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Infiniti G35 G37 Car Washes, Waxes, & Care
What's everyone using to keep their cars looking great inside and out?
I've read about Mother's clay bar and synthetic waxes being very good, though I haven't tried them, and I recently started using some Meguiars Carnuba wax that turned out pretty well on my G37x that I bought 2 weeks ago. I'd like to keep it looking good for as long as possible.
A friend of mine recommended Zaino All In One with their spray on sealant. Anyone tried it?
Any recommendations for cleaning the glass/dash/leather interior too?
What's everyone else using out there?
I've read about Mother's clay bar and synthetic waxes being very good, though I haven't tried them, and I recently started using some Meguiars Carnuba wax that turned out pretty well on my G37x that I bought 2 weeks ago. I'd like to keep it looking good for as long as possible.
A friend of mine recommended Zaino All In One with their spray on sealant. Anyone tried it?
Any recommendations for cleaning the glass/dash/leather interior too?
What's everyone else using out there?
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I'm thinking about getting the porter cable 7424 to polish the car - yes it's expensive but everyone says it's well worth it for the incredible shine. As far as clay bars, I'm going to buy a mild one to go with the Mequire's ultimate detailer spray I already own. I don't think there's much difference between brands with clay.
With sealants and waxes, I've read so many good reviews for Poorboys, Zainos and Mcgliores (sp?). I will definitely seal the car, let it cure for a day, then apply wax (with carnauba b/c my car is a darker color) to get that wet look. Let me know which brand you use and your verdict.
I heard Leatherique is good for the interior. That's about as much as I know about that. I will probably get sheepskin covers for the front seats, as cracking and bubbling are known issues for G seats. However, the coupe front seats have buttons, side airbags, and seat belt attachment so I might need to custom make the covers to fit...
Oh, I bought Leather Wipes by Armorall to clean the leather in my Acura trade-in, and while it firmed up the leather, it left streaks all over. I don't think I recommend using them.
Just so you know, at Myg37.com they have endless threads about detailing. Hope this helps.
i wonder if using the sealant as the base, and then applying the z-5 on top would work?
After reading your post, I decided to go straight to the source...I just got off the phone with Sal, the founder and owner of Zaino. I told him about the issues you were having and that you were an experienced Zaino user. He said that the Infiniti paint is more susceptible to 'overload' (using too much product) than some other paints, and suspected that you may have been using too much product. According to Sal, you should barely be able to see the product on the paint surface as it dries. He also suggested that if you are having trouble removing product, try using a cotton towel moistened with water, not Z6, followed by a dry towel. Hope this helps.
I will keep everyone posted with the results I get.
i spent 3 hours detailing the car with Zaino products. i must say my car looks spectacular, but this is coming from a guy who never detailed his previous car, so anything is an improvement. And the car was brand spanking new, so i didnt have to clay or use an abrasive polish.
I do not have any direct experience with the Infiniti Scratch Shield Paint.
However, I would be cautious covering this with a film. The self healing
properties of the clear coat indicate that it is not cross-linked/cured and
may have outgassing as the clear coat ages. This outgassing could result in
bubbles trapped beneath the clear coat and Paint Protection Film.
Regards,
Mike Kim
3M Company, Automotive Division Lab
Building 209-2N-01
Phone: 651-736-6922
The film itself does have a fair amount of 'texture' to it, also known as orange peel. There are other films out there, some with less orange peel, but he feels that the StoneShield holds up better over time.
The above post about the comments from the 3M rep was interesting, and set me to scouring the internet to find out more about the Infiniti Scratch Shield paint..not much out there that explains exactly what it is and how it works. I do know that after a few weeks, my clear bra shows no signs of any bubbling from 'outgassing', and I doubt that it ever will.
One thing that is interesting...as of the 2010 models, Infiniti will be discontinuing the Scratch Shield paint...I wonder why? I also found out that they have entered into an agreement with a company that will see this technology applied to cell phones!
Best thing to do is keep track of any issues (maybe on this forum) and, if it looks like the longevity of the paint is questionable, start raising a stink with Infiniti and the FTC. Whether the paint is covered by Infiniti's warranty or not, there's such a thing as "implied merchantability" (or something like that), that basically says that even if a guarantee is not explicitly stated, there's an implied warrantee as to the reasonable usability of the product someone buys.
Here is the process I use, which will eliminate the chance of scratching/swirling the paint. When washing, I thoroughly rinse the entire car to get off as much loose dirt as possible. I have one bucket filled with water/car wash solution (I use Zaino products), and a 2nd bucket filled with just water. I use 100% cotton wash towels made especially for this task. Even if the towels are all cotton, the edging can contain polyester, which can scratch. I have a supplier who makes towels 16 x 20 inches in size, and cuts off the edging and re-sews with cotton thread so that the edges don't unravel (if anyone is interested, I can provide contact info for this supplier). I wash one panel at a time, and rinse the wash cloth in the bucket containing only water to keep the cloth as clean as possible. Dirt particles in the cloth can scratch.
After the final rinse, I dry the car with a high quality waffle weave microfiber cloth. I use the Zaino cotton applicators to apply wax, and high quality microfiber cloths to remove it (I use to use larger cotton towels from the same supplier, but have found that microfiber works better at removing wax). Classic Motoring Accessories (www.properautocare.com) has a great microfiber cloth available called Perfect Shine Buffing Cloths...very soft and high quality.
Swirls are basically just circular scratches, so if you use the proper wash technique along with non-scratch materials, you can completely avoid swirl marks, even in dark colors.
As far as the ssp, I have provided a link below which gives some information about how it works. Notice that it claims to be more scratch resistant than conventional clearcoats...interesting. As to why it is being discontinued, I dunno. It's possible that it could actually be a cost-cutting move, and those of us who have it actually have a superior finish. I have not been able to find any actual complaints about ssp, other than you thinking that it swirls easily. One thing I have found out is that if an Infiniti vehicle with ssp needs paint work (maybe after being in an accident), the shop needs to be aware of how to do the work properly. The ssp behaves differently when being high speed buffed, and special techniques are needed. I linked to a discussion about this also.
link about ssp ">link title http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/TECHNOLOGY/INTRODUCTION/DETAILS/SCRATCH/
link to discussion link title
Reason my car was getting detailed was that dealer prep put the swirls in the paint (someone used dirty rag when removing transport wrap). BUT, agree with the detailer at the dealership that this paint is softer than my Audi.
Thanks.
link to order form
well, this story has a happy ending. turns out, after a few hours, i noticed the swirl marks had disappeared. i assume the heat from the engine encouraged the scratch shield to do its job, b/c this happened at night and there was no sun to hasten the ssp.
while this may seem like a testament to ssp, and the technology did work as advertised, i wonder if this whole experience could have been avoided with regular paint?
I then applied 2 coats of Z2 (enabled with ZFX). After removing each coat of Z2, I followed with a Z6 wipedown. I then tried the Zaino Z-CS clear seal for the first time and I like it. Very easy to apply...just wipe on (VERY sparingly) and let it dry. Finally, a quick wipe down with Z8 Grand Finale...the car now glows! The overall feel of the paint is fairly slick, but maybe not as slick as on other cars I have used Zaino on...must be the Infiniti paint.
As hesaid had noted earlier, Zaino removal (AIO, Z2, etc) did seem more difficult on the Infiniti paint. As I have mentioned previously, I usually use the 100% cotton towels to remove Zaino, but it took more effort this time around. I ordered several of the Perfect Shine microfiber buffing cloths from properautocare.com, and found that these made the removal much easier. I will now use the smaller cotton towels for washing, the larger cotton towels for drying, and microfiber for wax removal and glass care. Here is a link to the microfiber cloths...very high quality, very soft, and they are hemmed in microfiber instead of polyester thread so the edges will not scratch either (and no, I do not have any affiliation with the company!).
link">http://www.properautocare.com/vipeshmibucl.html
And thanks for the link!
I have a feeling that the AIO and Z2 will have similar durability (I usually get 3-4 months with Z2 before I notice the water drops are not beading as well). My original hope was to use the new (for me) Z-CS Clear Seal all by itself and save myself some work, but in the end I think that a few coats of Z2, followed by a coat of Z-CS, and topped with Z8 gives the best overall shine/durability performance. The Z-CS is very easy to use and is supposed to have even greater durability than Z2/Z5. I will probably just use the AIO once a year for a good cleaning of the paint, and as I mentioned before it makes a good spot cleaner for stains caused by bugs, bird poop, etc.
and when it was warmer, i'd use meguiars quik detailer to re-clean the whole car by taking off dust and pollen. it works so well.
I should note however that it's an artificial (very soft) sponge not a real one, and it's kept very clean.
I have plenty of Meguiar microfiber clothes which I wash by themselves and keep in zip lock bags until needed for waxing so I could use one of those if it would calm you down before you damage some internal organs.
I appreciate your concern in any case, and thanks.
I'll bet that color you have looks very nice when clean, and I appreciate your concern for my internal organs!
As far as removing snow, I would just put on a pair of work gloves or even dishwashing gloves and use my hands/arms to get off as much snow as possible, trying to not come in contact with the surface of the car. I would not use a 'snow brush' as it could scratch if it got dragged along the surface.
After you have gotten off most of the snow by hand, you could just drive off and let the wind blow off the rest, or, if it's dry fluffy snow, use a leaf blower to blow off the remaining snow!
My wife picked up a meguiars car kit at Target, and it comes with a sponge for cleaning, and another for waxing. Do you tihkn they are safe to use?
This is the kit here: http://www.carcollector.com/index.php/features/38/605.html
The sponges are called "bone sponge wash pad" and "soft foam was applicator pad"
If you think the cleaning / waxing productd are good but the sponges are crap, what towels or sponges would you recommend that could be picked up locally and not special ordered?
Senior Vice President, Total Customer Satisfaction, in Franklin, TN. If anyone else has had similar problems I would like to hear how you fared with Infiniti.
I don't know if this will help you but I spoke with a rep for Infiniti about the clear coat. As you may know the clear coat is a self healing clear coat. They discontinued it for 2010 because of cost and cost to repair and limited people that could repair. Also, becuase it did not work OR did not work unless the car was exposed to direct sunlight and got very hot. Only then did it somewhat liquifi and fill in swirl marks, etc. I just wonder if the prints you see are actually the clear coat. Since you don't get it out much and I'll be you garage it, maybe you should put it out in the sun. With the temps TN gets in the summer, it might help.
Good luck.