After a decent amount of research here and at www.autopia.org, I have a plan for my 94 Max with almost 170,000 miles now. The car is Satin White Pearlglow and has been garaged all of its life. I wash it pretty frequently but have gotten lazy recently and taken it to the spray and wash place down the street. As a result I have brush marks all over the hood and some swirls here and there. Water beads up on the car, so I plan to use the Dawn to strip all the old spray on wax and spray and wash finish off. Here's what I plan to do (keep in mind I'm on a budget, but seeing as it's my birthday today, I can go a little bit nuts with my parents money):

Cleaning:
Wash with Dawn (original blue formula)
Kitchen

1Z Insect and Tar Pre-Cleaner (use while washing with Dawn)
http://autopia-carcare.com/1z-913910.html

Clay Magic Clay Bar
http://autopia-carcare.com/awc-88256.html

SONAX Gloss Shampoo - use Chenille wash mitt
http://www.carcareonline.com/detail....oduct_id=10911


Polishing:
1Z Paint Polish – use terry cloth, work in really well
http://autopia-carcare.com/1z-930306.html

1Z Metallic Polish – use terry cloth, work in really well
http://autopia-carcare.com/1z-930806.html

Waxing:
Klasse AIO – 3 coats (wipe on wipe off)
http://autopia-carcare.com/kus-kla-10.html

Klasse Glaze – 3 coats (wipe on wipe off)
http://autopia-carcare.com/kus-kls-gla.html

S100 Carnauba Paste Wax
http://www.topoftheline.com/s100motorcyclewax.html

Let me know what you think of my product selection and if you have any tips on what I should use to apply each product or general tips, please let me know. Thanks.

 

those are good choices. THe 1Z is very convenient... i wrote up a review on it a while ago. Klasse is also the way to go! good luck and have fun.

 

I think you can omit the SONAX gloss shampoo. After the clay bar, I start with the polish. Some people wash the car after claying, but I haven't noticed any residue after I clay (I use the Blackfire clay bar). Or you could just use water and the mitt to rinse the car after you clay.

Other than that, your list looks very complete. I use Klasse and the S100. You'll be very pleased.

Remember to wait 24 hours between applications of the Sealant Glaze. It needs to 'cure' between coats.

Post pics when you're done!

 

I usually wash the car after claying. There's always some of the detail spray residue left on the panels after I clay the car. I tend to use quite a bit of the spray just as a precaution.

Can't hurt to wash it anyways. Just adds another step and some time to the whole process. But its time well spent with the one you love most. Your Maxima!

CM.

 

Well since SONAX is basically impossible to get and my max needed a wash today, I picked up some Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo (I tried to find some NXT Wash but the stores I went didn't have any ) I bought a chenille wash sponge and a new wash bucket while I was at it. I must say that the combo of the chenille and a decent shampoo really makes a world of difference. I tried a new drying technique with sheeting the water and that worked well also.

Now my question: After the wash and dry I ran my hand over various portions of the paint. I felt small little particles pretty much all over. My fingernail wouldn't catch on these particles but it wasn't dust as they wouldn't go away. Will the clay bar take care of these particles which I am assuming are the impurities in the clear coat that I hear everyone talk about? Also, I looked at the paint from various angles and there are brush marks all over the body from that stupid brush at the spray and wash places down the street. Will the two polishes I have listed take care of these or am I in need of something more? Keep in mind my car has never been polished or clayed in its 10 year life.

 

Hmmm it may be beyond redemption if its 10 years old and never had any waxing.

The clay bar will certainly get rid of most of those little particles stuck in your paint. You may need to go over the same section a couple times to get them all. You'll be able to feel it when you've got them all.

Best of luck to ya!

 

Wanna save yourself some time and material? Instead of drying the car off and then claying it, start claying it after the final rinse.

I did this on the '02 using a chamois to wipe the remaining water and it worked like a charm.

 

If I drive the car during this 24 hours and it rains or the car gets dirty somehow, can I clean it with anything inbetween coats of SG? Dawn? Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo? Detailing spray?

 

In between coats of SG, I would suggest washing the car with the Gold Class. I wouldn't use the detail spray and don't use the Dawn.

 

how about you try it on my car first

 

Drive over the border and you've got a deal

 

sure i'll drive 2 hours...

 

I would skip the 1z stuff...I am not a fan of them at all, but that's just my opinion. I would use some other type of polish.


You DO NOT NEED 3 coast of AIO. AIO does not leave anything behind! It is a pre-cleaner for SG. Just do one coat of it and you will be fine. It's a non-abrasive so there really won't be any significant cumulative effect from doing it, especially if you've been polishing. It's also a pain to work with...

The only other thing is that you must wait at least 24 hours between coats of SG and waxing over SG. Don't put it all on at once because it won't layer that way.

 

You may not need 1Z Paint Polish. Since your car is largely stored in the garage, you don't really require something with that level of abrasiveness.

You could use 1Z Metallic and get away with it. However, if you have some heavier oxidation, then I would suggest going with 1Z Paint Polish and then follow with Metallic.

If you want to save yourself some time, I would suggest checking out Meguiar's #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish.

 

One coat of AIO is just fine, but from what I've read the nice thing about AIO is that it is easy to work with in comparision to other products and you can layer it to give your paint a depth other products can't. That was my reasoning behind the 3 layers. I've read about some people using 5 or so coats of AIO and then upwards of 20 coats of SG which is of course ridiculous, but considering I won't be doing this very often, I figure I would take the extra time to go overboard. I'll check it out after one layer and see what I think. And of course there will be pics all along the process with my new digi camera

 

Have you used the 1Z polishers or the Meguiars polish before? The reason I ask is because the opinions I've read on autopia suggest that PP isn't that abrasive and that MP is more of a cleaner than a true polish. Most seem to suggest that the combo works pretty well with some people using this combo on 2 year old garaged cars. My biggest fear is buying the MP and then realizing that it won't do what I need. I think I'll buy both and spot test the PP someplace inconspicuous. Thanks for all your help.