Best combo of durability & shine

Z

z driver 88t

New member
I have a one year old Toyota Avalon - lunar mist metallic (silver). I had the unfortunate experience of being new to detailing (had company cars before and used car washes, now I own this car and really care about the finish) and thought I could depend on the dummies at Meguairs to give me instructions that made sense. Talk about clueless!! I asked them how to use clay and was given inept instruction that led to leaving microscratches that can only be seen in a certain light. I was sooo pissed!! Now I know that you must use light pressure and lots of lube, etc. Learned the hard way. Meguiars for advice? Yeah, right...like asking some stoned surfer dude about the theory of relativity.



Anyway, I am ready to do a major league detail war for the early Spring in Sacramento and found this forum. Please help to guide me. The car is kept outside under a carport and all detailing would be outside. This is what I have been using and some stuff I have but have not used yet.



Present system - Claying, followed by MGC applied with PC



Got talked into Griots #3 machine polish (am afraid to use, is this going to hurt my one year old paint?), show car wax and clay. Maybe the machine polish would get rid of some of those microscratches? Is this Griots stuff any good, better than MGC?



I also have some OEM one step from Ron Ketch but never used because I read on some posts that this stuff is hard to remove, etc. Plus he recommends to let it cure overnite and I am not going to let something sit outside and collect junk overnite and then rub a towel on it. They also have a chemical prep system called ABC that is supposed to eliminate the need for claying from what I understand. Is this true?



I am kind of intrigued by the sealants - Klasse and Zaino - but after reading about the guy who did that test with Zaino and MGC I am not sure what to do. Also seems to be some application problems with Klasse according to some of these posts. Would more frequent application of MGC give the same durability as the Zaino or Klasse?



I really want to do this right and am willing to get kind of ridiculous with the surface prep, etc. - good foundation is everything, right? Please give me your best recommendations guys. I am the eager student who want so learn to do it RIGHT!!

Great forum. :bow :bow
 
I was sort of in your situation before I found Autopia. I really had no garage to let the product sit overnight; and the cars are parked outside 24 hours a day. You're sort of lucky to have a carport.



Anyways, as a former Meguiar's Gold Class user, I can assure you that Klasse or Zaino will still beat MGC in durability no matter how many times your apply MGC. I used to use MGC, and the next week I would wash, the shine was gone. I don't know about you, but I don't want to apply MGC every weekend.



MGC does have that great shine, but I don't see myself applying more wax after I wash my car every weekend. Go with Klasse or Zaino for your silver Avalon. I used Klasse on my silver Montero, and the shine was great. Not to mention the Montero feels better than ever.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by lizard [/i]
<strong class='bbc'> Would more frequent application of MGC give the same durability as the Zaino or Klasse?
[/b]</blockquote>
The definition of durability is the ability to last. Frequent reapplication means little durability. That said, frequent application of MGC will give you just as good, if not better, shine as Zaino or Klasse. It just wont last long.
 
You were probably referring to my post. although I think there is an advantage to MGC on my black car, I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Klasse instead for a silver car. Klasse requires technique to avoid the problems, but once you know the techniques - no problem at all. AND - the techniques are listed - I tested a bunch of methods and got a bunch of suggestions from board members - and after learning what did NOT work, learned what did.

The whole diatribe is in 4 posts:

part 1: pre-Klasse cleaning tests: http://www.autopia-carport.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=7073

part 2: Applying /buffing AIO - http://www.autopia-carport.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=7075

Part 3: Some SG attempts that didn't work: http://www.autopia-carport.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=7249

Part 4: various SG app and buff methods tried, and my vote for the best: http://www.autopia-carport.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=7293
 
carguy-



If you are the one who did the Zaino versus MGC test, with the tape separating the test areas - hello and thanks for posting. I visited the links, what a beautiful shine on the Porche. Is that Zaino or MGC that you use on that car? I would imagine you know all the products.



Do you think the Klasse is the way to go for 1 year old paint with some light swirls from claying and washing (I guess, can only see them under lights at night or when sun hits a certain way, but they are there). What would be your recommended steps from prep to choice of product, etc?



Thanks.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by lizard [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I also have some OEM one step from Ron Ketch but never used because I read on some posts that this stuff is hard to remove, etc. Plus he recommends to let it cure overnite and I am not going to let something sit outside and collect junk overnite and then rub a towel on it. They also have a chemical prep system called ABC that is supposed to eliminate the need for claying from what I understand. Is this true?[/b]</blockquote>
Hello, and welcome to the forum!

Cure time and drying time are two completely different things. Curing time is the period after the product is removed and when the polymers in the sealant chemically bond to the paint.

What Ron probably meant was to remove the OEM 1-Step immediately, but let it sit overnight before applying a new layer of it.

And yes, ABC is wonderful stuff.


Happy detailing,
~bw
 
I'm almost positive he said to leave it on all nite, the longer it stays on before you remove it, the better the bond. Almost positive, as I would have not had a problem with trying it on a small area otherwise. Have you used it? And tell me, does the ABC system represent the ultimate detail prep and eliminates the need to clay? Thanks.
 
OEM will require at least an hour dry time depending on temp, etc. Test for removal by wiping a small area and inspect for smears. Wipe lightly in the opposite direction while inspecting with a good light reflection. No smears=ready to remove. Avoid getting the car wet for as long as possible so the polymer has a chance to cure.



ABC is an excellent prep. I dont recommend it to newbies. Most should start with clay. Make sure to follow the ABC directions to the letter and avoid using during high temps. If it dries in any spots you will have problems. You may still have to clay after depending on the contaminants and how long they have been on the finish. Once the old wax and fillers are removed the finish might look scary. The paint will be very "tight". Older finishes usually required buffing.



One wax that is overlooked is 3M Show Car Paste Wax. They have a patent for "Acrylic Silicone Flouropolymer" which makes the finish very slick, resists dirt and leaves a polymer coating.



Hope this helps.
 
Why not go with the Klasse combo. If you don't have time to layer on the Klasse Glaze to get that perfect shine it is a-ok. Just layer 2 coats of Klasse Glaze for protection and you'll have a really nice shine, from there, apply two layers of a nice wax and enjoy the sight. :up
 
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