Seattle Scott

1. Car soap won't damage paint. If it did a bunch of people here would be warning against using it. It's used because it is a very agressive cleaner so you start with just paint (actually clearcoat) and as little of the other things like dirt, old wax, tar, etc., as possible.

2. 3M IHG is a filler and very mild abrasive. You don't want to lock dirt and wax into small scratches so the car should be cleaned first. You would also be mixing the 3M IHG with different things like dirt, wax, etc., and affecting the ability of it to produce a uniform job on the paint.

3. Only doing certain panels could easily lead to a car with a patchy look because the finish will be different on the panels.

RKA

That site recommends putting carnauba over the Klasse. It doesn't say anything about adding more layers of Klasse over the carnauba at a later date. I don't know if that's possible.

Zaino recommends that you remove all traces of carnauba before applying Zaino. They make no mention of putting a coat of carnauba *on top*, and since I'm happy with the shine, I don't bother messing with that. If I did, I would not be able to layer Zaino on top of that (again, according to Zaino, you should not have carnauba *under* the Zaino). I would have to clean everything off and start again. Most Zaino folks just keep layering the Zaino products on and as-needed basis, and this works quite well. I see no need for carnauba on top, so I haven't really tried it.

I have tried carnauba (Pinnacle Souveran) and Zaino on different sections of the same car. I found both to give an equal amount of shine initially, but the Zaino seemed to stay shiny and smooth two weeks later, whereas the Pinnacle is starting to dull.

Style12v

Neither have the people I have talked to on autopia.. and a good number of them have german cars.

Bimmers, Audis, VW's, Porsche, etc

Sounds more likely when using low quality sealents, like Nu-finish, but when using the higher quality ones like Klasse, Blackfire, and Zaino I have yet to hear of any hazing or problems other than "My car is to shiney"

You can apply many coats of blitz, but the result is not as effective as many coats of Klasse / Zaino.

And with the same thought, have 2-3 coats of blitz on top of your 2-3 coats of sealent.

I have tried just blitz (or Blitz + IHG), and the results were nice, but not nearly as nice as Klasse + Blitz.

Style12v

I think klasse is the only sealent that can have a wax topper.

I don't think any polymer sealent can be applied over carnauba.

Style12v

Using dish soap a lot will harm paint, 1-2 a year is not enough

Ted K

wouldn't use it doesn't support your claim. People often using things in and on their cars I wouldn't use. I didn't say the car shouldn't be clean, but if you wash it, and it's clean, you can go right to IHG, and don't need to use dish liquid, which is "aggressive" in your own terms.

As for glazing certain pannels and not others, again I disagree. I heard this from Larry Reynolds, the owner of Car Care Specialties. Now he is a judge at Bloomington Gold and Pebble Beach Concourses. So, if I'm going to take anyone's advise rather than experiencing it first hand, he clearly has the best qualifications of anyone I've spoken with. He recommends NOT glazing every pannel for the sake of doing it. Glaze is abrasive, and you shouldn't do it for no reason. Glaze actually takes off oxidation and scratches, but so does a good polish. Therefore, if the finish is smooth, swirl and scratch free, and shines well indicating no oxidation, skip the IHG and go right to polish.

Style12v

Was not to spot glaze,

ie. Glazing one part 3-4 coats because it has a deep scratch, which would lead to a blotch right where that scratch would be.

While you shouldn't glaze just to glaze, you shouldn't just glaze one area either. If you were to only glaze the front right panel, after awhile it would start to look different than the rest of the car.

I have no doubt that Larry Renolds knows what he is talking about, but I think you should ask more than just one person about techniques and product use. Everyone has their preferences and reasons, which may suit them but not others.

I don't know much about Larry, but claiming his opinions as set in stone fact because he owns a car care buisiness and judges detailing competitions.Judging the quality of detail on a car is very different than detailing the car itself. =)

Singletrack

I usually use it to remove bird crap and then re-wax the area.

-st

ssi

I use Klasse AIO & SG topped with either Blitz or
Souveran and have never had a hazing problem. As you mentioned Klasse gives superior protection and the wax topper gives that warm depth to the finish.

I don't know of any Zaino users that use a wax topper but you can if so desired. Unfortunately once you apply carnauba over any of the polymers it is highly recommended that you strip all the carnauba before applying the polymer again.

Of course you can also choose Blackfire or wait for Zaino's new product, ZFX.

Ted K

do it yourself and form your own opinions. However, I have tried all his recommendations, and with extremely limited circumstances, found them to be right on.

As for glazing a spot, I have glazed a particular scratch up to 3 times to remove it, and then polished the entire pannel and waxed. Have been doing this for some time, and have never had blotchy spots appear.

I don't mean to offend anyone, so I will refrain from going any further.