Double Check My Procedure

[Blackdevil77]

Thank you everybody in this thread for your help and advice. I'll post the results when I'm done coating the car. I also have Cquartz Dlux for the plastic trim, headlights and taillights I have yet to open.

 

[The Guz]

Coat the wheels with DLUX as well

 

[Blackdevil77]

Coat the wheels with DLUX as well

Yes, will do that as well. Thank you

 

[emmjay]

EDIT:Just noticed you already polished the car with Menzerna. However, the below still applies for next time

I might be a little late but if you feel gloss level is not great with a white pad and M205, try a black hybrid pad and M205. I have a honda and I find a black pad is more than enough.





Before:

After:

Black Hybrid and M205 was more than enough to remove those light scratches

 

[Blackdevil77]

EDIT:Just noticed you already polished the car with Menzerna. However, the below still applies for next time

I might be a little late but if you feel gloss level is not great with a white pad and M205, try a black hybrid pad and M205. I have a honda and I find a black pad is more than enough.





Before:

After:

Black Hybrid and M205 was more than enough to remove those light scratches

That looks fantastic! I don't know why I didn't try that. Definitely something I will try next time, thanks!

 

[Blackdevil77]

One more quick question. I was planning on using reload as a topper for gloss coat, but after reading numerous horror story of streaking and oily smears, I'm thinking of using a more user friendly topper. My car is black, so any streaks or smears will definitely be noticeable.

I read a lot of great things about Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer. How would that do as a topper?

 

[The Guz]

I just finished going over my whole car with SF3500. Did an IPA wipe down after each panel. After the IPA wipe down, I did another wipe down with eraser. Once I get my coating, ONR and Optimum paint prep, I'll be going over the car again for a 3rd time with optimum paint prep.

One thing I don't quite understand, after polishing a panel, going over it with IPA AND eraser, water still seems to bead up on the panel. Is that normal or am I not getting something off I should be? It happens whether I use M205 or SF3500. Even after an IPA wipe down and Eraser, water still beads up.

Check this out

 

[emmjay]

One more quick question. I was planning on using reload as a topper for gloss coat, but after reading numerous horror story of streaking and oily smears, I'm thinking of using a more user friendly topper. My car is black, so any streaks or smears will definitely be noticeable.

I read a lot of great things about Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer. How would that do as a topper?

Brilliant shine detailer is a very good product and so is Meguiars D156. I would say they are very similar products....

Reload on the other hand will last a lot longer and is a spray sealant similar to D156 but a lot stronger and more durable.

Why don't you look at Opti Seal if you are using Gloss coat? Its the most recommend product as a topper for Gloss coat - both made by optimum. Synergistic compatibility and what not.

Almost every brand has their own toppers - made using similar chemical compositions as their coating product. So I would suggest Opti Seal for Gloss coat.

6. Maintain with ONR washes. Optional to use Opti-Seal as a drying aid or stand alone.

Guz mentioned it in his first post as well.

On the other hand - if you plan on using it after every wash...then Sonax BSD and Meguiars D156 are really good for that type of application. A point to note is that you will see the beading and sheeting characteristics of the topper you choose rather than the coating. I am perfectly fine with that, but it comes down to your personal preference.

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Sometimes IPA wipe-down scratches the paint if the paint is really soft.
Eraser is strong stuff, with very little lubrication.
Soft paints are PITA, even leveling the coating will leave marks.
I use Essence for such cases, and I leave it for like an hour before applying coating.

Excellent post. Towel marring can be the hardest thing to get around on soft black paint.

Yeah it is really soft. I just tried M205 on half the hood and half the trunk. It is removing the light scratches in the paint pretty easily with the white lake country hybrid pads. I don't know if it's me or not, but it seemed to me the SF3500 finished better. They both remove the scratches, but it seemed to me that SF3500 finished with a little more clarity and gloss. Is that possible?

It's absolutely possible. Generally speaking, M205 doesn't finish that great on soft black paint(unless you're kevin brown). Metallic paint will definitely make marring less noticeable, by the way.

 

[Blackdevil77]

Check this out

Thanks, I saw that yesterday! Funny timing, as soon as I ask that question, that video pops up lol. I commented on it and just noticed he replied.

Brilliant shine detailer is a very good product and so is Meguiars D156. I would say they are very similar products....

Reload on the other hand will last a lot longer and is a spray sealant similar to D156 but a lot stronger and more durable.

Why don't you look at Opti Seal if you are using Gloss coat? Its the most recommend product as a topper for Gloss coat - both made by optimum. Synergistic compatibility and what not.

Almost every brand has their own toppers - made using similar chemical compositions as their coating product. So I would suggest Opti Seal for Gloss coat.



Guz mentioned it in his first post as well.

On the other hand - if you plan on using it after every wash...then Sonax BSD and Meguiars D156 are really good for that type of application. A point to note is that you will see the beading and sheeting characteristics of the topper you choose rather than the coating. I am perfectly fine with that, but it comes down to your personal preference.

I ordered that as well, I should be getting it with the coating. I figured I'd look through my options before I decide what to use. Somebody elsewhere recommend reload, or another product I can't mention here because Autogeek doesn't sell it. After seeing the claims that Reload lasts up to 6 months (hopeful, I know) and it's water behavior was appealing, I figured that would be a good topper, why not. Then I started reading the horror stories. Than I researched Sonax BSD and from what people are saying, it's more like a spray sealant than a QD. Some claim it lasted up to 4 months and the water behavior is some of the craziest I have seen.

I'll use opti-seal if it's better than Sonax. That or maybe I'll do some panels with Sonax and some with opti-seal and see which I like more.

Excellent post. Towel marring can be the hardest thing to get around on soft black paint.

It really is. That's why I'm doing the coating. I've had enough lol.

It's absolutely possible. Generally speaking, M205 doesn't finish that great on soft black paint(unless you're kevin brown). Metallic paint will definitely make marring less noticeable, by the way.

Yeah I wasn't that impressed. Next time I'll try a black soft hybrid pad, which was suggested to me in this thread. I'm definitely no Kevin Brown.

 

[emmjay]

I'll use opti-seal if it's better than Sonax. That or maybe I'll do some panels with Sonax and some with opti-seal and see which I like more.

I like that idea! Would be interested in the results. I use D156 for cost reasons. Apart from that BSD is pretty damn good.

To me personally, a spray wax/sealant during drying is merely for avoiding marring due to soft paint. If I had hard paint I would not be using a drying aid. For this reason alone I don't mind seeing the properties of the spray wax rather than the coating.

1. Avoid marring
2. Extra layer of protection

D156 also lasts quite long.

 

[Blackdevil77]

I like that idea! Would be interested in the results. I use D156 for cost reasons. Apart from that BSD is pretty damn good.

To me personally, a spray wax/sealant during drying is merely for avoiding marring due to soft paint. If I had hard paint I would not be using a drying aid. For this reason alone I don't mind seeing the properties of the spray wax rather than the coating.

1. Avoid marring
2. Extra layer of protection

D156 also lasts quite long.

I think I'm gonna do that then. I'll do half of a horizontal panel and vertical panel with BSD and the other half with opti-seal. Those who have used BSD have been saying it's more like a spray sealant than a QD. I saw a youtube video of BSD still beading and sheeting water at 2.5 months! It wasn't as good as freshly applied, but being that cheap and easy to apply, it shouldn't be a big deal to apply every now and then.

 

[The Guz]

Thanks, I saw that yesterday! Funny timing, as soon as I ask that question, that video pops up lol. I commented on it and just noticed he replied.



I ordered that as well, I should be getting it with the coating. I figured I'd look through my options before I decide what to use. Somebody elsewhere recommend reload, or another product I can't mention here because Autogeek doesn't sell it. After seeing the claims that Reload lasts up to 6 months (hopeful, I know) and it's water behavior was appealing, I figured that would be a good topper, why not. Then I started reading the horror stories. Than I researched Sonax BSD and from what people are saying, it's more like a spray sealant than a QD. Some claim it lasted up to 4 months and the water behavior is some of the craziest I have seen.

I'll use opti-seal if it's better than Sonax. That or maybe I'll do some panels with Sonax and some with opti-seal and see which I like more.



Yeah I wasn't that impressed. Next time I'll try a black soft hybrid pad, which was suggested to me in this thread. I'm definitely no Kevin Brown.

I think I'm gonna do that then. I'll do half of a horizontal panel and vertical panel with BSD and the other half with opti-seal. Those who have used BSD have been saying it's more like a spray sealant than a QD. I saw a youtube video of BSD still beading and sheeting water at 2.5 months! It wasn't as good as freshly applied, but being that cheap and easy to apply, it shouldn't be a big deal to apply every now and then.

BSD won't last long over Gloss Coat and neither will reload for that matter. Same can be said for opti-seal for that matter. It will be shed off the paint within a few days. So you will not see the true claims of durability. Also just so you know Opti-Seal is more of a sheeting type product.

 

[Blackdevil77]

BSD won't last long over Gloss Coat and neither will reload for that matter. Same can be said for opti-seal for that matter. It will be shed off the paint within a few days. So you will not see the true claims of durability. Also just so you know Opti-Seal is more of a sheeting type product.

So a topper really doesn't do much for gloss coat. That's okay with me. I don't mind spraying some BSD on as a drying aid or just to add some water beading.

Beside lasting on gloss coat, I was thinking about my little future experiment and decided it would be best to do it on my lease. The car that's gonna have gloss coat on it is garaged, in addition to coated, so I think using my lease would be a better test of the products capabilities. I'll polish the hood and a vertical panel, wash it, IPA wipe down/Eraser and apply Opti-seal to half, and Sonax BSD to the other half.

I also have reload and Collinite 845. Should I throw those into the experiment as well?