Klasse issues

[ynottony]

One month ago I bought the NXT wax and used that on my car. Gave it a great shine.

I bought some Klasse Sealant (grey bottle) and washed my car today (black car) and then followed the directions on the bottle of Klasse.

I have a 4 door car and did the front driver's side. I then compared it to the right back passenger's side and could not see a difference.

Did I do something wrong? I just got a microfiber cloth, poured on some Klasse and rubbed it into the car in circular motions. It dried really quickly and was pretty hard to get off by hand.

I just got home tonight (finished in the afternoon) and now I am noticing a "film" on the trunk of the car. Could this be the Klasse interacting with the NXT wax or?

I'm totally confused here.

Also the car looks pretty shiny. I can almost see a very sharp picture of my reflection in any given door.

If I was to buy some Caranauba wax and apply it, how would it look?


The reason I applied the Klasse is because I wanted some form of paint protection on there.
And after the Klasse job, I noticed a ton of swirls and nicks that I had not previously noticed.


Where should I go from here?

[zaxjax]

It sounds like you used too much product. Klasse AIO and SG are easy to use if you use it sparingly, a little goes a long way. Also, it may not bond properly to NXT because of the chemical properties of both products.

The swirls you noticed are probably showing back up because NXT only covered them. It does a good job hiding and filling swirls if you didn't polish them out before.

[czynot]

you use too much klass. polish it off or just leave it. next wash will take the film off.
I see get the film too when i apply too much. I normally just leave it. too lazy to buff it off.
You get swirls because you are applying the klasses or wax in CIRCULAR motion. it is best to apply all sealant or wax in stright motion. Your may want to buff out the swirl, seal it with Klasses than wax the car.

[ynottony]

how do I buff out the swirl?

[nathancarter]

I agree that you're using too much, and that it's not playing nice with the NXT.

Your first step (and you can still go back here) is to wash it with something that will strip any old waxes or sealants... there are some good professional washes out there, but Dawn works reasonably well if you'er a cheapskate.

Second step, if you want best results, is a clay bar; there are some easily available ones such as Clay Magic or Mother's. Pinch off and knead a small piece of clay bar, use lots of lube (I mix up a fresh batch of car wash and just use that for lube - or use spray detailer), wipe the clay gently across the surface to remove contaminants.

To remove swirls, you'll do machine polishing at this point. Sealants and waxes won't remove swirls, but they may help to hide them.

Then apply the Klasse SG: put a small amount on a damp applicator, wipe it on a section (half hood, one door, etc), then immediately wipe off... if you let it dry it'll be hard to wipe off.

Let it cure for a few days before a second application, or before your wax. If you drive the car at all, wash and dry again before applying your next layer of SG or wax.

[G. P. Burdell]

I bought some Klasse Sealant (grey bottle) and washed my car today (black car) and then followed the directions on the bottle of Klasse.
You didn't mention that you had used Klasse All-In-One (AIO, the red bottle). Buy a bottle of AIO and go over the paint with it before you apply the Sealant Glaze (SG).

AIO is a paint cleaner/chemical polish/sealant that will help remove the old waxes and sealants and prepare the surface for your first coat of SG. AIO is easier to remove than SG, but just as with the SG, use it sparingly.

[ynottony]

I read somewhere on these forums that NXT only lasts up to a month. So I figured I was good to go. I guess not.

I used Mothers clay bar to clay certain areas on the car, then applied the Klasse.

I agree, that stuff dries FAST.


Do you guys think I should re-wash the car then apply another coat of Klasse (grey bottle) ?

[TheJakeR]

The problem I have with sealants is that they are REALLY hard to buff off well. A sealant is supposed to create a ROCK HARD (ideally) coating for protection from contaminants and such against your paint.

What I have found that works to buff off the sealant is a Microfiber bonnet to throw over a wool pad on a rotary or Porter Cable; You could also do this by hand, but the amount of elbow grease required would drain you pretty quickly... believe me I've tried.

If you are going to do this by hand (which I am assuming you are since not many people on the boards have professional detailing tools), tackle one panel or area at a time and put as much elbow grease as you can into buffing it off. Also make sure you are using a CLEAN microfiber towel! A lot of people do not wash their's correctly or somehow contaminate them... this can cause some more scratching and uneven removal of sealant, which is not what we want....

Also one not on the amount of product to apply:
I usually just put a quarter sized dot on a soft pad for my rotary machine or porter cable, so if you are doing this by hand, the same amount should apply. It may not seem like a lot, but after reapplying quarter-sized dots into your application pad or towel, it kind of gets soaked in there and residual sealant from the last "dot" continues to spread on the surface. So start a little heavier on the application of sealant and gradually squeeze less and less onto your application surface. It's what works for me!

As for wax, always apply it after the sealant; you want the rich, reflective properties of carnuba to be on the outermost layer of paint. Most waxes will do... I actually have had some good success with the NXT stuff. I used to use it on my e36 before I went professional and it lasted a good month to 2 months when applied correctly (pretty much the same way you would apply a sealant, except MUCH easier to remove). Not that expensive too at $15 a bottle. It also lasted me for about a year if I waxed regularly!!

Hope this helps! PM me if you have some questions!

[ynottony]

Thanks Jaker....

So just go to Home Depot and buy a power buffing tool and a microfiber cloth?

My arms (and back) are still hurting from trying to buff out the Klasse....it was weird, I would get a spot to the point where there was nothing visible, then I would look at it from another angle, and it would show a streak mark.

Or

streak marks just appeared on their own. My trunk today has more new streak marks and I'm afraid some peasant is going to walk by and see the Virgin Mary in it...


I am hoping that a good wash at the local "DIY" car wash will get out the remaining streaks and I will just buy some good caranuba wax and apply that in a week.


My only intentions for applying the Klasse was to protect the paint and make it so that I don't have to wax every few months. I hate waxing. I don't have a garage and have to impose myself on my friend who owns a body shop to come over there and wash and wax.

[TheJakeR]

true, true, that's exactly the purpose of a sealant! just know that you will not have the same depth and clarity that waxing will.

For a machine to apply, pick up a porter cable 7424. They aren't that cheap (about 150-175), but I used to use one for most of my polishing work also. I have since moved to a rotary machine, but the porter cable is still a great tool that I frequently use. The porter cable is a dual action polisher,means it rotates in 2 motions at once, making it less likely to burn paint when polishing, a good thing for beginners.

DO NOT BUY A NO NAME POLISHER FROM HOME DEPOT OR THE LIKE! Not many of these polishers are any good at all and commonly burn out in a few months....

[ynottony]

Jake...

I wish I would have taken the time to read your sig. I'm over in Irvine and was contemplating on just letting a professional take car of the car.

I'm going to take the remainder of this post to a personal message, so thanks to all who replied !!

[zaxjax]

The streaking you are seeing is the Klasse and NXT not bonding properly, it keeps smearing and not drying properly. You need to strip the car and start over.

Sealants like Klasse, Poorboy's, Zaino do not play nice with surface that are not prepped properly or have any oils, polish or other contaminants on the surface. Sealants need to go on thin coats and makes life easy to buff off.

[illogik]

Yup - the best thing to try is lay down a coat of All-In-One first, then layer the SG over it so it can properly bond with no hazing.

To buff out the Glaze by hand without streaks, try lightly misting down your MF towel with distilled/filtered water, then go over the panel a few times in one direction (not circular).

[fiveayam]

Check this out for the proper application method for Klasse SG/AIO
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=158378

As for the "film", it may go away after a wash. I used Klasse SG for a while, and no matter how careful I was there would be one or two spots with a white film. Washing the next day always got rid of them. But if your film is due to the NXT, it may take more than soap and water to remove it.

If you hate waxing I would definitely use a sealant. Klasse AIO and SG produce great results, but it is very time intensive. I tried out JETSEAL (by Chemical Guys) along with a glaze (also by CG) and am very happy with the results. The Jetseal looks good, and only takes 1 hour to apply and remove 2 coats (with a PC).

Here's some current pix, 5 months after the detail, with plenty of road salt and ice in between.

http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr225/fiveayam/IMG_0135-1.jpg

http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr225/fiveayam/IMG_0180-3.jpg

[Zaks]

KSG instructions:

1. apply to whole car
2. let it dry for 15-30 mins
3. grab 2 m/f towels
4. use QD to dampen one towel
5. wipe a section (1/4 or 1/2 roof) with damp towel throughly, with very light pressure
6. wipe that same section with the dry towel to take off any damp residue
7. repeat over entire car
8. enjoy the perfect finish