Weekend Detailing PLan

[Stryke]

Adam, too bad you're in IL cause I'm going to set up a detail day at my shop (see my thread here). I can clay an entire car in less than 15 minutes, especially a Boxster. When I put 4 guys on a car at the shop they can clay, compound, polish, glaze and wax with full interior detail in around 1 hour. I will be going over all of this including wet sanding and scratch fixing on the detail day.

[Lux]

Adam,

You've been a long time contributor to this forum and I definitely don't think you're being unreasonable with your experiences. I hope I don't come across as slamming you...as that's not the case.

Remember, I'm an engineer so I tend to be more skeptical of products than most. I too wouldn't recommend a product unless I'm satisfied with it. I just hate to see words like "placebo" affect being tossed around when a product's effectiveness is very real.

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[Adam]

I appreciate your response Lux and you too Stryke. In the whole scheme of things whether or not the clay works for me isn't a big deal, especially since I'm more than pleased with the finish of my paint as is. Car products are all trial and error and there are just so many variables in every situation. It is easy for outcomes to differ especially with individual subjectivity coming into play. The best a consumer can do is try to do research and make the most educated decisions possible by using the tools at his/her disposal. The more I do research in the car market, the more I realize marketers sell products with smoke and mirrors and the bottom line is always money of course. One must be skeptical to prevent being ripped off.

[99-Boxster-MK]

Well I finished with the Zaino and all I can say is WOW.. The car looks like the paint is dripping of off it. I can't say enough about how amazing it looks..

I haven't even put on the Z8 which I will get tommorow.. Highly recommend the Zaino.

Will post some pictures later on in the week as my friend took a bunch, but I just don't gottem yet.

Mike

[RandallNeighbour]

This thread and the clay debate got me so interested I went out and bought the Mother's clay bar kit.

Used it on the hood and front fenders. I gotta say that on my beat up 1997 with the worst-maintained black paint job on any Porsche Boxster I've seen, it worked wonders. Didn't make the car look as if it was repainted, but doggonit, it sure is smooth as glass now and looks unbelievably shiny!

No one has said anything about the clay application process, so for those of you who have never tried it, let me say that it requires no elbow grease or pressure. You just spray the soapy lubricant over a 2 square foot area, start rubbing this clay on the surface of the car lightly going back and forth (no circular motions) and when it feels slick, you move on. I found that I didn't keep the surface lubricated quite enough and kept spraying as I did the clay work.

Very nice results. I will now have to buy Klasse and try that as well.

I do have a clay storage question. I just put it in a zip lock bag. Can I reuse it as long as it doesn't dry out? I do know it only lasts for a about three cars' worth of claying.

[Adam]

Yeah I did the same thing with my leftover clay. Should be fine I would think. I am going to give my car a full detailing tomorrow(even the undercarriage and wheel wells). I will try out the mothers clay and deoxidization cleaner wax tomorrow before I lay on the Zaino. I finally had to use the windshield wipers for the first time on my car this weekend.....3hrs+ more hours of detailng now....sigh. A few fellow boxster owners said my car was the nicest looking one at the show so at least my hardwork is not going unnoticed lol. We had a great time depite the rain, wish I could've met some of you guys....always next year I guess.

[Perfectlap]

I've clayed certain cars and saw very little difference. But those were very well maintained cars that were garage kept.

I clayed my friend's Corolla the other day. I don't think it had ever been clayed in 6 years. I washed the car twice and the drying towels were clean.
Then came out the clay and after one pass teh clay was filthy.
No need to mention that the owner of this car wasn't a detailing buff. Just the couple of visits to the car wash each month.

But even if you don't see a difference with the clay bar you should still do it before waxing. There are micro sediments that hook into the paint and clear coat.
The last thing you want to do is to roll that stuff around. Its like sandpapering your car.
In general I try to touch my paint as little as possible.
And when I do it touch dirty paint it has to be well lubricated with soapy water.
I don't believe in rinsing a dirty car with a spray gun either. You should remove the nozzle and tricle the water over the paint.

[Brucelee]

Randall

On that black finish, if you have it, use a quality buffer on the All in One application and use some pressure. The All in One is a great polish indeed.

Then, if you are up to it, multiple coats of the Sealer will transform the Boxster black. I would say at least three coats, each left on overnight. If you use detailer spritz, the sealant comes off very nicely.

Let me know what you think after you do that. I think you will be very pleased indeed.

Best of luck.