How to start my detail?

[Nick E]

Hi All,
Super long time lurker here, I've been reading all the great info on here for YEARS, finally getting my own machine and bought a few nifty products here to get my cars in shape.

At any rate I keep going around and around in my head as to how to start....after a wash of course...

A month ago I applied 1 coat of Zaino AIO on my '06 Mazda Miata with Nordic Green paint.

After I wash, do I need to take off the Zaino AIO somehow? Maybe just wash with Dawn?

I am worried the Iron-X won't be as effective if the car has a coat of sealant/wax on it.

I don't mean to start the whole is Dawn OK argument. I've read billions of pages about it by now lol, I'm fine with doing it on my personal car. But I'm not entirely sure it would completely remove the AIO.

My thought is:
1-Wash
2-Clay bar to remove AIO
3-Iron-X to remove any remaining iron
4-re-wash
5-light scratch & swirl removal
6-etc etc

Look forward to any help/advice you folks have!

Thanks,
Nick

[SYMAWD]

I would just wash like normal, but add a few oz of APC to your wash bucket. Then Iron X, then clay bar, then re-wash, then polish, seal, glaze, and wax.

[Dimetera413]

Wash with Dawn to remove AIO and old junk.

Clay bar

Iron X

Rewash with dawn again to remove anything left behind

Polish

Glaze if you want

Seal or Wax or Both

[SYMAWD]

Wash with Dawn to remove AIO and old junk.

Clay bar

Iron X

Rewash with dawn again to remove anything left behind

Polish

Glaze if you want

Seal or Wax or Both

Shouldn't seal come first? I always heard sealant should be applied to bare paint because it needs to bond with it. Glaze and wax don't bond, just lay on top.

[maximus20895]

Yes, you put a sealant on and then wait for at least 12 hours for it to bond and then you put on a wax.

[mwoolfso]

Hi All,
Super long time lurker here, I've been reading all the great info on here for YEARS, finally getting my own machine and bought a few nifty products here to get my cars in shape.

At any rate I keep going around and around in my head as to how to start....after a wash of course...

A month ago I applied 1 coat of Zaino AIO on my '06 Mazda Miata with Nordic Green paint.

After I wash, do I need to take off the Zaino AIO somehow? Maybe just wash with Dawn? If you are going to polish and/or reseal then yes.

I am worried the Iron-X won't be as effective if the car has a coat of sealant/wax on it. Don't worry, just get the current LSP completely off.

I don't mean to start the whole is Dawn OK argument. I've read billions of pages about it by now lol, I'm fine with doing it on my personal car. But I'm not entirely sure it would completely remove the AIO. It may or may not the first time around. You can easily tell by spraying some water on the paint. If it beads at all, you still have your LSP on it. What I do with my LSP removal is add 1-1.5 oz. of Dawn to a 3-4gal bucket of water, then add a few oz. of APC. When you get this mixture on the car let it dwell for several minutes before you use your sponge. If any areas dry then reapply the mixture.

My thought is:
1-Wash
2-Clay bar to remove AIO
3-Iron-X to remove any remaining iron
4-re-wash
5-light scratch & swirl removal
6-etc etc

- IronX before Clay - always.
- If you are polishing after IronX and Clay then a rewash is not necessary until after the swirl removal/polishing step(s), even then it is a light wash using regular car soap or simply an IPA solution.

Look forward to any help/advice you folks have!

Thanks,
Nick
...

[thebamboo23]

Dawn wash
Don't dry
Iron X
Rinse
Clay
Dawn wash (make sure no beading is present)
Dry
Mask
Polish
IPA
Seal
Wax

[mwoolfso]

Shouldn't seal come first? I always heard sealant should be applied to bare paint because it needs to bond with it. Glaze and wax don't bond, just lay on top.

The order is always glaze, then seal, then wax. That said you do make a good point because some glazes will affect the durability of the sealant and wax layers. The process illustrated by the person who started this thread will include polishing, so in theory you wouldn't need a glaze because the swirl removal / polishing should eliminate most of the need for any fillers.

[mavin]

When does IPA come into play?

[Anthony@zerboautoworks]

When does IPA come into play?

after polishing to check that the polish oils/residue haven't filled any defects.

[Nick E]

Awesome! I knew you guys would have an answer! And they sound sensible to me too, which is always good.

SYMAWD- I don't have an APC, but I did read some folks mix in dawn with regular car wash soap to give it a bit more bite, so I could do that.

Dimetera413 -Thanks for the input, I'm pretty well set on the whole polish, glaze seal, wax order, but I definitely needed some help with throwing iron-x in there! I've never used the product so I'm pretty excited about it. I've been claying for years and it was plainly obvious from the first time I used it how much of a difference it made!

I would not have been too worried about all this either had I not put the AIO on the car, but I just bought the car in December 2012, and needed to get some protection on the car for a road trip before I was able to get a full detail in! So now I have to get it off so I can get it cleaned up properly!

Mwoolfso- thanks so much for all the detail in your reply, it really helps!

I have just a few light scratches and some Z-PC around that I've never used, so I will be using that for my light correction.

My LSP will be either liquid souveran or some SSII. Can't wait to get her all shined up!

Thebamboo23- Sounds like a pretty solid list, but I'm a little uneasy about the ipa thing. Read Mike's article about it, might try the mineral spirits, but still on the fence.

Wll be an even tougher call when I get around to my wife's car...a black 03 accord coupe with swirled, scratched, horrid, bad, detailers nightmare paint. I'm looking at it as good training! :) all I've ever done to it when we were dating was throw a coat of Nxt 2.0 on.

Thanks again for all the help, I will post some pics in a few weeks when I get my pads and machine in and get a chance to clean up our cars!

[SYMAWD]

The order is always glaze, then seal, then wax. That said you do make a good point because some glazes will affect the durability of the sealant and wax layers. The process illustrated by the person who started this thread will include polishing, so in theory you wouldn't need a glaze because the swirl removal / polishing should eliminate most of the need for any fillers.

Yes, if 100% correction is achieved, a glaze won't really do anything, but I guess different manufacturers recommend different things. The sealant I use says to apply to bare paint only, then top with glaze, then wax. Glaze should not affect the durability of a sealant, but probably will of a wax to a small degree.

[Nick E]

after polishing to check that the polish oils/residue haven't filled any defects.

I'm planning on using z-pc to take out some light defects. Would I need to worry about using ipa for that product?

I'm planning on using meguiars Ultimate Compound on my wife's black accord, and read that you should use ipa with Meg's UC because it contains oils. True?

[Nick E]

Yes, if 100% correction is achieved, a glaze won't really do anything, but I guess different manufacturers recommend different things. The sealant I use says to apply to bare paint only, then top with glaze, then wax. Glaze should not affect the durability of a sealant, but probably will of a wax to a small degree.

The example that springs to mind here is Meguiars New Car Glaze because it contains some oils. Not really meant to be "sealed" I believe.

[SYMAWD]

SYMAWD- I don't have an APC, but I did read some folks mix in dawn with regular car wash soap to give it a bit more bite, so I could do that.


Using just straight Dawn should be fine, if you use the original blue.