Brand New Honda Accord - what to use?

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fastsvo

Member
Hi Folks,



My GF got a new 2012 Accord and I would like to use a combination of products that would provide more durability/longevity over the utmost shine and reflection. Dare I say it, I'll even consider over the counter products for this car.



This car will be parked outdoors. Should I just Zaino it and call it a day?



I do have cans of Collinite Super Doublecoat Wax No. 476 that I can use for my final step.



I do not own a porter cable machine, so everything will be done by hand.



Thanks!
 
There was a thread here recently about a positive mention of NuFinish if you want something durable that'll bead and shine and is avaliable OTC. Otherwise for OTC by hand I'd look at NXT, fillers will hide some of the defects, you'll be applying it often for a car outside 247.
 
fastsvo- If you already have the Collinite 476S I'd just use that. Always worked fine for me, better than a lot of sealants I've tried.



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia!
 
If you like the look of Zaino why not consider Duragloss products Duragloss which sometimes get overlooked. Easy to use, reasonable cost, very durable and you can get them OTC at NAPA and CarQuest (if they don't have what you want in stock they will get it in 24 hours). Mix 1/2 OZ 601 with 2 OZs of 105--apply a thin coat, wait for it to haze and wipe off--looks great and lasts. After a couple of hours you can add Aquawax anytime you like for a little depth and glow.
 
Accumulator said:
fastsvo- If you already have the Collinite 476S I'd just use that. Always worked fine for me, better than a lot of sealants I've tried.



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia!
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Thanks!



So, which steps (in terms of applying products) should I follow here?



1) Clay

2) Polish (necessary on a brand new car?)

3) Collonite 476

4) Final coat with Carnuba Wax or Duragloss,etc..?
 
fastsvo said:
Thanks!



So, which steps (in terms of applying products) should I follow here?..
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Yeah, I'd either clay it or, preferably, use a decontamination system (but OK, I realize that most people don't want to bother with that).



Whether you need to (abrasively) polish depends on whether you think it has marring that needs corrected. If not, I'd use some kind of All In One product to clean the paint. I myself would use Klasse All In One, if only because it doesn't stain trim, but maybe some DuraGloss product would work OK for you.



Then apply the Collinite 476S, and that's it. Just refresh the Collinite whenever the beading changes/diminishes.
 
fastsvo said:
I do have cans of Collinite Super Doublecoat Wax No. 476 that I can use for my final step.
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+1. Yeah, like Accumulator notes, fly with the #476 if you already have it.



Honda clearcoat is soft. I found my 2008 Accord to be very susceptible to the hologram-ing effect :(
 
Just bought my wife a 2012 civic. You mentioned you dont have a polisher so I will go through this with hand applied products. Pick up a paint cleanser either Dodo juice Lime prime lite (make sure its the Lite), or Klasse AIO, and hand apply it to the paint and remove as directed. Then give the car a 50/50 IPA wipe down. Apply Opti Coat and call it a day. I used Cquartz on her car and I love the look of it. My car is Opti Coated and wanted to try out Cquartz for durability.



This will help you down the road a great deal with maintenance washes with either Opti Coat or Cquartz.
 
fastsvo said:
Thanks!



So, which steps (in terms of applying products) should I follow here?



1) Clay

2) Polish (necessary on a brand new car?)

3) Collonite 476

4) Final coat with Carnuba Wax or Duragloss,etc..?
Click to expand...



Save the polishing for when you get a buffer. I've had to fix a lot of hand polished cars that had fingertip marring all over them.



Wash, clay if needed then use 476. I wouldn't worry about topping, ie using carnaubas over sealants. 476 looks really good and is durable.
 
A few months have passed and I have yet to get around to this car.



After a few bird poops here and there, I can see some light etching into the soft Honda paint after washing it.



So before I get started, should my plan of attack be different now?
 
fastsvo said:
A few months have passed and I have yet to get around to this car.



After a few bird poops here and there, I can see some light etching into the soft Honda paint after washing it.



So before I get started, should my plan of attack be different now?
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I'd be considering a decontamination to neutralize stuff like the bird bombs. Systems like the AutoInt/ValuGard "ABC" are simple, basically just doing a series of washes with different products.



If you want to correct that etching, you're back to the "should I try to polish by hand or buy a polisher?" question. But neutralizing the stuff that's damaging the paint will at least keep it from getting worse. The decontamination will also probably eliminate the need to clay.
 
Accumulator said:
I'd be considering a decontamination to neutralize stuff like the bird bombs. Systems like the AutoInt/ValuGard "ABC" are simple, basically just doing a series of washes with different products.



If you want to correct that etching, you're back to the "should I try to polish by hand or buy a polisher?" question. But neutralizing the stuff that's damaging the paint will at least keep it from getting worse. The decontamination will also probably eliminate the need to clay.
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Yes, I know with a polisher I can definitely get the etching eliminated, just I refuse to use the old orbital I have and would rather wait for a porter cable of Flex.



In my current arsenal of soaps, this is what I have:



Car Wash Shampoo is a gentle-cleansing liquid gel car wash Car Wash Shampoo



Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash



Meguiars Ultimate Wash & Wax, car shampoo with wax, car wash and wax, Meguiars shampoo, auto wash, meguires



Any opinions on the application purpose and benefits of each one?



Thanks!
 
fastsvo- Of those three shampoos I've only used the Gold Class, wich I consider mediocre.



It's probably "good enough", but washing is really all about technique- getting things clean without marring the paint is very, *very* difficult.
 
What color is the car? If it sits outside, and seeing that you didn't take care of the brand new car, I'd suggest to OPTI COAT it. That way you can neglect it. Zaino,Collonite, etc.... They don't last "that" long. In a couple of years that car may be in really bad shape. An easy way to prevent a lot of headaches. Just my opinion.
 
I am going to borrow a PC, so with that in mind should I just use Meguiars 205?



This is my plan (so far)



1) Clay

2) Polish (?)

3) Sealant (Duragloss)

4) Wax (Collonite)



Am I forgetting anything?



Thanks!
 
You might want to consider HD Polish rather than 205 which leaves behind allot of oils--HD Polish is easy to use and beginner friendly if you're new to machine polishing. After DG 105 Sealant there is no real need for the wax unless you want the look of a wax. However, once you add the wax you can't add another layer of 105 without stripping the wax off. You might want to just add a coat of spray DG AquaWax to the 105--warms up the look and you can add it anytime you want--then you can always add another coat of 105 without having to strip everything off.
 
For my $0.02 I would pay someone to polish and OptiCoat your car. It won't cost much more than buying a polisher and supplies and your result is likely to be far superior to what you can do yourself....unless you have used a pc before it is not as easy as you may expect to obtain the results you desire the first time you use it. With OptiCoat and proper washing a daily driver will look great for several years with minimal work.
 
pwaug said:
You might want to consider HD Polish rather than 205 which leaves behind allot of oils--HD Polish is easy to use and beginner friendly if you're new to machine polishing..
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Yeah, unless you already have the M205 I'd lean towards something different too.



And yeah#2, just use a sealant or a wax, not both. Or use OptiCoat.



fastsvo said:
I am going to borrow a PC..
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Which model PC? Note that a PC, using something like M205, won't do much correction at all. OK, it's new, but that doesn't always mean it won't need some marring removal.
 
OutlawTitan said:
For my $0.02 I would pay someone to polish and OptiCoat your car. It won't cost much more than buying a polisher and supplies and your result is likely to be far superior to what you can do yourself....unless you have used a pc before it is not as easy as you may expect to obtain the results you desire the first time you use it. With OptiCoat and proper washing a daily driver will look great for several years with minimal work.
Click to expand...



Agree 100%. If you want easy car care, Opti-Coat can't be beat.
 
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