Nick T.
New member
Since Klasse is such an “old� product, I’m amazed at the amount of bickering and contention that it generates after all these years!
It appears to me that many of us are losing our perspective about detailing and why we do it. Some of us detail to make a living, others because their car is their only major toy, others do it as therapy, others detail just because they want a clean car, and the list of individual reasons for detailing is almost endless.
To get maximum benefit from Klasse, or Zaino, or S100, or ArmorAll it is NOT necessary to have degrees in organic and inorganic chemistry, nor is it necessary to have insider information about the chemical formulation of the product. What IS necessary is a willingness to experiment with deviating from the vendor’s directions, the ability to make objective observations, a skeptical view of both vendor’s and user’s claims, some basic knowledge about the product, and an understanding of your goals.
For example you should know that Klasse and Zaino are synthetics that form a molecular bond with the paint, and that a carnauba does not - it just “sticks� to the paint because of friction. You don’t even need to know how to define a molecular bond. When using Klasse you should also know the difference between [drying, bonding, [/I]and curing.
Drying time is how long it takes for the solvents to evaporate leaving just the dry carrier and active ingredient. Zaino says to use the “finger test� and it also works with Klasse - after the product appears to be dry, then wipe it with a clean finger. If it smears or smudges, then it is no dry. If it leaves a shiny surface it is dry.
Bonding time is how long it takes for the product to form a molecular bond with the paint. Short of having a PhD chemist with an elaborate laboratory at hand do extensive testing and analysis there is no way for us end users to know how long bonding takes. We can be sure that little bonding takes place before the product has passed the finger test. General experience shows that bonding time is temperature and humidity dependent, but so is drying time. If you apply the product to your hood, then wipe off one third as soon as it is dry, another third after a 20 minute wait, and the last third after an hour wait, and compare the three sections, then you’ll have a good start at knowing what works best for you.
Curing time is how long it takes for the molecular bond to be sufficiently strong to withstand the solvents of a second coat. Since I don’t have a PhD and lab available, empirical testing becomes the way to go. For a second coat wait an hour, a day, and a week. Compare results. Now your knowledge grows.
That’s all the theory you need to know. The remainder is technique! The first time through follow the manufacturer’s or vendor’s instructions. The next time do some experimenting.
There seem to be two problem areas for new users of Klasse and Zaino; how much product to use, and how to remove it easily. These two problems are interrelated. The removal ease is inversely related to the amount of product used - more product, harder removal - less product, easier removal. With both Klasse and Zaino an ounce and a half should easily let you do the entire car with enough left over to do the front a second time. With practice you should be down to a single ounce. As a long time Zaino user I can do thin coats, but with Klasse I still have stubborn spots that resist removal without heavy rubbing. Resist the urge to use more rubbing pressure as it can lead to marring. Use a misting of water or QD to remove the stubborn carrier.
Here is what I have done in the past on my Jet Black Z3 and currently do on my Chili Red MINI: First time around I apply AIO using a white pad on the Porter Cable. If there is more than very minor marring I may start with a yellow pad and then do it again with a white pad. With soft paint you may want to use a grey pad instead. Without a wait time I remove with MF towels and light rubbing. Wipe down with Sonüs to get rid of any remaining carrier or dust. Wipe on a thin layer of HGSG and wait for at least an hour, longer in cold or humid weather. Wipe off with MF towels (again multiple towels) and do a final wipe down with Sonüs. Repeat the Sonüs wipe; HGSG wipe, wait, and remove; and the Sonüs wipe after a minimum of a day. I haven’t done much playing with multiple layers of HGSG, but from my limited experience I’d say that after 4-5 coats the diminishing returns are not worth the investment of time unless you are prepping the car for competition.
When is it time to use AIO again? I haven’t had the MINI long enough to feel the need for starting over again with AIO, but on the Z3 I’d add a layer of HGSG every week or two, and when I felt that the appearance just wasn’t up to par I fell back to the AIO - maybe after 3 to 5 months.
Final word - - forget all the bickering about the fine points of any product. Try the products that interest you, experiments, and post your results and opinions. If you can’t get a product to work for you, then ask for advice - maybe somebody else has found a way around the problem. If you still can’t get it to work, then offer to mail it to somebody else on the board that either wants to experiment with it or has tried it and likes it. I’ve gotten rid of several containers of products this way. Just because it doesn’t work for me doesn’t mean that it won’t work for someone else.
It appears to me that many of us are losing our perspective about detailing and why we do it. Some of us detail to make a living, others because their car is their only major toy, others do it as therapy, others detail just because they want a clean car, and the list of individual reasons for detailing is almost endless.
To get maximum benefit from Klasse, or Zaino, or S100, or ArmorAll it is NOT necessary to have degrees in organic and inorganic chemistry, nor is it necessary to have insider information about the chemical formulation of the product. What IS necessary is a willingness to experiment with deviating from the vendor’s directions, the ability to make objective observations, a skeptical view of both vendor’s and user’s claims, some basic knowledge about the product, and an understanding of your goals.
For example you should know that Klasse and Zaino are synthetics that form a molecular bond with the paint, and that a carnauba does not - it just “sticks� to the paint because of friction. You don’t even need to know how to define a molecular bond. When using Klasse you should also know the difference between [drying, bonding, [/I]and curing.
Drying time is how long it takes for the solvents to evaporate leaving just the dry carrier and active ingredient. Zaino says to use the “finger test� and it also works with Klasse - after the product appears to be dry, then wipe it with a clean finger. If it smears or smudges, then it is no dry. If it leaves a shiny surface it is dry.
Bonding time is how long it takes for the product to form a molecular bond with the paint. Short of having a PhD chemist with an elaborate laboratory at hand do extensive testing and analysis there is no way for us end users to know how long bonding takes. We can be sure that little bonding takes place before the product has passed the finger test. General experience shows that bonding time is temperature and humidity dependent, but so is drying time. If you apply the product to your hood, then wipe off one third as soon as it is dry, another third after a 20 minute wait, and the last third after an hour wait, and compare the three sections, then you’ll have a good start at knowing what works best for you.
Curing time is how long it takes for the molecular bond to be sufficiently strong to withstand the solvents of a second coat. Since I don’t have a PhD and lab available, empirical testing becomes the way to go. For a second coat wait an hour, a day, and a week. Compare results. Now your knowledge grows.
That’s all the theory you need to know. The remainder is technique! The first time through follow the manufacturer’s or vendor’s instructions. The next time do some experimenting.
There seem to be two problem areas for new users of Klasse and Zaino; how much product to use, and how to remove it easily. These two problems are interrelated. The removal ease is inversely related to the amount of product used - more product, harder removal - less product, easier removal. With both Klasse and Zaino an ounce and a half should easily let you do the entire car with enough left over to do the front a second time. With practice you should be down to a single ounce. As a long time Zaino user I can do thin coats, but with Klasse I still have stubborn spots that resist removal without heavy rubbing. Resist the urge to use more rubbing pressure as it can lead to marring. Use a misting of water or QD to remove the stubborn carrier.
Here is what I have done in the past on my Jet Black Z3 and currently do on my Chili Red MINI: First time around I apply AIO using a white pad on the Porter Cable. If there is more than very minor marring I may start with a yellow pad and then do it again with a white pad. With soft paint you may want to use a grey pad instead. Without a wait time I remove with MF towels and light rubbing. Wipe down with Sonüs to get rid of any remaining carrier or dust. Wipe on a thin layer of HGSG and wait for at least an hour, longer in cold or humid weather. Wipe off with MF towels (again multiple towels) and do a final wipe down with Sonüs. Repeat the Sonüs wipe; HGSG wipe, wait, and remove; and the Sonüs wipe after a minimum of a day. I haven’t done much playing with multiple layers of HGSG, but from my limited experience I’d say that after 4-5 coats the diminishing returns are not worth the investment of time unless you are prepping the car for competition.
When is it time to use AIO again? I haven’t had the MINI long enough to feel the need for starting over again with AIO, but on the Z3 I’d add a layer of HGSG every week or two, and when I felt that the appearance just wasn’t up to par I fell back to the AIO - maybe after 3 to 5 months.
Final word - - forget all the bickering about the fine points of any product. Try the products that interest you, experiments, and post your results and opinions. If you can’t get a product to work for you, then ask for advice - maybe somebody else has found a way around the problem. If you still can’t get it to work, then offer to mail it to somebody else on the board that either wants to experiment with it or has tried it and likes it. I’ve gotten rid of several containers of products this way. Just because it doesn’t work for me doesn’t mean that it won’t work for someone else.
