So, I convinced my dad to get some Menzerna Power Lock and P21s Concours to use on our cars. Since I'm new to detailing I've got a couple questions (wow I say that a lot ) about proper wax prep methods and using a sealant. I know that the car should be washed with something to strip the LSP before applying a sealant or wax...is Dawn really OK to use? Anything I should watch out for when using Dawn on a car? And my next question involves applying the sealant. We will be applying it by hand with a foam applicator pad, but how long should it sit on the paint? It says on the bottle "until it hazes"...will this be obvious? And then when we go to top it with P21s Concours, how long should that be allowed to sit on the paint before buffing off? Thanks, Clark
Good stuff you've chosen, Clark! P21s is awesome. Yes Dawn is OK (some may say different, but...) to strip the wax. You'll need to "wash" the car with it in order to strip it though *as compared to letting it sit on the surface as in a pre-wash*) A foam applicator is just fine. Once you've applied it and you think it's starting to haze, so a swipe test. This means, swipe your finger along the paint and if the sealant comes off and doesn't leave any residue behind, you're good to go. Optimally you should wait about 12 hours before adding the next LSP, but if you can't wait, 1 hour is the minimum. Just be sure to apply both LSP's thinly! Hope that helps!
Just follow the directions or any professional advice. Once you apply wax or sealant, it leaves kind of a translucent layer at first and it will usually be obvious when it starts to haze. (heck even try a test spot if you need a visual example) If you have yet to try it, go out there and :giterdone: :support: Just make sure you apply a thin layer that is evenly spread out on the paint. The thicker you leave it the harder it usually is to wipe off and might have some influence on curing time. If time is an issue just follow the directions on curing time and wipeoff. You can go straight into waxing after. Shouldn't have any problems but if you do have time, letting sealant cure longer before applying wax may help with durability. These are just my opinions from my limited experience. Please correct me or help me if im wrong
I am getting ready to do this same thing. Can I wait one week after the sealent, wash the car and then wax? Thanks, Rich
If the car is driven, then i wouldnt. Contaminants could adhere to surface before you get LSP on. If the car sits, then it could be ok to sit for a week. Just my 2 cents.
A polymer sealent forms a molecular bond to the paint surface, before it can provide a duable protection it requires time to cross-link, this is usually 12-24 hours. After the polymer sealent has cross-linked you can then apply the wax of your choice (i.e. P21S) at any time
Wellll I figured I'd follow up with some pictures of the BMW. This car would really benefit from a paint correction, but I don't think my dad is convinced of what they can really do for a car yet. Oh well. He was also too impatient to wait longer than about 2 hours after I sealed it before applying the wax. But it still looks nice. I'm gonna do my GTI around the beginning of August, should be fun I don't have a great camera, but here ya go:
Looks great. How long did it take to do the sealent? ( Do you put the sealent on the entire car and then take it off?) and how long for the wax by hand. What type of M.F. did you use and about how many? Thanks, Rich
It probably took around 45 minutes or so to apply the sealant (not including curing time), I applied it to the whole car and then took it off. Waxing only took about a half an hour, I had my dad helping out with it. I'm not sure on the brand of MF, I got them with some samples of stuff I ordered from Denzil. They're a sort of orangey-yellow with black edges. Hope that helped, Clark
