What to take on a road trip??

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02 t-wrex

New member
I am anxiously awaiting my order from CMA that includes PPCL, Blackfire, 303, etc... but after reading a post from another member about the abrasive properties of PPCL I am starting to have second thoughts.



The car is a blue pearl 2002 Subaru WRX that I have had for two weeks. I definitely want to make sure the paint is as clean as possible before applying the Blackfire, but I am nervous about causing swirl marks.



Should I skip the PPCL and just clay the whole car? I was under the impression that PPCL was non abrasive... but after reading that it actually caused swirls in Intermezzo330I's black car, I'm nervous.



Is there a chance that PPCL will put swirl marks in my new paint? I like the idea of making absolutely sure the paint is perfectly smooth before polishing/waxing ...



help!?
 
Hi and welcome. You are smart to ask your questions.



Absolutely skip the PPCL and any other polish, unless the dealer or you have swirled up the car.



If the paint is not swirled, Dawn wash, then clay, then wash with a car shampoo (to remove any detergent film from the Dawn), then wax or seal.



The clay will smooth the paint.



A senior principal in detailing is "the least radical solution that gets the job done." Paint is delicate; the mildest approach that works is the best.



Good luck, and congradulations on your new car.
 
Well, I sort of agree. It depends on what route your car took to get here. There can be quite a bit of road grime, acid rain, etc to accumulate on the car that clay will not remove. Also, run your hand over the paint with a cellophane layer, which will magnify your sense of touch. If it seems really rough, you'll need to clay plus CLEANSE. If it is smooth, I'd skip teh clay and go straight to the paint cleanser. I would use Klasse AIO then wahtever else you need.
 
Hi neoprufrok,

Thanks for your post.

I have been operating on the theory that, simplistically, things are either:

1. in the paint,
2. on the paint, or
3. the paint itself is corrupted.

Detergents, soaps, and other sufficants loosen the bonds that hold things on the surface. Now, some things, like tars and gums, make not be loosened by sufficants. Petroleum based products can dissolve these. Clay can also remove them, not be dissolving, but by adhesion.

Clay can also pull particles out of the paint, though there is some controversy on this (an article, perhaps written by Autoint and submitted to Ford, appears on Fords site which claims that clay just breaks off embedded particles; other knowlegeble people disagree). Some chemical contaminants may go in the paint, requiring specific corrective action (like the use of vinegar).

If the paint itself is corrupted (oxidized, swirled, etc.), and a chemical treatment won't "reach in" and correct the problem, the idea is to remove the damaged paint and expose clean, good paint.

Unless the paint itself is corrupted, there would seem to be no reason to use a product that would remove the paint. It would seem that we would just want to <em class='bbc'>clean[/i] the surface of the paint. As mentioned, the three most common ways of cleaning with which I am familar are a. sufficants (loosen bonds holding dirt to the paint); b. dissolvers (they dissolve the contaminant itself) or c. gummy products to which the contaminants adhere.

Unless the paint itself is corrupted, I would think that one would use one of the above three approaches. I am always happy to learn better theories and approaches, however!
 
I wouldn't worry about using PPCL on a new car. I know that Brad B sometimes uses 3M Finesse It 2 on new cars and this is definitely more aggressive than PPCL.
 
The PPCL will most likely leave a haze if applied by hand. The question is, how visible will it be? Is your 'blue pearl' a darker or lighter color? In any event, BF polish reportedly will remove the haze.
 
New paint is usually in excellent shape. Assuming you want to live with factgory orange peel (and the only way to get rid of it is to remove significant clear coat with et sanding) then start with a wash. If the paint is smooth, don't even clay it! If it needs claying, it is a wonderful, gentle technique. I would absolutely not ever clean BEFORE claying - every little dot of sap creates a bigger dot of uncleaned paint. Clay first if needed at all. Then inspect. I bet you'll be fine to just wax.
 
Carguy, I agree. When I apply protectant over paint that has a few embedded particles, the embedded particles turn to a light color and become more visible. I think the clay is definitely important, but like you said, only if embedded particles can be felt.
 
Hi, I'm taking my 6 mo car on a 1600 mile road trip, I'm wondering what you all would recommend to take along to keep her looking her best. I already am obsessive about wiping bugs off after everytime I take her out. So I'm really freaking out about how I will be able to keep those critters from baking on my car's finish on a such a long trip. Any advice on a kit I can keep in my trunk would be great.
Thanks. :smile:
 
others will chime in i'm sure but i have those same concerns when i'm on the road. my kit includes a 3 gal bucket, a quart of onr and tile sponge, extreme black for my tires, a bottle of zaino Z6, big blue towel and a few m/f towels...
 
I would make sure that you have a good QD with a few MF's. You might also want to get a California Duster to keep in your trunk. If the car is relatively clean, you can just lightly dust her off at each stop you make. Might even want to take along a easy to use spray wax like Optimum Car Wax.

Enjoy your trip.:driving::Car smiley:
 
Be sure and put 3 or 4 layers of wax around the front end

Don't tailgate so you can avoid rock chips

Try not to travel at night. This will reduce your bug intake considerably

Bring us back some pics of your vacation and 1 large white t-shirt for me :Snowman:
 
Thanks so much

Thank you all for your input.
Ok from your advice I'm ordering some ONR, a Bug & Tar Kit, some extra buffing MF towels and a large duffel bag for Baby's car cover to protect her from my sister's outdoor cats.

Open highway here I come..:Car smiley:

Here's a picture of my Baby!
View attachment 393
 
Another ?

Prob. being really dumb here but I got to ask what is QD and zaino Z6? I couldn't find the zaino Z6 on PAC when I did a search for it.
 
QD stands for Quick Detail spray, if you already ordered some ONR then you can use that to create a QD spray using the directions on the bottle.

EDIT: Here is the dilution instructions from this page.

Quick Detailer/Window Cleaner: 6 oz per gallon
Click to expand...

Zaino is a product line not carried by PAC, try 'googling' it.
 
best bet is to rent a car for 150-200/week and not worry about putting 1600 miles on your car with the potential of getting any kind of damage.
 
Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray and /or Optimum Instant Detailer and Gloss Enhancer with some Dragon Fiber Magic Towel's for your QD needs.
 
I just did a 1200 mile road trip in my '03 Corvette.

I would highly recommend Optimum No Rinse Car Wash. You can use the ice bucket from your hotel room, fill it with water, add a cap-ful of ONR and wash your car!

Follow up with QD and you're good to go... Just as good as a coin op car wash!:biggrin:
 
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