Hi Moe,
Thanks for this write up & info.
I have a question about one of the Zymol waxes (since you seem to know that brand): they have a "Glasur" wax that is specifically for Porsche. Any time I see something "special for Porsche" I tend to think "special high price for re-badged product" regardless of the supplier. Would you still recommend their Concours wax over the Glasur? And am I really going to see a difference over their regular Creame wax by using the Concours?
Vintage is WAY out of my price range...

Thanks,
John

 

Hi John. IMHO, the boutique waxes from zymol don't match up to their estate glazes. The most popular wax we sell is Concours. Creame wax is good, but the lowest we sell sell is Titanium. So, if you want a noticeable improvement over Creame without spending much more, Titanium is your answer. If you're willing to spend a little more, go with Concours. The look, durability, and value is the best of all worlds. Keep in mind, each 8 oz jar will do about 50 applications. With Concours, you can expect 2-3 times per year and with Titanium, abot 4-6 times per year.

 

Thanks Moe, Concours it is. This is the first car I've owned that has such a spectacular paint finish on it and I want to keep it looking great (2006 911). The previous owner had it professionally detailed before trying to sell it and I swear it looks better than the brand new ones I looked at in the showroom. I've learned a lot from this section of 6speed so I figure I might as well start looking after it with the good stuff (starting in spring - it is parked for winter now).
Cheers!
John

 

Glad I could help

 

great info thanks for posting.

 

I'm glad this thread was stickied. It's the gift that will keep on giving.

 

Moe;
Thanks a lot for the article! I am 100% new to the world of detailing/waxing. I just purchased my 1st Black Porsche and now it really needs some help. The car looks like someone washed it with sand. The scratches only can be seen on a sunny day and are very superficial but still I can seee them. could you please recomend something. I was told to used the Mother's 3 step formula (paint cleaner-polish-carnuba wax) will that get rid of these microscopic scratches?
Thanks a lot!

 

Over the counter systems like that aren't bad for the average guy, but to truly get rid of imperfection, you need better products and tools.

The way I look at is you'll be spending almost the same amount of time applying the mother's system, why not invest in products designed for professionals to achieve better results. You can do something as simple as a flex polisher, menzerna power finish, and a white ccs pad. You'd be surprised just how great of a result you'd get. And the better part of all this, the results are legitimate. What you see is what you get. Then simply wax.

Give me an idea of your expectations and your budget, and I'll recommend some products.

 

Hey all! New here, and jumped right to my passion, which is the detailing side of things!

I have to say that you guys are truly fortunate to have a guy like Moe here to provide you with such great advice.

I'm a detailer as well, have done several show cars, and while I probably don't have the extensive experience that Moe has (yet) hopefully I can add some help to the boards!

D!

 

Welcome to 6speed...thanks for taking the time to read this thread. This board has quite a few excellent detailers that give top-notch advice. We try to keep the reader's best interest in mind and give factual advice. I think that's what sets this forum apart from other detailing boards.

 

Yeah, I prefer this to the pi$$ing contest at many other forums!

Thanks for the welcome!

D!

 

Moe,

I have a silver 335 that has had a bit of a neglectful winter (3 kids will do it to you).

I am not familiar with the flex polisher. Is it an alternative to doing it by hand? If so, are there potential issues with swirl marks?

One other question, I assume a good basic wash is necessary prior to claying. What type of soaps do you recommend? I had been told in the past that a very diluted detergent would prepare the car for the three steps to follow (clay, polish, wax). Can you comment?

Thanks for the help - very valuable thread.

 

The flex polisher is pro-grade polisher that DIYers can use without worrying about damaging the paint. It's safe enough that it won't burn the paint, yet is aggressive enough to minimize and/or remove pesky swirls and scratches. If you use the right pad/polish combo and the right technique, you won't get swirls.

As for soaps, you want use something intended for automotive paint. I'm not a fan of using dish soap on paint Use a mild soap like P21S Bodywork shampoo or Zymol Autowash for initial preps. Maintain with a gentle pH balanced soap like Zymol Clear or P21S Bodywork Shampoo. Another good choice on the synthetic route is einszett Perls Shampoo. It does a great job of imparting a nice shine do to its polymer technology.

 

Ditto, it's a great thread and I've bookmarked it for reference (I forget stuff easily)

Anyway, I have a question that may have been answered but I STILL don't get it, so apologies in advance. Here goes:

When I wax my new car (and I'm a very basic, novice wash-n-wax kinda guy), aren't I just waxing the clearcoat? I mean, lots of waxes claim to be good for Porsche paint, etc., but isn't that paint covered by some space-age clear stuff called the clear coat such that the wax doesn't reach the actual paint?

Or does the wax permeate the clearcoat? And what does the clay bar do to clearcoat? Is it smoothing the clearcoat? Is the clearcoat just like paint with no pigment?

As you can see, I'm easily confused. . . but I really want to know.

 

Great question...whenever we say "paint" most of the time it's the clear coat that's implied. The actual paint is called base coat.

Be very care ful the quality of "wax" you use. Most cheaper waxes that contain inferior-grade silicones and petrochemicals CAN penetrate the clear coat and get into the base coat. The clear coat is porous and the silicone molecules are sometimes smaller than the clear coat's pores. This is called silicone impregnation. It looks like blotchiness in the clear but if you examine it closely, it's actually under the clear, in the basecoat.

Most of the prosumer grade products like einszett, P21S, pinnacle, zaino, autoglym, etc. don't have this problem or use a better quality silicone.

The clay simply acts as a abrasion tool to remove embedded paticulants on the clear. There are several grade of clay. Picture clay as two categories of compound. One is a ball with lots of spikes on it and the other the shape of a stop sign. The one with the spiky ball, more aggressive clay, will go firther than the surface of the clear since the spikes are sharp. This is good for professionals that are dealing with a paint with advanced levels of imperfections such as oxidation, tar, sap, rail dust, fall out, etc. The other clay is shaped like a stop sign and only goes as far as leveling the particulants on the surface of the clear. So if you imagine little bits of particles on the surface of the paint, this gentler clay will go back and forth until all the little particles are gone and the surface of the clear is clean and free from anything. Once this happens, this type of clay stops doing its magic. Hence why the surface feels smooth and sounds quiet when claying.

Yes...clear coat is simply paint without pigment. Although, technically, it's different I think. But I'll leave that to someone that's a painter to explain

Hope this long explantion helps.