Car Detailing Thread - Page 3

I totally agree with this statement. In a pinch, I've been known to wipe down my wheels, tires and windows in lieu of a full wash.

These wheels are tight.

I have the same brakes on my E46 M3 ZCP. Love the rotors but the M3 calipers (while they perform like crazy) have always been defiantly unattractive.

One thing that always drives me crazy is that after spending much time and energy cleaning up the wheels - I always seem to get some nasty goo that ends up dripping out of the vents along the circumference of the rotors and marring all the good work on at least one or two of the wheels.

I suspect that I am too impatient and just need to let them dry more thoroughly before driving.

I do not find Klasse to have any real value at hiding swirls, even when using multiple layers of Klasse Sealant Glaze (the top coat) on top of the All-in-One. When I started using Menzerna polishes, I started using the Menzerna sealant. It cuts out one step (really several steps since I usually used 2 or 3 coats of Sealant Glaze) in the finish process.

I find that Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket looks just as good as Klasse, and a single application lasts just as long as multiple coats of Klasse SG.

I'll have to try the Menzerna product. I have had excellent results with Klasse at hiding fine scratches swirls with this car, not as good results in a previous M3 which was black. I have also found one or two coats works better than multiple layers.

Virginia Dandy, one of the reasons I upgrade to the ZCP brake rotors is the aluminum hub. The regular Ms have rotor hubs made out of steel which rusts and of course weighs more.

That may be the key. Five of the last six cars in my family have been black, and Klasse never really did much for swirls on any of them. I have found a few products that are pretty good at filling swirls, but none of them last more than a couple of washes, as the fillers dissipate or get washed off. I find that the Meguiars NXT paste wax does a pretty good job of filling swirls--I've used it for "pre-trade-in detailing" and was impressed at how well it worked. It's kind of like 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and a conventional synthetic wax in a single product.

The key to eliminating swirls is, well, eliminating them. A Porter Cable random orbital with proper foam pads does wonders at that, and is reasonably idiot proof (says the idiot). It can't fix major paint defects, but I leave that kind of stuff to the professionals.

It's ok to use a product to hide the swirls if that is it's secondary job, but I would never buy a product just to hide swirls, might as well spend the time to get rid of them (if possible). The PC is pretty idiot proof in terms of burning through paint but you do have to make sure you don't use too rough of an agent and pad or you may cause more harm than good.

The Griot's mf is mediocre at best but the gap between pakshak and Costco is huge.

I use Pak's UltraPlush for my general better quality towel, their glass towel for windshields, and their edgeless for wax/sealant removal.

Sometimes you want to use a product that has filling properties when you have even the larger swirls removed. Zaino Z-5 Pro works well on black and other dark colors to hide in the finer swirls so there is a more liquid look.

What most good detailers do is a two step polishing process, often that looks something like this:

1. Rotary polisher using a "cutting" polish like Menzerna.
2. Porter Cable orbital polish using a milder polish like Z-PC.

Rotary polishers are best left to professionals. They generate lots of heat and can screw up the paint in the blink of an eye. And unless the paint has major defects, you can tackle a basic swirl removal and polish job with a Porter Cable orbital.

Menzerna Intensive Polish and Final Polish can both be used with a Porter Cable polisher and polishing pads without any difficulty, so there is no need to reserve those products for use with a rotary.

1:6 Woolite to water mix on my Passat's tan leather interior works insanely well for next to zero cost. Use a fingernail brush to scrub. Follow up with a decent leather conditioner.

Works great on the carpet as well.

I am an acolyte of the cult of Zaino.

I live at the end of several miles of dirt roads, so I wash my car pretty often. I found that Zaino stuff stands up to repeated washing longer than wax based stuff.

Or an experienced hobbyist like me. You just need someone to show you how it is done and practice on a less expensive car. I use soft pads on my Makita.

The PC can remove most swirls but deep marring often requires a rotary.

Beckwith, that's a quality Zaino order. Did you speak to Sal?

Great fun Beckwith. PM me if you have any questions. I've been using Zaino for two years now.

Remember one thing..."Thin Is In"...Zaino requires just a whisper thin coat at the sealant stage.

Zaino- I have had great results with this product. Sonus- German product i am hoping to try out.