chill

To all Hardcore Obsessive Compulsive detailers,

I gather from this forum that most RX-8 drivers like their cars to remain scratchless and in show room condition, and thus put in the hard work to polish/wax their 8s. Most paint detailing regimes (including Zaino, zymol, Swissol, Meguires etc) involve some form of pre-wax cleaner followed by a wax/polymer.

Here's my question... say I want to wax my car every 2 months, do I use the pre-wax cleaner each time I wax it? Will the pre-wax cleaner strip off my previous layer of wax? Or do I just wash it and then wax it? It would be best to have several layers of wax for additive protection and depth of shine. What method do you guys use to get several layers of wax on board? Keen to hear your opinions.



Chill

jonw440

It depends on what you use for a sealant. I know Klasse will last more than two months. I wouldn't hurt to polish before you wax. Make sure you clay the car at least once in the spring and once before winter.

SLiM8

You can do either way. A pre- cleaner is usually done to insure that you're starting with a clean surface. Cleaners are used to strip old waxes and take off contaminants that has bonded to your paint. After cleaning your paint, you seal it with your favorite wax. You can use paint cleaner every 6 months if you want to start over with a clean paint.

bgreene

I just finished applying the Mother's CA Gold 3-phase system (cleaner, sealer/glaze, wax), and their instructions say that as long as you keep wax on it (and glaze in this case), you shouldn't need to use the cleaner all that often.

On a side note, the shine from this stuff is amazing, I'm hard pressed to imagine how Zaino is worth all the extra $$$, although I haven't seen a Z'd car in person that I'm aware of yet.

jonw440

HAHAHAHA A Detailer in the making. :D
That is the "EXACT same system and response I had 10 years ago. Wait until you try Zaino,Klasse,Blackfire,UPP..... That will come in time.
Glad you like the results!!
How about a few pictures?

bgreene

Pics will have to wait. I'm fabricating some custom grillwork, and the interrim part that's on the car now doesn't fit very well.

Plus, I don't have a digital camera, or facilities to upload photos (I don't bother with net access at home, and I've got kind of an odd situation at the office)