Winter prep

[embolism]

Finally got to prep my car for winter yesterday. Also tried out some new stuff so this writeup will be a mini review of sorts for those products. This is the first time in weeks I have been able to spend any appreciable length of time on my car and I found myself making random observations that I thought I’d jot down as well. Nothing too deep, just fun things I noticed that made me say…. hmmm (snapped a few pics along the way too).

Products used

OPC
Dawn
Megs GC
Griots clay
ONR lube
Iron X
KAIO
KSG

Washed the car this morning by spraying down each panel with opc @ 3:1, then went over it with dawn and megs gc.

This was the first time I’ve used Griots clay. I read some reviews about it being too soft but I think that for a cold weather detail (it was about 45F this morning), that quality is a great feature (being that fall and winter up here is probably a third of the year, clay being too soft can never be a bad thing). I’ve only used Mother’s before but find it is pretty tough to knead so I sometimes soak it in hot water. The Griots looked a lot like Mother’s (maybe a little deeper yellow) but that’s where the similarity ended. I found it soft and a pleasure to use even in the cold. That opinion might change if I were to use it in the summer though. Time will tell.

Car didn’t really need claying but I was going to be using my buffer for the kaio later so figured better be safe than sorry. I decided to clay before iron x in order to skip drying the car (it was dried as I wiped the ONR lube off after claying each panel). You don’t really want to dilute the Iron X too much so it should be sprayed on a dryish car.

This was the first time I’ve used Iron X on my car. No great bleeding shots since it's black but the clear is fairly soft so it’s a good bet that I’d have iron. I figured now would also be a good time to do it seeing as how we’ll be into salt season soon enough, which would only accelerate the oxidation of any iron embedded in the paint. Had to assume it was working but then I noticed this on the ground and took a pic of it.



All those suds are actually from the iron x once I started agitating it. There must be a bit of soap or detergent in the formula or something.

Also got some overspray (the clean dots) on the front rims (not part of winter prep as they are coming off for the season next week) and thought it was a cool photo



After rinsing the iron x off and sheeting the car, I pulled it into the garage and went for lunch. KAIO application went pretty smoothly, though I did need to use ONR lube to remove the residue a few times when I overworked the product. I used it heavy and there was sometimes the temptation to work a larger area. This is the type of product you want to remove while it’s still wet. If it dries, I actually found it harder to remove than the ksg! Paint was super slick afterwards though. I couldn’t stop stroking it for a while there! J

Here’s my pad after I was finished. Pretty nasty what was still in the paint after pressure washing, clay, and iron x. You can see the original white colour of the pad if you look at the edge.



After a final wipe to make sure I got all the kaio off, came the ksg application. I’ve had this since last Dec but never put it on my paint b/c of all the horror stories I’ve read on here. I did try to lock in a glaze with it on my aunt’s car this summer (write-up here) and it was a bear to remove (I thought I removed it but it was still there in the pics).

Been reading up on techniques since and thought I had settled on one but then I helped my buddy opticoat his jeep a couple weeks ago and that gave me a feel for putting something on so thin that you see it flash then it’s gone; if there is something still there that you can see (a high spot) then you go over it again until it’s gone too.

I decided to try applying the ksg the same way as OC. I used a repurposed spritz bottle and a pinnacle foam applicator. Put a couple sprays on the pad then scrunched it to distribute. Started on my favourite part of the car (c pillar) and it went so smoothly that I just kept going. After a couple panels I went back to the c pillar and wiped it with a rolled edge MF (my favourite towel atm) but really didn’t have to as the stuff wasn’t leaving anything behind. It was very easy to see the flashing against the black and while I was doing it I was thinking this stuff is awesome!

Put another coat on this morning after a QD wipedown and it took even less than the first coat. Again, no issues with the application. There is absolutely no reason to fear this product if you have a colour or lighting that allows you to see the flash happening. If you are the type that likes to visually see the product on the paint before you wipe it off then this product is not for you. You might be able to get away with a heavier application if it's the second coat but if it’s the first, forget it. It will take a QD and elbow grease to get it off.

One tip that I have would be to do areas that are not very accessible (around mirrors, door handles etc) at the end of an application cycle. Right after you load the pad is when you will lay down the most product. If you start in a small space, then you will likely apply too much (again this is more important for the first coat).

Here are a couple shots of the ksg and applicator and the car after my first coat.







As I was cleaning up, I noticed how clean the ksg applicator pad was, even after doing the lower panels near the underbody and wheel arches (they were still saved for last just in case). At about this time last year, I can remember how dirty my wax applicator got when I did my first winter prep for this car.

My process is much more thorough now and while I do have a few cars under my belt, I’ve got to give credit where it is really due; thank you to the people that provide and participate in the AG forum. This place provides the means to learn and share techniques with others from around the world, making us all better at what we love to do.



Hope you enjoyed the write-up.

[Ted S.]

Nice. What kind of bottle is the KSG in?

Will you go back for a second coat?

[embolism]

it's a sprayer for eye glass cleaning fluid. Not the greatest but since I scrunch the pad it get distributed around pretty good.

I put another coat on this morning.

Thinking about a third coat tonight. Kinda like the high gloss look. Might live with it for a while before I consider topping it.