arshdeep99

Been reading a lot about detailing lately and thought I had the process all figured out.

1. Prep Work
- Dual Bucket Wash Car (May use Dawn to strip all protection off)
- Clay the Car

2. Polish/Scratch Removal
- Use a product like Scratch X to get rid of swirls etc

3. Waxing - Polymer/Synthetic or Carnuba
- Couple of coats of of either of these kinds of waxes

Inbetween the complete details, the shine and protection can be maintained by :
- Dual Bucket Car Wash
- Followed by a quick detailer like Poorboys Swipe and Wipe

Now as I read more, I ran into some more terms that are confusing me and I am hoping you guys can clear up that confusion.

1. Sealant - I am assuming this is another name for a Polymer product like Zaino. Is that correct?
2. Glaze - Came across this term and I believe this is a process where the glaze product is designed to fill up the swirls and bringing the surface level up to the adjoining area as opposed to polishing where the paint/clear coat is abraded to bring it down to the level of the adjoining non scratched area. Is that correct? If it is - which is better - Polishing or Glazing ?
3. Am I missing any other important step?

picus

1. Sealant - I am assuming this is another name for a Polymer product like Zaino. Is that correct?

Yep!

2. Glaze - Came across this term and I believe this is a process where the glaze product is designed to fill up the swirls and bringing the surface level up to the adjoining area as opposed to polishing where the paint/clear coat is abraded to bring it down to the level of the adjoining non scratched area. Is that correct? If it is - which is better - Polishing or Glazing ?

Again, you've got it. Glaze is kind of a broad term though, not all glazes fill, some do have light abrasives and some are designed to darken and deepen paint. For the most part you're right. Which is better? It depends, glazing has to be done more often because they'll wash away over time. Some detailers also use them a little under-handedly, which gives them a bad reputation (they'll glaze then say they removed swirls). I like polishing, then glazing to take care of what polishing won't (if you need to). On black daily drivers sometimes glazing is more realistic than polishing all the time too. I think the answer is neither is better, it's best to use the one that suits what you're trying to do.

3. Am I missing any other important step?

You may want to add a spray sealant/wax to your list of items purely for maintenance. I use waxes on my car, so after a wash I will occassionally hit it with optimum car wax, a spray on wax that just helps keep the wax fresh. In the cases of sealants Werkstatt Acrylic Jett, Menzerna Acrylic Shield, Finish Kare 425, they're all spray on sealants that will help maintain that "freshly sealed" look after washes.

I'd also forego the dawn and use alcohol and water (50:50, regular rubbing alcohol, spray on wipe off). Dawn is ok for occassional use but it won't strip all waxes and sealants and it can dry out trim.

Lastly, ScratchX is a great product but don't expect to remove more than light marring in spots. It'd be a huge nightmare to apply to an entire car. If you need an "whole car" polish, I highly suggest a PC and machine polishes.

Cheers.

aaronng

If you are using ScratchX over your entire car, then you don't need dawn or alcohol-water as ScratchX removes any previously applied protection.

West6MT

This is just my opinion (although I know lots of detailers who agree),..........but I wouldnt use dawn on a car. Period. Its not necessary, and why risk the negative consequences on your car like drying out the trim.

arshdeep99

Let me revise the process based on your feedback:

1. Prep Work - Get the surface clean and ready
- Dual Bucket Wash Car (Use alcohol and water (50:50) to strip all protection off / let it be if polishing is going to happen down the line as that would strip off the protection)
- Clay the Car

2. Polish/Scratch Removal - buff the scratches out
- Use a product like Scratch X/machine polishes to get rid of swirls etc

3. Glazing - fill the remaining scratches
- to take care of what polishing did not take care of (if need be)

4. Waxing - Polymer/Synthetic or Carnuba - protect with a layer
- Couple of coats of of either of these kinds of waxes

5. Inbetween the complete details, the shine and protection can be maintained by :
- Dual Bucket Car Wash
- Followed by a quick detailer like Poorboys Swipe and Wipe / spray sealant/wax / spray on sealants like Werkstatt Acrylic Jett, Menzerna Acrylic Shield, Finish Kare 425


Quick question:

- Can you suggest some good glaze products?
- Can you suggest some good machine polish products?
- I am thinking of going with zaino - Does the Zaino process contain both - polish and glaze ?

picus

Sure.

Good glazes and polishes are a matter of opinion, I will let you know what's worked well for me. You can search for any of these on Autopia for more opinions on each.

Glazes:

Menzerna Final Touch Glaze - this glaze has medium filling ability, leaves the paint very wet looking, very deep, lasts a few weeks.

Clearkote Red Machine Glaze - this glaze has less filling than FTG, makes the paint a tad darker and deeper.

Meguiars #7 show car glaze - tons of fillers, leaves the paint nice and slick, but it doesn't last very long.

Polishes:

This really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. There are heavy cut, medium cut, light cut, and finishing polishes, as well as chemical cleaner polishes.

For heavy cut I like Menzerna Powergloss, Poorboys SSR3, or Optimum Hypercompound (although this is more medium/high cut).

For medium (which is normally the bulk of the work). I like Sonus SFX-2, Menzerna Intensive Polish, Meguiars DACP #83.

For light polishing I like Menzerna Final Polish II, Clearkote Vanilla Moose (be aware this also contains some fillers), Meguairs #80 speed glaze (despite the name this is a light polish with only some filling). And Sonus SFX-3.

For finishing the above will all work, although Klasse AIO is another good addition to the list (a chemical cleaner polish which finishes down very nicely).

Zaino contains one real polish called "Z-PC", I have no used it, although from comments on Autopia it seems like it is a light/medium cut polish that finishes down very nicely. They do not have a glaze, although Z5 is supposed to provide some filling which it seals. I personally have not had good sealing results with it and prefer to use it as a straight-up sealant.

I like Zaino sealants a lot, but when venturing into the world of polishes, glazes, cleaners, etc... I think it's wise to expand the product lines you use, since Zaino is largely based around their sealants.

Cheers.

LoveMyTL-S

Quick question. You apply the sealant after waxing? I just want to be sure.

Hawhyen51

The order should be 1) wash 2) clay 3) polish 4) glaze (opt) 5) seal/wax ..... Today's waxes are either natural (Carnuba) or synthetic (polymer). The term sealant is usually associated with polymers as waxing is with carnuba. Polymers have durability and longevity compared to most carnubas. A common practice is to apply a layer of carnuba over a polymer. See Autopia's How To Wax Your Car for more info.

arshdeep99

For your detailed answers....