Quote:
Originally Posted by bemap30
Okay here's my situation.
I just bought a new 328i xdrive with black saphire metallic paint. The dealer asked me if i wanted a sealant, he said it would protect it for over a year. I didn't know anything about car detailing before i went on this forum, so i took it. It cost me 300$ for the sealant....obviously i got owned by them. Because not only it didn't last very long, but also i washed the car and i might have rub the a little bit too hard with the towel.
The result, swirl marks and angel hairs marks (which was a little bit of my fault since i never washed my car myself before). I brought it to someone i know who works in a carwash and he said that it was the clear coat that had marks on it.
Now i wanted to know, what should i do? I'm planning to wash my car (dawn or car shampoo?), claying it (because clearly they didn't do it before putting the sealant over, the car feels grindy). Then what? Waxing or polishing then waxing? Or simply wait 'til spring then doing the whole process?
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Sorry for the delayed reply on this. You got the process down you'll want to wash (dawn can help strip off what the dealership put on), clay to remove the contamination still on the paint (removing the grittiness feeling), polish (preferably with a buffer to remove the swirls and imperfections, more than 1 step may be required), then protect with a sealant and/or wax.
The sooner you do it the better your car will look and be properly protected. You can certainly wait till spring, the dealership protection should last you a few more months hopefully.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MuttGrunt
^ The problem with over-the-counter waxes is that they're developed for over-the-counter types of people. These waxes can often times have cleaners in them (because most people don't clay their cars) or abrasives in them (because most people don't polish their cars). This is part of the reason they can stain trim, be harder to work with, receive no benefit in attempting to layer, and give "mmmeehh" results.
Higher dollar waxes most often are designed to be used on a well prepped vehicle. Their only goals are gloss and protection. Nothing else. Because they don't have abrasives, you can layer them (to a point), and are usually easier to work with than OTC products.
So please keep in mind that while the price is certainly a huge difference, waxes can certainly have other differences as well. Not all waxes are created equally, or created for the same type of use. I can't say how good many OTC waxes are because I don't use them. Being in Canada, you might want to try using a good sealant for the higher durability and better layering ability anyways with the Winter fast approaching. Sealants like Blackfire, PowerLock, JetSeal109, etc are all proven winners, and with a few layers on your paint - can potentially make it through the coming weather.
No OTC wax/sealant is likely to get you even close because of their formulation.
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Couldn't have said it better myself
Thanks!