Care of car parked outside?

F

ForceFed4

New member
Hello all,



New member here; I've had some experience with various detailing products (CM, Meg, Mother's), but have not really found a complete system I'm happy with. On top of that, I'm forced to park my car outside, so it is always exposed to the elements.



Obviously, I have no hope of maintaining a showrrom finish on the car, especially with upstate weather, but I'd like to at least know I'm doing the right things to protect the paint as best I can, as well as keep it as nice looking as possible.



I've heard Zaino products touted on general auto-enthusiast sites as being quite amazing stuff, and I was wondering if that opinion is shared here, where the whole focus is on this stuff.



The car is 3 years old, so displays some swirl marks / spiderwebs; so I'd be looking to do what it takes to cover that up.



I was thinking clay, Z5 as needed to eliminate the swirls, Z2 up to the shine that at want; just as recommended on their website.



Am I likely to be happy with Zaino given that the car is not kept indoors? Is it a durable finish, or simply very good looking, but short-lived?



Would I be better off with a one-step product, just to maintain protection?



Just reading I've heard products like Klasse AIO or "VM" mentioned, I don't even know what these are, but they seem to be recommended often:confused:



Sorry for the absolute newbie questions, but I'm getting tired of just walking into the auto store and spending $20-$30 on what looks good in the aisle, only to be disappointed with the results.
 
Welcome Forcefed. You may want to start your Autopian journey by going through the forums especially the products discussion forum for specific products. You can also do a search for Zaino.



That said, I have never used Zaino although I hear many wonderful things about it. As far AIO (Klasse All in One) and VM (Clearkotes Vanilla Moose polish) and all those other alphabet soups, look on the home page at the upper left hand corner and you should see a heading called Acronyms.



Again, welcome and good luck.
 
Hey ForceFed, :welcome



Klasse AIO/SG topped with PUPP looks great on my red Lightning. Could be considerabley less expensive the Z. Search under my name and you will see a couple of pix. Just a suggestion.



Covering up swirls would be futile as finishes are transparent, but then again you would have some of the shiniest swirls around (I resemble that remark). :D



Swirls can be removed -- see the "Ultimate PC Thread" under Hall of Fame Forum for a starting point.
 
How often will you be detailing your car? I'm up the street in Rochester and don't get to detail as often as I'd like in the winter. I use Klasse AIO and SG on the wife's Saturn. My GP gets whatever wax i feel like trying out. Right now, it has Clearkote Vanilla Moose, two coats of Poorboy's EX and Natty Wax, Poorboy's new paste wax set for a spring release.



The Klasse is a much more durable product and suited for the great white north when detailing time is hard to find. Zaino works well too and offers great protection.



For your swirl problem, neither of those two products will remove swirls. You'll need a good polish or swirl remover for that. But, in these temps, that will be a tall order unless you have a nice heated garage to work in.



Claying is a good first step. You could then try a swirl remover product like Poorboy’s SSR1 or 2 to remove the swirls you have. I like to put PB’s Pro Polish next because I really feel is a wonderful product. However, you can skip and go right to your finishing product line or combo.



Popular combos include:



Klasse AIO/SG

Clearkote VM/CMW

Poorboy’s EX/Polish with Carnauba

Zaino Z5 with Zfx topped by Z2 with Zfx.



Generally, the Zaino and Klasse will last longer while the CK and PB combos will give a wetter look and depth of color. This is just off the top of my head. I’m sure others will chime in with their opinions.
 
Zaino is very durable and long lasting, but even the Z5 will not cover up swirls very well at all.



Klasse AIO/ SG will help cover up the swirls a little better, but is not as durable as the Zaino IMHO



You should really look into the new Meguire's NXT Tech wax which will be available in two weeks at places like AutoZone/ Pepboys, etc.
 
I've been spending a bunch of time since my first post reading the site...Thanks for all the suggestions so far.



Right now, since it's winter my main priority is just clearing the salt off the car whenever it gets above freezing, usually at the local coin-op spray-wand place.



I find that that does not really clean the car to a point where I could use any product that requires rubbing/buffing, as I'm sure I'll damage the paint with the dirt that's left behind. Instead, I'll use a little Eagle One Wax as U Dry and 100% cotton towels to dry/wax it all at once, hopefully without rubbing any remaining dirt all over the finish.



In the past during warmer weather I've been using Meg's GC, without any real prep-work other than washing with your everyday car-wash fluid and a decent mitt (ie no PB sponges, etc).



So I think I'm doing a few things right, I just don't have everything I need to really bring it together.



The NXT Tech wax stuff looks interesting, I'll have to check it out when it warms up a bit.
 
I agree with Hondaguy about the Klasse Twins. I use them on my 96 Jeep and it sits outside. I detail it every four months and up to that point it is still effective.
 
Basically, for a car kept outdoors, you probably are more concerned with durability than overall appearance or depth of finish.



That being said, synthetic sealants are generally more durable than typical carnauba-based waxes. Klasse AIO/SG combo is synthetic, as is PUPP. Poorboy's, from my understanding, is basically like a synthetic with some added carnauba for increased depth, but its durability is comparable to Klasse (from what I've heard).



I just ordered Poorboy's products, and I can't wait to try them out! (PwC and EX sealant). My car sometimes goes for extended periods of time without being washed, so durability is a big factor for me. It sits outside also - never garaged!



Alex
 
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