Menzerna

Nick T.

Nick T.

New member
This past Saturday I bought an ‘05 Scion xB with Black Cherry Pearl (a metallic maroon) paint, and I finally decided to do my first detailing. I did a Dawn wash, clay, car shampoo wash, and then did a close inspection of the paint. Decided that no polishing was needed and went straight to one coat of Klasse HGSG. Then I remembered the Menzerna products sitting on my shelf which I’d only played with on a spot test basis - - and decided to use them instead of the Klasse since I have Klasse on one car and Zaino on the other already.



I put on and wiped off one coat of Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze followed by two coats of Full Molecular Jacket. I was very impressed by how easy application and removal was compared to Klasse or Zaino. Since I didn’t do a side-by-side comparison I can’t say for sure, but IMO the reflectivity is as good as Klasse and close to Zaino, and there seems to be more depth than with Klasse. All in all I’d have to give these two products a big thumbs up! I didn’t use either of the Menzerna polishes on this car, but IIRC I was pleased with them when I spot tested them earlier.



Tomorrow I’ll add another layer of FMJ and a topping of Pink Carnauba to finish my detailing. This car will live in the driveway so I’ll get a chance to see how it holds up when exposed to the elements.
 
Nick,



Can you expand on your use of the glaze? I've tried it a couple of times, and it was rather stubborn to remove regardless of how long I worked it into the paint, or how much I used (I tried slower speeds, faster speeds, more product, less product, etc., all to no avail).



Thanks,

Tort
 
Tort - - I applied it by hand using a foam applicator and rubbed it in until it was pretty much dry. I’d say that I used a medium amount of product. Most of it was done in the shade, but the rear half of the roof was in direct sun and fairly hot. I did about half of the car before removing.



My experience was exactly the opposite of yours - - no difficulty at all, but this might be because it was applied on top of a fresh coat of Klasse HGSG.



Oh - - there was one thing that might be considered a problem. After what appeared to be complete removal of the glaze there was a little bit of “oiliness� left on the paint - - it would smudge if I wiped my finger across it (much like my experience with Blackfire). I didn’t try to clear the oiliness, just applied the FMJ on top. No oiliness or smudging after FMJ removal.
 
Nick,



Hmmm. You say you worked it until dry; that seemed to be my problem . . . no matter how much I worked it with a PC/white polishing pad, it never seemed to flash, haze, dust, or disappear. It just sat there, still tacky and hard to remove. Next time, I'll also try working it for a while, then letting it sit for a bit to see if it will haze over; perhaps that will make it easier to remove.



Thanks for the tips. I might just have to strip a panel on my WRX and experiment some more tonight.



Tort
 
Tort,

Another thought about ease of removing the glaze - - maybe it didn’t bond well (or maybe not at all) to the underlying HGSG?



ZaneO,

This morning I put on the third application of FMJ on the roof and topped it with S-100 (decided to use a product that I'm more familiar with instead of the Pink Carnauba). It looks good to me - - but the roof isn’t as revealing and the other areas (which I haven’t done yet).
 
I also had a hard time removing the Menzerna Glaze last week on my car. I went thru PG, IP, FP II then FTG all by PC. Then topped with FMJ by hand.



We worked the Glaze well with the PC and also I did a panel by hand. Still very difficult to remove using various mf's.



This weekend we will try again. The key to easy off may be to work it till its gone like Nick says or to let it dry for 5-10 mins. We did not do either.
 
I was not very careful to rub the glaze until it was dry - - I’m sure that some (quite a few?) areas were still somewhat moist when I moved to the next area. I did wait until completely dry before removing.
 
Topping Menzerna with carnauba - - - -



This morning I put a couple of layers of S-100 on top of the Menzerna. For starters I put two layers on half of the hood for a side-by-side comparison with the bare Menzerna. No change in reflectivity and a little added depth, no adverse effects. Probably not worth the effort for a commercial detailer, but worth it to me on my toys.
 
To answer the question in your signature.....



Sintered metal rods instead of forged.



4 threads to hold in a spark plug.



Restrictive air filter & TB.



Restrictive cat pipes.



Need I continue?
 
I also had a very difficult time with Menzerna IP. I would put 3 pea-sized drops on the pad and then try to work it in. After about 10-15 seconds, it would harden and look like someone put elmer's glue on my car and let it dry. I was using a cutting pad and it wouldn't buff off. I had to use FP to get it to go away. It's weird because I did a test on a blank CD and it went on and off with no problem. I don't understand why it would work any different on my paint.
 
GreyFixer,



I've had decent luck with IP in the past, and from your description I'd change these two things: First, use more product. I usually apply IP in a line about 1" from the edge of the pad, basically making a bead of polish in the shape of a circle about 5" in diameter. I'd guess that's close to twice what you were using. Second, get a spray bottle of water, and mist the pad before you apply the polish. The extra water keeps the polish wet longer, and gives you the time to break down the polish before it turns to glue on you.



Don't give up on the IP; other than the copious amounts of dust it produces during polishing, I've found it to be an excellent product.



Tort
 
Has anyone tried FMJ on plastic trim? I some people use klasse and zaino, and was wondering if FMJ would work in that respect.
 
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