Generic questions re detailing products

[Boxilator]

I’m in the process of selecting products for a detailing regimen for a recently acquired 2006 Porsche Boxter. I appreciate any help you can provide, including identifying questions that have been discussed in other threads. I have read or scanned many previous posts, but I didn’t have great luck using the search feature.



I have taken good care of my cars for a long time, but I’m not really a detailer. Although I enjoyed the process and liked having my car look great, I just didn’t have the time. I have a little more time now and a new car to work on, so it’s time to go into a little more detail – no pun intended.



Questions:



Re color-matched wax: Are the manufacturers’ claims for color-matched waxes valid? For example, is Dodo Juice Diamond White Hard Wax discernibly better on light colored finishes than other quality carnauba waxes? Is color matching of wax something that is theoretically accurate, but insignificant from a practical perspective?



Re hard and soft carnauba waxes: What is the practical difference between hard and soft carnauba waxes? It seems logical that hard wax would be more durable, but harder to apply. Is there more to it? Is there any appreciable benefit from using a soft wax over a hard wax?



Re detailing sprays: Is it important to match detailing sprays to the chemical composition of the LSP? For example, an acrylic-based QD like Sonus Acrylic Spritz with Klasse SG, or a QD like Pinnacle Crystal Mist with a carnauba wax LSP. Does it matter?



Re paint hardness: Where can I find information on the hardness of the paint used by different auto manufacturers? I have a Porsche Boxter, an old BMW 325is, and a Toyota. At least one forum member identified Porsche paint as “very soft.� What about the BMW and Toyota paint? Also, are there rules of thumb for adjusting process aggressiveness based on paint hardness? For example, to do scratch or swirl removal on soft paint, would you automatically use a milder compound/polish/pad combination? Any examples?



Thanks

 

[Accumulator]

Questions:



Re color-matched wax: Are the manufacturers’ claims for color-matched waxes valid? Is color matching of wax something that is theoretically accurate, but insignificant from a practical perspective?

*Generally*, IMO (yeah, those are two qualifiers ) no those claims are not really valid in a practical sense. I've used "great on dark colors" waxes on white with great results and I've liked "best for light colors and metallics" on black to similarly good effect.



BUT..some specific waxes/sealants do seem to look especially good on certain colors and this is all eye-of-the-beholder stuff anyhow. *YOU* might/might not find certain products especially nice/not on your Boxster. Sorry if that answer sounds all mealy-mouthed but this stuff is *so* subjective..I have some *VERY* strong opinions about what products look best on my vehicles, but I dunno if anybody else would agree or even notice any difference between what I use and something else (but OTOH, my wife *can* often tell if I do/don't use certain products on *her* car).



IMO you oughta consider numerous criteria when choosing your LSP (Last Step Product, i.e., "wax") and appearance on specific colors isn't really one that *I* would prioritize.

Re hard and soft carnauba waxes: What is the practical difference between hard and soft carnauba waxes? It seems logical that hard wax would be more durable, but harder to apply. Is there more to it? Is there any appreciable benefit from using a soft wax over a hard wax?

I'd agree with your assessments, but I've never used a brand that had specifically hard/soft waxes such as (IIRC) the Dodo line. FWIW, I've never found "hard" waxes to be especially difficult to use.

Re detailing sprays: Is it important to match detailing sprays to the chemical composition of the LSP? For example, an acrylic-based QD like Sonus Acrylic Spritz with Klasse SG, or a QD like Pinnacle Crystal Mist with a carnauba wax LSP. Does it matter?

It *can* be important and it *can* matter. Some (many) sprays work fine on anything but others are, as you suspected, best matched to specific types of LSPs. I, for instance, generally use Griot's SpeedShine on carnaubas and FK425 on synthetic LSPs.

Re paint hardness: Where can I find information on the hardness of the paint used by different auto manufacturers? I have a Porsche Boxter, an old BMW 325is, and a Toyota. At least one forum member identified Porsche paint as “very soft.� What about the BMW and Toyota paint?

I'd go by what people here have experienced with similar vehicles. Porsche paints are all over the map from very hard to stupid-soft (so see if somebody's worked on a '06 Boxster). The BMW is almost certainly quite hard (my '97 e36 is *HARD*). Most toyota paints are, from what I hear, in the medium-soft range.

Also, are there rules of thumb for adjusting process aggressiveness based on paint hardness? For example, to do scratch or swirl removal on soft paint, would you automatically use a milder compound/polish/pad combination? Any examples?

For the initial correction of most paints, where you're dealing with pretty severe marring, I'd generally go with a fairly aggressive approach (fast-cutting *modern* compound/orange light-cut pad). IF the paint is pretty soft it'll just work faster.



For medium correction on softer paint I *would* start with a milder approach (medium-strength product, polishing pad)



For the final polishing, quite soft paints *might* require milder products than harder ones, but IME that's not all *that* common as most mild/finishing polishes are pretty gentle anyhow.



The exceptions are the "stupid-soft" paints where everything seems to be too aggressive. I've only encountered that one time (a fresh repaint that cured very, very slowly) so I'm no expert on the subject. IMO none of your cars will fall into that range anyhow; the stuff that'll work on the BMW will probably also be fine on the others, you just might need a milder final polish (e.g., Menzerna FPII) if their paint is especially soft.



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia!

 

[Boxilator]

Accumulator - thanks for the input. That's exactly the sort of information I was hoping to get. I acknowledge that the range of subjectivity is wide, but I'd like to avoid the fringes; at least until I have more experience than I do now.



Thanks again.