Getting back to detailing after a very long break. Need some advice

N

nEJIbMEHb

New member
Hi team!

I am getting a black Tesla, so the plan is to brush up my rusted skills. I am way out of date on products.
Previously, my stack was Klasse AIO, KSG and Liquid Souverain on top of it.

I did some research and my plan of attack would be following:
  1. Wash with Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coating Shampoo
  2. Clay with Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay/Pinnacle Clay Lubricant
  3. Surface prep with Black Label Surface Cleansing Polish
  4. Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Surface Prep Spray (do I need this?)
  5. Black Label Diamond Paint Coating
  6. Black Label Diamond Glass Coating
  7. Black Label Diamond Wheel Coating

Do I miss something? Do I have unnecessary steps?

Thank you.
 
nEJIbMEHb said:
Hi team!

I am getting a black Tesla, so the plan is to brush up my rusted skills. I am way out of date on products.
Previously, my stack was Klasse AIO, KSG and Liquid Souverain on top of it.

I did some research and my plan of attack would be following:
  1. Wash with Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coating Shampoo
  2. Clay with Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay/Pinnacle Clay Lubricant
  3. Surface prep with Black Label Surface Cleansing Polish
  4. Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Surface Prep Spray (do I need this?)
  5. Black Label Diamond Paint Coating
  6. Black Label Diamond Glass Coating
  7. Black Label Diamond Wheel Coating

Do I miss something? Do I have unnecessary steps?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

I would clay as I washed. Skip the lube. Everything else looks advisable.
You could use the paint coating on the Windows and wheels and be fine. Worse case windshield wiper clatter. Can fix that with a 5 minute polish
 
nEJIbMEHb said:
I am getting a black Tesla, so the plan is to brush up my rusted skills. I am way out of date on products.
Previously, my stack was Klasse AIO, KSG and Liquid Souverain on top of it.
Click to expand...

Is the klasse + LS combo not what you want on black? If so, OK..I can understand that. But there`s nothing *wrong* with those "old products" and FWIW, my 20-someYO Klasse twins still work fine.

If you go with a Coating, be sure you`ll be able to avoid high spots/etc. and that the Coating will *really* outperform easier (if old-fashioned) alternatives. Just tossing that idea out there as FWIW I myself have decided that Coatings aren`t right for me, at least not on most surfaces.

FWIW#2, I might go back to using Coatings on wheels, but from what I hear it`s tough to get more than a year out of many Coatings, and I can get that with stuff that`s Accumulator-proof.
 
nEJIbMEHb said:
Hi team!

I am getting a black Tesla, so the plan is to brush up my rusted skills. I am way out of date on products.
Previously, my stack was Klasse AIO, KSG and Liquid Souverain on top of it.

I did some research and my plan of attack would be following:
  1. Wash with Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coating Shampoo
  2. Clay with Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay/Pinnacle Clay Lubricant
  3. Surface prep with Black Label Surface Cleansing Polish
  4. Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Surface Prep Spray (do I need this?)
  5. Black Label Diamond Paint Coating
  6. Black Label Diamond Glass Coating
  7. Black Label Diamond Wheel Coating

Do I miss something? Do I have unnecessary steps?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

After the wash and before claying, you may want to add an iron remover. Not a mandatory step but it is pretty much agreed upon in the detailing community that removing the iron particles bonded to the surface will result in a much longer life of the coating because it will bond better with the clear coat.

You asked if the Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Surface Prep Spray (dang they use a freaking long name) was needed. I don`t know if you need that particular one but cleaning the paint with some type of prep spray is recommended to remove the oils left over on the surface of the paint after polishing again, so the coating can bond better to the clear coat and have a longer life. So I would recommend using some form of paint prep and that one should do fine if you want to stay in the Pinnacle lineup.

As far as the glass and wheel coating, you may have enough of the paint coating left over to do you wheels with it and save you the cost of the wheel coating. Let`s face it, wheels have clear coat paint also, so paint coating will work almost as good as a dedicate wheel coating so again, if you have enough left over after coating the paint, I would just use that and save your money. If after coating the paint and you don`t think you have enough left over to coat the wheels, then on your next order, include the wheel coating and take care of coating your wheels then. As far as glass coating, if you want to use theirs, I would have to think it is fine though someone in this thread said something about using the paint coating on the glass instead. That may work fine also if you have enough coating left over to do the glass too. So where I am going, you may want to save your money and see if you can use leftover paint coating on the wheels and glass. If you run out, then you can order the wheel and glass coatings another day.
 
...Congrats on the new black Tesla ! A very nice car !
...I have paint corrected a lot of them, because they sometimes come from the factory with factory paint defects..
...The paint is a medium hard paint in my experiences with them...
...The paint will correct just fine, if you know what you are doing..
...I would recommend a LOT of good lighting from above and the sides, front, back, so you can really see what you are doing..
...Have had Lots of black cars in my life, paint corrected hundreds more, and my last 2 in the garage are a metallic black Jeep and a jet black Ranger truck...
...People tell me - "don`t buy black, but I tell them, I know how to take care of any type of black paint, so I will be ok... And I am... :)
...Good luck with your project !
Dan F
 
Your process looks really solid! One thing to consider is the prep work—you`re already using the Black Label Surface Cleansing Polish, which does a great job at removing old waxes and sealants. You might be able to skip the Surface Prep Spray unless you`re dealing with stubborn residues. Also, for black paint, especially on a Tesla, adding a finishing polish before the coating could help remove any light imperfections, which black paint tends to show more easily. Lastly, don’t forget tire and trim coatings—they can really help maintain that fresh look! With 6 years of experience at AZ Auto Aesthetics, located in Mesa, I highly recommend it.
 
nEJIbMEHb (OK, no one is going to hack into that user name; types like bullet-proof password!.. yeah I had to copy-and-paste!)
One thing you did NOT mention is are you doing this process by hand OR do you have a buffing/polishing machine and appropriate pads size(es) and type(s). Just a Captain Obvious question/observation.
I say that because the detailing equipment, like polishing machines, wash media, brushes, applicators and quality microfibers can and are just as important as the products being used.
 
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