Opinions on LSP for a show, pic included

V

velobard

New member
I have a minor club car show coming up in a few weeks and I'm trying to make a decision on which LSP to use. I should be able to do my final buffing and put on a layer or two this weekend. Here are the options I can remember that I have on hand, in no particular order.

  • Zymol Concours (I haven't cracked the seal on this one yet)
  • Zymol Z3
  • Megs NXT
  • Mothers FX Synwax
  • Klasse SG (no KAIO, only AIO I have is FK1 215. No experience applying this before.)
  • PB EX w-Carnauba
  • UPP
  • Pinkwax
  • 845
  • 476S



I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I'm at work right now and I'm working from memory. I also have a few glazes to use under the LSPs where that might be appropriate.

  • RMG
  • VM
  • #5
  • FK1 303



Here's a decent close-up of my paint. I believe it was bare when this picture was taken, but I can't remember for sure.

IMG_1210.jpg




Any opinions on what I should pull off the shelf? Durability isn't really important, as in the next month or two my car is going back to the body shop for a few minor warranty issues from when they painted it last November.
 
David Fermani said:
I really don't think it will matter what wax you use. I'd concentrate on the pre-LSP products/process instead.
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That is the first priority. I've gone over the car pretty well with my rotary with IP and FP2, but the lighting conditions were not good so it was difficult to check for any remaining marring. I have no garage and there was cloudy light in the evening. I should have some SRC in by the weekend to use for final buffing in better light during the day.



I want to have some decent protection on the car and I have considered just slathering VM on it after I get to the show, but I do want some protection on the paint.



BigJimZ28 said:
RMG, Zymol Concours, RMG
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Zymol requires a clean surface, you don't want a glaze under it. Everyone I've heard from says once you have it on you want to preserve the appearance by simply keeping it clean and avoiding other products with their own "look". Also, since the show is a couple hundred miles away, I'll have to do final any application by hand and RMG is designed to work best by machine.



BTW, when I took the picture above I was specifically trying to capture the fisheyes (or painted-over chips) in the paint. They've been corrected now. This is just the best shot I could find of the finish.
 
Clean a spot and see what RMG under PinkWax looks like. Do you have any FX100 spray glaze? You might top with that
 
I havent used all the products in question, but I will say that I've seen some cars at shows that I know were detailed with UPP a day or so before, and the slickness is incredible. I've never tried UPP, but the look is impressive. Having not used all, but having read about all at one time or another on this forum....I'd choose UPP or the Zymol. Personally, I wouldnt glaze unless you went with Carnauba. UPP seems to be flaky and very slick to my eyes.
 
velobard- I'd use the UPP. I dunno how well you can compare my silver Audi to your red Chrysler, but I absolutely *LOVE* how the UPP looks on the S8. When the prep is just right the metallic effect is simply dazzling without having that "artificial/shallow", candy-coated look and I simply can't imagine it looking better.



Plus, it'd be in good shape protection/etc.-wise for normal use after the show is over.
 
OK, so it sounds like UPP is a popular choice. Any hints about how to use it? Can it be applied over a glaze or is a clean surface preferred? Would 425 be good for a bit of maintenance to finish it off? And to answer the question asked earlier, I do have FX-100 and AW as well.
 
Way2SSlow said:
I havent used all the products in question, but I will say that I've seen some cars at shows that I know were detailed with UPP a day or so before, and the slickness is incredible. I've never tried UPP, but the look is impressive. Having not used all, but having read about all at one time or another on this forum....I'd choose UPP or the Zymol. Personally, I wouldnt glaze unless you went with Carnauba. UPP seems to be flaky and very slick to my eyes.
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Do judges at shows touch the paint?
 
Not sure if I missed it, but is the show indoors or outside? If outside I would go with the Concours. If indoors I would probably go with the UPP on that color. As a show car judge, sometimes we do touch the paint, but that is more to feel for uneven paint over graphics. We don't rub our hands all over the vehicle, but a light brush with the back of one finger over a small area will tell us what we need to know.



Walter

Co-owner
 
Lots of good advice here. Thanks! The show is just a small, relatively casual thing with my club when we meet in Indy next month, but the guys do take their cars seriously so I'd like to make a good show of it and have a little fun in the process. It is outside.



I'll get back to work on the final polish on my car tomorrow, weather permitting, then I might do a quick side-by-side with UPP and Concours to see how it looks on my trunk lid. I don't have any Field Glaze, the QD I have on hand that I'd probably use with Zymol is Sonus AG, or possibly just a straight cleaner QD, like #34 or maybe ONR QD.
 
The first two on your list are the most potent candidates IMO.



BTW: I wouldn't worry about using a qd with a fresh EGZ, if you are going that route. As funny as this may sound, I have had mixed results with Field Glaze, thus the reason that I don't use it at present. Sonus (carnauba only) is an excellent companion for the EGZ, but again I would only recommend using it on the wax if its been on your paint for more than a few weeks.



A fresh EGZ on a newly prepped surface is a sight to behold...........anything added to it IMO compromises its range, color and finish quality.



But..........that's if you are asking me!
 
Well, I wound up deciding to go with UPP, partly because I know the car is going back into the shop so soon and partly because I can use a glaze under it. I used the PC to apply Pink Moose to all the top surfaces of the car, then went over the entire car with VM by hand. I then applied UPP and buffed it down. Sorry, it was a hectic day and I didn't get pictures, though I hope to soon. It turned out very nice. I'll put on a couple of more layers of UPP before the show in 3 weeks. Thanks to everyone for all the advice.
 
RMG has no abrasives, and vanilla mose DOES have abrasives (call up clearkote as I have if you do not believe me), so your pink moose had some abrasives, and then your VM had more.



That is backwards, the VM wil remove any of the RMG oils from the pink moose, you went from less abrasive, and finished with more abrasive...



Also, VM has oils in it that will prohibit proper bonding of sealants so your UPP probably didnt bond much...
 
ron231 said:
RMG has no abrasives, and vanilla mose DOES have abrasives (call up clearkote as I have if you do not believe me), so your pink moose had some abrasives, and then your VM had more.



That is backwards, the VM wil remove any of the RMG oils from the pink moose, you went from less abrasive, and finished with more abrasive...



Also, VM has oils in it that will prohibit proper bonding of sealants so your UPP probably didnt bond much...
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When I spoke to Clearkote a few months ago about the differences he told me that RMG has abrasives meant to break down by machine and VM has abrasives meant to break down by hand. It's curious that you were told differently because he was quite specific about it in his conversation with me. I know they both have oils, you can see that when the bottle settles. I read a post here about someone successfully using RMG under UPP so I went with my combo.



As to the bonding issue, I'm not that worried about durability. I'll reapply it a couple of times before my show and that's good enough for me in this particular situation. VM has become a favorite of mine lately because of the clarity it gives my paint. For some reason I haven't ever gotten quite the same results from RMG. I used the Pink Moose combo by PC first to take advantage of the fine abrasives in each.



This might seem a bit heretical to some Autopians, but NXT looks so nice on my car that if it wasn't for the cleaners in it that would've removed any glaze, I had been thinking seriously of using VM and NXT.
 
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