klasse on black - before and after

S

shiftless

New member
Picked this 03 GOLF TDI up last week. Here are before and after photos. Process was as follows:



1. Meguiars Hi-Tech 00 wash

2. Dawn wash

3. double coat of Klasse All-In-One

4. Klasse Sealant Glaze

5. Remove w/ Meguiars Final Inspection

6. second coat of Klasse Sealant Glaze

7. Remove w/ Final Inspection



The 'before' photo is of the car just after coming from the dealer. It has never been waxed.



tdi_before_01.jpg




...and the 'after' photo w/ 1x AIO and 2x SG.

tdi_after_01.jpg
 
Great job. I too was wondering if you applied with an orbital or by hand. Are you going to top it with a wax?
 
Good work! But why the Dawn wash after the carsoap? If anything, I would have thought to Dawn before the car soap to get the Dawn residue off.
 
Well, the car was rather dirty when I started this so I didn't want to use Dawn as the first step as I figured a dedicated car wash w/ some lubricity would be a safer first step.



The Dawn step might have been unnecessary but I wanted to make sure I got everything off. As to a Dawn residue, I wasn't aware that this was an issue? It got rinsed w/ a few million gallons of water in between steps and the water sheeted off perfectly so I don't think there was much residue of anything by that point.



As to wax, although I have 2 jars of P21S wax which I have used in the past I think I'm gonna skip it this time around. I just don't really feel it is worth the effort. I'm mostly after protection rather than super deep gloss and I figure 2 coats of SG(first coat was cured for 48 hours), should be enough.



I'm still not happy w/ the hood though. It looks good even in sunlight but to touch you can feel a lot of small contaminants in it. The AIO wasn't enough. I was thinking of using some P21S Paintwork Cleanser and doing the hood over but I don't have it yet and wanted to make sure I got some Klasse on it immediately.



Oh yeah, this was all done by hand, w/ microfiber to buff it out. It ended up being remarkably swirl free except for the hood where it was still dirty when I did the AIO. It doesn't show really, even in sunlight but under a 500 watt halogen you can see a lot of swirls. I guess that is just the way it goes w/ black.
 
shiftless said:
I'm still not happy w/ the hood though. It looks good even in sunlight but to touch you can feel a lot of small contaminants in it. The AIO wasn't enough.
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That's because you are asking AIO to do a job it wasn't meant for. Sounds like you need to do a good claying. Do yourself (and the Golf) a favour and get some Mother's or Clay Magic, and clay the car, and then apply another coat of SG. You will be amazed at the results.
 
So, you think it has to be something as strong as clay? P21S Paintwork Cleanser wouldn't be enought either? I've never used either clay or the P21s polish so I am getting scared at the thought of claying a brand new car. Should I be as a first time clay user?
 
Looks great. Do you have a picture after washing but before AIO? I feel this would be more of a representation of the power of AIO/SG since any after product pic would look great compared to a before product pic of it when the car was still dirty. ie look at how the window seemed clearer with crisp reflections just by washing as I am assuming AIO/SG was not used on the windows.
 
shiftless said:
So, you think it has to be something as strong as clay? P21S Paintwork Cleanser wouldn't be enought either? I've never used either clay or the P21s polish so I am getting scared at the thought of claying a brand new car. Should I be as a first time clay user?
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Clay is pretty safe. Just make sure you use lots of lube (car soap, or the lube with comes with the kits), and do not put any pressure on the clay bar, and let it do its thing. Do some searches here, download DavidB's ebook, and you'll know all the do's and don't's of claying.



Just remember, everyone had to have clayed for the first time some time. If you are concerned, just try it on a beater car, or an inconspicuous area of your car, like the bumper, first. You'll soon see how easy it is.
 
Yep! What 2wheelsx2 said. Clay is lots gentler than any paint cleanser or polish. It's generally agreed to be the preferred 1st step before paint cleanser or polish.
 
Wow...very impressive difference!!



I can't wait to go out and do my first wash/detail on my new Mazdaspeed Protege...



I bet you're loving your new car right now, seeing it all purty!



Alex
 
hate to say it but a lot of what we're seeing there is a change in lighting. compare the strong shadows in the blades of grass and on the street surface from shot one to the overcast lack of shadows and lessened contrast in the grass. but your car is looking good regardless.
 
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