If you are going to layer a sealant over the glaze, then I like Chemical Guys EZ-Creme Glaze. It's polymer based, so sealants usually have no problem bonding over it. It also adds a nice level of depth and gloss to the paint.

For a sealant, you could go with one of the Chemical Guys sealants to ensure maximum compatibility with the glaze. Either M-Seal or Jet Seal 109 would be great options. Jet Seal offers a little sharper and crisper reflections than M-Seal, but if you're topping it with Natty's Red you're primarily concerned with durability, which is similar.

Keep us posted with what you end up going with and how things turn out for you. Enjoy your weekend!

George

 

Thanks George. What machine pads should I use to apply the EZ Creme and Jet Seal?

 

I'd probably use black finishing pad for the EZ-Creme and a blue fine finishing pad for the Jet Seal.

Cheers,

George

 

George,

I posted a question about leather cleaning and conditioning on a new car (post # 758). I had an additional question. The reason for recommending leather stuff and 303 was that the leather was coated and it would be a waste to use other conditioners since they do not penetrate. My question is after how long should I wait before using a better penetrating leather conditioner such as zaino? In other words, after how long does the coating on the leather wear off? Thanks

 

can you get the same results from a foam gun and garden hose as you can with a foam cannon and a pressure washer...i'm looking for a nice thick coat that just doesn't run off the side of the car...will the gilmour foammaster II produce a coat of foam like a karcher PW and cam spray cannon do?

 

Your coating constantly is wearing down each time you get in your car. I usually will condition leather once or twice a year after the first six months to a year has passed. The coating doesn't wear evenly, the cracks and creases of your leather from wear are usually places where the coating will fail the quickest. As long as you stay on top of it with regular maintenance you should be fine.

As far as thickness of suds and it staying on the car, no, a garden hose and foam gun will not offer the same results of a pressure washer and foam cannon. The way I use my foam gun is I'll pre-soak the entire car, then by the time I'm ready to start cleaning each section, I'll re-soak that area with foam, wash then rinse. With the pressure washer and foam cannon you can probably skip that re-soak step.

Hope that helps.

George

 

George,

I have purchased several different items from Detailed Image based on your recommendations which were great! The items performed exactly as you said and make my Twilight Blue G35 look really good. This was my first detail ever and I did a decent job. But my problem is I did not pay enough attention at first and I still have some light scratches as well as water spots. You will see below that I was using products I purchased before I discovered DI and your great advice! The light scratches are on most of the car and the water spots are on the roof and trunk lid. Here is what I did to the car using a random orbital on steps 3-6....

1 - Meguiar's Paint Cleaner
2 - Meguiar's Clay Bar
3 - Griot's Garage Mild Polish (don't care for it but they were local to me)
4 - Menzerna PO106ff (from DI)
5 - Chemical Guy's Extreme EZ-Creme Glaze (from DI)
6 - Chemical Guy's Jet Seal 109 (from DI)
7 - Poorboy's World Natty's Red Paste Wax (from DI)

For me this was a ton of work so I wasn't too happy with myself that I didn't get the light scratches and water spots completely taken car off before the glaze, seal, and wax. So here is what I would like to know now....

1 - What is the best way to remove everything that I have put on so far so I can redo it all?
2 - What can I do to get rid of the water spots? (these are what bother me the most)
3 - What polish should I use for the remaining light scratches and what speed should I put the random orbital buffer on?

Once I get those issues taken care of I will go ahead and repeat the glaze, seal, and wax steps using the above-mentioned products. Sorry for the long-winded post but I assure you it will result in me ordering from you yet again!

 

I'll bet the water spots are acid etched into the clear coat. You will need to polish them out after removing all the stuff you spent so much time doing. I feel for you brother.

That's my guess let's see what the expert says.

 

I'm hoping it will be as easy as using the Chemical Guy's Water Spot Remover, but with my luck probably not. I would have thought that the two polishing steps that I did would have removed them but I guess I didn't use a polish with enough cutting power. Whatever I end up doing this time needs to work because I only have enough motivation left to do this once more!

 

Thanks for the informative post. The more informative the post the better the recommendation I can give.

To remove your previous coats of protection, I typically use some Isopropyl Alcohol and distilled water (50/50) like a quick detailer on the car. You can almost see it dissolve any protection as you spray it onto your paint. Other options are to wash with a very concentrated shampoo such as Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss or Wash & Clear. You can opt to use a dish detergent, but I wouldn't recommend this as the best option as it can dry out the paint and trim. Using a clay bar and re-polishing will ensure that there is no protection left behind by the time it comes ready to add new coats of glaze, sealant and wax.

There are basically two type of water marks: mineral deposits left behind on the surface after the water has dried up or the clear coat could actually be etched from the marks. If it's mineral deposits left behind, then the Chemical Guys Water Spot Remover would help. Another thing you could try is to use some distilled white vinegar on your paint. This helps dissolve any mineral and calcium deposits left on the paint.

If the water spots are etched into the clear coat, then it will typically take a lot more work to remove them. I've had some water spots that were capable of being removed with a finishing polish and I've encountered some that actually needed to be wet sanded to be removed. I'd recommend picking up a more aggressive polish than the Griot's mild polish. Menzerna Intensive Polish should offer you more bite or better yet, pair it up with Super Intensive Polish. The difference between the two is that SIP will dust less, work longer and offer a better finish. The better finish isn't a big deal since you'll be following up with PO106FF for an even better finish, so don't make that a deciding factor.

Is the buffer you're using a PC? If so run it full speed when working the polishes, so speed setting 6. I spread the product around at a lower speed (usually 3) then crank it up all the way for maximum results. If you do have a PC, consider investing in some smaller pads as it will offer you more cut to your polishes, which can help rid the marks. We offer a 4" pad kit for the Porter Cable 7424 which gives you 1 of each pad and the appropriate backing plate to go along with it. Also be sure you're working in small areas, 12" x 12" until you know your getting the results you are looking for. Work the speed at 6, pass over each area 6 - 8 times using about 15 lbs of pressure and move the buffer at 1" per second. If you follow that exactly, you should see improved results.

Keep me posted on how things turn out or if you have any other questions on anything, let me know.

Happy Halloween!

George

 

George,

The random orbital polisher that I use is from Griot's Garage so I assume it is just like the PC but it has the top handle. I know I should get the 4" pads for this but my patience and budget for doing this are pretty much exhausted so I'm just going to stick with the 6" pads that I have. You guys just shipped my order today and I got the Citrus Wash & Clear and the Menzerna Intensive Polish. What I was thinking I would do is wash the car twice with the Citrus at the concentrated strength and then clay bar the car again. Do you think this would be adequate to remove the Jet Seal 109 and EZ Creme Glaze? Or should I use the 50/50 water/alcohol mix instead of the clay bar after I wash? If you suggest using the 50/50 mix do I just spray it on the car and wipe it off with a microfiber towel? This time I'm going to make absolutely sure that it is correct before I apply the glaze, sealant, and wax! Thanks for all your help with this.

 

Between the two washes at the concentrated formula and using a clay bar, you can be pretty certain there will be no protection left behind on your paint. Good luck with everything, keep us posted on how things turn out.

Thanks again for all of your support.

George

 

George,
Which Dodo wax would you use on the platinum graphite paint? It kind falls between the diamond white and the blue velvet. Or just try the RB Juiced edition?

 

Tough call, it's one of those colors that can look different in various lighting. If I had to choose between the two waxes, I'd probably opt for the Diamond White as I think it may help the metallic jump out of the paint a little more. I don't think you'd be disappointed with either wax, but if you put me on the spot to decide, I'd try DW.

Let us know what you end up trying and how it turns out!

George

 

I have finally gotten done using all the products I purchased from Detailed Image on my Twilight Blue 04 Coupe. Being almost 5 years old with 65k on it, the paint is not perfect but the products George recommended made a huge difference and the car looks as good as it possibly can. Following is what I did.

1 - Menzerna Intensive Polish
2 - Menzerna PO106ff
(Trip to Jimmy Buff-It's to have them use a rotary for some deeper scratches)
3 - Chemical Guys EZ Creme Acrylic Glaze
4 - Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 (2 coats)
5 - Natty's Red

Before buying the G I didn't even know it was possible to use so many different chemicals on a car! However, since I really love my car I wanted it to look as good as possible so I went for it. This was definitely a LOT of work, at least to me, but it was definitely worth it. I just wanted to say thanks to George for taking the time to thoroughly and patiently answer my questions and recommend the right products. He could have just told me to buy all the most expensive things they sell to make some more money but he was honest and advised me on products that worked great but didn't put me any further in the poor house than I already am. In fact, I was so impressed that I have ordered some things from DI for the dealership I work at to clean and shine up our Corvettes. I know I should put some pics up here but I don't know how get the photos on here that are large enough to see. Anyhow, thanks George!