Newbie Could Use Some Advice....Too Many Choices Out There!

[OzzieMike]

Accumulator.....LOL....OK....I give! If you are that passionate about the FK1000P product, I`ll have to try it!

I`m not seeing the Zaino product either here or Autogeek, so I guess neither carries that product? Can you recommend a source for this?

Regarding the HD polish, I`m assuming you mean this?
3D HD Polish

Several seem to recommend an iron remover...is that necessary if I`m going to clay bar the Edge prior to any work?

Again...I`ve now turned my attention to the new Edge....

At the risk of saying "Hey...can you provide a "Dummies" version of the steps you`d take...?" I`m guessing you`d perform the following steps with this Edge?

-- Wash
-- Clay bar
-- HD Polish
-- Zaino AIO
-- FK1000P

LOL....windows I can handle...and the plastic trim seems still like new, so I`m not tempted to work in it.

Are the steps I`ve listed correct?

(Not going to do any of this for another couple weeks, as I leave Sunday for a Europe business trip)

[Accumulator]

OzzieMike- Heh heh...sounds like I was kinda convincing I really *AM* that passionate about the Fk1000P, at least for a daily driver (eh, *I* like it on most everything). Just apply *VERY* thin, keep it off trim, and don`t layer too soon.

Yeah, that`s the Polish that I like so much. Eh, I can`t seem to keep the "3D"/"HD" straight but that`s the one.

I probably got my ZAIO from the Zaino store...can`t even remember how I did order it as it`s been THAT long. One bottle lasts forever; I`ve used it on BIG vehicles many times and still have lots left. And alternative is Klasse All In One, a time-tested standby that a) IMO everybody oughta have on the shelf and b) is mighty user-friendly and LSP-compatible. BUT it`s sooo gentle, functionally nonabrasive for one thing (not that I consider that a defect, just a limitation), that I`d recommend the Z instead. I doubt you`ll go wrong with either.

Yeah, you`ve got the sequence right, and after that I bet you can just refresh the FK1000P without much, if any, prep at least a few times, and then just use the AIO to prep when needed; no need to polish unless you want to diminish some marring. (And if you ever do want to get more aggressive you`d use the Polish as a follow-up to whatever is potent enough to truly eliminate that marring.)

OK...full disclosure: I`d chemically decontaminate the Edge. But that`s just me...couldn`t resist posting that but don`t mean to nudge you in that direction.

On the exterior trim/plastic, I`d want to *KEEP* it nice, which is a whole lot easier if you do something from the jump. I`d clean with Griot`s Rubber Prep and then seal with Ultima`s Tire & Trim Guard Plus. That approach has worked *incredibly* well for me, really surprised me. Once that`s done (or even if you skip it..) you can keep it really nice with a quick wipe of some Spray Wax like Meguiar`s Ultimate Qwik (?sp? it`s something cutesy..) Wax, which is available OTC lots of places. You *don`t* want to let the plastic start to oxidize or otherwise get nasty as that can require a big project to fix. This approach simply takes the whole issue off the table and doesn`t need done very often.

Stay Safe over there across the Pond.

[OzzieMike]

I guess I`ll have to add the chemical decontamination step when I give the Edge the full "Monty". Great news! I get to spend more money! Yay!

Let`s see....wash....decontaminate....rinse....wash again....clay....wash again....polish....AIO....FK1000P....Griot`s Rubber Prep....Ultima Tire & Trim Guard....windows.

Should only take me around 12 hours, right?

[Accumulator]

OzzieMike- Heh heh, it *can* take a while! You don`t want to know how long I pull mine off the road when they need anything resembling a Major Detail (and I basically don`t even do whole-vehicle correction, which is usually the big time-killer).

For the Chemical Decontamination, the stuff I`ve used is basically just a "special wash" system where you wash the car with one product, rinse, wipe on the second product...let dwell, rinse, wash with normal shampoo. The rare contamination that needs some mechanical agitation (clay/nanoskin/etc.) gets that while the Decon chemicals are dwelling or afterwards when you notice something that`s still on there.

BIG issue with that approach is buying the stuff as the system I use (ValuGard`s ABC) only comes in gallons...which will last normal people lifetimes. Maybe some other manufacturer has something equally good that comes in smaller sizes.

Eh...wonder if the Edge really *does* need the Full Monty, or whether you could just skip the whole Decon thing. I`m sure not in favor of looking for additional, let alone inessential, chores to do!

[OzzieMike]

I`m seriously considering skipping one of the steps....either the Zaino`s, 3D/HD Polish or iron removal, I`m thinking. More time on the car wouldn`t be a problem if I had more than one car, so I`m kind of limited in that regard.

[Accumulator]

I`m seriously considering skipping one of the steps....either the Zaino`s, 3D/HD Polish or iron removal, I`m thinking. More time on the car wouldn`t be a problem if I had more than one car, so I`m kind of limited in that regard.

That`s perfectly reasonable. I`d skip the polish step...that`s just off-the-cuff from a guy who hasn`t seen it, but unless the existing marring *REALLY* bugs you (and ixnay on your Inner Autopian...this is Real Life, *your* real life) I wouldn`t do that step.

Decontamination is good because you don`t want nasty stuff eating away at your clear, and yeah that really does happen. (I`m *assuming* that the Ford dealer didn`t do a decon. with the ValuGard ABC, which is Ford-approved and even has its own Ford Part Number...yeah, they`re supposed to do that...who knew, huh?)

Prepping for LSP with an AIO accomplishes a lot with one, generally very easy step. Whenever something needs some prep...paint, wheels, metallic trim...just AIO/FK1000P it, quick and easy. So IMO (gee, we all have one ) you oughta have those on the shelf. I see that approach as the modern equivalent of the time-tested (if not-too-Autopian) approach of using a Cleaner-Wax (that`d be the AIO) topped with a Straight Wax (the FK1000P). LOTS of people have kept their vehicles looking real-world-great that way since forever.