Detailing for winter season

[mrq0604]

Hello.

I detailed my car during the first weekend of July. I applied 2 coats of Klasse sealant and a coat of Collinite 845. Since then, I've driven the car less than 500 miles. And after car washes, the car was sprayed with Meg's UQD. The car was always kept indoors.

The paint surface seems to be smooth, although I feel some tiny spots here and there. And the water still beads like crazy.

I was wondering whether full detail (claying, etc) is needed before applying sealant and wax. Or can I just apply a coat of sealant and wax after regular car wash? Would applying and buffing off sealant/wax on un-clayed surface cause damages (swirls, etc)?

As you guys might have already guessed, the car will be barely driven during winter. It will be taken out for a ride when the roads are clean (no salt, no snow) once in every 10 days or so. It will probably be driven less than 200 miles between December and March unless this winter is unusually warm and it never snows.

Thanks in advance

[itsgn]

The paint surface seems to be smooth, although I feel some tiny spots here and there. And the water still beads like crazy.
As long as it does that, your protection is fully intact. Because if the surface would be full of contaminants, the water could not bead, but would spread out.


I was wondering whether full detail (claying, etc) is needed before applying sealant and wax.
Definitely not, unless you've not been doing it for years. Full detail is only recommended before applying ceramic coatings, because for one, once the coating is on, you won't be able to spot-correct the surface anymore; and secondly, because coatings slightly but noticeably change the appearance of the paint, and it will definitely show, if they can't bind properly at some spots, because of some contamination - which again, won't be correctable spot-wise, but you'll have to reapply the coating on the whole panel again.


Or can I just apply a coat of sealant and wax after regular car wash?
Unless you're doing a very aggressive high alkaline wash, I'd say that even that (ie. re-applying the was or sealant after every wash) is just a waste of products. Because a regular wash just won't be able to remove the sealant you've on the paint. Even natural carnauba wax, that degrades relatively fast, should withstand at least a few washes, but modern polymer sealants can last months and dozens - if not more - of washes, until they start to show signs of wear. I personally wouldn't reapply anything more often than a month, and even that might be an overkill. Reapply only if you see a degradation in water behavior.


Would applying and buffing off sealant/wax on un-clayed surface cause damages (swirls, etc)?
If anything, then it's claying itself that could mar the surface. But as long as you're doing it on a clean (freshly washed) car and with clean microfiber or foam applicators, you can't scratch the paint by just applying a wax or a sealant to it, and then buffing it off. That said, I always recommend using a foam or microfiber covered foam block applicator for putting on wax or sealant, and a high gsm microfiber towel (preferably folded into two or four) to buff them off, because these provide a lot of buffer space against anything that could scratch your paint even the slightest. And of course it's recommended to check their surface over and over during use to ensure that nothing gets caught up into them, and if it still happens, then you either remove that or fold the towel or change to another side on the applicator, to avoid scratching.

[Desertnate]

I agree, based on your driving habbits, you really don't need to do anything at all to the paint. The Klasse and the 845 will last six months on their own on a daily driven car. You have plenty of protection.

What does your trim look like? If you're itching to do something maybe put down a new layer of trim protectant. The ones I've used typically only last 3~4 months and it might be a good idea to put down a layer before the car goes into hibernation for the winter.

[Belo]

I'm in the same boat, and I'll tell you my plan is just to do a topper. A spray and wipe on walk away sealant just to give it some boost before the mean upstate new york winter. I'm sure there's a good spray on wax that works with colonite, but i'm not familiar with them.

[Desertnate]

I'm sure there's a good spray on wax that works with colonite, but i'm not familiar with them.

I've not found one that didn't work well with 845.

[mrq0604]

Thanks for all the inputs. I appreciate it

I've decided to apply a layer of sealant or wax since the car will be driven through dusty-salt roads time to time. No matter how clean the roads are during winter in Toronto, there always is salt during winter. Gotta protect the paint against salt, and there is no such thing as enough protection.

Should I apply sealant or wax? From my noob understanding of detailing, sealant provides better protection against elements. I'll probably do this in late October

[PaulMys]

Thanks for all the inputs. I appreciate it

I've decided to apply a layer of sealant or wax since the car will be driven through dusty-salt roads time to time. No matter how clean the roads are during winter in Toronto, there always is salt during winter. Gotta protect the paint against salt, and there is no such thing as enough protection.

Should I apply sealant or wax? From my noob understanding of detailing, sealant provides better protection against elements. I'll probably do this in late October

You can do either/or. Or both. Won't hurt a thing.

Another area to turn your attention to is the undercarriage. Make sure to thoroughly spray it down with a good product like Fluid Film.

On my truck, I also saturate the rocker panels through the holes where my step bars are mounted. Can't be too careful when it comes to barriers against the hated road salt.

[Belo]

i believe you can apply a wax on top of a sealant but not the other way around. I personally prefer sealants. But if your goal is protection only, go with colonite, I hear that stuff is magic. Just no personal experience myself.

[SWETM]

I would do a thorough wash. And apply a fresh coat of the 845IW. Don't know how the Klasse sealant is with bonding on 845IW. But since you did apply it not so long ago. I think that you have some of it left. So for bonding reason I would go with only 845IW. Which will get you through the winter with ease since your driving habbits and garaged kept is how you described.

If you where to wash during the winter and would like to ad some more protection on the car. I would recommend Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer to apply every other month or every month. What I have heard it plays well with the look on the 845IW. And is like a sealant light product with easly 6-8 weeks longevity from it.

[mrq0604]

i believe you can apply a wax on top of a sealant but not the other way around. I personally prefer sealants. But if your goal is protection only, go with colonite, I hear that stuff is magic. Just no personal experience myself.

I guess I'll just apply a coat of Collinite then.

[mrq0604]

I would do a thorough wash. And apply a fresh coat of the 845IW. Don't know how the Klasse sealant is with bonding on 845IW. But since you did apply it not so long ago. I think that you have some of it left. So for bonding reason I would go with only 845IW. Which will get you through the winter with ease since your driving habbits and garaged kept is how you described.

If you where to wash during the winter and would like to ad some more protection on the car. I would recommend Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer to apply every other month or every month. What I have heard it plays well with the look on the 845IW. And is like a sealant light product with easly 6-8 weeks longevity from it.

What about Meg's Ultimate Quick Wax? Sonax is not easily found in stores, and I'll have to order a bunch more products to save on shipping charges.

[Desertnate]

I've used Meg's UQW on 845 and it looks amazing. I used that combo for many years before I moved on to coatings.

[mrq0604]

I've used Meg's UQW on 845 and it looks amazing. I used that combo for many years before I moved on to coatings.

I've used UQD before, and it seemed to leave quite a noticeable streak... I don't know how things are now though.

How is the protection compared to Sonax?

[SWETM]

Not many QD or QW comes near the Sonax BSD in longevity. But since you have 845IW as base. The Meguiars QW would be good too. It's just for that little extra.

Are you doing rinseless washing? It could be an option to do after every drive you do. Depending on how much of dirt you get on your car when takeing it out for a spinn. And use some rinseless wash with the extra protection in it.

[mrq0604]

Not many QD or QW comes near the Sonax BSD in longevity. But since you have 845IW as base. The Meguiars QW would be good too. It's just for that little extra.

Are you doing rinseless washing? It could be an option to do after every drive you do. Depending on how much of dirt you get on your car when takeing it out for a spinn. And use some rinseless wash with the extra protection in it.

Never done rinseless washing before... Kind of scared to because I might damage the paint. Is it really as simple as spraying the foam and wiping it off...? If so, I just might give it a try since washing cars in winter is a nightmare.