Who's doing/done their winter prep?

I'm fortunate to have two cars for my single self.



The nice car never goes out when there is salt on the ground, which is not too often outside Philly.



I do my winter prep end of October.



One coat of DWG topped with three coats of UPGP w/ 24 hours between coats to cure (this will last the winter based on past experience).



Then normal waxing with P21S 100% every few weeks with OID after every wash.



I have a heated garage with a drain, so no prob with washing and waxing as needed.
 
Studded snow tires are legal here starting in mid September for a reason, winter can come anytime. If nothing else, I can't count on the unheated garage being warm enough to wax much later. This year I tried something different for winter, in part because it looks like my car gets to stay in the garage this winter.



After claying and a light polish with optimum finish polish (which I loved), I added 3 layers of opti-seal, wiped off with OCW. The layers were done with time in between to cure or a wash. My last step (so far) was to add carnuba moose wax, again wiped off with OCW. For so long as it is warm enough, I'll QD or OCW after my ONR washes.



My normal regime is 3 layers of 476s, but I thought I'd try the OS/OCW/CMW combo this year. I need it to last until late March or early April. I'm a little nervous about not putting on 476, but am hoping the OS & CMW will do the job.



I have already switched to my winter floor mats and tires (not studded).
 
We don’t get any snow/ice etc in Brisbane however I do use 476 for the outdoor parked daily driver and for the chief’s cars roof. My question for you guys who are far more experienced in “winterising” cars is – how many layers of 476 is optimal ? Is more better up front or is one coat refreshed every 1-3 months better. I note that one poster said that they wash between coats which seems to align with my negative experience in layering without washing especially at the 3rd layer which didn’t go on too well. The Collinite web site advices that layering isn’t necessary however cant help but feel that more is better when layering – what’s the view ?
 
bdh2009 said:
.. how many layers of 476 is optimal ? .. The Collinite web site advices that layering isn’t necessary however cant help but feel that more is better when layering – what’s the view ?
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To avoid solvent-action/pseudo-holograms, I'd spread out the applications (not to say "layers" ;) ) and consier spitshining.



I seemed to get a lot better durability when I did multiple applications of 476S (and esp. 845), and that was a side-by-side comparison areas having fewer layers. But there was some compelling evidence on another site that seemed to indicate that conventional layering simply doesn't work with the Collinite pastes.
 
I am prepping now (its really going to be once monthly or so... until it gets too cold to wash, so probably no detailing from dec-early feb).



The paint is wearing 4 or 5 layers of KSG now, and will get atleast one more followed by hand washes, maybe some UPGP or P21s, then coin op washes until the weather gets better.



The KSG has been layering since late July, just FYI.
 
Started my first winter prep on my father's Envoy this weekend. I focused my attention on the interior while the exterior just got OPS and OCW (with some touch up/sanding), I'm not too concerned about protection because he will be selling within the next couple months.



The weather was awful this weekend, plenty of rain with temps mostly in the low 50's except for a brief period yesterday morning.
 
GoCubsGo said:
Just started the winter wheels tonight.



The rest of the scheduled winter prep:



Correction: For the most part it should be a single stage correction. I'm hoping Menzerna P106FA will take care of 95% of the few light swirls and I've seen 2 spots that will require either 105 or SIP.



Sealant: FK1000P x 2 or more depending on time



Wax: FK2685 (Pink Wax)





Looks like a FK winter test is upcoming.
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How long do you want in between coats?
 
I just put another coat of Z5Pro on my car and topped with Z8. I now have about 5 coats of Z5Pro on my car. I placed my order for ONR too, so winter is taken care of!!
 
Yeah, cleaned all my cars with clay and polish.



For my five cars, I have these combinations:

1. NXT 2.0 + M16

2. NXT 2.0 + M26

3. e-Zyme

4. SwissVax Saphir

5. Pete's 53
 
I just finished mine this past weekend on my Acura 3.0CL.



I did my usual prep, came out excellent as always, and i used 2 coats of WGDPS 3.0 as my LSP. I made sure i gave at least 12 hours of cure time for each coat. You can really see a difference in the look of the sealant if you allow the cure time of at least 12 hours to take effect. :woot2:
 
Our Accord: FK 1000P

MIL's Accord: FK 1000P

My folks' Buick LeSabre: Collinite 845

Br-in-law's Element: Collinite 476



All proven from our own experience to get through the Northeastern winter from October-April.
 
I clayed and used #83 then Clearkote Vanilla Moose Wax both with my DA last Friday. This Friday I plan to add a coat of PB Natty's Blue paste wax and possibly OCW if it arrives in time. Plus I still need to protect the rubber seals and wax the rims. A lot to do!
 
I prep all cars in the spring with 4 coats of Black Fire, then layer two or three coats of Fuzion over it through the course of summer, for a nice look.



For winter I just put two coats of Collinite 476S on using my Flex 3401, easy to use, looks real nice and is tough.



Living in the North East and having my Black vehicles live outside year round, I have no problem layering many coats of protectant on the finish. It is the easiest step to do for me and the Collinite always goes on last.
 
My Porsche will be garaged this winter. It will be back in action in Spring.



It has the typical washing swirls, but nothing major. No RIDS, just very minor swirls. To save myself some time next year, I will polish it next week with M205 and then apply many coats of Swissvax on it in intervals of 24hrs. By the time I roll it out next year, it will be in its tip top shape.
 
I've been using 1Z glanz as my sealant for a while now.

Been reading a lot of things about Opti-Seal ,Collinite 845 and Klasse High Gloss lately.

Just wondering if it's worth switching up to one of these for the winter.

I'm going to try to ONR every week during the winter but still would like to have the best protective "shell" as possible.

Oh and in winter time, is it worth topping off your sealant with a nuba wax?
 
uberyk said:
I've been using 1Z glanz as my sealant for a while now...

Been reading a lot of things about Opti-Seal ,Collinite 845 and Klasse High Gloss lately...
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Noting I've never used Opti-Seal, out of those I'd go with multiple (at least four and preferable more) coats of KSG. Get enough layers on there and you won't even have to redo it come spring.



Oh and in winter time, is it worth topping off your sealant with a nuba wax?
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I'd rather do one more coat of sealant. I don't see any functional advantage to topping KSG.
 
I did the the south's version of a "winter" prep, on 1/2 of my cars, The mini got 3 coats of Zanio Z2 (going to add a 4th or 5th) and I still got to get the M3 going to use 1Z Glanz wax on it see what lasts longer
 
The coatings of nuba would be more for aesthetic reasons than functional.

I have it ingrained in my head that a nuba will give a deeper, wetter look than a sealant.

That's why I've always topped off the 1Z with some Lusso Oro.



With whichever sealant I go with, I'll def be putting on multiple coats.

It was more like is it worth reapplying some nuba every now and then when I ONR the car in winter like I'd do in regular weather.



Just to make it more interesting let's add some FK1000P into the mix as well.

I've gone through 100's of pages of posts about sealants and every new thread/post is something new to think about.
 
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