Help! Need to get her looking sharp and wet before her internet debut!

[SiliconX]

Now that I've got your attention with that title

I have a 2013 Subaru STI in Satin White Pearl. This color combined with the Subaru soft paint has been a battle keep up but with regular IronX+TarX decontamination and claying + Klasse AIO I've been able to keep the paint pretty well under control (big brakes+white paint = tons of little rusty pin points).

But as the warranty expired, I've started to modify it. Along with modification to the air and exhaust flow came an unexpected surprise: ground in "dirt". Its not really dirt but residue from the exhaust. I've seen so many white Subarus around with that awful black stain on their rear bumper, I refuse to see that happen to mine. Here is what I'm talking about:

That brown smudged in exhaust residue will not come out with scrubbing with my CarPro wool wash mitt nor will it come out with claying. I would use Klasse AIO on it like I use it on the rest of my car since the AIO includes a paint cleaner but I'm a little worried I might end up doing some damage to it by grinding that in. Has anyone dealt with this on white cars that could recommend me a product that would be good for this? I don't have any "paint cleaner" specific products in my stock so feel free to recommend anything that would be good for this. I do have Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0 and Klasse AIO but that is the extent of my polishes/cleaners. Someone recommended some Meg's ScratchX that they used on a MazdaSpeed3 with white paint for a similar issue but I'd rather ask here before I go ahead with anything.

So as for the "internet debut", I'm putting a bunch of new fancy "go-fast" parts on her end of this month and then August 4th she'll be on the dynometer at VEX Performance/Airboy Tuning to get protuned. I'll be recording it and uploading it to YouTube so I want to make sure she'll be really sparkling.

I'll use this post to add in a few pics of work I've done already, before I ask for some advice on products. I got a new exhaust and it was clean from the factory obviously but I knew it could be much better, so I hit the tips with some Sonus Aluminum Polish and then sealed it with Blackfire Wet Diamond All Metal Sealant. Sadly I didn't get a before picture but trust me when I say it wasn't nearly this good. The Blackfire really made it POP. The original state of that tip was very close to the state of the much duller piping you see coming out of the tip (as a side note, the tips have been very VERY easy to keep clean since the original treatment, with a 1:1 Optimum APC mixture paired with an EZ Detail Mini Bush for inside the tips, and P21S polishing soap for the outside of the tips):

I also did a good clean of the engine bay. I do kind of have a before picture, though it wasn't right before, but rather a few months. By the time I cleaned it, it was far worse than this picture (turbo cars are awful):

Ran the car for a few minutes to warm it up, then removed the battery and covered the alternator and any gaps into the intake with saran wrap and aluminum foil. Then I sprayed down with P21S Total Auto Wash and let it sit for a few minutes. Afterwards I agitated with a large soft brush for the surface areas, and my EZ detail minibrush and Speed Master Wheel Brush to get down into the engine and between all the tubing (there is SO much tubing). Then I hit anything plastic/vinyl/etc with some 303 Aerospace Protectant.

303 is the best stuff known to man in my opinion, I use it top to bottom on my car but especially in the engine bay. Being a modified turbo car, it gets really hot under the hood and I've found the 303 to hold up FAR better than any other product to high heat. We recently had a show and shine for work which was why I did this detail on the engine. Absolutely everyone was amazed by how good the engine bay looked, so once I get the pictures back from the photographer who was at the event, I'll replace this picture with his, but for now this is my crappy camera pic of the finished product:

Now, over the next few weeks I need to get her ready for the dynometer because I really want her to stand out. The plan is decontaminate with IronX and TarX and then follow up with Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss. Then i'll clay it and then a quick wash again. The exhaust surrounds are the unknown, if I can take care of that ground-in residue with a separate step then I'll hit it with Klasse AIO on an orange Hydrotech pad which should take out the minor swirls and clean up the paint nicely all over.

Looking for some experienced advice though with a final wax/seal. I'm a bit of a hound and have collected quite a few sealants and waxes over the years that I haven't tried yet. I don't have the time to try a bunch of a different products so I'll list what I have and hopefully people can chime in with recommendations based on white or light colored cars they've done. Bear in mind this is a white color with a sparkle top coat:

- Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze
- Collinite 845
- Wolfgang DGPS 3.0
- Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Paint Coating (v1)
- Poorboy's World White Diamond Show Glaze (I'm leaning towards this)
- Chemical Guys Black Light Hybrid Radiant Finish
- Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection
- Menzerna Color Lock Carnauba Wax
- Pinnacle Liquid Souveran (this is my fall back. I love this stuff, looks amazing on light color paint)

Anyways, sorry this post got really long. Advice, comments, criticism very welcome!

 

[Kenny94]

Wolfgang DGPS 3.0 would be my first choice. It really does create a deep gloss and a long lasting super slick finis properly maintain it would last at least one year. And for light colors ,dark colors does a fantastic job. BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond would be my second choice. BFWD is a little bit shorter as for protection than WGS but it has a little better pop! And most likely will bring out your sparkly paint I will probably go with BFWD and believe me every product you have listed I tried them all! Btw, way you want to stay away from glazes for what you're trying to accomplish. The two products I mention our high-end products and you cannot go wrong with them at all....

 

[Kenny94]

As you can see, I have white diamond in my arsenal, use it a few times. I'm not that keen on it, I would not recommend it

 

[Kenny94]

By the way,I hate to be off topic and I do apologize if anybody's interested in doing trading I got a lot of stuff that I like to trade for I heard that it is done here send me a PM let me know OK. Thank you.

 

[FUNX650]

I've had success removing that:

"ground in "dirt"; Its not really dirt
but residue from the exhaust; that
awful black stain on the back bumper";
That brown smudged in, ground-in
exhaust residue..."


by using:
•TR-3 Resin Glaze (Polish).
•Klasse AIO and Meguiar's AIOs
should also work famously.
(May take more than one application)


Of course: YMMV


Bob

 

[MattPersman]

When I had my white subie with the exhaust discoloring on the back I used Zaino all in one. Worked great, nothing kept it clean and clear , LSP or coating. I am sure duragloss 501 would work as well as the formulas are real close there from North Carolina.

Nice car enjoy it

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I would use Klasse AIO on it like I use it on the rest of my car since the AIO includes a paint cleaner but I'm a little worried I might end up doing some damage to it by grinding that in.

There's no need to worry about grinding the the brown discoloration INTO the paint.

Take the KLASSE AIO and apply it by hand using a foam or microfiber applicator pad and the discoloration should wipe right off.

If the KLASSE AIO doesn't work then get a quality compound like the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and rub it over the affected area and then wipe it off.

Apply some wax or sealant afterwards if you use the compound.