There’s also the matter of how the last step product looks. To be overly simple, typically sealants have a glassy, “coated candy” look while carnauba has a warm depth. If you are after a certain look, you may notice these differences between them.
There’s also the matter of how the last step product looks. To be overly simple, typically sealants have a glassy, “coated candy” look while carnauba has a warm depth. If you are after a certain look, you may notice these differences between them.
Treat it like it`s the only one in the world.
Thanks for the in-depth analysis.
It saved me some money.
I`m more like a nut looking for a blind squirrel.
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Clarkitect- Welcome to Autopia!
I`d caution against getting too complicated about all this. I`d just focus on getting it nice and clean and shiny and then keeping it that way.
Beware of Internet Wisdom (oughta be in scare-quotes) and of jumping in the deep end in one fell swoop. Keep everything manageable and ramp it up when you see the need/desire.
I`d almost certainly do some kind of decontamination, although it might not *really* be necessary. Have you determined that it *is* necessary? (I know, everybody says to decontaminate all the time these days...)
So you *do* want to get into paint correction, right? You really do look at the vehicles and think "gee, I need to polish out that marring and I`m confident they`ll stay marring-free once I`ve done that"...right? Nobody`s gonna touch the paint in-between washes, etc. right?
Maybe you could just wash it up *really* thoroughly, go over it with an All-In-One (AIO) product, and top that (after the next wash) with some FK1000P, and then just wash it for a while and see how things go.
Note that one of my vehicles has paint that`s *very* similar to your "biege" and the FK1000P looks great on it. The Collinite 845 (or one of their others) is also good, and very user-friendly, just doesn`t last as long for me.
IMO there`s no need to go overboard when starting to get serious about this stuff, and plenty of reasons to *not* do that.
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There is a method to my madness. In my field, I work with a lot of designers and consultants. My job is to get many disparate parts together into a cohesive whole. Often I need a solution to a design problem. There are two ways to go about eliciting a response to a problem. First, just ask for a solution, and then ask again, and then ask some more. The second, put a solution out there (even if you know it isn’t all the way there, or especially if it isn’t all the way there) and sit back and watch the quick response flood in. So far, the second solution has been panning out well. Plus, I’m having a ton of fun, and getting myself out there in this community. My wife says I often go overboard (you should have seen my Autopia shopping cart at one point), it’s an occupational hazard, and now you all know I go overboard. Trying to have the Autopia community help me dial it back with those who have been there and done that.
I like the idea of going the one brand route, and had a couple of those going at one point. However, as I continued to do research, I was finding benefits of one product by a manufacturer that offered benefits that maybe wouldn’t get me there in a kit. One example, I like 3D’s Orange Degreaser, one because it can be diluted at different concentrations for a multitude of uses, and two I like the idea of cleaning the interior of my vehicles with a product with an orange/citrus scent. I also like 3D’s AIO solutions for polishing, but think there may be better cleaning and final product solutions out there. I am liking a lot of the Gyeon products, and am leaning toward stocking up on much of their products via a kit (or two).
I do think it needs decon since I can feel quite a bit of particulate when rubbing my hand over the finish, even when it was delivered all cleaned up from the dealer. And if I’m gonna decon I have resigned myself to paint correction (plus there are a few very minor scratches I’d like to amend).
Me, overboard?! Trying to dial it back, and it’s been therapeutic to get this all out there and hear from the Autopia community. I am teetering between this track and the one BudgetPlan1 has laid out. I think I’ve settled on a Gyeon track for wash, decon, tires, wheels, & glass (with 3D Orange as a degreaser for wheels, engine bay, and interior seats and carpets), and 3D One for polish. The final internal debate is just going with the FK1000P wax (I actually don’t mind waxing, it’s relaxing for me to work over a vehicle with a wax), or coat it knowing I may not be able to devote the time to rewax the van as often as I’d like.
Clarkitect- Just FWIW, I use degreasers to....degrease stuff. Which I hardly ever do. So I don`t use my citrus degreasers on my interiors unless I have a specific reason for doing so. I do get the "does it all!" appeal of such stuff, and have used many liters of P21s Total Auto Wash in that way, but I no longer do that and my TAW basically sits on the shelf these days. (I do know from having to clean interiors..think "big active dogs".)
BTW, I like that you`re employing Critical Thinking Skills when approaching this Detailing stuff. I believe that "going overboard" and "overthinking it" are often just judgments passed on those who are thorough by those who aren`t, and as long as you`re having fun with this stuff it`s all good, but there are some benefits to keeping it manageable while starting out. If nothing else, consider how many days (not hours) you`ll have to spend, with the vehicle out-of-service and kept clean/etc. the whole time, when you do the first Big Detailing Job. I`m assuming that staying focused/meticulous for hours on end isn`t a problem for you, but some people start to get, uhm....lax...about some things after doing them for hours on end, especially when those things that require both mental and physical precision.
And I will repeat my caveat about believing Internet Detailing Wisdom (including mine), let alone ad-copy.
When I read:I go back to "just AIO it, apply some FK1000P, and then wash it for months, applying another coat of the FK after a wash whenever it`s convenient".Not overly concerned on final look. Obviously want it to look “good,” but the primary concern as a relative working vehicle (not a showpiece) is the longevity and ease of continued future cleaning/maintenance.
And of course while I was keying this post in, you posted back about my previous one...and/so I`ll hit [Submit Reply] and see what you just posted
OK, but I`ll caution you to aim for "much better" rather than "perfection". IF you go with mechanical decontamination rather than chemical, be careful you don`t mar the paint up a lot worse than it already is. I`d caution against the "a little more won`t matter as I`m correcting it anyhow" mindset.
GET GREAT INSPECTION LIGHTING! Heh heh, hope that was sufficiently emphatic to make an impression Seeing what`s going on is utterly crucial and not as easy as many expect.
IMO it`ll be a lot easier to get the paint "good enough for FK1000P" than "good enough for a coating" and applying Last Step Products (LSP) like a wax is a *lot* less likely to go sideways than applyng a coating. The FK lasts a long, long time for me..enough so that I don`t plan to coat my vehicles (not hating on the coatings, I`ve used them on wheels).
That reminds me, if you put some protection on your wheels you can just clean them with shampoo rather than a degreaser (and again, I wouldn`t/don`t clean my wheels with degreasers anyhow).
I`d only expect to need a degreaser one time for the engine compartment/undercarriage/wheel wells; after the initial cleanup the same shampoo mix I use on wheels is plenty strong, and unlike you I`m dealing with stuff like Ohio winters.
When buying shampoo, consider that you`ll go through it pretty fast. I only buy shampoo in gallons myself.
Me, overboard?! Trying to dial it back, and it’s been therapeutic to get this all out there and hear from the Autopia community. I am teetering between this track and the one BudgetPlan1 has laid out. I think I’ve settled on a Gyeon track for wash, decon, tires, wheels, & glass (with 3D Orange as a degreaser for wheels, engine bay, and interior seats and carpets), and 3D One for polish. The final internal debate is just going with the FK1000P wax (I actually don’t mind waxing, it’s relaxing for me to work over a vehicle with a wax), or coat it knowing I may not be able to devote the time to rewax the van as often as I’d like.
If you haven’t made your purchase get the Autogeek gift certificate deal and save big!
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Very impressive data analysis. Welcome to Autopia!
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