1Z or Klasse or Menzerna kit?

J

johnson

New member
Need to buy one of these kits for a gift this weekend but not sure what to get. The cars will be a 1998 black Honda Prelude (lots of swirls) and a 2002 silver Acura RSX. These are not detailers so im more worried about longevity than anything else but ive read that either brand will leave the black and silver finish looking great. Any thoughts? Andriver?

1Z Perls Gloss Shampoo
1Z Paint Polish
1Z Metallic Polish
1Z Glanz Wax
Sonüs Der Wunder Applicator, Pkg/2
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$61.25

P21S Car Wash
Klasse AIO
Klasse SG
Four Star UPP
2 Terry Applicators
2 Poly Foam Wax Applicators
1 MF Detailing Towel
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$65

Menzerna Shampoo
Menzerna FPII
Menzerna FTG
Menzerna FMJ
3 MF Applicator pads
2 MF Polishing Cloths
1 Perfect Shine MF Buffing Cloth
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$70
 
I would go with the menzerna kit as FP II will help with the swirls and FTG will help conceal what they cannot get out with the FPII - going on three months on my roomate's black ford ranger with a full FMJ kit
 
johnson:

Never used the 1Z prodcuts.

I've used the Klasse twins. Very nice results but SG car be a bit finicky sometimes.

I prefer the Menzerna kit but I wish the kit came with IP rather than car wash but the Menzerna kit, as it stands, is great.

I've washed with Menzerna car wash & I've washed with NXT .... I can't tell any difference in residues left on the surface or lubricity.

FPII is an excellent polish when used with a PC. IMHO, IP is a borderline compound/polish that will work well with a PC ... up to a point .... but I think you'd get better results using a rotary if the swirls/scratches are deep enough to feel with your fingernail.

Power Gloss is out of the question, it's a rotary-only product.
 
I called PAC and asked if they could replace the IP with the shampoo and their reply was that they couldnt do it because of inventory and its already pre-packaged. Oh well.

1Z -0
Klasse - 1
Menzerna - 2
 
What are the experience levels of the people who will actually be doing the detailing? The Einszett products are probably the easiest for a novice to use effectively. For looks, the Menzerna products would be a good choice but IMHO harder for a novice to use. The Klasse will have great durability and good looks, but the SG can be finicky.
 
Experience level is novice. The owner of the black car cleans his wheels with the chenile sponge and goes straight to the paint :eek: (doesnt even rinse it). This is why im leaning toward durability. But most likely ill be the one applying the stuff. FYI, ive havent used either brand.

I do have a PC if that matters.
 
The same kit will be used for both cars, correct? If so, I'd suggest going with the Einszett kit due to the inclusion of two polish products that work well with a PC. The black Honda may need more help than either Klasse AIO or Menzerna FPII can handle. Glanz Wax seems to be fairly durable, but I've never left it on my car long enough to see if it could match SG's longevity. Glanz Wax also seems to magnify paint imperfections more than FTG/FMJ or SG, so make sure you are satisfied with your polishing efforts before applying GW.
 
johnson said:
Experience level is novice. The owner of the black car cleans his wheels with the chenile sponge and goes straight to the paint :eek: (doesnt even rinse it). This is why im leaning toward durability. But most likely ill be the one applying the stuff. FYI, ive havent used either brand.

I do have a PC if that matters.
Click to expand...

I have Zaino and Menzerna.

Zaino is probably the best for durability and the protectants can be applied by hand. But they don't have any serious polishes yet.

Menzerna looks great on red and dark cars. However, Menzerna polishes work best with a rotary. Since your friend is a novice, it's probably too much to expect even a PC. :doh So, you may want to steer clear of the Menzerna.

If they want to get rid of the swirls on the Honda products (which I believe has very hard paint), they'll probably have to invest in a PC and pads. That's $160 minimum. Will they make that committment?

One alternative suggestion... You may want to start them off with the basics. A good car wash, some clay, lots of MF towels, one decent polish to get out some of the swirls by hand and a decent protectant. And, maybe a a good QD product. Here's another list:

Zaino Z7 car wash (works well as a clay lube too)
Lambs wool washing mitt ($8.00 at Schucks)
Zaino Z18, Mother's, or Pinnacle clay
Some decent MF towels (CMA, Pakshak, Waynes, etc.)
1Z, Menzerna FPII, or Menzerna IP (Intensive) Polish
Zaino Z5 + ZFX, or Four Star UPP protectant
Zaino Z6 QD (best QD I've used so far)

I tried to focus on products that they might need initially, could be applied by hand, give decent results, and maximize durability. I hope this helps.

Regards,

Dan.
 
Why not call Steve at Poorboys and have him put togehter a kit for you. His products are great and VERY easy to use. He has great service and would be more than willing to make a kit for you I am sure. Probably be cheaper too for comparable products
 
Ditto Dalton. Poorboys products are easy to use and a great value. That would be my choice for doing it by hand. www.poorboysworld.com -email or call Steve. He's a FANTASTIC person and has killer products.

If you were planning to use a rotary or the PC, then I'd recommend the Menzerna kit like many others have...
 
Ditto Dalton and mgm2003: I find Poorboy's products VERY easy to use...especially by hand. Get some EX-P in their for great protection and you're set :)
 
johnson: I chose the Menzerna kit 'cause it was one of the three choices that you listed. Others have indicated a good alternative.

By all means, a Poorboy's kit would workout very well. The entire product line delivers excellent results from the swirl removing SSR products to the polishing products to the sealants and Natty's (carnauba wax).

I haven't used them but I've read that S&W, car wash, & wheel cleaners are excellent.

Like I said, you can't go wrong with anything in the Poorboy's product line.
 
If the Honda did not have bad swirls as you indicated I would probably go with the Klasse kit, not only would it make the black paint look great but you would have the comfort of knowing that Klasse is a true 6-9 month sealant.

Problem is, the Klasse kit is will very little for swirls. If you are going to help them and have access to a PC or rotary I'd go with the 1Z kit, with the polishes included it is a "better balanced" kit IMHO. You would still need to add clay, MF's and some trim dressings etc.

I haven't tried FMJ, so I cannot comment on it, but the FPII polish contained in the kit is really a finishing polish, very mild and in my experience will do very little to reduce swirls (it is my favorite finishing polish)

Another option you might want to consider is the Detailers Pride kit from Autogeek. Not as trendy as some other products, but it does contain a spray wax (easy for a beginner) and several other products needed to fully detail a vehicle which are excluded from the kits you list. Here is the link

http://www.autogeek.net/dp1000.html

You would have to add some swirl removers to this kit too, to really get a nice finish, but the kit is well priced.

Two final options worth thinking about that have not mentioned so far: OTC .. NXT is good at filling swirls and online... Autopia has a garage sale going on now and a load of coupons codes for addition reductions on the prices of all products including Sonus, 1Z and Pinnacle.

Good luck with your choice!
 
Lots of good suggestions, but one thing that I picked up on that might be worth thinking about.
johnson said:
Experience level is novice. The owner of the black car cleans his wheels with the chenile sponge and goes straight to the paint : (doesnt even rinse it). This is why im leaning toward durability. But most likely ill be the one applying the stuff.
Click to expand...
Since you will probably be doing the job, maybe that could be your gift. :dunno
Then use what you like and do have experience with.
Afterwards, you could just give him some car shampoo and a good one step and tell him to call you when he has it all screwed up again.
Not everyone gets into the car care thing like most of us. If you tell them the steps you go through to get your vehicle the way you want it, they look at you like you are crazy. (Maybe we are. :D)

Charles
 
I agree with AWD330, the Menzerna CAN be more of a learing curve and they did not include Intensive Polish. All Menzerna polishes are designed for rotary, but sure you CAN use a PC, but it takes more time and effort!

The 1Z is easy, and well suited for PC. Very nice and simple with good results.

Poorboys makes some nice polishes that work well with a PC as well and you can't beat the price!

Klasse is a great cleaner/polish (AIO) but if you have moderate swirls, you need a more aggresive polish first.

You could go to your local auto parts store and see if the have any Meguiars Pro line such as DACP or #9 or even #80. This way, you can buy a small bottle and get the swirls/marring out with the DACP, then go with one of the kits for final polish and protection.

Don't forget you need to clay prior to polishing and after you washed the finish or you will be grinding what may be left on from what the wash did not get off into your finish! Always always clay prior to polishing!

Enjoy your kit and let us know how it came out.

Regards,
Deanski
 
Thanks for all the responses guys. I did the black car today with Meguiars Swirl Free Polish and a coat of AIO (windows too) and it looks great. Id say about 90% of the swirls are gone and the paint is slick as ever. Looks very wet.

Armor All car wash (i forgot to bring my GC from home)
Clayed hood, roof and trunk with Clay Magic
Washed again.
Meguiars Swirl Free Polish on all panels w/ PC and 7.5" cutting pad
Klasse AIO on all panels and side windows by damp mf applicator
Washed again.

Apologize for the bad pic composition.

From the door moving on to the body.
swirlsremoved.jpg


Hood before
hoodwithswirls.jpg


Hood after
hoodwithreducedswirls.jpg


Been using this stuff for two years. High Endurance all the way.
meghighendurancedressing.jpg


hood.jpg


IMG_8987(Large).jpg


IMG_8983(Large).jpg


beading.jpg


Hopefully I get some SG from a trade on autopia and do layers of that :). As for the products, ive decided to get 1Z (minus the PP) because of the price and the money leftover will go to some mf applicators and mf and ww towels.
 
Never used the 1Z prodcuts.
Click to expand...

Can't degrade someone elses opinion and would defer to the overwhelming support for other products (which I use myself).....however....I have some 1Z and used it on my dad's 2001 Mitsubishi since he's giving it back in a year and I figured why waste my PB or Klasse stuff on a leased car.

It applies easy and is holding up very nicely after 6 weeks of staying out all the time. Very durable polymer. If you want something that can be applied quickly, 1Z isn't bad. Autopia guy likes it, too.
 
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