Is Klasse AIO/Sealent Still a Viable Polish?

[SoreArms]

I have been using Klasse for some years and discovered I am about out of AIO. Clearcoat on my Flex looks like a spiders nest from too many trips to the carwash. Is Klasse still a good option for a da polish job? I've been using it since 2013 and have been satisfied, but product development marches on so thought I'd see if there were recommendations for improved products.

[Mike Phillips]

The Klasse AIO is a NON-abrasive cleaner/sealant.

It will not remove paint this it will not remove below surface paint defects.


:)

[SoreArms]

I have been using Klasse for some years and discovered I am about out of AIO. Clearcoat on my Flex looks like a spiders nest from too many trips to the carwash. Is Klasse still a good option for a da polish job? I've been using it since 2013 and have been satisfied, but product development marches on so thought I'd see if there were recommendations for improved products.
Was hoping not to get down to paint, but need to get rid of car wash swirls in the clearcoat. Do I need something different?

[Desertnate]

Mike was talking about clearcoat when he said "paint". The clear coat is simply another layer of paint applied to the vehicle. It just doesn't have any pigment.

Klasse AIO will not get rid of any swirls because it isn't abrasive. It's really just a chemical cleaner with some of the Klasse sealant mixed in. I know some people use it with a DA, but because it is so thin, I only applied it by hand.

To get rid of those swirls could be a pretty big job depending on the severity of the swirls. I would get a good compound and a polish and a handful of pads in a couple different levels of cut. After doing some test spots you might not need the compound and the most aggressive pads, but they are always good to have on hand. You could run into a spot with needs a higher level of cut and you'd be stuck if you don't already have them ready.

After you get it all worked out, stay away from those automated car washes. You don't want to un-do all of your hard work.

[Mike Phillips]

Was hoping not to get down to paint, but need to get rid of car wash swirls in the clearcoat. Do I need something different?








Mike was talking about clearcoat when he said "paint".

The clear coat is simply another layer of paint applied to the vehicle. It just doesn't have any pigment.




Thank you for adding that and you're correct, clearcoat is simply clear paint.

And - the ONLY way to remove any type of below surface defect is to abrade the paint and level it and this means removing a little paint.

As long as you use quality products - in my opinion and experience, abrading the paint is nothing to worry about.


The fastest and easiest way to "polish" your car by machine and remove or at least improve the swirls AND also remove anything you've applied previously is to use a simple one-step AIO that uses great abrasive technology.

I'd recommend getting either 3D Speed or BLACKFIRE One Step, both are safe, both work great. The best deal for the BLACKFIRE One Step is to buy the quart size as you get the best dollar-per-ounce value.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Also - you posted this in a REVIEW forum group but it's not a review.


Your post is a question. It would be more suited to the Detailing 101 forum group here,


https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101-a/


Just an FYI


:)

[SoreArms]

Thanks guys, good info. I started using Klass AIO with the sealant followup in 2013. Always stayed away from brush car washes. Klasse worked for me and was all I needed. Last year or so age and physical difficulties caused me to make friends with car washes. Didn't realize how bad swirls had gotten till recently. Drug out the polisher yesterday and started my typical routine. As you mention, Klasse is not very effective once the damage is done. Took me 5 hours to do what used to take me 2. Maybe I'll give 3D or Blackfire a try on the swirls, or maybe it's time to see a Pro. Getting old is not so fun!

[usernamed]

Going on 15 years or so and the Klasse twins have always worked for me-cars/campers/motorcycle. In fact the detail of one of our Jeeps was just finished using aio/sealant glaze that has to be at least 8 yrs old, when Klasse states that there is no expiration date they mean it-perhaps like wine; the stuff seems to get better with age. The best part is that with three or so layers of sealant we can get near a year between details-garaged cars.

Didn't Klasse invent the synthetic stuff ?

Forgot: When I use AIO on our red BMW R1100 GS bike, non clear coat, the rag does show red-

[Desertnate]

Forgot: When I use AIO on our red BMW R1100 GS bike, non clear coat, the rag does show red-

There are some chemical cleaners which are probably removing some of the oxidation on the single stage paint.

One reason I stopped using AIO was the fact it did some strange things to the plastic trim on a couple of the vehicles I owned at the time. Applying AIO left some etching/staining like marks on the plastic which couldn't be removed. Not sure what was going on, but there was something in the product which didn't play well with that plastic.

[usernamed]

Plastic aside what do you think of the Klasse products ?

[Desertnate]

Plastic aside what do you think of the Klasse products ?

I used them for many years back in the early 2000's. I still have a little bit of both AIO and SG in my garage. However, I think there are many products these days which look just as good/better, last longer, and are easier to apply. I moved on from the Klasse twins quite some time ago.

If you like them and are happy with the results, there is nothing wrong with that. They still hold their own after decades of being on the market.

[usernamed]

sincerely interested in what you believe are better products-nothing is going to get me away from the Twins, but I do like to learn.

[PaulMys]

sincerely interested in what you believe are better products-nothing is going to get me away from the Twins, but I do like to learn.

As in better AIO's?

[usernamed]

preferably as in better than the Klasse package, aio/sg.

[Desertnate]

A few products come to mind when thinking about sealants being better than the Klasse twins. This is based on products I've used.

- Collinite 845 is a more durable and easier to apply sealant. Here is my comparison of the two from 2014 Head-to-Head cage match - Klasse SG vs. Collinite 845 (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/71873-head-head-cage-match-klasse-sg-vs-collinite-845-a.html)

- Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant is superior to Klasse SG and 845. It lasts as long, maybe longer than 845, looks better, and has amazing coating-like water behavior. Easy of application is amazingly simply/easy. In a class of it's own from that perspective

- Griots One-Step Sealant has abrasives Klassa AIO doesn't have and when paired with a DA it offers a nice bit of correction and improves the shine in ways Klasse AIO simply can't. Durability isn't very good, but I never ran AIO by itself to see how long it would last. I always applied SG over the top of AIO.

Coatings and some of the high durability spray sealants/"coatings"/whatever-you-call-them are in a completely different league when it comes to durability, water behavior, and ease of use. The other day I applied Griots 3 in 1 on my wife's car and was really pleased. If it lives up to it's claims, it's a 6-month (or better) sealant that applied as easy as a quick detail wipe down. I'd take that any day over the Klasse process.

For any of these products there is no need for an under-layer like AIO performed. Polishing the car, even with a mild finishing polish, will remove defects and improve gloss in way AIO cannot due to a lack of abrasives. If you're not interested in polishing any of the products I mentioned would allow you to go straight from a clean car to applying the sealant.