Awesome C5!

C

C5-Deb

New member
I've owned four Trans Ams and two Mustangs over the past 15 years. (You could say I'm a sports car gal at heart!)



I just recently bought my first Corvette (2001)! One word to describe it = awesome! Any special tips on keeping my Vette top-notch - I would love to hear. I'm also thinking about showing it a couple months. Wish me luck!
 

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Welcome, but this post shouldn't be in the "Hall of Fame".



Click on the learn link at the top of the page. That'll be a great place to get you started. Also, check out www.bettercarcare.com



Beautiful Vette, by the way. :cool:
 
:welcome to Autopia



Nice ride and good like in entering it in car shows, a lot of work, but great fun (nothing like taking home Best of Show) Let us know how it goes.
 
I did already use Kit Car Cleaner, and then applied a coat of Liquid Glass. But not getting the "deep wet look" I was hoping for. Any recommendations??? I've been reading a lot of reviews here on Autopia regarding Klasse AIO. Maybe I should go that route?? Keep in mind - I live in Arizona. 115 degrees in the summer time. Need something particularly to protect the dark finish from the harmful UV rays. Help me out here? ;) Thanks!
 
C5-Deb said:
Need something particularly to protect the dark finish from the harmful UV rays. Help me out here? ;) Thanks!
Click to expand...



I would highly recommend using a polymer product, such as Meguiar's #20 Polymer Sealant, topped with a coat of a carnauba wax, such as Meguiar's #26 Yellow Wax.



The Polymer Sealant will help to give your Corvette added protection against the UV rays of the sun. While the Yellow Wax will help to provide that high-gloss almost wet-look luster.



That is the process that I like to use, especially on black Corvettes.
 
If you haven't done so already - then I'd give it going over with some clay then follow with polish and wax. Clearkote VMW followed with CMW would look very good. ;)



BTW, that's a very nice car! :xyxthumbs
 
Thank you for the suggestion (and the compliment)! I know in the pic the color looks black. But it's actually the Metallic Navy Blue. EVERYONE compliments on the color - and that's one of the things that sold me on it! :)
 
You'll definitely need 2 or 3 layers of a good sealant to protect it in Arizona. Zaino is very durable and shines like crazy, but some people don't think that it is deep enough.



Another good sealant combo is the Klasse AIO and Klasse Sealant Glaze.



The most important thing is the prep work. You need to clay the whole car and probably use a fine polish to rejuvenate (sp?) the paint. One you have that done, the rest is "icing on the cake."



Bring it out to Texas and I'll fix it up for you :D



Good luck!
 
Hey ZaneO!

Thanks for the recommendations! So I should definitely clay it to pull the Liquid Glass off - before applying the new product? I am really leaning toward the Klasse AIO and Klasse Sealant Glaze. What type of polish would you recommend before applying the Klasse?

Funny you mention Texas - that's where the car is from. :)
 
You should clay the car in order to remove all the surface contamination, etc. from the paint.



The polish needed will depend on the amount of swirls/scratches. The Menzerna polishes are great but are best used with a Porter Cable buffer. If you aren't ready to spend a couple hundred dollars on supplies, then you might want to look at Meguiars Swirl Free Polish by hand.



If you are going to get serious about this, it is going to cost you quite a bit. Mitts and towels are very important, along with technique, in order to keep your finish looking its best.



Keep firing away with questions, but make sure to get familiar with the search function, too. :)
 
GORGEOUS VETTE!!:D



I'm not sure how new to detailing you are but personally I'd try some other products first that are less user intensive than the Klasse twins. They give a great shine and awesome protection but seem to require a very specific application/removal technique to get the most out of them.



Personally I'd:



Wash with a good car shampoo (I like Meg's Gold Class)



Clay (I like the Mother's clay bar)



Meg's #81 Hand Polish for a glaze



Meg's NXT as a polymer sealant (has a ton of UV blockers in it)



Meg's #16 as a carnuba topper



I think that combo will make that navy blue metallic Vette looking SOAKING WET!!!:xyxthumbs



...and welcome to Autopia!!!:wavey
 
pugoman said:
If you haven't done so already - then I'd give it going over with some clay then follow with polish and wax. Clearkote VMW followed with CMW would look very good. ;)



BTW, that's a very nice car! :xyxthumbs
Click to expand...



I second this method. I've tried it on dark colors, and it's awesome!



Nice vette!:cool: :xyxthumbs



:welcome
 
ZaneO said:
You should clay the car in order to remove all the surface contamination, etc. from the paint.



The polish needed will depend on the amount of swirls/scratches. The Menzerna polishes are great but are best used with a Porter Cable buffer. If you aren't ready to spend a couple hundred dollars on supplies, then you might want to look at Meguiars Swirl Free Polish by hand.



If you are going to get serious about this, it is going to cost you quite a bit. Mitts and towels are very important, along with technique, in order to keep your finish looking its best.



Keep firing away with questions, but make sure to get familiar with the search function, too. :)
Click to expand...



The 1z polishes are very easy to use and give awesome results. I would suggest the Metallic Polish(MP), or if there are a lot of deeper swirls then go with the Paint Polish(PP). Top that off with SG or even the 1Z glanz wax. Check out Click N' Brag and look for scottwax's work with the combo. He is one of the best, but the products are really easy to work with and give great results.



Just my $.02.



Awesome machine by the way!!!:xyxthumbs :D
 
Hi Deb,

Welcome to the Forum. I agree with using a polymer in the sun here. It will last much longer. Be especially careful when there is dust on the finish so as not to scratch the finish.

Summer is here already so now is the time to work on the paint to protect it.

For everyones information, it had been over 90 deg here for the last week.

Nice car BTW.

Scott:wavey
 
Am I the only one who has noticed that a gal with a very nice corvette gets 16 replies the first day ;) (well, I'm number 17)!?



C5-Deb, all the suggestions here are very good. A lot of product choice comes down to personal preference (look desired, ease of use, # of steps, TIME available, equipment, local or online only availability, etc....). But the most important aspect to detailing is prep work (wash, dry, clay, polish).



You'll find that some people prefer certain products over others. Most all of the products mentioned on this board are quality products. But this gets back to the personal preference thing. Personally, I use a lot of Meguiars professional products, and get good, consistent results. I like the local availability, ease of use, and results. Plus I'm pretty much stocked up for the foreseeable future!



On your dark C5, swirl removal will be very important (the polishing stage, which will probably require 2 or more polishes of different abrasiveness). As for protection, I'd go with a sealant (to help handle the heat) topped with a carnauba for the deep, wet look. But keep in mind that a carnauba on your dark car in Arizona's heat probably won't last very long compared to one up north.



Another little tip on this board is that guys like car pictures. You'd be surprised the help you'll get for posting a close up of a swirled fender! And pics help show the level of prep work needed to achieve that ultimate shine. That way advice can be more custom tailored to your situation (my standard of slightly swirled paint would be different from someone elses. With a pic, we can all see what needs to be taken care of).



Hope this helps, and welcome aboard.



Dave
 
well as a fellow Vette owner, welcome ! I prefer Pinnacle Soveran as its easy use, looks great, and can provide super highlights on BLACK Vettes. www.pinnaclewax.com or www.autogeek.net.



come see me over at www.corvetteforum.com , its my nesting place. We also have a great car care section under forum, and general !



(I use to have a Ram Air Trans Am also, no looking back after driving a Vette)



reflection.jpg
 
mirrorfinishman said:
I would highly recommend using a polymer product, such as Meguiar's #20 Polymer Sealant, topped with a coat of a carnauba wax, such as Meguiar's #26 Yellow Wax.



The Polymer Sealant will help to give your Corvette added protection against the UV rays of the sun. While the Yellow Wax will help to provide that high-gloss almost wet-look luster.



That is the process that I like to use, especially on black Corvettes.
Click to expand...



Here are a few photos of a 1995 Black Corvette I recently detailed using the above mentioned Meguiar's Professional products. All polishing and waxing done only by hand.



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6169



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6168



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6170



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6171
 
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