Top the twins with Souveran?

H

Harkonen

New member
Greetings!



My first post, but I've been lurking for some time now.



At the risk of analysis paralysis, I have been researching for weeks prior to executing the first detail of my new (used) CLK430 (Black).



After initially leaning toward Zaino, I have decided instead on Klasse and perhaps Carnuba to acheive depth/wet rather than just mirror/shine.



I know I will be sacrficing some durability, but I'm OK with that (just means I get to wax more often:D ).



I have just three questions:



1) Does it make any sense to top with a Carnuba like Souveran or s100 AFTER an AIO/SG combo? Will I get any extra depth/wet look?



2) Does this kind of solution lend itself to more micromarring during washing vs. a harder finish like Zaino?



3) Does a California Duster cause any scratching if used carefully?



Thanks!!!
 
GREETINGS! Welcome to Autopia!



1) Sure! Some people (like myself) love a carnauba topper on top of sealant. Just make sure you have all the layers of sealant you want on there before adding the topper, otherwise you are in for a real smearing mess! Be sure to wait 24 hours between layering (of the SG).

2) Not sure...someone will pipe up about this...

If you are asking what I think you are asking...NO! But, someone will speak up..

3) Not really...some people swear by it. For me, I am a Instant Detail Spray and MF kinda guy...
 
Thanks! I use a QD & MF as well, but there is SOOO much pollen around here I have to use the duster to get the coating off my car every night. I use the QD & MF for spot cleaning.



Do most of you prefer the Klasse AIO/SG or the WG twins if you are going to top with a Carnuba (again, the goal is deep, wet looking black).



I will be using clay and some kind of swirl remover before either treatment.
 
:welcome

I've been using the K twins for over a year now. Cannot find a good enough reason to change - I don't need or want to buy into the new-product-du-jour rat race some here play (this is not a flame to those who do, it is just not my cup of tea). Paraphrasing NozeBleedSpeed "Find a product you like and use it often". I got lucky and picked the right product for me the first time -- mind you, I lurked quite a while before signing up and did a lot of research, then jumped in at the deep end, because within a month had bought PC ordered polishes, pads, MF's and K twins and havn't looked back since.
 
Gonzo said:
:welcome

I've been using the K twins for over a year now. Cannot find a good enough reason to change - I don't need or want to buy into the new-product-du-jour rat race some here play (this is not a flame to those who do, it is just not my cup of tea). Paraphrasing NozeBleedSpeed "Find a product you like and use it often". I got lucky and picked the right product for me the first time -- mind you, I lurked quite a while before signing up and did a lot of research, then jumped in at the deep end, because within a month had bought PC ordered polishes, pads, MF's and K twins and havn't looked back since.
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Thanks, that's exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for. Do you use a carnuba of any type on top of your SG, or let it stand on its own?
 
From May to Thanksgiving last year I worked up to 10 x Sourveran over AIO - no deliberate strpping (bur more about that later). Since then I have used AIO x 2, SG x 3, UPP x 2 (or 3) and SONUS as a QD. I like the latter better as finish appears shinier and wetter. Before my next polish I may top for a month or so with Souveran just to see what happens.



A Ffne Carnuba in Houston in summer probably won't last all that long because of the heat, high humidity and the drenching thunderstorms, but it did provide a bright shine when freshly applied - then, I QD'ed with Pinnacle Crystal Mist, which I found excellent. Doing the carnuba thing, I found I was out there in the early mornings washing every weekend and waxing either every second or third weekend.



AIO, SG and UPP are a whole lot labor intensive.
 
Sounds fairly labor instensive....(but so what if it looks great:D )...Do you keep your vehicle garaged? If you dust daily would that not prevent having to wash every week?



I'm new to being obsessed with my car, so forgive if my questions are ignorant.



Thanks
 
Harkonen said:
Thanks! I use a QD & MF as well, but there is SOOO much pollen around here I have to use the duster to get the coating off my car every night. I use the QD & MF for spot cleaning.



Do most of you prefer the Klasse AIO/SG or the WG twins if you are going to top with a Carnuba (again, the goal is deep, wet looking black).



I will be using clay and some kind of swirl remover before either treatment.
Click to expand...



I'm gonna go out on a limb and say no topper. :D



I recently did Klasse twins on an 02 A4 and the Wolfgang twins on an 02 TL-S. IMHO, the Wolfgang twins were closer to the look you want... a little wetter looking than AIO/SG.



The customer (my friend) was so happy with the look that he decided against the s100 topper. He's just going to purchase WG and re-do coats himself. Easy maintainece and he won't have to remove the topper to do so. You may feel the same way as well.
 
Harkonen said:
Sounds fairly labor instensive....(but so what if it looks great:D )...Do you keep your vehicle garaged? If you dust daily would that not prevent having to wash every week?
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My car is garaged but at work, there's construction going on near the lot I park in so I get major dust everyday now. I've been using a CCD to get rid of most of the dust (making sure to shake out the dust often) and then QD/MF the car. Seems to work well.



Lately though, I've been wondering if I'm doing some micro-marring damage when I do this. Maybe daily is too much. So I squish the compulsion to do it every day and now dust twice a week and then do a quick wash on the weekend.



I think that weekly washing is a must. I don't think dusting will get everything.
 
BAH!:angry



This is what I was afraid of! I dust daily (sometimes twice a day)...this is probably causing some of my micromarring?



I cover my car every night, but it collects pollen and dust all day at work. I can't leave it dusty before covering it.



Am I condemned to a life of surface scratches? :confused:



Maybe it's time to kick my sister-in-law out of the garage!



Even garaged, I'm not sure I can go to sleep each night knowing my CLK is covered in dust:eek: .
 
Harkonen said:
BAH!:angry



This is what I was afraid of! I dust daily (sometimes twice a day)...this is probably causing some of my micromarring?



I cover my car every night, but it collects pollen and dust all day at work. I can't leave it dusty before covering it.



Am I condemned to a life of surface scratches? :confused:



Maybe it's time to kick my sister-in-law out of the garage!



Even garaged, I'm not sure I can go to sleep each night knowing my CLK is covered in dust:eek: .
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Unfortunately, it's hard to prevent microscratches even with the best of care, really, and black will just make every one of them show. :rolleyes:



Only thing I can recommend is to use something like the CCD (I assume you do already), use light pressure, shake it out often, and remove as much dust as you can before using QD.



Or reduce the frequency of dusting. Driving every other day with a light coating of dust won't hurt that much... of course, this assumes you're heartless and kick your sister-in-law out on the street. :p
 
Hmmm.... Show concern for my sister in law or my Mercedes

:LOLOL



I'll give her a sleeping bag and a pat on the back.



Is there much of a difference in the dusters? I picked mine up at Kragen... didn't check if it was Microfibre.
 
I've only tried a couple. I stopped looking after I picked up the CCD (California Car Duster.) It's very easy on the paint and the hairs are covered with paraffin wax. It picks up the dust and holds onto it.



My only complaint is that it left some minor streaking (wax) the first time I used it because I didn't read the instructions (to let it sit out for 24-28 hours before using it.) QD took care of the streaks right away.



Anyway, ridiculously cheap (under $10) and can be found at any Wal-Mart or some such other store.
 
Well, unfortunately it appears some of the very fine 'scratching' I'm seeing on the surface may be coming from dusting. I suspected this, and having read a few previous threads here, the consensus seems to be that CCD'ing a black car is asking for trouble.



This makes life difficult.



I think I will start a forest fire to eliminate all vegetation (read: pollen) in Northern California.







*Disclaimer*: The writer of this post is bitter, but in no way actually endorses, facilitates, or intends to participate in, the intentional burning of harmless vegetation.
 
I personally don't think proper use of the CCD will cause scratches or micromarring. From what you have posted I would be very supicious of "covering your car every night". Are you positive that the cover is not causing your problem?
 
OutlawTitan said:
I personally don't think proper use of the CCD will cause scratches or micromarring. From what you have posted I would be very supicious of "covering your car every night". Are you positive that the cover is not causing your problem?
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Hmmm, good question. I've wondered this myself. I have a custom MBZ cover that is SUPPOSED to be scratch-free, but I figure any sliding on the vehicle during placement or removal of the cover is just going to be smearing whatever contaminant are there all over the paint. Perhaps the cover is indeed my main culprit.
 
Harkonen said:
Well, unfortunately it appears some of the very fine 'scratching' I'm seeing on the surface may be coming from dusting.
Click to expand...
Anything that moves across the surface risks marring. Wind, too, I suppose, but to a far lesser degree than anything else. So far I've avoided touching the paint without a full wash. Uh, except a couple of times ... and each time, I put small scratches into the paint at that exact spot. I've got a friend who uses a duster several times a week; we just got done doing the full random-orbital polisher treatment on it. The cover, too, could be causing it, in much the same way that a California Water Blade itself doesn't scratch (but the stuff it pushes around does the scratching).



It's not worth it, IMO.
 
Re: California Car Duster



I previously lived at the end of a 1/3 mile road surfaced with crushed granite (which is not water soluble); even driving at less than 5 mph would result in the rocker panels and rear being covered with dust. The CCD seemed like it was worth a try, so I bought one and put it to the test and my rear deck lid.



To start I used a Porter Cable and increasingly mild polishes until I could see no marring even with an obsession light and then applied either Zaino or Klasse (don’t now remember which) to get a near perfectly mar free surface. Every time I drove the car I used the CCD after exiting the crushed granite - always using lateral strokes. Every time I returned I used QD - always using longitudinal strokes. This way it was easy to tell which method was causing the most marring.



Results: The CCD caused more marring than careful QDing unless the CCD was used with such a light touch that it was almost ineffective. Stopped using the CCD except for detailing emergencies.



I later found that misting the dusty areas with a car shampoo solution and rinsing with clear water before QDing gave the best results.



Remember, nothing that you read on these message forums should be taken as fact! Spend a couple of dollars and experiment with different products and techniques to find what will work best for you. What works for me may not work for you, and what works for you may not work for me!
 
Thanks Nick, great info.



I am quickly seeing my goal of developing a perfect system to keep my car with that daily bling-bling look w/o introducing any marring may be unobtainable.:sosad



Ya ya, I know, all that 'it's a journey not a destination' stuff.:rolleyes:



I want perfection, every day, without compromise!
 
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