jfelbab

As most seasoned detailers will attest, the shine comes from the prep not the LSP. Looks like you are discovering that. A wax or sealant adds only a little to the look of a properly detailed car. Some LSPs darken the paint, some add a plasticky (is that a real word?) look to the paint. Best to think that the LSP is there to seal and protect the prep work you did. The LSP makes the paint keep it's appearance and slick feel longer.

When you have the paint polished to perfection, anything you apply to it will do little to make the paint look better. The shine is coming from the mirror smooth surface of the paint. The smoother the paint surface the higher the shine. If your paint is a bit porous and has some minor swirls, a wax will fill in these defects and then the LSP will have a greater effect on appearance.

I don't know if I've explained this well but if you do the prep work well, the car will look and feel great before you ever apply a wax or sealant.

I'm testing the durability of the new NXT 2.0 and so far (3 months) it has done well. The paint still feels slick and looks great so I'd suggest it is one of the best OTC products available, IMHO. I'd also say that you could spend a grand on a wax and not be able to see the difference on perfectly prepped paint.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

I completely understand. The marring/swirls and imperfections refract light directly proportionate to the amount and level of the imperfections present on the cars surface. The more you correct this, the less refraction, and a more uniform reflectivity occurs from an 'even' paint/clear tone.

About right?

Well what about the 'plasticy' look? Some of these products I'm looking at I believe just add a layer of itself ontop of your corrected paint (or not corrected). This alters the normal appearance of the car,. and can result in a 'wetter' look.. a more glossy look, deeper look -- or just plain tacky plastic coating look depending on product. Which is why I ask about them, perhaps even with corrected paint I can get a 'temporary' bump to the 'pop' of the paint -- Where as wax is filling in, filling isn't needed anymore -- So need enhancements , if you will =)

UDel

Zaino is very good but pricey and some of the steps may seem confusing and alot of work but maybe it has changed since I last looked into it, I do believe they have a new AIO that is supposed to make things easier and eliminate steps. Jeff Werkstatt products AJ and AG combo I would say offers the best/longest protection of any product I have tried or researched and a very good look and they are not too expensive. They are easy to use and I have been very impressed with the durability and protection, more so then the NXT. The is a product called Collinite 4something that is supposed to offer really good protection but some don't like the way it looks on darker cars. As far as shine P21 and Pinnacle Souveran get very high praise but I have not tried any of those to verify.

jgtile

Great pics neofate! I just bought all my detailing supplies last night and awaiting them in the mail. Have 3 months of winter on my car and looking forward to getting my car "back in shape". Will post pics (gee I hope I do ok...first time you know!). It is black so "should" look awesome. Wish me luck (or pray for me or hope I do well...whatever..ha ha).

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Great job Neofate. The car looks great!

If you want to see a little more shine in your gold, try Megs Showcar Glaze (#7 I believe), NXT 2.0, and Zymol Creme in that order after you polish. It really made my paint pop like it never did before and the stupid fruit flies still love it after about a week (I know its still there if those flies still drown in the morning dew lol)". Too bad it got so damn dusty the day after I finished though

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

jgtile: Thanks. So did you do order from basically A-Z on the UDM/PC Machine, polishes/pads etc? It was my first time and I don't see how I could have done any better with the pads/products I used. (I'll simply have to try other things to see) -- But yes black should give you fantastic results. Even on surfaces with some pitting or rock blemishes it will still look fantastic (mirror like).

Anyhow, good luck.. and don't get sore. -- It isn't hard to do =)


eyezack87: Thanks!

See the glaze goes under the NXT -- I have an XMT 'glaze' it says it has Carnuba in it.. which is counterintuitive to me.. But chose not to use it. Never thought about Zymol over the NXT. Hrmm.

Yes the bugs like the prodcuts, esp. the NXT. The dust likes them too, and pollen. I can pull the car out for a few minutes, and back in garage and it needs a full wipeoff with MF. Either this stuff attracts dust, or you can't see it on other finishes. Annoying though.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, the glaze under the NXT made it look a bit wetter than the side I only put NXT on. Not as wet as a black car but for ours its a great improvement

I consider NXT as a cheap sealant of sorts. It may have some reflective capabilities but usually a nub will make it even better. Layers usually mean it'll last a bit longer too in some cases. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that Zymol still attracts a hell of a lot of fruit flies but it doesn't seem to attract as much dust as NXT by itself. Die flies DIE

Another thing about Zymol...you get to watch your hands stay dry if you applied it by hand and you run it under water . I found that mildly amusing to do after I finished

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

I guess on my next wash I'll remove the NXT and put some 'under' glaze type of product(s) on.. then re-wax(seal). Waxing and glazing.. basic wipe on.. wait, wipe off stuff I have zero problems with. I'd rather wax than wash heh.

So with Zymol OVER the nxt you noticed a sig. difference?

In essence you washed, (polished perhaps) -- Then used glaze + NXT 2.0 + Zymol. Any wait times in there?

Also, what would you recommend besides, say, dawn to remove the NXT on my car? Something that is easy, don't want to go about polishing again to get NXT off.

Lastly, anyhow know about DWG -- Danase Wet Guard? (Might have that wrong) -- How is it applied, before sealant/wax -- before glaze, after glaze? Is it a glaze?

Thanks

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

DWG - Danase Wet Glaze. applied before wax or sealant and yes it is a glaze.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Thanks DWG -- I've heard it can go on even after with some results, and multiple coats have additional benefits spaced 12-24 hours apart.

What other products fall into this category that can be added to the LSP for enhancement?

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

heard this http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ult-1004-100.html gives amazing results....downside is the pricetag. ouch.

jgtile

Hey neofate, I am definitely not going too sophisticated with a UDM/PC machine....doing everything by hand (at least at first). I am planning on washing, sealing, waxing...but not claying (at least not yet...that scares me).

I bought from Autopia (autopia-carcare.com - there is a sale on now...you can tell how much I spent, I got 15% off...phew my wife is going to kill me), pinnacle (pinnaclewax.com - I liked their video on-line and their wheel kit appealed to me), and autogeek.com (note, pinnaclewax and autogeek are associated so go with the lower and watch pinnaclewax.com has a flat shipping rate and autogeek does not). And, to tell you a secret, I am kind of **** on my research of stuff...have an Excel spreadsheet of stuff I bought! Oh well. One other thing, I am going to try everything on my wife's car first before I touch my baby...ha ha. I hope to have pics after I am done...hope it looks as good as yours! My black car should "pop" though!

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

When I put the Zymol on, I put it only on half my trunk. Basically one side was NXT and Zymol and one side was NXT. Both sides also had #7 on it. The side with the addition of Zymol looked like it had a lot more flake than the other side. The flakes also seemed a bit darker as well as magnifying it a bit

Hmm...I usually mix NXT wash and Dawn together to remove any old wax thats on the car. Even if some of the NXT isn't taken off I doubt theres that much of a difference as having no NXT under the glaze anyway...someone might have to confirm though because I'm not 100% sure about that

Lol, if you really want all the steps. I washed, clayed, polished, NXT, washed, polished, NXT, washed, polished, glazed, NXT, and Zymol'd. Keep in mind that I had that backing plate issue . But all in all, wash, clay, washed to be safe, polish, glaze, NXT, then added Zymol on top

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Bah -- Don't let a random orbital like the Porter Cable, UDM, Flex, or G110 scare you. They are designed NOT to mess your car up. You have a right to be nervous with a Rotary, ie: Makita -- But the Random Orbitals are just fine. It isn't 100% impossible to mess up your paint with them, but you have to seriously TRY to mess it up, so you wouldn't.

Also,.. UDM runs their refurbished units for 89$, sometimes 99$. Imo it is totally worth that price for the machine. You can also get a PC for around that price on closeout, but UDM has a stronger motor, but reliability is in question compared to PC.

Nonetheless.. you will get there in your own time

**** is good, it is good (No wisecracks.. lol) -- Seriously,.. by hand you will get good results,.. but with a machine you'd get great results. Though do whatever you are comfortable with of course. It took me my whole life to get the UDM,.. basically because I didn't know about it -- I always thought a rotary was for pro's only and so forth, until I learned from Autopia.. now its over.

Good planning on your wifes car,.. all guys do that.. rofl. Funny stuff. But doing it the way you are -- Your wife is going to be very pleased having her car cleaned up so well.


Also -- fine, you don't want a machine.. -- But, please, go to walmart , or autozone and get a Claybar kit. It isn't that expensive and SO worth it.

Something like a Mothers Clay bar kit. basically the clay bar and quick detailer for lube.

There is NOTHING dangerous about claybarring. You just keep the lube in while you gently with zero pressure rub the bar around the section your doing. Thats it. Its like using a bar of soap on your body in the shower except with no pressure. There is no danger of messing up the car.

I just encourage this because it makes the finish SO much smoother, and gets out all those contaminates you can't see. Give it a shot, and look at the bar after a little while, and you will wonder where all that stuff is coming from after you just washed it!

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

So the Zymol pulled out the flake mainly? Not really adding shine/luster to the NXT/polish? I think I"m going to order DWG and just see what the heck it does for myself.

And, you washed and polished, then waslked and polished, and washed and polished again? Careful with that clearcoat!