What do you suggest I do for Care and Detailing?

[Stallion]

My father and I just bought a Corvette (78 Silver Anniversary) and I must say, it's in real good condition. The paint is fine and still quite radiant and the previous owner took a lot of care of her.

What I'm asking now is what do you think I should do for care and detailing? I know of the sticky at the top of this board, but in my situation, what would you do for the Vette?

I'm a little uneasy about waxing the car (I mean waxing it a lot). Isn't waxying abrasive to the paint? And too much of that would be counter-productive, right?

What would you think of that glossy finish coat that you just apply to the Vette with a number of coats? But, the paint is not dull on our Vette.

And suggestions? Comments? Advice?

Thanks!

TR

 

[GS Diva]

TR,

Detailing Dude has many fine detailing points. I think I'd do the clay bar first. I've done that on my own car (and soon to do on the 2002 we just bought), and it's amazing how it comes out!

We personally don't use wax on our Corvettes...we use Zaino which is a polish. It doesn't give the protection of wax, but our cars are never outside and certainly not in bad weather! Polish gives a fabulous shine...wet, wet, wet looking...and since we show them, that's the look we want!

Read all you can and ask a million questions if you want!!

Elaine

 

[RubyDropTop]

GS Diva -

Please don't take this the wrong way, but Zaino really is not a polish. Technically speaking, a polish contains abrasives and Zaino contains no abrasives. Zaino is a polymer/synthetic product and if I had to classify it I would term it more of a glaze, although it offers more protection than the vast majority of over the counter glazes out there. The last time I visited the Zaino site, I do believe Sal uses the term "polish" when referring to a few of his products in his line up, but if you were to contact him directly and really ask him if his product is "technically" a polish he would say no. I think the term "polish" is something that the majority of the public is familiar with and can relate to, and that is why it is used so loosely when referring to Zaino.

That said, I would also like to point out that Zaino will in fact offer you better protection than a carnauba based "pure" wax. Waxes certainly are capable of providing great depth and gloss, however they lack durabilty and have a low fracture point. Waxes evaporate over the course of a few weeks (depending on exposure) and will also wash off within a few washes. A polymer (such as Zaino and Klasse) does not do this. A quality polymer will provide your finish with 4 to 6 months of protection.

So, contrary to what you think, you ARE protecting your finish very well with the Zaino. Whether one chooses to use a carnauba based "pure" wax or a polymer is a personal choice dependent on many factors. Personally, I prefer a high quality "pure" wax (Pinnacle Souveran) applied to a base of a quality sealant (Klasse Sealant Glaze). The glaze offers great shine and the Souveran provides depth - the best of both worlds.

As far as Stallion's initial question, clay barring the car as a first step is great advice and really is crucial to proper paint prep.

As far as waxing being "abrasive" to the paint, that is only true if you are using a cleaner wax. Cleaner waxes contain abrasives, are not a wax that you can layer and are typically seen as more of a one step product (polish and wax combined). They are not necessarily bad, but there are far better choices out there.

You need to decide on the "look" that you are after and how much time you are willing to spend on the car. Do you like to wax? Would you prefer to apply a polymer and not have to reapply for a few months? A wax will also offer a different look than a polymer will. These are questions that you'll need to think about before you can hone in on a procedure that will work for you.

 

[81NMVETTE]

What is Clay Bar ??.
I used to slap a layer of Turtle Wax on the ride and off i would go. Now that I will have a Nice car I want to do the right thing to her paint .

Earl
I pickup the Vette on the 15 of this Month !!

 

[JonM]

Earl ...check this thread out...

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20196

What is Clay Bar ??.
I used to slap a layer of Turtle Wax on the ride and off i would go. Now that I will have a Nice car I want to do the right thing to her paint .

Earl
I pickup the Vette on the 15 of this Month !!

 

[GS Diva]

RubyDropTop,

Thanks very much for the clarification of "polish" vs "polymer"! And I'm glad to know that I am, in fact, protecting the car more than I thought by using Zaino. As I indicated, protection isn't the primary purpose for us choosing Zaino...it's the very deep, wet look we've obtained with it. That's not to say that other products (and I know there are many out there!) don't and won't result in the same look. We just stopping testing when we got to Zaino!

By the way, the '93 Anniversary convertible is one of my very favorite C4s!! Of course, they come after the Grand Sport!

Thanks again for your valued input!!

Elaine

 

[81NMVETTE]

Jon
Thanks !. Man it sure looks like a lot of work. But you get a deep down clean using clay. My car is going to be a daily driver so I more than likley stay with wax. The NM sun can be tough on finishes so it is my hope that the wax will provide the protection that is needed
Earl

 

[Stallion]

Wow! Quite a bit of options that we have to do with the detailing and care of our Vettes. I was reading that clay bar thread and I'm not sure if that's for me or not. I'm telling you, the previous owner didn't drive it much at all. The paint and finish is pristine, but I want to make it shinier and protect it.

Do I want wax for this? Or polish? And I want to preserve the paint as long as possible.

Thanks!

TR

 

[81NMVETTE]

Stallion
Grats on you and your dad geting the Vette !!!

Earl
Just under 2 weeks for me til I pickup mine !!! Let me know how you like driving the car !

 

[Stallion]

Thanks a lot!

I was just reading up on detailing of Corvettes and this is a quote from Richard Newton

Polish is designed to put very fine scratches in the surface of the paint. Polish actually creates very fine scratches that reflect light. This refected light is what gives your Corvette that shine everyone admires. A quality shine is one where all the microscopic scratches are uniform. The goal is to have a consistent finish that shines when light strikes the surface. Contrary to popular opinion, wax does not provide the shine, polish does. That's why most of the pampered show cars are never waxed. Wax is only for protecting the surface, not making it shine.

I'm not pretty sure I know what to think after reading that above quote. Polish is what I'm afraid of. Sure it makes the Vette shine, but it's scratching the paint off to do this! I can't imagine that this is the best way. After all, in theory you shouldn't be able to polish your Corvette infinite times, because there won't be any paint left! Am I understanding polish correctly?

And then on the other hand you have wax, which (I assume) doesn't do too much for looks, but it protects the finish on your Vette. I must have had them mixed up, I thought wax was abbrasive and polish was the safe stuff, but it turns out that polish is abbrasive and wax protects. So wax, besides cleaning wax, doesn't have any long-term problems with it?

And as far as wax goes, Richard Newton says that Zymol is his favorite wax. Do you guys recommend this wax?

Thanks!

TR

 

[DetailingDude]

I held of putting up my thoughts because I didn't want to control the discussion.

What I am sure you have gotten from this forum so far is that you finish is very much dependant on your start. Like when you're building a house you clear the land. Well, that is what you need to do with your car so your final layer (the surface protection) can provide maximum optical clarity.

In order to do this is suggest you do the following:

Step 1: Wash and dry thoroughly.

Step 2: Clay

Step 3: DeWax

Step 4: Inspect the surface

Step 5: Treat any damage (let me know when you get to this point if there is any damage you need help with)

Step 6: Introduce you surface protection.

There are many excellent products out there:

Lusso
Meguiar's
Mothers
P21S
Pinnacle
Zaino
Zymol

 

[RubyDropTop]

Stallion -

Please don't think twice about using a clay bar on your paint. I know that you stated that you question if it's right for your car, my answer is that it is correct for every car. Even a garage queen that attends shows only, and even if that garage queen is typically a trailered car. The reason being is that there are air born contaminants that you do not see, but that do come into contact with your paint and embed themselves into it. The use of a clay bar will greatly help with this issue and will leave your finish properly prepped for the next step.

If you are still not convinced that it's for you, think of it this way: if you do not clay, what you will in essence be doing once you begin to rub on the surface (either through waxing/polishing/washing/quick detailing, etc.) is actually breaking off thos pullutants and contaminants and rubbing them right into your finish because they have not been removed with a clay bar. I don't think that those are the results that you are after.

As far as the quote offered by Richard Newton, I find fault with his statement that a wax will not add shine to a paint surface. That is a completely erroneus statement. Where is my BS flag when I need it?

And no, wax has no long term issues associated with it's use. You are correct in your assumption in regard to the repeated use of a polish and it cutting into the paint. Polishes, by their very nature, are abrasive - they remove paint with every use. Use of a polish by hand will take longer to go through the paint to an unsafe level, vs. use by machine though. I only like to use a polish on a limited, as needed basis.

As far as Zymol goes, there are 2 different Zymol product lines. One is an over-the-counter line-up and the other is the higher end, very expensive line-up. Some of the higher end Zymol products (waxes) sell for $1,000.00 and up. Gimme a break. There had been much discussion not that long ago in regard to Turtle Wax actually purchasing the lower end Zymol product line up and producing that themselves, but with the Zymol name attached. Think of Turtle Wax what you will, but in my opinion there are far better choices out there. The Zymol products that you see at the local PepBoys, AutoZone, etc. are a bit lackluster in their performance in my opinion. Save your money.

You question whether or not you need a wax or a polish - I say both. You will first want to polish, and then wax. Remember, wax is always a finishing step.

81NMVETTE - You state that you live in a climate where the sun is very unforgiving. You feel that a wax would be your best choice, but I have to disagree. Waxes suffer from a low fracture point. In weather such as yours, a wax would stand very little chance of protectiong your paint. Both melting and evaporation of the wax would be issues for you, especially on a car that sees a good amount of road time. A better choice for you would be a quality polymer. These do not melt/evaporate and offer several months of protection without reapplication.

 

[Stallion]

Thanks again, DetailingDude!

So no matter what the condition of the paint and Vette, those should always be the steps taken? Because there is almost no flaws in the paint job, and I'm really scared about damaging it.

TR

 

[Stallion]

Alright, so I'll wash her, clay-bar, and then de-wax (how do you de-wax?) and then inspect and the protect. Sounds good. Now I'll just clear up a couple of remaining questions and decide on the brands and products I want to go with and then I'll be on my way!

TR

 

[JonM]

Use Dawn kitchen liquid to remove the wax...Go look at Z's site for some clues in prep and other options. Use the Dawn before and during the clay bar process.

http://www.zainobros.com/index.shtml

 

[81NMVETTE]

Ruby
As you might guess I know nuthing about waxes or clay bar ect. I never heard about wax evaporating I just figured it just went away due to wear. I have a lot to learn
So would I just look for a product that is Polymer based ? and I would use this insted of wax ? Just wanting to get this clear before I go out and spend money on products.
Thanks for the Help
Earl

 

[DetailingDude]

Use Dawn kitchen liquid to remove the wax...Go look at Z's site for some clues in prep and other options. Use the Dawn before and during the clay bar process.

http://www.zainobros.com/index.shtml

I strongly caution against using Dawn. One application will not harm your paint but it is good at separating oils and it can do that in your black trim. This is what Dawn says about using Dawn on your car.

3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner is specifically formulated for this purpose and you can control where it goes. All you have to do is wet a 100% cotton towel or a microfiber and wipe it. Additionally if there is any tar down on the lower parts of the car it will get rid of that as well.

I feel that Zaino also has the steps wrong. They have you remove the wax then remove the dirt that is on top of the wax with a clay bar.

 

[DetailingDude]

81NMVETTE - You state that you live in a climate where the sun is very unforgiving. You feel that a wax would be your best choice, but I have to disagree. Waxes suffer from a low fracture point. In weather such as yours, a wax would stand very little chance of protectiong your paint. Both melting and evaporation of the wax would be issues for you, especially on a car that sees a good amount of road time. A better choice for you would be a quality polymer. These do not melt/evaporate and offer several months of protection without reapplication.

One thing you have to remember is that with true waxes (be it a polymer or synthetic) you can apply (and should) multiple layers of it. It will increase the depth of shine, the clarity of the color but also the integrity of the protection.

There are also some non-carnauba based waxes that hold up are more resistive to acids and heat.

 

[RubyDropTop]

We all begin the learning process with this stuff at some time or another, so don't worry about it - you'll catch on the more you read and ask questions.

In regard to your rims, a "pure" wax should be your last choice and a cleaner wax should not be a choice for you at all (contains abrasives and cannot layer). That said, I'd recommend a sythetic product. You may find a bit of confusion with terminology here, as the words "polymer", "synthetic", "glaze" and "sealant" tend to be used interchangably with one another. To add to the confusion, there are products out there that are actually a combination of synthetic/carnauba.

But my goal is not confusion, and my recommendation on rims that see a good deal of road time in conjunction with high temps. is a purely synthetic product. Two examples would be Klasse Sealant Glaze and Zaino. I personally use Klasse Sealant Glaze on my rims, and if it did not work so well I would not use it. The Klasse line-up of products is German based and the Sealant Glaze has been around since the 1970's. I will be honest and tell you that generally I am partial to German detailing products as they are typically straight-forward and perform as indicated.

If you are looking to polish prior to protecting, you can use Klasse All-In-One. This product is considered the "sister" to the Klasse Sealant Glaze and many people use them as a team. All-In-One is not a heavy duty polish, so you'll need to assess the condition of your rims to get a good understanding of what type of pre-protection polishing they would require.

I'd like to share a web site with you that has a wealth of automotive detailing info.: www.autopia.org There you will find individuals that compete at Concours level as well as your average person that is just seeking a higher degree of presentation for their car. It really is a great site to gather information, check it out if you get a chance.

Hope I have been helpful.

Ruby
As you might guess I know nuthing about waxes or clay bar ect. I never heard about wax evaporating I just figured it just went away due to wear. I have a lot to learn
So would I just look for a product that is Polymer based ? and I would use this insted of wax ? Just wanting to get this clear before I go out and spend money on products.
Thanks for the Help
Earl

 

[Stallion]

Okay, so if I use Zaino (which is a polymer) I would apply this after the wash and after the clay bar and if I use Zaino I wouldn't need either a wax or a polish. Zaino is independent? At the site, Zaino seemed to be the company...so I would have to choose one of their products.

This sound like the best thing. A protector and it gives a nice shiny finish. And it doesn't contain abrassives so it shouldn't harm the finish. This is what I'm after.

But which specific Zaino product are we referring to here? On the site there a many to choose from. :confused

TR