I USED to use a leaf blower to blow the snow and/or water off my car until one day I was using it and apparently, a rock or something that was lodged in the air intake of the blower somehow popped into the impeller and WHANG SMASH came rocketing out of the exit tube and into the windshield of my Acura TL - starring it and beginning a crack that wound up requiring windshield replacement. OUCH!

Regarding Zaino and other polymer coatings - sorry, not a fan of those at all. Those utilize polymers and silicones to coat the paint, effectively sealing it up from being able to breath and outgas (all paints continue to "dry" for the life of the car), and also keeps the paint from being able to reabsorb replenishing oils that enhance the gloss.

Silicones and polymers are incompatible with most paints and if you need to have body work done, be sure the body shop carefully and agressively removes all traces of the product using fish-eye killer. That will add to the cost of your repairs.

Pure Carnauba wax is a natural wax found in palm trees in South America. It's very hard, and is "cut" with compatible oils and petroleum distillates then blended into an emulsion of water for application on your car. A good carnauba wax job will provide protection and water beading for six months, but honestly, i LOVE to wax my car, so I usually do it every six weeks or so. And there is no shine like that freshly-waxed shine.

 

Well, I've heard that too and don't believe a word of it. People have been using sealants like Klasse and Zaino for years, and you don't see much, if any, complaining about their paint failing or body shops having trouble working on their cars. If the car has a factory OEM paint job and isn't a repaint, there shouldn't be any problem with using a sealant.

Check out this discussion over at Autopia that clears things up a little:
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...+body+shop+bad

 

Sorry, but so much of this is just plain wrong, especially with regard to polymers. Paint does NOT continue to "dry" or outgas for the life of the car. Simply untrue.

I have been using Zaino for more than 7 years on my 3rd gen RX-7. The paint is in incredibly good condition, and I attribute most of that to the use of Zaino.

I agree with the post above with reference to articles on Autopia.com

 

Oh, and I would like to see a carnauba wax that will give protection for 6 months! 6 weeks is more like it.

 

OUCH is right

Um, did you know that Carnauba wax itself does not give a high shine? It's the other things mixed with it that give the shine. And guess what? Silicone oil is one of the most heavily used items in a Carnauba based wax. The sun also effects Carnauba based products. The sunnier and hotter it gets, the faster it deteriorates. Remember wax melts and oils tend to migrate to the surface and evaporate... Sad but true. Might as well just use Pledge on your car.

FACT: On a sunny 80 degree day, the surface temperature of black paint will reach 149 degrees and go up to 198 degrees if the ambient temp reaches 90.

Silicones yes, polymers no. Zaino does not embed itself in the clearcoat. It layers on top of it. And it breathes. Clearcoat needs to breathe so it doesn't get brittle.

True. Including Silicone

 

Zaino! Zaino! Zaino!

And ArmorAll is EVIL! EVIL I TELL YOU!

 

Well, I did some research and have to say "sorry I was wrong" on Zaino ... didn't realize it was silicone free.

That said, I'm old school - like my carnauba wax ... but only use silicone free brands like Meguiar's, Mother's, Malm's or Griot's ...

Check out: http://www.malms.com

 

No doubt that Malms is great stuff. I just prefer Zaino!

 

What are your thoughts on Liquid Glass... i used it on my Saab 9-5.. but the car was silver with minimal curves and 6 year old paint,.. the paint was poor shape to begin with. i will try it out tomorrow but was wondering how others have felt about it. its synthetic liike zaino, and abotu 17 bucks for the can.

 

It's all good.

That's cool. I try not to push Zaino on anyone. Everything I write about Zaino is what I have learned/experienced and what others have learned/experienced. I'm just here to help.

 

Same here. I've tried so many different producks and wasted so much money on stuff that did work. Zaino works and works AWESOME.

 

I tried it once, hated it and threw out the rest of the can. I have heard other say it was good but I found it impossible to work with. This was on a red Supra and I could not get the streaks out. I ended up having to re-polish the car and use something else.

 

I've read a number of posts from people who despise ArmorAll. What's wrong with it?? I use it on my interior (looks great to me!) and exterior trim (when I need to remove excess wax). Am I missing something, or is this just product preference?

Mark

 

Guys -- for those who use NXT, do you use it alone or with another product - for example, after using the clay bar?

Is there any value in using a Carnuba / NXT combination treatment and if so, in which order after the Clay?

Thanks -- Not trying to steal the thread, this seems to be close enough to the topic.

 

Clay bar is definitely worth doing, but it leaves some light swirl marks that you need to polish or glaze off - therefore, use a fine finish polish after the clay bar, then wax it well using a wax with no abrasive or polish and you're good to go

 

As far as preferences, most people think it is simply too shiny and greasy looking (I tend to agree).

But there was more to just that. I believe the old formula had chemicals in it that were actually detrimental to vinyl. From what I understand, this formula has been changed.

Some people believed that Armor All could actually cause things like their vinyl dash to crack.

Many people, including myself, have noticed that Armor All can cause tires to become Brown after repeated use. I don't know if the new formula has addressed that issue or not.

Also, people claimed that Armor All did not provide any type of UV protection like so many other products do, so it really wasn't much of a "protectant".

Bottom line is that it MAY be better now, but there are just so many other products that don't have these issues why bother with Armor All?

Here is a link on Autopia re this subject. Do a search there and you are sure to find more info on Armor All.

Autopia

 

Like Stew said, Clay Bar is definitely worth doing. I don't know that the clay bar actually "causes" swirl marks, but it certainly doesn't remove them, or fine scratches either.

So, you will need to remove these swirls/scratches with some type of polish. I highly recommend Poorboys products, SSR2 and SSR1 in particular. Preferably applied with a Porter Cable polisher (worth every penny)!

There is no advantage to using carnauba with NXT in terms of protection. However, some think that applying carnauba over NXT gives the paint a "Deeper" look.

I haven't tried it myself, but I know carnauba wax will attract dirt like a magnet (most of them do anyway) and can actually slightly dull the shine that you will get from using NXT by itself.

BTW, people on the detailing forums are indicating that NXT doesn't last too much longer than normal carnauba wax.

 

The physical make up of a Clay bar better not cause scratches or swirls. If everything is prepped properly, clay bars WILL NOT scratch or cause swirl marks. If it does, then it is either contaminated or the surface was dirty. In a worst case scenario, if you had severe rail dust on the surface, it could cause the clay to become contaminated and that would cause scratching or swirl marks. And the obvious, if you drop it on the ground. You need to use a lubricant with the water. Not plain water. A bucket of soapy car wash water works, Gloss enhancer, or a spray bottle of one cap car wash and water. I favor one cap of Z7 with water in a spray bottle. After you clay the car, you should wash it one last time before polishing or waxing.

 

I've never had a clay bar cause swirls. You do need to be careful, but if you follow NavyDood's advice, there's nothing to worry about. Always have an extra clay bar on hand in case the one you're using becomes too contaminated with dirt to knead into a clean surface.

 

^ I agree!

 

That is a draw back due to the amounts of oils that are used to cut it. Specifically Silicone. But not all have Silicone in it.

 

I do not mean it to be a matter of preference.

1. The plastic in your dash is made of short- and long-chain polymers (hydrocarbons). Short-chain polymers are volatile, which means that they can (and do) evaporate under hot and sunny conditions. Leave a piece of soft plastic out in the Florida sun and watch it dry and crack as the (mostly) short-chain polymers evaporate. ArmorAll (*yech*) “conditions” plastic with – tada – short-chain polymers, which can actually flush out some long-chain polymers, thus leaving your dash that much more susceptible to drying and cracking. ArmorAll users, ever get that film on the inside of your windshield? Volatile short-chain polymers that have evaporated out of your dash and stuck to the glass. Kinda tough to get off, right?

2. Shiny dash = glare + reflection off windshield = bad driving.

3. The volatile ethers can give migraines. (Does that count as an opinion?)

4. Eww! Shiny dash tacky! (OK, *that’s* an opinion. …But true!)

Just dust your dash with a clean, white rag (and perhaps a stream of air) or, for spots, with a slightly damp (white) paper towel followed by a clean, white rag. Eight years and 170,000 miles in Tampa, Florida with a black dash on the RX-7 and it still looked new…

For blacker tires without too much shine (what, your car is a greasy old lady?), try “Something Better” foam tire protectant. Leaves a satin finish, won’t fling off onto your fenders, and works well on textured external black trim (like around your exhaust).

Use Zaino and you won’t have “excess wax” problems. (And it really is fantastic!)

 

Damn, that's right, I forgot to mention that! That film on the inside of the windshield is trying to tell you something.....and it isn't good!

 

Wow, I had no idea ArmorAll was that bad. I've been using it for a month now on my interior and I thought it worked fine, and I live in Georgia (almost equally dismal heat as that in Florida). To me, the interior of the 8 looked really 'dry' when I first got it, so I wanted to detail it with something. So far so good, even if it does lean on the shiny side. I don't notice the fumes, though.

So if ArmorAll is out of the question, what is the best product for treating the plastic and other interior of the car?

Mark

 

This stuff is test best IMO. Many will agree...