I've got an IRR XKR-S with all black trim, like vacolorito's above, but with gloss black wheels. The car only has about 20k miles and has been garage kept, so the finish is pretty good now. I'd love to do a durable high-gloss coating, but don't have an orbital polisher (which scares me anyway). I assume that I'll want to wash with detergent, clay bar, then apply one of the ceramic coatings (possibly two parts). The car does currently have a bit of wax residue on some of the black trim, which I need to remove. What US available products, which I can apply and polish by hand without a lot of practice, would you recommend? Reasonable price also a plus.

Would I use the same products on the clear-coated carbon rear wing and front splitter?

I don't like how quickly the gloss black wheels collect and show brake dust, so I'd like to coat those as well. I'm sure the car has the stock brake pads, which I may replace with the R4S pads.

Also, what do you like for a low-gloss tire cleaner or dressing which doesn't attract dust?

 

I can't answer most of your questions but would offer a comment on polishing before coating it. My finish was chock full of swirl marks and, though white not black, it looked ok but dissapointing to me. I was scared shi(r)tless to let someone detail them out much less myself taking it on. After researching the subject far too much I invested in an inespensive DA polisher and took the job on. The result was amazing and totally easy! I wound up using Mcquairs Scratch X 2.0 on the worst parts followed by their Ultimate Compound to bring the shine up. Much of it was done by hand but only took a few hours and more than worth the effort.

I just wanted to say, before you do coat the finish don't be afraid to fix it first. I'm sure some here with much more experience and expertise can chime in on this and, hopefully, the questions you posed.

 

I couldn't agree more about the correction before coating. There are numerous YouTube videos on how to perform the correction using a dual action polisher. Have no fear of the polishing stage. I purchased my polisher at harbor freight for $49 after using a $20 coupon and it worked very well. I used Sonax perfect finish compound with a yellow pad, (recommended by esoteric car care).

 

I'm too old and frail to do that much work. I'll pay the $$$ for a one-step. Having a 'vert cuts the cost down a bit also.

 

Hi Queen and country,
I've recently done paint correction, clay bar then used the orange chemical brothers hex pad and VSS cutting polish with dual action orbital machine and pleased with the results.

I've usually then used Autoglym HD wax followed by autoglym super resin polish. I then just do a quick once over with Sonax quick detailer when needed. Gets a deep glossy shine but it attracts dust and I find it easily marks if touched.

Been looking into ceramic for a while but been put off really as I like to polish it. It rarely gets wet as stays in the garage until dry days! I've put cquartz just on the wheels and that works well. To easily wash the brake dust off.

Not sure where to go from from here or to look at the Sonax ceramic? It's midnight metallic black like yours. Did you mean to use the Sonax xtreme instead of ceramic? Which do you think would suit my needs the most?

I'm looking for:
Deep glossy shine
Anti dust attraction
Protection from surface scratches if possible.

 

When I was at the Aston dealer, the regional Malco sale rep was there. He has a very large van with every supply you can imagine like a SnapOn truck... He was big on the ceramic coatings even on "fancy cars".

The paint needs to be perfect before applying the coating, so you'll want to put the time into paint correction. AM Dealer said getting the coverage even is critical as it can cure with different gloss levels and you'll need to strip it and redo... Several light coats and there is some rejuvenation liquid or preferred soap to get the best length of protection.

Still not sold on doing it for the Rapide.

 

I'm no expert but I've detailed all my own stuff for years. You won't get all three unless you go ceramic. Ceramic is the only thing that will protect from light scratching (swirls). For a deep glossy shine on dark paint, Carnuba wax is the winner IMO but it doesn't last long (4-6 months or so) and it's somewhat labor intensive to apply. I've been digging the Meguiars Ultimate Fast finish. It's a thin polymer spray that goes on easy and lasts longer than wax BUT it doesn't have the depth of the carnuba (noticeable if you did a side by side comparison). I have a white car so I can't tell.

 

I'm glad to see so many helpful replies to this thread, thanks! I picked up a Mother's clay bar kit this morning and spent a few hours going over the paint (and glass) with that, plus Zymol, because I had an old bottle on hand. I hadn't used clay before, but the paint feels incredibly smooth now. I don't expect the Zymol to last long, but it did take care of a few water spots and the shine is good. I touched up some chips on the black rims, but still need to do some work there. It's nice to have the car looking so good!

 

I've been talking to my local trusted detailer who has a good reputation.
I mentioned Sonax CC36 to get his thoughts.

He currently offers the following standards that is best for whatever budget you have.
Gyeon quartz that is a 12 month 7H hardness.
Gtechniq C1 2 year
Gtechniq Crystal Serum is 9H and 5 year & add EXO for the best combination.

He said the CC36 is 7H and only a 12 month protection and equal to the Gyeon.

In his opinion, it's all about the correction, prep and polish. All surfaces will be subject to dust. The coating will have two parts, the hardening part and the hydrophobic part. The deep glossy shine that most people want comes from the extensive prep. Any good quality coating will do much the same job and your own choice for how long you want it to last and hardness. Obviously the harder the coating, the more scratch resistant it is.

Gtecniq is up there with the best brands but be wary of marketing bull!!

Be wary if attempting to use a 9H hardness product by diy as if done wrong would require almost sanding off. Not recommended to apply outside. I can see why if you are going to do it yourself then start by using the 7H 12 month applications and leave the 9H to the professionals who will spend a lot of time getting the prep right.

 

Long term update-
If the Rapide is not subjected to bird droppings and such, no need for anything other than moderate water repellency of wax.

Even for wax, and any prized possession, paint correction by machine polishing once every 5 years is essential, and pays dividend.

I am loving the Sonax CC, its not like others I have tried that attract dust and have that grabby feel. There is no compromise to appearance compared to wax, and it makes washing and drying a breeze.

 

Q&C, did you use the Sonar cc36 on your wheels and did/ how'd you polish them in advance? I have low gloss silver on the carvalia wheels. I'd like to get a deeper shine to give them some depth, but no way to use a DA polisher except on the outer surface.

 

Hi Sean,
The BEST thing I ever did on my car that was an improvement over factory was applying ceramic coating to the wheels.

3 years and the coating is still preventing the wheels from getting dirty. 3 years I have never had to worry about cleaning the wheels.

I used Cquartz- because I had tons of it that I wasnt going to use on anything else. (I dont like it on paint)

To clean the wheels before the coating I found a clay bar to be your best friend, as it allows to get in the nooks and crannies. Use an iron dissolver and then use a clay bar. It will work better than buffing as the particles are embedded.

Picture tells the story. This is before the coating was applied. Wheels have never gotten this bad since. Just mild car wash soap gets them new now.

 

Does anyone know what the paste used by Jaguar on the windshield is?

 

Q&C, you're now 2 years in. What's your assessment? As I mentioned in another thread, I'm getting a partial respray so over the winter I'll be polishing/ prepping the rest of the car to get it ready for a ceramic coat in spring. I've been looking @ Kamikaze Miyabi and ISM.
I remembered this thread and looked into it further on Autogeek which indicates the ceramic coating is good for a year. Seems too short for the effort. I read the Miyabi can last up to 10 years (not being that btw), but the length of time between having to repeat polish and coat is important as it is a PIA.


I'm so tired of looking at product reviews as they are so full of BS. I'd like a real world opinion on the results 2 years in please.

 

So vacolorito, you're also two years in (at least). How is the Kamikazi holding up and can you elaborate on the trickiness? From what i've read, this product has a lot of pot life (work time).

 

It is all hyperbole and BS friend. Youve got a logical mind, if I give you the science behind you will be at ease.

Its just all silicone and the same silicone- no one silicone is better, stronger or purer than the other silicone.
Silicone sticks to nothing- which is how it works against droppings- but it too wont stick to paint.
So there are 2 approaches, (this will clear everything up)
1. Apply straight silicone on paint, let it fill the valleys (the same valleys that dirt would sit in) and when it falls off in 2 to 3 months apply more. These are available for as little as $5 from very good honest companies like Mother's and Meguiar's.

2. Suspend the silicone in resin and apply the resin to the car, which will stick to the paint and holds the silicone in it somewhat, it does start falling off. Now there are 2 very big disadvantages to this method. The resin has to go on perfectly smooth or you will get brush marks or streaks. Second and this is a deal breaker for many including me. The silicone will fall off the resin in time, now you have to get that resin off, only way is to cut paint (what you call polishing) well now you are removing paint. It also is a dust magnet due to being static charges and in some cases water spot magnet.

Sonax has hit the sweetspot, its going to give you a 6-12 months, cost $5 per application, a breeze to apply, wont attract dust, no water spots. Its also a very honest company, they sell soap for $7 and their windshield washer fluid, wheel cleaners are legendary.

Its so easy to work with and gives such a good shine that it makes all else redundant. Think about this, I had Cquartz on my car, a curtain blowing in the wind scuffed it up near the rear haunches, I had to compound the daylights out of that entire rear panel to reapply. With this you just rub some more on.

I have a killer tip for you for the rocker panels and bumpers. There is this ceramic coating sold at dealerships for upto $2500 (scam, supposed to last life of the paint) it doesnt, does last 2 years or so. Its silicone in light resin. I can show you where to get it for $20 https://www.ebay.com/itm/SIMONIZ-GLA...8AAOSwlzBdXWIj . You can apply this over dirty paint, you aint going to clean those rocker panels underneath. And this is one that you can apply without having to buff it off.
https://www.simonizglasscoat.com/ read their hype- you even get rental coverage.

 

Thanks, I saw your alternate recommendation of the Polymer Net Shield on post 2. So you are no longer sold on the Sonax CC36, just the net shield because the CC36 in the pics looks astounding. Didn't last?

 

It has lasted really well, realize that Polymer net shield is the final layer of CC36, its doing all the heavy lifting and that's where the shine is coming from, and in my case I would have been just fine with it.

The first layer is not hard to apply, but you will need to remove it manually when the time comes. Just like all other ceramic coatings. You can get 3 to 4 years out of it, because you can recharge it with polymer net shield.

Dont use strong soap.

 

Ok Thank you. That was the input I was looking for. I saw a short video from Sonax that includes the mention of the "overcoat". In the case of Sonax, thats the Net Shield.

The Kamikaze product I'm looking at is the ISM which is a glass coating (variation on a theme really). It also has an overcoat which acts as the sacrificial coat to the base. Certainly not as inexpensive as the Sonax. I'm also hoping vacolorito weighs in as well. I have plenty of time before any action.

I plan to use Sonax Polish to cut with and will prolly use the Sonax brand of soap or maybe Gyeon.

 

Sean, this is the simple answer you are looking for.
Its been 2+ years since I applied part A+B of CC36, nothing else since. So 72 washes approx.
Few weeks ago a forum member visited me, he can vouch how it looked immaculate and the water just flew off it.