Luthien Enters her Vintage Years

I had been planning to do a paint correction on Luthien in October, in preparation for her winter wax; but I could not stop looking at the water spot etchings. I discovered the etchings in early July when it came to to apply her third summer wax. I was unable to remove them within the limited time that I had. I told myself that I could wait patiently until October. That's what I told myself ... and told myself ... but of course I couldn't wait. A water spot burns into one's brain. Eventually that is all you can see, all you can think about. You now it's there. You know it is detracting from the optical clarity of the paint surface. Yes, most people will never see it, will never inspect the paint closely enough to see the hateful spots. All that matters is that I can see it. And finally, I could stand it no longer.

And so I called Dan Wendell. Now let me tell you about Dan Wendell. Dan just turned 16 last week (happy birthday, Dan). He is also a distributor of Dodo Juice products. I keep trying to remember what I was doing when I was 16. I can assure you I was not running my own business, nor was I spending my weekends detailing cars. During the past year Dan has detailed several expensive cars, including a 2002 black Ferrari. He is well on his way to becoming a rotary master and expert detailer. And did I mention that he is only 16 years old. Incredible.

I described to Dan the condition of the car, and he immediately suggested that we find a day to work on Luthien together. We agreed on Thursday, August 20th. I arrived at 10:00 a.m., and we promptly washed and dried the car and pulled her into the large air-conditioned garage. We decided that he would work on the horizontal panels with his rotary, where the etching infestation was mainly located, and I would work on the vertical panels with my G110. Dan did a test spot with Dodo Juice Lime Prime but with no success. He then moved up to Menzerna Power Finish and, voilà, the etching disappeared. I did a test spot with M205 and a Megs' polishing pad. My goal was simply to remove swirls and make the paint look better. The M205 effected an acceptable level of correction. 100% correction was not the goal, as we needed to have all of our work completed by dinnertime. We worked on the car for over five hours, with a short break for lunch. Dan's Mom stopped off at a deli and bought us some sandwiches and chips (thanks, Carla!). Dan finished his paint correction long before I did, so he was able to go back over the front end and trunk lid with M205 and a finishing pad.

When the polishing was done, we stepped back and carefully examined the car. Luthien looked beautiful. Polishing a car really does make a difference. The panels where Dan had finished up with M205 and his rotary looked particularly gorgeous.

Dan then pulled out his bottle of Zymol HD-Cleanse, and we began to apply it to the car. "Why," you may be asking, "did you decide to apply HD-Cleanse, especially since you had already buffed out the car?" Because today was the day I had decided to wax Luthien with Zymol Vintage Glaze. "Vintage? You mean the super-boutique wax that retails for $2,184 and comes in the 22 oz. crystal glass container?"



Yes, the very same. But don't worry. I did not buy it. A sample was given to me by a generous man who loves detailing. I do not know why he chose me. I had never met him nor corresponded with him. He read a comment I had left on one of the detailing forums almost a year ago, and he gratuitously elected me to experience Vintage. He emailed me and asked if he could send me some sample waxes. I readily assented and gave him my address. Two weeks later a box arrived containing a tub of Souveran (1/4 full), a bottle of CG Butter Wet Wax, and a small unnamed jar of wax. I emailed him and thanked him for the gift and asked him about the unnamed wax. "It's Vintage," he replied. A hush descended upon my computer as I read the words. Vintage! The holy grail of carnauba waxes! I went into my garage and whispered to my beloved Luthien: "One day you will be dressed in Vintage." But it would have to be a special day. She would first need to be finely polished. And so I waited ... I waited for this day.

And that is why the HD-Cleanse was chosen as a pre-wax cleanser. Zymol insists that the HD-Cleanse is a necessary pre-step for its waxes. I do not believe this claim for a moment. I do not doubt that Vintage needs to be applied to a clean surface to effect best possible bonding, but I do not believe that it specifically needs HD-Cleanse for this purpose. But given that Dan already had a bottle of the stuff, we agreed that we should use it to achieve the full Zymol effect. Dan applied, I removed. HD-Cleanse is difficult to work with. It dries almost immediately. I found myself often having to spritz a panel with distilled water in order to remove it completely--and I was removing it immediately after application! But we both agreed that it added a touch of wetness and depth to the paint. It reminded me of that little extra that one gets when one applies Megs' #7.

The honors for applying the Vintage fell to me. I heated up the foam applicator from the halogen lamp, dipped it into the jar, skimmed off any extra wax back into the jar, and began to wax. "Keep it thin," I kept repeating to myself; "keep it thin." Periodically I would turn to Dan and ask him if it was thin enough. "I think so," he'd reply. Dan followed me around the car and removed the wax. I could hear him muttering to himself: "If I start saving $6 a day, I could buy a crystal of Vintage in a year's time." This young man is going to go far!

And then our work was completed. We pulled the car outside into the late afternoon sun. It was approximately 5:45. Luthien looked gorgeous, perhaps more gorgeous than at any since since the day I drove her home from the Honda dealer almost three years ago. I find it difficult to express in words the look. Wet?--yes indeed. Deep?--absolutely. Reflective?--yes, but perhaps not as reflective as Fuzion or Reflections. Warm and glowing?--very much so. Compared to the other waxes I have tried so far, Vintage reminds me of Pinnacle Souveran.

Is Vintage the best wax I have applied to Luthien? This is an impossible question for me to answer. I believe that the improvement in appearance--and there was an improvement--was principally due to the polishing that Dan, especially Dan, and I did. Dan's rotary polishing of the front end created what I can only describe as a fluidity. I have noted this fluidity particularly in the late afternoon ad early evening light. Might this be due to the Vintage? Perhaps--but I think it was the polishing. The paint looks like it has been polished.

Zymol Vintage was easy to apply and remove. Later that evening, just before I went to bed, I buffed the surface with some Last Touch (1:1). Zymol prescribes a second buffing of the paint three hours after removal. Unfortunately, this did not stop the paint from streaking the next day after I left the car out in the sun for a few hours. I had to give Luthien an ONR bath that evening. I had the same problem two days later. Again I followed up with an ONR bath. Yesterday I left her out in the sun a third time, but fortunately no streaking appeared. I presume that the oils and solvents have now properly evaporated. Perhaps I applied Vintage too thick, despite my best effort to apply a thin coat.

It has been a week now since I initiated Luthien into the mysteries of Vintage. She still looks gorgeous. I love going into the garage just to look at her. I love taking her out so others (hopefully) will look at her. I confess to an almost guilty pleasure: Vintage makes me feel special. It is all psychological, of course, but the feeling is real. And Luthien does--objectively--look gorgeous!

Would I ever consider purchasing Vintage? Absolutely not. This experience has confirmed to me what all the good detailers teach: gloss, shine, wetness, depth come from the polishing and burnishing of the finish. The LSP adds something, of course, but it is a tiny something. No matter what the calculus, I cannot justify spending $2,000 for a tub of wax. My black S2000 has looked great in all the waxes and sealants I have applied. I think there may be subtle, infinitesimal differences between them; but I also readily admit that I may only be seeing and remembering what I want to see and remember. These matters are so subjective. I suspect that in a blind test I would not be able to distinguish two equally well-prepped, otherwise identical cars, one which had been waxed with Vintage and the other with Souveran or Best of Show or perhaps even Harly Wax. Perhaps there are those out there who can, just as there are those who are able to identify the nuances between fine wines; but I have not yet acquired the discernment and suspect I never will. Dave McLean's great wax test confirms my suspicion.

I still have several waxes I yet wish to try, but I feel that I have reached a critical point in my quest for the holy grail. The miracle wax does not exist. There is no substitute for the skillful polishing of paint. I do not deny that Luthien probably would look better dressed in a coat of Fuzion than in a coat of Turtle Wax, but I no longer believe that a significant difference exists, at least with regards to looks, between good waxes (Fuzion, Souveran, Best of Show) and great waxes (Vintage).

I am ecstatically grateful that I was given the opportunity to vest Luthien in Zymol Vintage. She looks beautiful. I hope you will agree. But first a couple of pics of the old man:





And here is a pic of the old man and the young man:



And now Luthien in her Vintage glory:























If you judge that you cannot see any differences between the above pics and those from earlier shoots, I have to agree; consequently, I do not anticipate publishing any more photos of my Luthien. You have seen her at her best, at least given the limitations of both my inexpensive camera and my photographical incompetence. But I hope you have enjoyed the write-ups and the photographs.

I would like to express my special gratitude to Daniel Wendell, who graciously devoted eight hours of his life to polishing my special black S2000.

Cheers,
Al

 

That was a full on story! :giggle: but a great story of course. Car turned out amazing, that last shot is just so awesome :druling: You guys did some great work on her!

 

Great story. Very entertaining and I bet hits home for a lot people. Thnx for sharing and great work.

Now if someone gives your Solaris or Crystal Rock...

 

I absolutely love how you convey your experiences with us through your threads, always very well spoken. Thank you for sharing, and yes Luthien does look magnificent.

 

thoroughly enjoyed that write up, the car turned out great

 

LOL



Car looks great....nice work :thumb:

 

Well done vehicle looks great :thumb:

Pictures, never do the end results justice but at least it's as close as possible as we will get to the vehicle, os thank you for taking the time to post the write up :thumb:

 

I know im bumping an old thread, but congrats! The car looks absolutely gorgeous, id definitely try following up with souveran or BOS or even harley now that your car is flawless and see if you can tell a difference!

 

Very cool!

 

Great looking car, but loved the commentary and story as well!

 

Thanks, guys, for your kind words.

Last week I stripped off the Vintage and applied a coat of Blackfire Wet Diamond in preparation for winter. I'll be applying a second coat (and third) after the next washing. The car looks great.

Sadly, two weeks ago someone backed into my car in the drug store parking lot. I now have a dent in my bumper that I cannot afford to get fixed. Sigh.

 

Great write up, great job. Thanks for sharing.

 

Sorry to hear that...but why are you paying for it? Was it a hit and run? If so that's just wrong :shakehead: