK (before it dries).

Sounds like a great idea! !

[bassett72]

Oh, another idea comes to mind: do the trim first with a Trim Sealant, which can then be maintained/boosted with a quick wipe of Spray Wax. That`ll make it easier to (quickly!) buff off any oops! with the FK (before it dries).

I think I`m set on continuing to use Collinites.....

What do people recommend for a trim sealant?

[Setec Astronomy]

What do people recommend for a trim sealant?

I`ve always had good luck with the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant (WETS); it`s an actual sealant as opposed to a dressing, although it does have an oily/solventy base. Ultima Tire and Trim Guard (UTTG) used to be similar, but they changed that to a water-base. Of course you also can`t go wrong with a wipe-on, walk away (WOWA) sealant like Optimum Opti-Seal or Ultima Paint Guard Plus or Wolfgang Deep Gloss Liquid Seal, if the trim is in good shape.

Full disclosure: I`m may not be up to date with all the new products.

[bassett72]

I read a little on the Optimum Opti-Seal...Seems good. So, on one of our vehicles, a 2010 Toyota Tundra, I have black trim that is now more grey. What would folks recommend to get it nice and black again BEFORE putting something like Optimum Opti-Seal on it?

Or is there something that would do all in one?

[Setec Astronomy]

Ha, trim restorers are like the holy grail of detailing. Solution Finish seems to be popular; a lot of members go over it with a coating to "lock it in", but I think Solution Finish is making their own topper coating for it now. Also in this recent thread Sizzle Chest used an Adam`s coating on the entire car that seemed to restore the trim well--unknown how long that will last: 1999 Porsche Carrera...Operation Fried Egg!

PS Some years ago I started a thread about trim restorer coatings...one of the issues as I remember it is that with the products like C4 and DLUX is that they look great initially, but then later you can`t just go over the trim again to restore the restoration, because you`re going on top of the old coating instead of onto naked trim. Hence the appeal of Solution Finish which is black.

[Accumulator]

I think I`m set on continuing to use Collinites.....

What do people recommend for a trim sealant?

I use the Ultima Tire and Trim Guard +. As noted, they`ve changed it to a water-based formulation, and while I do prefer the original, I haven`t noticed that much of a diff with durability/etc. Although, maybe my regular refreshing with a Spray Wax (pretty much at every wash) probably factors in.

If it were mine, I`d probably use the Ultima TTG+ instead of Collinite 845, even if I did have such good results with the latter on trim (if you try the 845 for this...thin *thin* *THIN* and buff it off before it flashes/dries all the way).

Note that the Spray Wax Maintenance regimen isn`t just for looks; if you use Optimum Car Wax (for example) the UV protection can help keep the trim OK between big redos (FWIW, that`s why I also use the OCW on lenses- purely for the UV protection). I dunno about other Spray Waxes, but the UV protection in OCW has been tested/verified.

[Setec Astronomy]

the UV protection in OCW has been tested/verified.

You know, I had to look this up. My recollection was the OCW patent had to do with the chemistry of the product (getting the ingredients to mix properly in a water base). And that`s true, for the first patent, but the second patent (I don`t recall when I looked this up years ago if there was one or 2 patents listed on the bottle, but there are 2 now) does actually quote some UV testing, where clearcoat was applied to glass, then the OCW was applied to the clearcoat on half the panel, and the UV transmission through the treated glass was compared to the untreated. The UVA+B transmission was reduced an average of 43.2%.

What the real-world implications of that test are, I would hesitate to conclude. Bear in mind that is before any weathering of the OCW, and whether similar results would be obtained on say, trim, or headlights (which as I understand it use a UV-cured coating, rather than a 2K clear), it`s hard (for me) to extrapolate. Obviously, it can`t hurt.

Also of note is that although Dr. G is the sole inventor on both patents, the first patent was assigned to a Japanese company shortly after it was issued, and both patents are expired since last year, according to GooglePatents; I couldn`t get either of them to come up at the USPTO website, but that`s always been a bit flaky.

[Accumulator]

Setec Astronomy- Good on you for doing some actual research on the OCW vs. UV! To sidestep the "OCW weathering" issue, I just do the [UV-sensitive bits] with OCW at every wash. Eh, my vehicles spend so little time in the sun that I could probably just skip it, but finding parts for these things is getting challenging to say the least so I better not take chances.

[Dan]

Ha, trim restorers are like the holy grail of detailing. Solution Finish seems to be popular; a lot of members go over it with a coating to "lock it in", but I think Solution Finish is making their own topper coating for it now. Also in this recent thread Sizzle Chest used an Adam`s coating on the entire car that seemed to restore the trim well--unknown how long that will last: 1999 Porsche Carrera...Operation Fried Egg!

PS Some years ago I started a thread about trim restorer coatings...one of the issues as I remember it is that with the products like C4 and DLUX is that they look great initially, but then later you can`t just go over the trim again to restore the restoration, because you`re going on top of the old coating instead of onto naked trim. Hence the appeal of Solution Finish which is black.

Solution finish is the the holy grail. Looks great. Even makes new trim look better. I have been meaning to try topping it with something but it`s durable on its own. Everything else lasts a few drives in the rain and it`s done.