car wax
 

I'm surprised I rarely see the menion on 'glaze' here...and the other P-forums?! The Mercedes guys drool all over KLASSE. I found it works great. This KLASSE stuff is so cool - I use it on my glasses. It fills all the little scratches and the solar flares are gone.

I also 'clay bar' the car after washing it. I save the Carnauba or Meg's #26 Yellow wax for the last. By then the shine is 2 foot deep already.


Jim

Wetstuff,

I have used cleaner waxes to get oxidized paint up and I've used caranuaba wax and other polishes, but I've never used a clay bar. What does it do to the finish and how do I apply it to the car.

spgribben007

here's some info on Klasse:
I have an unfinished bottle of virtually every single wax available at the auto stores. My friend who worked for Mercedez turned me on to Klasse which isn't sold at Auto Stores. All the results are similar for all of the products I've used but Klasse is by far the easiest to apply and remove. Its acrlyic so it doesn't require any waiting/hazing time. The minute it goes onto the paint it can be wiped off. Its a two part treatment: first use KLasse All in One which cleans the paint and fills in scratches applied with foam applicator. Klasse Sealant Glaze is next applied with a damp microfiber applicator. This sealant glaze is potent and you should only use about a drop per panel, if doesn't come of easily you've applied to much.
Let it cure for a day and then you can keep layering.

This layering is used on show cars and is fantastic on Black cars. Click on my signature and you can see what 17 coats looks like. Once you've finished layering it will look great. Some freaks like me like to put the icing on in the form of a Carnauab wax P21S or S100 are the most popular amongst the Auto Show deatailers. Its my opinion that you shouldn't ever apply a wax directly to a paint surface that hasn't first be treated to sealant barrier like Klasse SG. You can quick detail in between washes with a Carnauaba spray or Acrlyic Spray (Sonus makes both).
In between seasons its good to strip it all off with a wash of Klasse All In One, just drop a few squirts into a bucket of warm water and spray in some water for suds, after washing twice Clay the surface panels to remove sediments (very important) Add another layer of AIO and begin the sealant layering with Klasse Sealant Glaze once again.
And almost as important spend some money on quality microfiber towels. Not all microfiber towels are the same. The one's in your local auto store are only for the interior of the car. Professional detailers who have to wax frequently seem to be using waffle weave microfiber towels in grey and white colors.
www.autogeek.net
www.autopia-carcare.com

Klasse All in One and Sealer are the best products I have ever used. Even on black, these can create miracles.

A clay bar is essential IF the finish has surface pollutants within it. You can tell this as you rub your hand across a clean surface. If will feel like there are bumps in it even though the finish is clean, then you need to clay bar.

The clay bar actually draws or pulls out the pollution from the paint into the bar. It is kind of wierd, you get all this crap on the bar that you could not see, but could feel, in the paint.

The essential first step (after washing) to a pristine finish.

After that, well it depends on what you are dealing with.

What about paint chips? I recently got an 2001 orient red and the previous owner decided to repair a paint chip and (my opinion) did a poor job. How do guys recommend getting his repair up so I can try to repair it with an Autosharp pen?

take a qtip with a tiny drop of nail polish remover and see if the touch up paint he used wasn't followed up with a clear coat. If he did a poor job I'm sure he didn't use a two part touch up paint and the acetone should lift the paint out of the chip hole. Then get out some pencils
here's the professional method
http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=27

Should you not use a paint cleaner or pre-wax first if you're gonna use a sealant next? Then wax?

it depends on the age of the paint. If its a newer car that is garage kept a paint cleaner might be overkill. And remember you only want to rub on the paint a little as necessary year round. People forget how soft the German clear coats are. They are actually banned here in the USA because of their chemicals. So if you have your car repaired by a Body Shop they are not using the same materials. The base coat might be the same.

If the car is kept outside and is a few years old you should use a paint cleaner like P21S or 1Z (looks like a speedstick deodarant).
Don't know about other brands but you can't use Klasse Sealant Glaze without first using their cleaner/polish: Klasse All in One. They are formulated to bond together or something.
Many people use Meguiar's ScratchX before proceeding to the cleaner and sealant. Works well but requires lots of elbow grease. (speed, never pressure).
A great job for the Porter Cable orbital polisher.

If you are using Klasse, it depends on where you start.

Cars in poor condition may need a clay bar, then a fine grit compound, then Klasse All in one followed by Sealant.

However, I get many cars here that simply need Klasse All in One and then sealant. The Klasse All in one has a very remarkable cleaner in it that will deep clean and actually take out many imperfections that normally need a compound.

After a job like that, a garage kept car can go 6 months without needing another hit of Klasse.

Zaino is another product like Klasse. I've used that and only that on my Boxster since day 1, and it looks great! Surface prep w/P21S paint cleanser and clay bar; 3M swirl mark remover for scratches; but all the rest is Zaino products. Lasts forever for a garaged car, half year for my daily driver that sleeps outside.

Is there any truth that natural waxes like Carnuba will give a deeper shine than products like Klasse? I've got a black car and a healthy dose of swirl marks (especially on bright sunshiny days), what would be best for my car? Would Klasse be good?

In my experience, Klasse is the tops for black cars. The sealant will "hide" many swirl marks very nicely. With the sealant, the more coats you use the greater the hiding effect and the deeper the color gets.

On swirl marks, if you are handy with a buffer, Meguiers makes a nice swirl mark remover that does remove SOME of the marks, depending on what you are starting with. After using that, proceed with the Klasse All in one and then sealant.

Good luck!

PS-Black is just plain tough to get right.

Many people swear by Zaino and I love it too.

Anyone have any feelings one way or the other about Amway Car Polish? My wife swears up and down that it's the best, but I've never used it. If you have used it, how does it rank vs. other products you've tried.

Thanks!

PB

Thank you all for your feedback. I just purchased Klasse kit.
Hopefully, we can have another beautiful day soon... so that I can get busy. :)

just remeber:
foam pad for the orange bottle
microfiber towel for the silver bottle. (tiny spray of water on towel)

I also suggest getting Sonus Acrylic Spritz spray bottle to boost the Klasse SG shine. It was formulated with Klasse for use in between layers of SG.
Very good for dissolving the streaking that occurs when too much SG is applied.
Its tricky to spread a dime size drop evenly over one panel without a porter cable orbital polisher.

I think this had about 7 layers of Klasse SG and a couple of layers of P21s Wax
Klasse on Black (this car was ten years and never garagged)
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...57_12_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...57_23_full.jpg

I'm thinking it might just be easier to fly Perfectlap in, feed him a hearty Canadian breakfast and set him loose on my Box!

Sonus is great stuff and a perfect compliment to Klasse. In fact, you can buy it within a kit that Klasse offers.

Nice job on that black finish. Black is very very tough but rewarding.

S100 vs P21S
 

I am choosing wax for my artic silver Boxster. What is the difference between S100 vs P21S? Any other wax works good on silver besides them? Thanks.

97boxsterian, there is great car car info at autopia.org. A lot of people recommend the Klasse products.

I just picked up some Z5 from Zaino. It is suppossed to work well for slight swirling and it is nonabrasive so there is little risk of screwing up the paint. I will use soon and report back on the results.
Here is te link. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Zaino

i am suprise none of you speak about zymol? i have been using the stuff on my two black boxsters with very good results, fairly easy to apply and buff(wear gloves otherwise you'll have blue hands for a while)spray a little mist of fresh water and eh! presto you have a shiny car, easy to wash next time around and looking good. I have never hear of Klasse in Europe but will check it out

I use Z-5. It's the stuff. Also use Z-6 gloss enhancer spray. Amazing results. Lasts for a looong time (months).

The Mequiars NXT product is very good and easy to use. Especially on white or silver. Excellent results.

we recently purchased an '02 S in guards red. Like black it is prone to swirls. I dont' think the previous owner had EVER detailed the car, and it looked as though they had put it through automated car washes a LOT-the leading cause of swirls in my opinion.

I now have the paint looking absolutely perfect(in my opinion)

For your black car, it is imperative that you get a random orbital-the Porter Cable 7424 is popular. Don't worry if you have never used one. I hadn't either when I first tried one a couple of years ago. Totally safe, even in the hands of a newby. The key though is to ensure it is a random orbital machine. Check out autopia.org. most of those folks are professional detailers and I learned a lot about making my finishes look great from them.

I used Pinnacle swirl remover first(after claying, of course, which is mandatory the first time you detail your car), using a Wolfgang light cutting orange pad. This product does NOT hide the swirls, it actually polishes them out. Very mild and completely clearcoat safe.

then I apply Wolfgang's pre-wax polish and then the deep gloss paint sealant-the "twins" as they are called in the detailing world, using a white polishing pad. After the paint sealant adheres to your paint(12 hours), I then finish off with a topper of Souveran carnuba, applied by hand.

Everyone swears the car is brand new. Even under the harsh, telling lights of a gas station(the absolute best light to check for swirls in your paint), it looks wet and deep, without a hint of swirls or scratches.

I locked onto this combination when I bought my truck and it's worked for me on all my cars, but especially good on black and red. Good luck!

Here is an article I found on the internet regarding you question:


First, a little background. P21s and S100 are products made the same German manufacturer but produced for different market segments. P21s is an "automotive" product, and S100 is a "motorcycle" product. Obviously, either brand can be used on either vehicle, but the distribution channels etc are quite different.

In any event, the debate rages whether S100 carnauba wax and P21s are, indeed, the same wax but priced differently. I've been to the importer and spoken with the manager there (since I'm a retailer, they'll talk to me a little bit) and the party line is that the formulas are a trade secret held closely by the manufacturers in Europe and that nobody in the US knows the true formula. That part is probably true.

Before I continue, a little bit of carnauba wax information is required. Carnauba tree leaves produce a wax coating that is dried and removed from the leaves after a harvesting. The younger leaves produce a lighter, whiter wax whereas the older leaves produce a heaver yellow wax. Both waxes are used in paint care, but have different properties and characteristics.

For those carnauba waxes that want maximum durability, a higher percentage of the carnauba content will be yellow wax. It has higher durability characteristics, but it is not as optically pure as the white carnauba (duh, it's yellow!)

For those that still want a durable finish but prefer a more optically-pure wax, they would opt for a wax with a higher percentage of white carnauba.

Now, let's look at the differences in what a painted surface on a motorcyle would undergo versus a painted automotive surface. The paint on a motorcycle is in much closer proximity to the heat and gunk produced by the engine, whereas the engine in a car is normally hidden in a cavity and "sealed" from the outside. Some heat certainly dissipates to the hood, but most of the painted surfaces are not affected by the heat of the engine.

Ok, with that out of the way, let's open the lid and look at the wax itself. Hopefully I can get an accurately-colored photo posted soon, but for now, let me assure you that the P21s is markedly whiter than the S100. By corrolary, the S100 is much yellower than the P21s.

Based on the above facts, MY OPINION that the S100 has a higher content of yellow-carnauba wax, whereas the P21s has more white carnauba. This is evidenced by both the cost and the color. White carnauba is more optically-clear, more expensive, and less durable than the yellow carnauba. Therefore the yellow wax and its greater hardness would be most appropriate in a motorcycle application. On a car application, the paint is much more of an appearance item and tend to be lighter in color (whites, slivers) than would a motorcycle paint job and the white carnauba would still provide adequate protection but have a better optical clarity than the white.

In conclusion: are the S100 and P21s the same, but just tinted differently? Maybe. Only the German manufacturers know. But until I can find someone who can do some real scientific testing, I can't prove anything. But my educated guess is that there IS a difference.

Thank you bmussatti! I guess I will try S100 first, coz better value and more durable.