Weekend Detailing PLan
 

So I am getting together with a friend to do some detailing on Saturday..

Here is my plan for my Pastel Yellow Boxster. PLease critique as needed..

1) Wash
2) Clay front fenders
3) Wash
4) Maguiar's Paint Cleaner (#1 in 3 step Deep Crystal System) for minor scratch and swirl removal
5) 50/50 Alcohol Wash to remove anything left on the surface

Next are the Zaino Steps

6) Z1
7) Z2
8) Z6
9) Z2
10) Z6
11) Z8

What do you guys think of this plan.. The car has virtually no swirl marks, but a couple of minor mini swirls and mini scuffs, which will easilly come out.

Mike

I think just claying the front fascia/fenders is a good idea to save yourself some time. It seems that the front end comes into contact with the majority of crap that sticks to the paint even after a wash(bugs). Maybe I'm way off but it seems that claying the whole car is alot of work for not much in return. I just picked up some clay so I will find out this weekend if all this clay hype is true. BTW I use Zaino too and I really like that stuff.

If you're gonna waste all of that time putting on Zaino, then clay the whole car. Don't skimp!

Post pics when you're done.


-

Yeah, I'm getting the car ready tomorrow for this weekend. It's Porsche Fest time almost baby! I will get pics.

I have never used Zaino but it seems like a TON of work.

My process.

Clay the whole car
No need to wash again, as detailer spray will clean sufficiently.
Klasse All In One
Klasse Sealant.

Go to the Beach!

:cheers:

hahaha:) I know, I aready spend 2-3hours doing the whole car and now I have this clay thing to add on top of it all.

very true BruceLee,
that's what hooked me on the Klasse, very quick results and virtually zero residue to clean up.
Generally I find that all the different detailing products i've used provide results that are fairly similar, 'within 3%' so to speak. The key (for me) is which will be the most time efficient. I also find that the Klasse treatment lasts a really long time. (as does the NXT on my wheels and 1Z on my tires).

If there is one thing I hate, its spending hours to clean on Saturday and then quickly making a mess of it on a Sunday. I'll let you guess which is more fun.

p.s. don't forget to clay your wheels!

Didn't think of claying the wheels.. Will do that :)

Mike

One of the things about Klasse that amazes me is the job it does as a cleaner/scratch remover.

Even it though it has no abrasive, I have taken out some really ugly imperfections in the paint with no chance of hurting the finish.

And yes, the ease of use is pretty amazing, esp on black! :dance:

I'm a Klasse man!!!
 

Yep, I've used both. Both look great and last a long time. Klasse is easy to use, I love the AIO and does a great job polishing without scratching. Easy on and off with NO residue like wax.

Zaino is also a great product, just a little more messing around, mixing zfx and waiting between steps, not to mention the price.

Klasse also benefits from a good coat of wax after 3 good coats of sealant glaze. This year I used S100(same but cheaper version of PS21, found at Harley shops) and looks awesome!!!!

I have heard about the wax on Klasse. I will have to give this a go.

Thanks for the idea.

:)

^the guy on Autopia has it trade marked. He calls it 'the perfect shine".

Once you put that Carnauba wax over the acrylic Klasse sealant you have to strip the whole thing down again if you want to add more sealant to add further depth to the appearance of the shine.
Carnauba or "wax" over Klasse sealant is nice depending on the color, I think its overkill on a black car. But can make a big difference on lighter colors like Silver, red and yellow.
Some think highly layered Klasse sealant looks like a candy coating and a bit too showy, kinda like people who use those greasy looking tire dressings.

Remember to let the wheels and rotors to cool down completely before washing.
A big reason why pulling right into a car wash is not good.

Try cleaning the barell of the wheel as well, Black Magic sell a wheel brush at Pepboys that cleans a 9" wheel pefectly. If the barell is kept clean it won't throw up brake dust and debris onto the rest of the wheel. Waxing with NXT, Rejex or All in One with each wash is higly recomended. Always clean your wheels by working from the top down and clean them first before you wash the rest of the car. Brake dust is like razor blades to the softer german paints.

Claying the rear may be a prudent use of time. From what I understand, a lot of pollutants from your exhaust may have affected the finish on the rear of the car. Maybe the guys at Autopia can offer a more informated opinion.

I tried the clay on the front section and wasn't impressed. I couldn't tell a difference and it picked up very few foreign objects/contaminates. The surface didn't seem any smoother for me. Maybe it's more of a placebo type thing. Maybe my car just isn't dirty enough...I don't know.

You'll notice the difference when you wax.. Instead of a dirty looking applicator pad it'll look like it's just been cleaned.

I just spent most of the day working on the car. I used the Mother's clay kit, and I did the whole car. I then used the cleaner wax, and then a coat of Meguire's Gold Class over the top. It came out really nice.

If you used the clay bar correctly and follow with a quality system like Klasse or Zaino, the finish should feel like clean glass. If not, something did not happen at the clay bar stage.

Let us know!

Good luck!

I did as the instructions told me. The car feels like smooth glass when I use my Zaino but no before after clay difference for me.

Adam, first the B&M and now the clay. What the heck is going on??? :p

It most certainly is not a placebo affect. Zaino (along with most sealants) will cover a lot of the contaminants and make a surface smooth. But as the sealants wear down, the contaminants will still be there. A clayed surface vs. a non-clayed surface should feel very different. There is no way that your car doesn't have contaminants embedded in the paint if you've driven your car at all. Zaino is giving you a false impression that the surface underneath is clean/smooth. I compare it to washing your car with soap and washing with just a water rinse. Both cars will look clean, but only one will be truly clean.

Again, I'm baffled by your expriences. But whatever works for you, go with it. :)

-

Lux, I'm not try to be disagreeable/negative or anything, just sharing my impressions. If the clay works good for you and others then that's great. I just didn't perceive a difference with using the clay. I'm not going to say it makes a nice improvement if I can't see/feel an improvement. I not going to go along with you and some others if I feel like the product didn't perform as claimed. I am as careful as anyone to follow the instructions provided by the manufacture because I don't want to mess up my car or give a false impression of a product. I do push products that I feel have delivered on their claims such the Zaino, BMC filter, and my flannel car cover. I like those products and recammend them as do other people. I will try to continue to report on products that I try out and give as accurate an assessment as possible which may or may not coincide with others' opinions. I am open to suggestion and help as I have always been. I have decided to give the clay another shot after I strip the wax/polish off as you have suggested. I certainly hope you don't have a problem with me because I came to different conclusions on products such as the clay or B&M. Forums like this one were designed for people to share opinions and suggestions; differing opinions are a certainly going to happen and there is nothing wrong with that.

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. :)

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. :cheers:

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.

-

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.