Sonus Paint Cleanser

[harley01]

I just read an article on autopia that suggested polishing as a last resort and is rarely needed except for spot repair. They suggest a Porter and Sonus Paint cleanser. Will this remove very fine scratches...my car is only a year old and looks good, but you can see some fine scratches in the sun.

[Picus]

The peaint cleanser will remove *very* fine scratches, it's a super mild abrasive, but it does a great job of bringing out the paints color and depth. If you do get a PC I'd get something a little more abrasive, like Sonus SFX-2, polish with that, follow up with the paint cleanser, then seal/wax. SFX-2 is about a 4/10 on the abrasive scale and will remove up to moderate marring.

[2FastG354U]

Do you need a machine buffer to use Sonus SFX-2 or can I use microfiber polish and wax towels?

[Picus]

No, a machine isn't required to use SFX-2 or SFX-3 - they'll take out light spot scratching by hand, similar to using ScratchX.

[2FastG354U]

I have some micro marring AKA cob web affect on my car and I am thinking about polishing my car but I don’t want to mess up my paint because SFX-2 does take away about 5 to 10 percent of your cars clear coat away. It is a stated fact on autopia.

[Picus]

Well, not to get too technical but how much clear it removes depends on the car - paint thickness varies widely by manufacturer. Also, I think 5-10% is being pretty liberal. I have a paint thickness guage and even after wetsanding/SSR3 on a wool pad I've done cars and seen less than .01 micron difference in paint thickness. SFX-2 is on the low to average range as far as abrasives go.

[2FastG354U]

Picus112, if I were to wash the car with Sonus shampoo and clay each section before appling the SFX-2 polish and let the car sit for about 2 hours then apply Klassie all in one and let that sit for about 24 hours ending with a wax coat of P21S Carnauba Wax. Do you think that would cure up cob webing on a black G35 coupe? Or could I just use Klassie all in and one and end with a P21S Carnauba Wax?

[Picus]

The first option sounds good, but one thing that confuses me is you mention letting it sit for 2 hours? Polish should never dry on paint (if that's what you meant?). This is how you should do it (again, assuming by hand):

Wash
Clay
Polish with SFX-2. By hand use foam applicators - apply a dab the size of a quarter to the applicator then rub the polish into the paint quickly, applying some pressure. The idea is that you're trying to break down the abrasives in the polish so that it removes a super thin layer of cc, thus leveling the surface and removing scratches. You will need to generate some heat, so it will take some elbow grease. You will know you're done when the polish turns totally clear and/or begins to dust. Wipe it away right away with a mf cloth and repeat as needed where needed. Acheiving results by hand *is* hard, so be ready for it. You have to be realistic too - you might not get them all by hand, but you should see an improvement.

When you're done make sure all the polish residue is completely off the car (I use a qd, or better, rubbing alcohol mixed 50:50 with water), you can either wait or apply AIO right after that (per instructions). The next day apply P21S and you should be looking great.

Cheers.

[2FastG354U]

To bad you live in Toronto. I need a pro with a buffer and that has time.

[Picus]

Maybe shoot over to autopia.org and ask in the regional forums if there is a detailer nearby?

[2FastG354U]

What do you think of Klassie products?

[Picus]

I love AIO - I use it all the time - it's great for bringing out nice deep color in the paint. The glaze is good too, but a little hard to remove after you apply it. It offers good protection and looks nice though.

[2FastG354U]

Picus112 if I just used Klassie AIO and then used a coat of P21S could that help at all the cob web affect?

[Picus]

It might - it's hard to say without seeing them. AIO is a very very mild abrasive, so it will only take out really light marring. If the cobwebbing is really minor than AIO will probably help.

[2FastG354U]

Yea the cob web isn’t that bad at all. I am going to take pics of my car and then take after pics and show you what it looks like and if klassie doesn’t work then maybe you can give me a suggestion