A wax will typically last anywhere from 2-8 weeks.......depending on your washing habits. I typically wax my G every 4 weeks or so and reapply my sealant about every 3 months.

 

George has told me that as well Deane that FMJ is so easy to use. I am all out of Zaino Z2 and Z5 and only have half of my EX-P left. I plan on trying FMJ next.

I just used that liquid wax for the first time on Saturday. I really liked it and it gave my G some really nice depth in appearance.

 

Good stuff. You need to really shake it up well.

The guy I got it from said it's from California and lots of fire stations use it on their trucks. (Red )

 

Garnet Canuck offered some great advice. I personally keep a 4oz Pump Spray Bottle of Spray & Wipe in my glove box along with an ultra plush microfiber towel for emergency bird bombs or if you want to get rid of water spotting, etc.

The best thing you can do to protect your paint is to apply a quality sealant once a season, so 4x a year. Most synthetic sealants last anywhere from 3 - 6 months, so on a daily driver, factor in the lower side of the estimate. This gives you enduring protection year round. To maximize your protection, layer a quality wax on top of the sealant, which is only going to last 2 - 8 weeks, however, this seems to bead better (minimizing water spots) and also seems to prevent bird droppings from etching as quickly. It will also enhance the look of your paint, usually by adding more depth and gloss. I start off with 2 coats of wax spaced at least a day apart, and reapply at least once a month for maximum protection.

Thank you for the kind words and I apologize for the delayed reply. We are working hard on launching our new website, which is going to have a lot more features, more information, better how-to's and much more. My time on the forums has been cut short due to the time needed to complete the new website. Thank you for your patience and let me know if there's anything else I can answer for you.

Prem, you are right on track with what you said. The durability of the wax is very dependent on what shampoo, wash tools and techniques are used. A shampoo with strong cleaners, such as Dawn, can easily strip down wax. Quality automotive shampoos are filled with lubricants that lift dirt and grime from the surface, maximizing your coat of wax. Wash tools play a major factor in durability of a wax as well, if you dry your vehicle with say a water blade, not only should you expect some imperfections, but your coat of wax will be diminished much quicker due to the extra friction being applied to your clear coat. Your best bet as far as drying your vehicle is to blot dry with a quality waffle weave microfiber towel to minimize contact with the paint. Using a brush, bristled car wash, too strong of a pressure washer, and other improper wash tools will also diminish the durability of protection.

Typical waxes last 2 - 8 weeks, typical synthetic sealants last 3 - 6 months.

Garnet Canuck and RBull - thanks for chiming in with your thoughts, they are dead on

Thanks for being patient with me gang, new site is due out Mid-September. If anyone has any features, ideas, or anything else to make your experience with Detailed Image better, please let me know.

George

 

Hey George, about to do some serious shopping on your site so i wanted to make sure i have the right setup. I have an 06 DG coupe and the paint is in pretty good shape. I can see some light swirl marks /scratchs starting to show ( probably me just being ****) . Actually i may go in on all the supplies with a friend who has a 06 Black IS350 who definitely needs some TLC in the swirl/light scratchs department.

Im pretty much a noob when it comes to detailing but im fairly handy so im hoping i should be ok..


how is this "kit" i put together?


Paint Prep Kit #6
http://www.detailedimage.com/store/p...roducts_id=432

Paint Protection Bundle #7
http://www.detailedimage.com/store/p...roducts_id=332

Porter Cable (PC) 7424 Advanced Kit
http://www.detailedimage.com/store/p...roducts_id=406

Wash Kit #7
http://www.detailedimage.com/store/p...roducts_id=395

(comes out to $350.78 shipped with George's G35 discount for those interested.)

 

malukalu,

That package looks excellent for your needs. It gives you everything you would need to properly detail a vehicle with light to medium imperfections as well as seal and protect the paint. The products you selected are easy to work with and yield excellent results.

I think it's great that you found someone to go halves with to cut the cost down for each of you. To give you an idea on how long each product would last...

Super Slick & Suds ~ 60 washes (I use 1 cap full per wash)
Intensive Polish ~ 5 - 8 coats
Final Polish II ~ 5 - 8 coats
Finishing Touch Glaze ~ 5 - 8 coats
EX-P ~ 8 - 16 coats
Natty's ~ 15 - 25 coats

A few things to potentially make your package even better... consider an additional waffle weave drying towel, a Grit Guard Bucket Insert, and some quality microfiber towels for removal of products.

I'm excited to hear about your results, let me know if there is anything else I can answer to help you get the most out of your details.

Thanks for your support.

George

 

Thanks!! Now how often should i use the each of products? Obviously the wash and possibly the wax is what i will use the most...

 

Washing - up to you really, but once every 2 weeks is a great starting point
Clay - 1 to 3 times a year, typically on your big details (Spring & Fall maybe)
Intensive Polish - As needed and only during your big details
Final Polish II - depends on how **** you are about your finish but definitely Spring & Fall, if you are real ****, once a season when you reapply your sealant
EX-P - once a season
Natty's - once a month

These are some suggestions, let me know if you have any other questions.

George

 

Thanks George for the great information on detailing. I had no idea how good you guys are and how technical detailing can be.

I will definitely be buying some stuff from your company.

Quick simple question: I just bought a 07 G35x 2 weeks ago and want to wash it for the first time. Do I need to do the prep, polish, glaze, sealant this early or would a proper wash and sealant be all I need for now?

Cheers

 

The faster you can do the initial prep work, the better off you'll be. Claying a new vehicle is very important to remove embedded contamination that may have settled during transportation of a vehicle.

You certainly can just do a wash and sealant, however you will benefit quite a bit more from properly prepping your vehicle as soon as possible.

Thanks for your feedback, let me know if there's anything I can assist you with.

George

 

George,

The directions for PB's Wheel Sealant says wash, dry, and polish wheels first. For a new G35 (3 months) with factory rims, is polishing necessary? If so, what type of polish do you recommend?

Also, for doing an engine detail on an older car with PB's Degreaser, should it be used full strength or diluted?

 

Glad to see you'll be detailing your new G Mike. It's very gratifying I find having your vehicle properly detailed.

On a side note, I won't be able to play that round of golf with you as I blew out my knee this morning. Unfortunately, I am done for golf for the remainder of the season. Details here. I'd still like to get together for a meet though.

 

Good questions.

Polishing is only necessary if the wheels have been neglected and have lost their finish and have lots of contamination built up on them. The solvents in PB's Wheel Sealant actually have some cleaning characteristics so it will clean up minor contamination, stains, etc. The more contamination you remove prior to starting with the Wheel Sealant, the more durable the coat will be, plus you will ensure complete coverage.

I always dilute the PB Bio-APC, usually 4:1 and work down if needed. For customers vehicles, I typically used 2:1 for engine details.

Let us know how you make out.

Garnet Canuck - Bummer on the knee, hope you recover quickly.

George

 

Hey George just got my shipment. Cant WAIT to try this stuff out. First tiem using a PC

So i had a quick ( maybe not so quick ) question. I see that i have 4 pads ( 2 white, 1 orange and 1 black) and the following things to apply

1.Final Polish II
2.Intensive Polish
3.Finishing Touch Glaze
4.Poorboys EX-P
5.Nattys Paste Wax

Ill be saving #1 for a later detail but do have the pads right as follows?

2.Orange
3.Black
4.White
5.White

How long should these pads last? I assume one pad is enough for each application? Also what settings on the PC would you recommend for each stage? Sorry if you already answered these questions, if you can just point me to them im sure ill be fine..
cheers
Prem

 

Congrats on getting the your shipment! I know the same excitement you're going through. I just used my PC for the first time last weekend (Pics to come George!)

On to your question....Orange pads are used typically first to remove possible deep intermediate type swirls as they have more "cutting" abilities. The white pads are used more for light swirl removal and final polishing (i.e. #1 on your list). The next is the black or grey pad which is used to apply your sealant or glaze. And of course you can apply the Natty's by hand. I used the Natty's blue myself and I find that doing it by hand to apply a thin layer is better than with the PC.

Also, you can save one of those white pads for later use. You don't have to switch to a brand new one for the next panel. A tip I learned is to mist your pads with water so they're not dry when they come in contact with your paint and pick up a nail brush(go to the travel sized items section in wal-mart they're about 50 cents) to clean out the caked up residue before moving to the next panel.

Well I hope that answered your question a little. George please correct me if I missed anything. Thanks!

Ryan