Hobbyist getting back in to it, what to use on my new car???

[cobrakillerta]

So, I haven’t had a ‘fun’ car in quite some time. My last one was an ‘02 WS6 that I sold in 2010 or so with only 12k miles on it. At the time I was super anal with the car, posted on here and was recommended some awesome products. The stars are aligning and I’m about to buy a ‘fun’ car again, a 2018 Camaro 1LE in Hyper Blue Metallic, and it only has 350 miles on it!


I recently picked up a Chemical Guys kit and realized I should have posted on here first. From different places it seems like CG is gimmicky marketing, luckily I’m still within the return window.

So, what should I use on this ‘new’ car? What can I use on the matte black vinyl hood wrap?
The Hyper Blue Metallic REALLY pops, especially against the 1LE features which are a matte black vinyl wrapped hood, satin black painted mirrors/rear spoiler and the gray wheels.

I do have a bunch of brand new in the package pads for my Porter Cable as well as a bunch of random items. But, these random items are about 13 years old and were kept in a garage that was not temperature regulated. Could any of this stuff breakdown and loose it’s mojo???
Heres what I have...
- 4* Ultimate Paint Protectant
- Pinnacle Souveran paste wax
- Pinnacle Souveran liquid spray wax
- ‘Wheel wax’
- DP Wheel Glaze
- Menzerna Intensive Polish
- Menzerna Final Polish II
- Megs #26 paste wax
- Mother’s back to black

Should I use some of this stuff, or is the newer stuff that is available much better nowadays??? If so, can you guys steer me in the right direction...

My thought was a nice polish, followed by a sealant and then a good wax
Not sure what to do on the matte black vinyl wrapped hood or on the black trim pieces

Here’s a stock photo of the car in question

[The Guz]

Well ceramic coatings and ceramic infused products have become popular these days. So you have to ask yourself if you want to move onto either of these products. Ceramic coatings are going to perform longer than a ceramic infused product.

I would definitely recommend ceramic coating the wheels. It will last much longer than the wheel wax and DP wheel glaze.

I am going to recommend coatings as I have transitioned to that

Compound: Sonax Cut Max, 3D ACA, Meguiar's M110. The good thing is that Sonax is available in 8 oz bottles. 3D ACA can be found on another site in an 8 oz size.
Polish: Sonax Perfect Finish or EX 04-06, Meguiar's M210, Optimum Hyper Polish, CarPro Essence (if you are going with a cquartz coating)
Prep Wipre: CarPro Eraser
Wheel Coating: CarPro DLUX (best back for the buck as it can be used for plastic trim), 22ple VM1 if you don't mind spending money for a great wheel coating. Wheel Coating Water Behavior Discussion
Paint Coating: CarPro Cquartz UK 3.0, Cquartz Lite or Gyeon CanCoat (if you are looking for a coating lite and not ready for a full blown coating). Review - CarPro Cquartz Lite
Trim: CarPro DLUX
Matte: Cquartz Skin Review - CarPro Skin PPF & Vinyl Wrap Coating

If you are interested in a coating test check out my thread. I also like the 22ple coatings and the Adams UV tracer coating which makes it really easy to apply.

2020 Ceramic Coating 1 Year Test

I have had good luck with both versions of Cquartz as seen in both of these threads.

2018 Chevy Equinox Redline - New car prep with Cquartz

The daily with CQUK 3.0 + Gliss V1

Hopefully this does not confuse you.

[acuRAS82]

Assuming this is a garaged, nice-weather-only car and you choose not to go the ceramic route: I vote for Souveran maintained with Souveran Spray; or even throw Four Star UPP on underneath for extra protection.

I love a lot of the newer products available today and if you have an itch, we’re here to help locate the new stuff (as Guz has done). But as far as shine and looks, the products you have are still on the top tier and for a garage queen, they provide adequate longevity and won’t need to be re-applied constantly, which are the areas where the older products would otherwise suffer the most compared to new products.

[cobrakillerta]

Assuming this is a garaged, nice-weather-only car and you choose not to go the ceramic route: I vote for Souveran maintained with Souveran Spray; or even throw Four Star UPP on underneath for extra protection.

I love a lot of the newer products available today and if you have an itch, we’re here to help locate the new stuff (as Guz has done). But as far as shine and looks, the products you have are still on the top tier and for a garage queen, they provide adequate longevity and won’t need to be re-applied constantly, which are the areas where the older products would otherwise suffer the most compared to new products.

Yup, I really am not planning on going with a ceramic coat anytime soon

So, 4* UPP and Souveran are still up there. Do you think it’s fine that they’ve been sitting for the last 12 years or so?
The car only has 350 miles on it, was always hand washed, etc. Should I still clay and clean it up with a decent polish before the UPP sealant, if so, any recommendations?

[acuRAS82]

Yup, I really am not planning on going with a ceramic coat anytime soon

So, 4* UPP and Souveran are still up there. Do you think it’s fine that they’ve been sitting for the last 12 years or so?
The car only has 350 miles on it, was always hand washed, etc. Should I still clay and clean it up with a decent polish before the UPP sealant, if so, any recommendations?

I would recommend doing the baggy test to decide on claying, and would definitely polish. That way you know that the paint is starting it’s life with you up to your standards... not the previous owner’s.

Polished that people like today are Griots Garage Correcting Creams, HD One (should cover how much cut you need regardless of car’s condition), Sonax. I use PBMG house brands (Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Blackfire). Almost anything you buy on AG or Autopia are good. I’ll let you decide if you need compound, swirl remover or only finishing polish (HD One claims to cover all of those cut abilities depending on pads used).

I’m sure Souveran paste is fine. Pastes don’t seem to go bad.

I’d be very curious about 4* and Souveran Spray. If you shake them violently and they mix properly they should work. At that point, I’d be curious on the longevity. You could always start with just UPP, maintained with Souveran Spray and see how they hold up if you want to know about their shelf life status. Even if it turns out that they aren’t behaving the way you expect, you should be able to top with Souveran Paste from that point forward without having to polish or paint cleanse again. I think Souveran can sit and look great on top of whatever.

If you don’t want to play around with products and just want what you know will work, you could pass on my above suggestions and go right for Souveran Paste. At that point you can decide if and when to bother with Souveran Spray... even if it’s durability has suffered with age, it’s not going to hurt the base LSP as long it mixes after shaking.

Whichever route you go, please post some pictures! I’m actually thinking UPP might make that paint look amazing if you decide to go the route with a bit of time/effort risk.

[The Guz]

Check the products consistency and see if it is still good. Check out Dr. Beasley's as they offer products for matte finishes. You don't want to be putting a sealant or wax on matte surfaces or you will lose that matte appearance.