ONR, clay, Klasse AIO = seeking advice on my upcoming car cleaning

J

john1r

New member
So, I've finally gotten just about all the products and equipment that I've ordered (should get the rest this week), and, weather depending, will be cleaning my car next weekend. I have not hand washed a car in over a decade (always just go to a drive-thru). But now I have a brand new car and want to take better care of it. I'm planning to:



1. Clean with ONR

2. Clay with Pinnacle clay and ONR as clay lube

3. Use Klasse AIO



Product recommendations aside, I just want to confirm that the order of the above is accurate, and that I'm not missing anything in between. I know that I can also use something like Klass SG after the AIO, but for now I'm going to stop at the AIO.



I have a new (I'm almost at 1,000 miles), black, Audi, that has never been washed, waxed, etc. (at least by me). I don't know what they did at the dealer before I got it. Do I need to worry about anything that they may have applied before I follow my 3 steps above?



Thanks!!
 
john1r- That should work fine, for what it is capable of.



Be careful to do the claying with plenty of lube and minimal pressure. Knead/replace the clay frequently. I tear the clay into small pieces rather than using it all in one big chunk; if you drop any clay you should throw it away and that's less of a big deal if you just drop a little piece ;)



My only real concern is that you might have unrealistic expectations about what the KAIO can accomplish. It will not do anything for any marring (swirls/scratches/etc.) and will provide very short-lived protection of merely marginal quality (with regard to resisting things like bird bombs/etc.). KAIO is really just a gentle paint cleaner and despite all the ad-copy hyperbole, it doesn't really do all the other stuff that people often expect.



FWIW, I really like the KAIO on the black plastic exterior trim that Audi uses. I never use dressings or such stuff on that material anymore, finding the Klasse approach so much better.
 
If you like living on the edge, you can ONR till you feel its clean (white MF should come up clean) and clay right afterwards and then dry when you are done with the panel.
 
MDRX8 said:
You need to have a polishing step in there. Men. PO85RD would work great after the clay.
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What will happen if I don't use a polishing product? I'm really trying to keep it as simple as possible, and 3 steps (onr, clay, kaio) is about all I can handle :) I don't need absolute perfection, just looking for a decent process with as few steps as possible (and minimizing the risk of screwing something up). If doing the onr, clay, kaio without a polishing product in between will mess up the finish please let me know. Or if there is something instead of the kaio that I can use as a third and final step please let me know (maybe something like optimum opti seal instead?) Again, total newbie here, so thanks for your further assistance.
 
You will be fine without a polish, but it would help with looks. After thinking about it, I'd get something else as your final step though. KAIO is great if you plan to top with KSG, but there are much better AIO's for general use, my fav is probably DG501.
 
john1r- The main issues with using the KAIO are that:



-any marring will be very obvious

-the minimal protection won't last long at all



In your situation I'd probably two-step it with Autoglym Super Resin Polish topped with Collinite brand wax. Both are quick and easy, and would not only make the vehicle look better, but would also give you great, long-lasting protection.



Yeah, I know, but doing those two steps would be a lot easier than redoing the vehicle frequently, which is what you'd have to do with inferior products.
 
Thanks for the further input! Given that there appears to be no harm in doing the KAIO, I will probably do that for now and see how it goes (and how comfortable I am even doing any of this). If all goes well, I would then absolutely consider a 2-step finishing process for next time.



Thanks again!
 
john1r- Or consider picking up a bottle/tin of Collinite and applying it over the KAIO. Sorry to beat you over the head with this stuff, but I think you'll be shocked by how fast the KAIO dies. If you got Collinite 845, you could use it (over the KAIO) on the black exterior plastic bits too. Actually, I bet you'd be pretty happy with that combo.



Apply the KAIO with a damp (with water) applicator. Rub it on/in thoroughly, but buff it off before it dries all the way.
 
Being that your vehicle is brand new, you shouldn't have any marring on the vehicle yet unless it was put there by the selling dealer or mfg. fix at the plant. I wouldn't worry about polishing it right now, but have something available for your next detail.



KAIO will work as a decent prep for other sealant or wax. But you definitely need something on there after your cleaning step otherwise you will be dissappointed in durability and looks after just a few weeks. There are alot of great sealants available and tons more waxes so I won't mention any as they are personal, color of vehicle, prep, etc. If you plan to use KSG, plan for more time in case you apply it too thick. There are several threads to help you use it. Once you have it down, it is a great looking, very durable product.



If you ever need to polish then there is no reason for using KAIO unless you plan to use KSG. However - some polishes need to be wiped off so an AIO is needed anyway. There are so many variables, but follow what you have listed but just top it off with something when done until you can read more on here.
 
john1r said:
..So Collinite 845 after I'm done wiping away the KAIO residue? I'll look into it.
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Yeah, and you could even wait until after the next regularly scheduled wash and do the 845 then.



845 is nice and easy if you shake shake shake it until it's as thin as milk and apply it *VERY* thin.
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah, and you could even wait until after the next regularly scheduled wash and do the 845 then.



845 is nice and easy if you shake shake shake it until it's as thin as milk and apply it *VERY* thin.
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Thanks again. What are your thoughts on using Optimum Opti-Seal after the KAIO (instead of the 845). It seems like it's easier to use and provides good protection. Thanks again!
 
Hey guy, I like Klasse AIO, some guys don't. From what I've read, Klasse AIO is not what you finish with. I like the look KAIO gives but I finish with Wolfgang 3.0 Sealant and the look is fantastic. The Klasse sealant is too hard to work with and Wolfgang is too easy. I have a new black 2010 RAV 4. It was covered in swirls and the process I used was: ONR, clay, Meguiar's 205 (105 where necessary), ONR wipe down, Menzerna 85 RD, ONR wipe down, 2 coats of KAIO, ONR wipe down, Wolfgang 3.0 sealant. It looks, wow! I'm not that good, but even I'm impressed when I see it in this south Texas sun. So anyway, I like KAIO, I use KAIO, but it's not the final step.
 
SATracker said:
Hey guy, I like Klasse AIO, some guys don't. From what I've read, Klasse AIO is not what you finish with. I like the look KAIO gives but I finish with Wolfgang 3.0 Sealant and the look is fantastic. The Klasse sealant is too hard to work with and Wolfgang is too easy. I have a new black 2010 RAV 4. It was covered in swirls and the process I used was: ONR, clay, Meguiar's 205 (105 where necessary), ONR wipe down, Menzerna 85 RD, ONR wipe down, 2 coats of KAIO, ONR wipe down, Wolfgang 3.0 sealant. It looks, wow! I'm not that good, but even I'm impressed when I see it in this south Texas sun. So anyway, I like KAIO, I use KAIO, but it's not the final step.
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Why would you use KAIO after 85rd? Seems like a step backwards. Enlighten me please.
 
stormsearch said:
If you ever need to polish then there is no reason for using KAIO unless you plan to use KSG. However - some polishes need to be wiped off so an AIO is needed anyway. There are so many variables...
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You shouldn't need to use KAIO after a polish unless using KSG. However, there are some polishes that will leave oils or fillers behind and KAIO will clean that up, will show you how much correction you did with your polishing step. If you want to leave those fillers there, then you definitely don't want to use it and go straight to your LSP.
 
Let me back step here a bit, what if I just wash, clay, wax/sealant (I prefer to try opti-seal as it seems VERY easy to apply). Do I still need a step in between the clay and sealant? Originally I wanted to use KAIO as the LSP, but if that's not a good idea, then do I need to use it at all?



Thanks again!
 
john1r- Sorry, I'm not familiar with either OptiSeal or Ultima. I'd just make sure that whatever you use is OK for black plastic exterior trim as it makes things a lot easier to just do all the exterior surfaces with the same (preferably long-lasting) stuff.



Since you're not doing a "real" polishing step, yeah, I really do think you need to do *SOMETHING* between the clay and the (true) LSP. Some kind of all-in-one product or a very gentle/user-friendly polish- [Insert previous recommendations here].



No matter how "cleanly" you do the claying, I just think that you need to do some kind of something before you put on the final stuff. Both to clean the paint (that's chemically cleaning it, in addition to the mechanical cleaning it gets from the clay- two very different things that I can elaborate upon if need be) and to do some degree of additional surface prep (even a "so gentle it won't matter" kind of polishing with such a product will do *something*). If KAIO lasted longer then it'd be fine to use all by itself, the problem is that those kind of products are never as durable as one would like.



I'm not foolin' you here, products like KAIO and Collinte 845 (and probably plenty of others, maybe the ones you asked about) are so easy that doing that "extra step" won't be a big deal. The results will more than justify the time and effort.



Heh heh, the above sure has a lot of parentheticals, even for me!
 
Accumulator--Thanks for the continued information. I have a further update which may influence the steps I need to do. Upon closer inspection there are some slight swirl marks and very slight scratches on the hood. It must be from the dealer prep, or, and I'm just remembering this now, I think they did a courtesy car wash when I brought it in for service recently (I forgot to ask them not to do it). Anyway, it is not that bad, and only noticeable upon close inspection. It's not a huge deal to me, but if anything you've mentioned in this thread would help with that (and is easy/safe to do w/o adding another step), please let me know. I'd still like to keep the steps to a minimum, but I'm willing at this point to wash/clay/something/LSP (or something like that).



Also, one separate but related question: by using any of the products in this thread, do I run the risk of 'having' to do something again in x number of months? What I mean is, as the KAIO or Collinite 845, or anything else, start to wear away, does the car start to look 'bad', or does it just go back to normal? In other words, if I do the stuff mentioned above, but then decide to never do anything again (aside from wash it), will my car look worse than if I had just done nothing in the first place?



Thanks again!
 
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