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In the early- mid 2000's I spent a few years doing paint correction and detailing. My go to regimen was the Menzerna and Mequiers compounds and polishes followed by a few coats of Zaino. It was a lot of work but I was always able to get the results needed with the various combos.
Fast forward from 2008 to 2013 I lived in dorms/ apartments through out college and had cars that I really didn't care about. Dings, bumps, scrapes from other cars and college students were inevitable, and driving $3k beaters I didn't care what it looked like, as long as it could get me to my job and to my classes.
So to get to the point, I now have some nicer cars and I went back to my old regimen. Don't get me wrong, the cars look great, but I'm tired of the amount of work to get those results. Being that I have been out of the detailing game for roughly 8 - 10 years. I know there has been some advancements in the detailing world. The past 6 or 8 months I've purchased a few different products (Adams, Sonax, Gyeon to name a few)
Below are some pictures of my trusty regimen and the results I have acheived. My question to my fellow forum peeps, what have you tried and liked the most. Why "X product" over "Y product". I want to avoid my random purchasing of products for trial and error.
I'm looking to be more effective on cleaning the cars, as well as getting the most protection and shine for the time and effort put in. Appreciate your thoughts and reccommendations
Here are the money shots
What I have tried...
Love the Adams Waterless wash. Use it more of a after wash detail spray. I've found it reduces dust build up, also plays well with the zaino coats
Adams all purpose cleaner, I have mixed emotions, has worked better for me on soiled interior trim, than exterior pieces.
Adams Tire and rubber cleaner. Used it once and its back on the shelf. Worked decent on the tires to get rid of dressing build up. No improvement on the rubber trims on my Jeep.
Sonax wheel cleaner, stuff is awesome, most of the time can spray it on, and rinse off all the brake dust and build up. Love it
Sonax detail spray, worked ok, prefer the Adams waterless.
Have also tried various Gyeon products. Liked their Wet Coat, did have some streaking, so had to reclean a few sections.
Your Z looks amazing so whatever you are doing is working
As far as trying new stuff, many of the detail sites offer the smaller samples for sale. I really like buying these. Even though they are expensive, $5-$8 for 2-4 oz, it allows me to test different products without spending a bundle on stuff that will die on my shelf if I don't like. Good luck
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C1 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2017 Corvette of the Year Finalist
2016 C2 of Year
2015 C3 of Year Finalist
I have tried just about everything and still love the wet look that Zaino Clear Sealant followed by Z8 Grand Finale gives. Once your car is properly prepped, Clear Sealant takes about 5 minutes to apply. There is no buffing. What could be easier than that? Spritz with Z8 once it cures and your done.
A couple of pics of my Z06 and 65. Last pic is the Z at Carlisle on Thursday.
I am a big fan of "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I have been using Menzerna and Pinnacle products for several years and get outstanding results. There is always a new product of the week introduced by someone but why change if what you are doing is producing the results you want. I always rely on the expertise at Autogeek for technical advise new products.
I am a big fan of "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I have been using Menzerna and Pinnacle products for several years and get outstanding results. There is always a new product of the week introduced by someone but why change if what you are doing is producing the results you want. I always rely on the expertise at Autogeek for technical advise new products.
I will say that the pinnacle products had my machine silver really "popping!"
The polishes you have used in the past (Megs, Wolfgang, Menzerna) are still very popular and offer easy correction in the hands of consumer and professional. Machines have changed significantly with long-throw's and polishing systems like Rupes which work extremely well in unison.
The biggest change in the detailing market is coatings. These are not what dealers sold at high mark-ups. These products are single application, long term protection. The gloss is incredible and beats all the combo's heard here. With proper washing and drying techniques you should be able to apply once and leave alone for a year or longer. Best part ... with coatings you only buff off the high spots (over application). Once you've coated, detail sprays become the only thing you will play with for a long time to come.
The polishes you have used in the past (Megs, Wolfgang, Menzerna) are still very popular and offer easy correction in the hands of consumer and professional. Machines have changed significantly with long-throw's and polishing systems like Rupes which work extremely well in unison.
The biggest change in the detailing market is coatings. These are not what dealers sold at high mark-ups. These products are single application, long term protection. The gloss is incredible and beats all the combo's heard here. With proper washing and drying techniques you should be able to apply once and leave alone for a year or longer. Best part ... with coatings you only buff off the high spots (over application). Once you've coated, detail sprays become the only thing you will play with for a long time to come.
Originally Posted by ronkh57
My .02
Your car looks GREAT!
That said, the only reason to change (in my opinion) would be to try something new or go to a coating like KW said.
Coating it will make your cleaning regimen a lot quicker and easier.
Remember, if you look back at your car and admire it after you park it somewhere, you're doing it right.
So I've been looking at some coating, I've seen some that you spray on while drying, have also seen some you have to let cure for a set time period before wiping off, and some that require heat lights to help cure. So what should try that won't require a lot of effort or extra equipment. Also what kind of protection and Maintenance am I looking at with these coatings
You are correct that coatings do come in several applications methods ... the one I offer most for new users is Wolfgang Uber Coating or Optimums Gloss Coat as the methods are easy and you will see long term results.
You wash, dry, polish as normal ... when paint is clean and ready you apply the coating with a small applicator. (the coating is in a syringe to control amount used) You work in a light straight motion and only applied you allow around 10-15 minutes to cure. You then buff off any excess that was on paint ...a light wipe is usually all that's needed. The paint will start to feel slicker and over the next couple of hours the coating will finalize itself chemically bonding to paint. That's it .... no heavy buffing and once you get the hang of the light application you can actually control and even stop any buffing.
Now if you prefer to move to a spray type coating, these don't last quite as long and often need some heavy water spray to activate the hydrophobic properties. These are cool as quite easy to use. Some see streaking on glass and paint. You may need to wipe these areas if noticed.
I just tried a new product - one of those ceramic coatings. it is called Kamikaze ISM. I tried it on my 2012 Jaguar that has a black metallic paint. First I spent a day with the porter cable polishing out the swirls, etc. The next day i applied the coating. It is amazing how much 4 or 5 drops will cover. The finish was fantastic. Yesterday was the big test. It was about 2 1/2 weeks since I applied it and it poured down rain yesterday. This morning when I went into the garage the car was totally dry and it looked like it had just been washed. No water marks, dirt, etc.
I just tried a new product - one of those ceramic coatings. it is called Kamikaze ISM. I tried it on my 2012 Jaguar that has a black metallic paint. First I spent a day with the porter cable polishing out the swirls, etc. The next day i applied the coating. It is amazing how much 4 or 5 drops will cover. The finish was fantastic. Yesterday was the big test. It was about 2 1/2 weeks since I applied it and it poured down rain yesterday. This morning when I went into the garage the car was totally dry and it looked like it had just been washed. No water marks, dirt, etc.
08-29-2016, 10:43 PM
Looking for new product line up.....
Your car probably couldn't look any better than it does. I have tried alot of other products and did not like them nearly as much.
