Any products I'm missing?

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This was my first experience at "real" detailing (I only thought I knew how to keep a car looking good before!), and I wanted to see if there are any other products I might want to consider to get the best results.



I have an '04 Acura RSX-S, Milano Red (am I the only person that thinks Acura paint chips really easy?). I'm using a PC orbital, and have your basic selection of Wolfgang pads ranging from orange to grey. MF everything else.



The paint had a lot of swirls, and was generally dirty. The only product that had been used on it was NXT.



First I hit the entire car with clay, and then I started the process with Z-PC and an orange pad. After getting a feel for the machine and the Zaino, I was able to get pretty decent results with a brighter color and the swirls gone (still some small scratches though). After that I hit it with Klasse AIO applied with the grey pad. The AIO process made a huge difference in the gloss. I then applied a thin coat of Klasse SG by hand. After that I applied NXT for Ohio-winter durability, and then some S100 for good measures (short term, for sure).



The paint ended up looking MUCH better than it did before with most of the swirls gone, and a shiny and smooth finish. I was hoping to get more depth, but then again it was my first time using the PC. Sorry no pictures, but the car's now covered in road salt and waiting for a break in the weather this weekend.



Based on what I've done so far, and looking at my combination of products/pads/etc., can anybody provide critique or other recommendations? My next challenge (weather permitting) is our neglected Honda Odyssey (black).



Thanks in advance.
 
I think your effort should be applauded.... but considering you're doing this for durability you are going down the wrong path.



You started on a good path by Polishing with ZPC and then AIO...... but the last 2 steps are definately not what you want. NXT in comparison to most sealants does not hold up... I have tested NXT twice for durability and I wasn't getting more then 2 weeks off of it. Actually after the 1st week it had considerably diminished..(oh and guess what... it was on an 02 Red RSX...and yes the paint chips easily).





.....and actually now that I think about it.... if you're gonna apply a sealant after AIO I suggest just using Klasse's sealant since nothing else will bond very good to AIO .



What I would've done...



-CLAY

-ZPC

-2 coats of Z5p w/ZFX

-mantain with Z8 QD





and I will pretty much guarantee you 2-3 months greater durability then NXT and the S-100.... by all means dont think that the Zaino is the 'end-all be-all' of sealants (though I think so) :D .... many people on here get great durability with many other products...
 
If it were me, I would have skipped the NXT. It has some mild cleaners in it. Do those cleaners strip SG? Beats me, but I have Klasse on two cars in my family. The only thing I top KSG with is more KSG. Now that you've topped it with NXT and S100 you will have to AIO and SG all over again for more SG layers. I dont know if anyone REALLY knows how many layers are best, or even if there is a point to layering (it's been argued on these forums over and over). I like to refresh the SG every couple of washes, because I want to. Other than what I've mentioned (which is merely my opinion), it sounds to me like you know what you're doing. If this is the first time you've used KSG and you arent complaining about removing it, then you've done very well. :D





EDIT: Beaten to the punch!
 
I'm also a noob, so please correct me if I'm wrong. You mentioned NXT for "Ohio Winter Durability". I like NXT and have used it myself, but I'm not sure that it's really built for the long haul. I believe that is the consensus among the forums as well.



Any durability you notice is probably coming from the Klass SG. It is also my understanding that NXT contains synthetic polymers and stuff that make it more like a sealer/glaze rather than a carnauba wax. It's primary purpose is for looks and not protection.



So to answer your question....No, you aren't missing any products. But between the Klass SG and the s100, I'm not sure that the NXT is doing anything for you. If anything you've got too much there.



But like I said, I'm kinda new myself so I could be wrong. As long as it works for you, that's good.
 
I thought that I had read on here that a product such as NXT is more durable (although not look as good) as a carnauba such as S100. But if that's not the case, then I'll just skip that step next time around.



I did a few "test" passes with the Klasse SG, and discovered that I had used too much since it was difficult to remove. After that I just went thin, and it came off very easily.



From the research I had done, the Klasse AIO and SG combo seemed to be pretty well respected. I'm pretty happy with the results, but then again, I haven't tried anything else so I have nothing to compare it to. I'll most likely use it on my '06 black Triumph Speed Triple as well.



Thanks for the input guys!
 
FidoAUTO said:
I think your effort should be applauded.... but considering you're doing this for durability you are going down the wrong path.



You started on a good path by Polishing with ZPC and then AIO...... but the last 2 steps are definately not what you want. NXT in comparison to most sealants does not hold up... I have tested NXT twice for durability and I wasn't getting more then 2 weeks off of it. Actually after the 1st week it had considerably diminished..(oh and guess what... it was on an 02 Red RSX...and yes the paint chips easily).





.....and actually now that I think about it.... if you're gonna apply a sealant after AIO I suggest just using Klasse's sealant since nothing else will bond very good to AIO .



What I would've done...



-CLAY

-ZPC

-2 coats of Z5p w/ZFX

-mantain with Z8 QD





and I will pretty much guarantee you 2-3 months greater durability then NXT and the S-100.... by all means dont think that the Zaino is the 'end-all be-all' of sealants (though I think so) :D .... many people on here get great durability with many other products...
Click to expand...



Couldn't agree more. Zaino is a great product year round, but is very important in the winter because of its great durability. 4-6+ months easy.



Greg
 
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