Question about My System

M

metoo1022

New member
Prior to this year, I was a wash and wax guy- So I'm just learning. My searches are giving me lots of ideals, but I have a bin full of products- Before I re-invest I want to make sure I get the most out of what I have. I was debating Mother's vs Meguiars, and ended up getting the Mother's because it was on sale. I have the clay bar with showtime, cleaner wax, phase 1 cleaner, phase 2 glaze and phase 3 carnauba wax. I also have a bottle of Collenite's Insulator Wax.



When I checked the Manual at the top of the university thread, there was mention that a pro detailing trick is to use syntheti sealer and cover it with wax for the best result. Is this what I am doing with the Mother's? Is phase 2 polish sealer the synthetic sealer that is written of in the manual?



What do I do with my Collenite's? My searches showed a favourable response to the insulator wax. Is this a natural or a synthetic? Can I add it to my Mother's routine, maybe a step four after the carnauba wax, or a replacement of the step three, or maybe a step 2.5 after the glaze and before the Mother's carnauba? Maybe I should set it aside until I run out of the Mother's-
 
Don't confuse the Mother's steps with what you read here. Every car care mfg creates their own product steps for their product line. Many people here subscribe to the same basic rules:



1. Clean

2. Prep Surface

3. Polish/Perfect Surface

4. Seal

5. Enhance (special effects)



There are many products that fit into each step. No single product line is right or wrong, and it is okay to mix and match. Preparation and technique have as much to do with the final results as the products used.



db
 
DavidB said:
Don't confuse the Mother's steps with what you read here. Every car care mfg creates their own product steps for their product line. Many people here subscribe to the same basic rules:

db
Click to expand...



Do I understand the steps.



1. Clean: Soap ie- Dawn

2. Prep Surface- clay bar, and Mother's step one.

3. Polish/Perfect Surface- Mother's step two.

4. Seal- Wax? Mother's step three?

5. Enhance (special effects)- combination of waxes
 
Mother's step 1 is the pre-wax cleaner, so if you are going to do that, don't bother doing a dawn wash. I would just wash with regular car soap and then use that soap to lube the clay. The rewash and dry and then use step 1. This way, you don't have to use a harsh soap like dish soap on the paint, since you will be cleaning it anyway.
 
I would categorize it into 3 types:



1. Maintenance

Wash - Car wash soap

Quick Detail (at least once a week)

with a carnauba version if you wax (EF Clear Pearl etc)

2. Detail

Wash - Car wash soap

Wax / Seal - with layers if you have the time

Quick Detail

Clean Interior



3. ShowCar

Wash - dawn soap (to rid of wax build-up)

Clay - to rid of embedded contaminates

Polish

Wax / Seal - layering if time permits

Quick Detail

Interior Clean

Wheel Clean

Engine Bay detail

etc.



An AIO (all in one) basically is a cleaner / polish / wax. I wouldn't go that route as I would just add a layer of wax and wait until I had more time to the ShowCar session which is really only about 1 - 2 x a year. The Detail should be about every 1 - 2 months and the maintenance every 1 to 2 weeks.



Paco
 
Heh heh, hello Doc. You are having the same confusion as I did before I found Autopia! (I spent 15 minutes in the store aisles wondering what the diff between the clay kit and the 3-step system was!)



Mothers Phase 2 is not synthetic. Its name is confusing since it says sealer, but just consider it a glaze. This is part of a traditional waxing system where you clean/prep the surface, glaze, then wax. The Autopian way mainly has more aspects to the 1st step (swirl removal, clay, polish, more polish, etc. - not in that order btw).



I think you should use steps 1 and 2 from Mothers and use the Insulator Wax on top. I don't know if it's a synthetic or just a really tough natural wax, but either way apply it before any "softer" waxes like Phase 3 if you're not satisfied with the Insulator's shine (should be OK though).



If you want to get a real synthetic sealant of your choice then top it with wax, skip the glaze step since it's not compatible.



Really, your paint prep stages are the most time consuming and crucial to getting good results later. The waxes, glazes, and sealants after are just to enhance and protect the "real" work. :)
 
The #2 step sealer/glaze does not protect ( most sealers do protect and most glazes do not, the Mothers#2 is more of a glaze )but it does aid in providing a beautiful shine. The only protection is in the #3 step which is a carnauba. Carnaubas are not long lasting which is why we like polymers and then top with a carnauba.



BTW: Mother's sealer/glaze is not compatible with Klasse.



4DSC: You beat me to it,oh well I tried
 
It's starting to come together. But I still have a few questions-



Is there a thread or FAQ that explains the abreviations: MF, QD, etc.?



Paco- You list quick detail in all of your steps. Are you talking about the spray bottle?



4DSC- Are glaze and sealers always not compatible, or are you saying that the Mother's glaze is incompatible with sealers?



With waxes is the rule to apply hard, durable wax first, then softer waxes to increase shine?



If so I have:



Wash

Clean

Polish

Glaze or Seal (not both)

Wax- Hard wax

Wax- Soft wax
 
Wash

Clay

Polish

Clean

etc.



Think of paint cleaners as mild polishes, so it's better to follow up other polishes with them.



All glazes seem to be incompatible under and over sealants. Under because they're full of oils, fillers, etc. and sealants don't like to bond to this stuff, and over because their solvents are incompatible and they'll strip off the sealant. With regards to the first point, it's a good idea to do a Dawn wash prior to using a sealant.



Using both "hard" and "soft" wax together is optional, but yes, that's the order. If you decipher the acronyms in my signature, you'll see this is what I've done. The toughest Klasse layers are on the bottom, with the more durable #26 wax next, and the least durable (but arguably glossiest) "soft" wax on top. This is the "hardcore" approach and way more work than Mothers 3-Phase system where I started! :D
 
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