waxing

[TObject]

As a previous Zaino user, I've read on the Internet that Ultima Finish
Care products compare favorably. So I ordered their complete line of
products. I have used it for three complete treatments so far.

First of all, I regret to report that I am very disappointed with Ultima
Elastrofoam Paint Cleaner.

The manufacturer's care instructions recommend using Ultima
Elastrofoam Paint Cleaner "as a pre-treatment before polishing
with Ultima Paint Prep Plus for best results."

As I have used various clay products in the past, I know that lubrication
is important. I used generous amounts of the included lubricant
before lightly gliding moistened Elastrofoam Block over my Kizashi paint,
right after the car wash thoroughly washed.

Unfortunately this treatment visibly dulled the paint.

The second problem is with the Ultima Paint Guard Plus. While it is easy
to apply. Areas treated with this product attract dust. And after a few days
the car starts to look hazy.

The third problem is the Ultima Autospa Buffing Towels.
Just after a couple of washes, these towels produce a lot of lint.
Cheapest Zwipes towels are better than these supposedly finest ones.

The rest of Ultima Finish Care products appear to be working pretty good.

[AlexRuiz]

I have always been a fan of Zaino. I clay my cars every spring, and put several coats of Zaino on them, and the shine is incredible. One thing i like is that it leaves no white residue, and can even be used on plastic.

Zaino is a good product, but again, as I mentioned before, it is not about the product you use to protect (wax or sealant, referred as LSPs on autopia)
It is about the paint preparation and enhancement.

No, clay bar and washing with dish soap don't qualify as paint enhancement. The zaino system, until recently, only stressed cleanliness of paint to assure proper bonding (hence the dish soap to remove oils) but never focused on paint correction.

The proper analogy here is skin care. No matter how good your make up is (wax or sealant), it is not taking care of the blemishes. A face peel or exfoliating takes care of the blemishes, and helps the make up look enhance the natural beauty of the skin.

Any humble paint cleanser or finishing polish will do wonders to enhance the gloss of absolutely ANY top notch wax or sealant. Use it, those are 20 minutes well spent.

My Kizashi looked fine after its first wash, hey, it is new. But looking at the paint closely, you could see all the rail dust. The clay bar took care of that one. The white even looked "whiter" and the paint felt smoother. But again, after looking closely at the paint, you could see all the swirls from the dealers washes, and the micromarring left by the clay. The paint was shiny, but not radiant. Some time spent with a finishing polish really brought the gloss out of the paint. The LSP just locked the shine.

On the sad side, it was already too cold (sub freezing temps) to do a proper machine polishing, so I couldn't go after the swirls, but even the finishing polish by hand took the minor cob webs. I'll give the Kizashi some polishing love in April, but for now, rail dust and micromarring are gone, and it is protected for the winter and its road salt.

Let me put some pictures of the white water pearl waxed.

[AlexRuiz]

As a previous Zaino user, I've read on the Internet that Ultima Finish
Care products compare favorably. So I ordered their complete line of
products. I have used it for three complete treatments so far.

First of all, I regret to report that I am very disappointed with Ultima
Elastrofoam Paint Cleaner.

The manufacturer's care instructions recommend using Ultima
Elastrofoam Paint Cleaner "as a pre-treatment before polishing
with Ultima Paint Prep Plus for best results."

As I have used various clay products in the past, I know that lubrication
is important. I used generous amounts of the included lubricant
before lightly gliding moistened Elastrofoam Block over my Kizashi paint,
right after the car wash thoroughly washed.

Unfortunately this treatment visibly dulled the paint.

The second problem is with the Ultima Paint Guard Plus. While it is easy
to apply. Areas treated with this product attract dust. And after a few days
the car starts to look hazy.

The third problem is the Ultima Autospa Buffing Towels.
Just after a couple of washes, these towels produce a lot of lint.
Cheapest Zwipes towels are better than these supposedly finest ones.

The rest of Ultima Finish Care products appear to be working pretty good.

The elastoform dulled the paint (micromarring) because any mechanical removal of contaminants is abrasive. The clay lubricant helps to minimize it, but depending on the severity of the contaminants and the intensity of the claying, there will be micromarring, small or big, there is no way around it. That is why you must polish after. What color is your Kizashi? Azure gray or black will show it more.

For the towels, how did you wash them? It is imperative not to use fabric softener. Wash them, rinse them, rinse them again adding 2 oz of vinegar. If they are the Sönus dus wunder, those are very nice towels. I have some from years ago, and they are still like new.

If you don't want dust attraction, try an anti-static quick detailer-booster to the finish. Finish kare FK425 is quite nice.


Alex

[TObject]

Alex, thanks for the reply.

Yes, black.

It actually looked more like something came off the elastofoam block and stuck to the paint. It took a lot of polishing to remove those smudges.

The Sönus dus wunder towels are ok, no problem whatsoever. It is other towels that came with the product, the ultima autospa buffing towels, I have a problem with.

I just placed an order for Finish Kare 425 Extra Slick Final Body Shine; can't wait to try it, thanks for the recommendation.

[AlexRuiz]

Alex, thanks for the reply.

Yes, black.

It actually looked more like something came off the elastofoam block and stuck to the paint. It took a lot of polishing to remove those smudges.

The Sönus dus wunder towels are ok, no problem whatsoever. It is other towels that came with the product, the ultima autospa buffing towels, I have a problem with.

I just placed an order for Finish Kare 425 Extra Slick Final Body Shine; can't wait to try it, thanks for the recommendation.

I am sure you will like the FK425.

If you got the gallon size, make sure you store it in a cool and fresh place. I left one bottle of FK425 in the garage for the summer a year ago, then the winter and when I wanted to use that bottle it had floating "crumbs"
FK425 is quite sensitive to temp for shelf life.

[xwiredtva]

Maguires. Liquid Glass.

Wash and Dry
Use Clay Bar
Polish with orbital polisher (800rpm) and terry cloth.
Remove haze with orbital and fresh terry cloth (1300rpm). Polish till it shines! This is where you get the scratches out!

Wax with orbital (700rpm).
Remove haze by hand.

Remove from garage. Within 30mins remove bird poop with quick mist detailer.

I used to shine my Whitewater Pearl Met SX4 this way 4 times a year and my god would that car sparkle.

Since we all are buying new cars here. Don't forget to clear coat your wheels when they are perfectly clean. There's a spray on clear coat for wheels sold at the store that really works well.

[Speed_Racer]

Thanks for the information, I am searching some good quality car drying towels. Would you please suggest me some good quality from your experiences...

Not the other poster, but I do a bit of detailing. I've never had issues with standard microfiber drying towels you can find anywhere like Walmart. Just don't let them touch the ground and when you wash/dry them don't use fabric softener.