04GG

iTrader: (33)

Ah yes, I saw you drive up in that thing at the Vajayjay meet lol. Buddy of mine had a GT3000 that was pretty much that color. Fun car, but heavy, though his wasn't the VR4 either.

pho_shizzle

iTrader: (17)

New car, old dirt.... I mean old car, new to him, old dirt.......








I mean.... ????????

SeaOfGreen

Have any close up pictures of the paint? From the pictures it looks pretty bad, even with the best products it's not going to do whole lot to the paint unless you do some major cutting and polishing!

bkblitzed

iTrader: (5)

i did my first ever detail a few days ago on my black FRS, and it was pretty easy. For black cars, turtle wax has a black cars kit that has everything you need for a detail.

pho_shizzle

iTrader: (17)

Ohh boy do I feel lazy right now.....




Okay here we go!


Yuri, you didn't learn anything while watching me?? I remember explaining to you each procedure. So much like any other mechanical thread.... if you ask "what is the best" or similar, it will just turn into another useless oil or what coil over should I get thread. Know what I mean?


Most importantly, is what YOU the owner is seeking. Of course the level of satisfaction you seek will only be as much as the knowledge you know. What you know, you know to expect. What you don't know, won't even register to the work you are expecting out of the outcome.... or even worst will imply misinformed outcomes.

So I know you and gathering from what you have already mentioned throughout the thread, you just want to clean up the car a little bit, and not have to put a whole weekends worth of work to make it spotless. So for you, it would be a typical weekend warriors thorough wash, with periodical clay bar ( as needed), then seal up the clear coat with a nice topped off layer of the wax/sealant of your choice. I doubt we will get into polishing and paint work..........especially if you do it by hand. That will take up an amount of time that you will not be happy to spend.


First I would stay away from brushes, unless they are for your wheels and wheel arches....... or under the hood/engine bay cleaning, or very fine boars hair or synthetic brushes to clean seams and canvas/vinyl convertible tops.



Klasse has been around for a while, and they also make marine/boat car products which is meant to have a very high level of durability (given the infested dirty sea waters that the boats dwell in). I would not however consider them to be remotely expensive or pricey. You are still able to find Klasse products OTS (Off The Shelf) from place to place. I was able to find a small selection in the south bay at winchester auto stores and pepboys.

Ill make this point here so I don't forget later on............... Use what works FOR YOU. If you are content with the outcome and performance of the products you currently use, that is great! There has been an uproar of formulated car care products within the last decade, catering to all consumers and professionals a like, with application procedures from very novice to very advanced and delicate. The easiest way, is find out what works best for you in your situation and stick with it.

Unless you feel like endless experimenting like me........ then go for it!

Well..........much like every other product line out there. The trademark name plays a BIG factor in price.

"How do you judge how one product is more of ease to use than another?"
Simple, it depends on the situation you are applying the product and how you are applying it. For example, If you are applying in direct sunlight...... some products may work better than others under direct sun. If you are applying in a cool shade, some may spread and cure better. Not many products are hard for me to apply, so its safe to say it also depends on your technical characteristics.

How the chemically differ..... you can get a sense looking at their MSDS and how they perform or outlasts one another. Now about clay bar pricing..... I have never seen a $100 dollar bar, so I would say realistic to imaginary comparison. More expensive really does not mean "better".

So clay bar was originally created for body shops to remove industrial fall out and over spray ( the pure heavy type of clay bar that is). It is now, water down as you would say, and none of them are truly pure grade clay bar. I would not really say "inferior" but rather...... softer and less aggressive, less pure content.

Now there are differences in terms of clay aggressiveness. Most OTS clay is soft grade, consumer level. It will require multiple passes to achieve what a heavier grade would pick up though one pass. Theres soft, mild, and heavy. Becareful though that heavy grade usually is used to remove very heavy levels of exterior surface contaminants, something that you would like to reduce the time on. With the higher level of aggressiveness comes the risk of more easily inflicting more defects to your paint. The more aggressive the level, the more lubricity you should have when working with the clay. More aggressive clays will be prone to leaving marring marks on the paint, which will require some abrasion to fully remove. Basically.... if you are using something more aggressive than the surface NEEDS, you will be required to put in MORE work for the outcome to come out better than what you started. Also, more aggressive clay will pick up more contaminants, that means you will need to knead the clay more frequently to keep a clean surface, and also heavier clay tougher to knead.

I say take it his offer!! Although, the money in gas might be worth more than just going to your local store and grabbing a kit lol.

So What I recommend for you Yuri is to go with the standard dual bucket hand wash method. Two buckets, two grit guards, PH balanced car shampoo with a very soft wash mitt/pad made out of microfiber, sheep skin, wool, or synthetic fibers. Do not use a sponge. I won't go into detail with that.

Make sure to start the wash from the top, and work your way down to the bottom. Least dirty to most dirty (unless you plan to do your wheels, then clean your wheels first; that is an exception to the rule). Make sure to wash your wash mitt out after several panels at a time, more the better and less chance of spreading around dirt particles and scrubbing it on other areas of your paint. Also depending on where you live, do not let pure water dwell on your paint to dry in the sun, that will make it more likely for water spots to appear. It is better to let water dry mixed with pH balanced car shampoo if anything.



Okay To be continued later..................I gotta run! Lol

pho_shizzle

iTrader: (17)

Oh yea, fwiw, one more thing. People have been found to use wall poster clay putty as clay bar for a more budget alternative. Not because they are the identically same, but because the materials have similar properties and behave alike. It reacts the same when gliding over a surface and works just as well compared to name brand to soft grade claybars at a fraction of the cost. First time I read about that was from a mate in Australia finding some alternative remedies. And yes there were side by side test comparisons with no negative effects.

cjbigcog

More info than you'll ever use here: http://www.autopia.org/forum/forum.php
I've been on Autopia for awhile, and have learned a lot about detailing, polishing and
products there. A good, helpful group of pros and weekend warriors.

Tetsuei

Pho did a great write up. I personally use a mixture of brands for my detailing, and have been looking to upgrade my clay from the Meguiar's clay that I got from Autozone (trust me, I'm cringing just as bad right now). Make sure you're using a good clay lube when you clay bar too - technique is very important to try and minimize the amount of microscratches that you'll be introducing to your clear coat as you clay. I use a dilution of Optimum No Rinse for my clay lube - this stuff is fantastic, and you can also use a different dilution as a quick detailer as well. There's a TON of information that you can find online for technique, people have different sites that they like to go to - I look a lot of stuff up on Detailed Image. Their site has a lot of write-ups from professional detailers that are worth looking at if you're looking for tips!

Good luck!

pho_shizzle

iTrader: (17)

As previously mentioned, and I forgot to state since I was in a hurry;


No matter how good of a product you buy........ does not mean it will user proof and not inflict any damage at all. Better products are usually made of higher quality materials or chemicals, so they help the user out by being easier to work with or cleans and picks up more........ but it doesn't mean just because you have this $30 dollar wash mitt that you will be fine. Good products help you reduce the amount of damage you inflict, but it will not put an end to it. Procedure and technique is everything. Lower quality products and materials used with the proper procedures and techniques each step, will always over power higher cost/quality products with poor techniques and practices any day. Remember what you said about the bmw driver? Just because you buy a high class car..... does NOT mean you know how to drive it. Very similar metaphor.



So lets keep it simple and straight (in my definition anyways),

No you will not be able to notice the difference between clay bar, other than if its softer or harder. I would stick with the OTS soft clay bars that are provided in kits, or if you are ordering a bundle of stuff online, just stick with the soft grade. It will give you the least amount of trouble. When you clay bar, make sure you always have a fresh(clean/ debris free) and flat surface. Make sure to knead and reveal a new surface AS NEEDED when you move from panel to panel. Knead a lot more frequently when you are working with horizontal surfaces than vertical surfaces. Always use enough detail spray or clay lubricant so that the clay bar glides over the paint EFFORTLESSLY. It is not how hard you rub the clay bar across the surface, but how many times you make a thorough pass to pick up contaminants. If your clay bar is getting thinner and thinner, and your fingers are squishing it..... you are doing it wrong. Clay bar after you have made sure that you have given your car a full thorough wash (wet or dry) to remove all the big loose debris.... or your clay bar can pick it up and drag it across your paint without you knowing. Wipe off each panel that you have worked on and sprayed lubricant all over before moving on to the next panel. Clean then wipe, then move on. At your level, I would not recommend you spend money on Autoscrub towel or dual action clay pad. It may make the job go "faster" depends on how you use it...... but it is expensive, although it is made to be used multiple times ( but so is clay! Just don't drop it!) Autoscrub was created to remarkably cut down the time frame for claying the whole car, this is perfect if you are trying to knock out a higher volume of customer cars a day for the wash, clay bar, and wax procedure. Cuts down time, maximizes revenue. But more meticulous detailing professionals would not swear by it, because nothing is more in-depth than working with a smaller clay surface and manually feeling out each and every inch of the car until you feel it is completely smoothed out. When it first came out, I was really interested...... but then weighed all the possibilities and how thorough it would be to use....... then I realized I won't be using it much at all to get my money's worth since I don't offer such quick services.


As for your layer of protection, well there are a handful of readily available products OTS, but if you feeling adventurous, just ask me and I can give you more recommendations and the best place to acquire them.

For the regular price range, and how the products are formulated....... it turns out to be a one sided scale of the two. High Definition finish OR durability/longevity. Unless you step up your arsenal to more permanent treatments such as Opti-Coat 2.0 or future products. Most products that are harder and more durable will not return as much of a deeper gloss and finish, and products that look good will not return as high of a level of protection. I really wouldn't go over board, because the the finish is only going to look as good as your preparation (much like repainting). The better you decontaminate the surface and remove all the paint defects, the better the clarity will be on your paint. Imagine thousands of scratches in each and every size fogging up your clear coat and distorting the crystal clear layer.


If you are looking for maximum protection around all seasons of the year, I would recommend Collinite #845; the legendary wax that stays as long if not longer than a sealant. Ultra easy to apply, yet lasts a while and comes in a big bottle. I rarely see this product on the shelf, so you will have better luck buying it from online distributors.

Klasse AIO (All In One) is also a great product, easy to apply and gives you an all in one protection/finish with ease of application. I have seen this off the shelf at winchester autos and some other auto stores. AIO products are made so you do not have to go over it again with another last step finishing product, perfect for the weekend warrior or when you want a quick and at ease layer of protection.

I have been using Blackfires Wet Diamond All Paint Surface Sealant because of its ease of application by hand or by DA, and how thin it spreads and how easily it is to remove once cured. Also the definition it gives off once completely cured on a corrected surface.


Many users swear on one product line or another, most product lines now are making their own formulations for every step of the way in the detailing process ( everything from clay, to clay lube, to polishes, waxes, cleaners, to microfiber towel cleaners and pad rejuvenatory). But much like every company product line, you have your black ducks that do not work so well, and you have your super stars (most likely those products that the company started with and first offered). I do not stick to one, but try many because each vehicle tells a different story and what some products will work much better for one car's finish/paint/color than another.

All in all though, like stated previously, used what works best FOR YOU in YOUR situation.