Blue Velvet or Purple Haze are some of my favorite waxes for darker colored vehicles. They go on and off easy, leaves a deep wet shine, beads very nicely and is easy to maintain. If you're topping Jet Seal 109 with a wax, be sure to let it cure for 24 hours to ensure you get the best protection from your sealant.

Clay bar won't remove swirls as jdoria mentioned. You'll need to use an abrasive polish to remove swirls. Unfortunately, it's a lot of work to polish, but the results are worth it. You'd be better off spending time and money on polishing than investing in a higher quality wax.

Good question. If you're looking for more of a 1 step polish, I'd recommend going with Menzerna Power Finish PO203S instead with a green or white pad. It's slightly less aggressive than Super Intensive Polish and finishes down slightly better. Will you be applying the polish with a buffer or by hand? We greatly appreciate the support

John good questions. Z-5 is really a sealant that has some fillers in it to mask imperfections. If you apply multiple coats and layer it, you can mask some surface imperfections, but it is only temporary. To permanently remove swirls and other imperfections, you're going to need to use an abrasive polish. You're best bet for 1 step, would be to invest in a Porter Cable 7424 or better yet a Flex XC3401VRG and apply Menzerna Power Finish with a green or white pad. You could use the Zaino after polishing, however I'd recommend giving the car a wipe down with Isopropyl Alcohol after polishing to ensure the Zaino bonds properly.

For a wax option on lighter colored vehicles, I'd highly recommend Poorboy's Natty's Red for a bang for the buck wax. My next choice would be either of the P21S waxes and if you wanted to spend a little extra Dodo Juice Light Fantastic or Dodo Juice Diamond White.

Optimum Poli-Seal a great 1 step product that will remove some minor imperfections as well as protect the paint. Good recommendation jdoria

A lot goes into the price of the wax. The Dodo Juice waxes are a lot easier to apply and remove than Natty's Blue, will provide a deeper and wetter gloss and will bead better. Bang for the buck, Natty's Blue is tough to beat on darker colored vehicles. It gives a very nice and deep wet look, especially after 2 - 3 coats.

The difference would probably boil down to a number of days, nothing too significant. Same goes for the increased depth and gloss, it's pretty minimal but if you're looking for that extra 1 - 3 % of shine, it's there.

Probably would expect 4 - 6 weeks pending on how you store your vehicle, weather conditions, miles driven, etc.

Glad to hear your enjoying the Supernatural Wax. It's one of the best waxes I've used to date and really rivals waxes that cost a lot more than Supernatural. Keep us posted on how long your protection lasts with SN. Do you have the original version in the wooden container or v2 in the plastic container?

Indeed. Before anyone goes spending $70+ on a wax, you'll get a lot better results mastering the prep stages, which include removing contamination from your paint (washing and claying properly) as well as removing as many imperfections in the paint as possible (polishing).

Sorry for the delayed replies everyone, I was away this weekend.

Thanks again,

George

 

I'll certainly keep you updated on the durability of SN. I got the original version in the handcrafted wooden container. Definitely a good deal with the option to refill.

 

George,

I am getting new seats that are Alcantara.
Can you offer any tips for what to do with new seats and how to care for them in the future?

Thanks,
Tim

 

Agreed, plus the wooden container is beautifully crafted. Looking forward to the update.

Tim, sorry for missing this earlier. Here's a pdf from Alcantara.com that covers how to maintain and care for stains. You don't want to scrub hard with a brush or towel on the alcantara as you can pull the fibers and make them run. Always start with mild cleaning solutions as well before going to more aggressive stuff.

Hope this helps, enjoy the new seats!

George

 

hey i have a few question about cleaning my mf towls at home. how should i be cleaning them to remove contaminats, and i have another question,hey whats up, i was givin a craftsman polisher today, now i wanna use it with my megs swirlx and my waxes such as my mothers 3step system and megs tech wax. the question i have is my local autozone sell the bonnets for the which ones should i get/use i dont want to induse swirls on the paint

 

George,

The dealership I work at just received our Corvette ZR1. The car is black and was produced on 3/16/09. I seem to remember that you need to wait to wax a car for a certain time period after it was painted. I was thinking of waxing it prior to customer delivery just to give it that extra pop. What waiting time do you suggest before waxing? To wash it we will be using Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss with the sheepskin mitt and drying with the mf drying towels (all purchase from DI). In your opinion is this OK to use or should I try anything different? Thanks.

 

You dont have to wait at all on a factory paint job....its allready cured.

 

Here's a good link describing how we recommend caring for your microfiber towels. You can use the craftsman buffer with bonnets, but I'll warn you in advance, it's not going to be that beneficial.

I haven't seen a Craftsman buffer with enough power to properly break down polishes. Your best bet would be to us it to spread a glaze, sealant or wax. Don't go with terry cloth bonnets, try to find microfiber if anything. The problem with bonnets is you have to be careful when buffing to make sure the bonnet is perfectly centered and none of the elastic or seams are pushing into your paint. You also want to be conscious of the product build up on the bonnet as you use it. Having the product cake up on the bonnet is not a good thing.

Hope this helps.

+1 thanks superchargedg, by the time the car hits your hands, the paint is already fully cured. It's usually repair paint jobs that require a 90 - 120 day wait period for the paint to fully cure. From the factory, the car is baked at very high temperatures which accelerates the curing process.

You should be good to go with you mentioned. If you have any other questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

 

George,

You are the man. I really hope that I will be applying it with a buffer, not by hand. I saw earlier that you had a link up for some other dual buffer, (FLEX?). Is that really worth the price difference over the PC? Man, the detailing bug is back in me and in full effect! Just washed, clay'd, and put on a light coat of Menzerna FMJ, looks great! Bad pic just wanted to show u:



Next weekend, would I be able to wash and then put on a coat of wax? ( Want to layer wax over the FMJ but didn't have the wax handy last weekend). I am going to do this until I can purchase all the supplies I need for polishing. Thanks again!

 

ok so just use mf bonnets??? ok ill pick them up from autozone. ok and just keep it flat *** possible ill pick up enough for each polish/wax etc thanks agian

 

Thanks for the post, the car looks really sharp!

The Flex XC3401VRG is an amazing machine, it out does the PC in nearly every category. It will correct twice as many imperfections in half the time compared to the PC. That alone makes it worth the increased price tag, not to mention much better results. The main reason for this is the large motor that generates 9,600 OPM and 480 RPM, compared to the PC at 6,000 OPM (and no forced rotation on the PC). The only real downside is there are no backing plate options for the Flex, so you cannot use really small pads like you can with the PC. I also prefer the ergonomics of the Flex and the variable speed trigger is tough to live without once you get the hang of it.

Yep, waxing the week after would be perfect. It will ensure that the coat of Menzerna FMJ is fully cured and it'll make the wash more enjoyable.

If you have any other questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

Let us know how things turn out.

George

 

yes ill post pix b4 and after oh i want to apply swirlx just wash the car then appyl swirl x???

 

Hey DI, very new here

I have about $200 I can spend to detail the car, which hasn't been done in a LONG time, many swirl marks, and a decent amount of front end rock chips

What would you recommend buying to get rid of those swirls, chips, and make the car actually reflective again?

Thanks!

 

I attempted buffing my friends 99 Acura TL's hood.

I used an orange pad with the buffer set on 6 with some Optimum Poli-Seal polish.

I just kinda went at a medium pace back and forth. Didnt really show and improvement.

I didnt apply any pressure. From what i read, you are supposed to apply pressi\ure just until its about to bog down, correct? How fast? like do you stay in one part?

Thanks!

 

When I'm polishing paint to get out any scratches or swirl marks, I work in small areas. 2x2 area should be good... no more.
For medium swirls, an orange pad is ideal with a medium cutting compound. I use Menzerna PO83 Super Intensive Polish or Menzerna PO106ff Ceramic Clear Coat Polish.
I prep the pad with Pinnacle XMT Polishing Pad Conditioner and apply small dots of the polish to the pad.
One dot in the center, four dots around the edge of the pad and an extra four in between.
Something like this:


Do not use too much polish or move to fast. Doing so can cause hazing or marring.
I "spot" my paint with the pad, pressing it against the paint to evenly distribute the polish and prevent sling. Basically putting polka-dots of polish over the 2x2 area.
Then, I work it in on the lowest speed to even out the polish throughout the 2x2 area and to further prevent sling.
Once the polish has been evenly applied on the lowest speed, I crank it up to 3.5 (FLEX XC 3401, not PC) and work the polish in.
I move very slowly inch by inch over the 2x2 area and apply moderate pressure. I continue to overlap and go over the 2x2 area until the polish is worked in and is nearly transparent.
If the polish is still visible, continue polishing until most of it begins to clear up.
Once it's clear that the polish has been broken down and worked into the paint, buff it off with a clean microfiber towel.