There is no reason a good paint / body shop can't do factory level work or better. In fact, I will bet they spend more time on a job than the factory.
My Brand New '95 Millenia S Pearl White (the Unmatchable color) was damaged when my garage door hinge broke and the heavy door fell on the trunk and one fender. The body and paint job done by my great local shop (Sam's in North Hollywood) was not only undetectable over the 3 years I owned the car, but may actually have been a little better than the factory.
Because of the nasty water spots I get after rain has dried on my newly waxed/polished automobile, I'm interested in hearing about any products that will allow the water to sheet off, instead of beading. Does anyone have experiances with products like this?
For water to sheet off, the finish would need to contain some kind of "wetting" agent to disrupt the natural surface tension in water. While this may be good in theory, it seems to be opposite to what all types of paint protectants give you!
People that are using the Z polymer claim that the water runs off so fast it doesn't spot - maybe you should try it or some other polymer? Perhaps if the water beading is enhanced beyond what wax can give you, the water runs off very quickly, taking the dirt/dust with it.
Has anyone heard of spraying cooking oil like Pam across the front of your car so that the highway bugs won't stick when you're going on a roadtrip?? Does this actually work and will cooking oil damage the paint finish ?
I'm sure that the cooking oil application will make it easier to remove bugs. The problem this presents is that it will attract and hold dirt like a high powered magnet (and may actually attract more bugs). It will leave "gunk" all over your bumper.
Not really quite sure what it would do to the finish.
I've heard this too, but have never tried it. Folks in Louisana swear by it as the only prevention to the dreaded love bug. I would suppose that the heat would keep it from drying out, but you would need to wash it off ASAP. I don't think it would be a long term solution, but probably for a short road trip.
I have used this in Florida during the worst of the love bug infestations, but I am not sure that I would do so now when I have a better car. It worked fine, but I just took a trip to Va and back and the bugs were there, just not as bad as they can be. I found that having just waxed my car, they came off with a hard spray of water without any rubbing. Keep it waxed well and they seem to slide off. At least a moderate infestation.
Oil, PAM, etc.?? Bet that looks pretty when it's smeared all over the front of the car. If you use the OTHER product that can't be mentioned here, you wouldn't have to worry about ANYTHING sticking to your car. Your choice.
I agree with Joe166--a coat of any good wax or protectant and the bugs won't stick or at worst come off with just a spray of water. It's really not a proprietary secret.
we have rescheduled our vacation from mid-Sept until late October, because I spent hours removing those bugs from the front of my car. Had never seen them before, thought I was driving thru a flood of bird droppings. Could not understand how so many birds had to go at the same time and how did they all congregate over MY car. Stopped to refuel, got out of the car, and saw them EVERYWHERE. Never return to FLA in the "season" ever again!
...and the worst part is they are very acidic. They etched the front of a Taurus within an hour. That's why you use PAM, it keeps the acid from reaching the paint.
I've used Zymol for years, have often shown one car or another -- I'm not enough of a fanatic to be all that successful! -- and have never heard of it softening the paint. It is one of the favorite waxes for show cars. But I don't have any experience with the cleaner wax in the CR article and would advise against using it on a regular basis as, with any cleaner wax, it has an abrasive in it. If you wax with any frequency, you're probably "wearing" your finish more than is needed.
The Zymol you might want to check is listed on their web site (zymol.com) and runs in many compositions from $35-$45 up to thousands (really!) for a jar.
The quality of run-off from a car is of course desirable but it depends more on the design of the car than on the wax. If you have a Cadillac or something with a lot of flat surfaces, it's just going to bead and sit there; if you have a rounded design, more will run. (The designer of the Miata, Tom Matano, said that that was a test they used on the design of the original car -- they wanted it so that water would not remain on any surface to complete the "fluid" (no pun intended) design.)
Another option is to use a fairly good $70 leaf blower to push the water off the car -- it's a lot easier on it than even a towel, assuming you can stand having your neighbors gather one more bit of evidence that you're goofy as heck.
Final Inspection Spray is not intended to be used as a car wash. I don't think it is smart to use this stuff instead of washing your car the PROPER way with Car wash soap and lots of water. Final Inspection is to be used when you need to get some slight soil off the paint(i.e bird poop, tree sap or dust). The problem with solely using final inspection or qwik detailer to "wash" your car is that it will SCRATCH your paint by grinding in the dirt particles. If your friends read the spray bottle it will probably tell them to wash the car before using. No where on the bottle does it say the product is to be used to wash the car.
I personally use both final inspection and Meguiars Qwik Detailer all the time. I hope this clears things up.
I have a new Lincoln LS and have been getting lots of great advice about how to take care of it from this forum.
One area that doesn't seem to come up is my vinyl fenders and bumpers. For those unfamiliar with the car, the bumpers and rear fenders (actually just bottom half) are vinyl (or plastic) and are very shiny.
I am clueless regarding upkeep on this particular paint on my car. It appears a grayish-lavender, and I assume has a clear-coat finish. Is it safe to try any of the above discussed waxes? Or are there specific waxes for this almost translucent type paint?
What I have concluded is these are the top three: Zaino, Nu-Finish and Malm's. I just bought some Meguiar's "GOLD" or something. Should I even bother trying or skip right to Nu-Finish? Help! I love this car and want to keep it nice.
I've found a regular coat of Malm's is relatively easy and simple, protects well and produces a nice shine. There is no miracle cure. Regular washing and wax (no matter what kind) are the keys to keeping your finish in top shape. Rest assured you have clear coat.
If you want a wax finish - Mequiar's Gold and some 3M products are great, but you will need to re-wax after 2 months or so to keep it looking great.
If you want to upgrade to the better shine and longer lasting of a polymer finish, Zaino seems to be the best so far but I have also heard good comments about Finish First. Nu-Finish seems to last, but I don't see people raving about it.
Either way, you MUST start your new finish with a blue Dawn wash to remove all old wax and road goop, a clay job to remove grit and pollutants that have worked their way into your paint since it was new, and to smooooooth your finish.
THEN - the polish / wax of your choice. It will be worth it!
After reading the recommendations from this forum, I bought and used Klasse All-In-One and Klasse Gloss Sealant Glaze. It was the 1st time that I ever saw my reflection clearly in the dark blue paint of my '82 Buick Regal. The Buick trunk and hood may need to be clayed. Can anyone describe the claying process to me? I haven't heard of it prior to reading about it here. I am expecting my new Eldorado at any time now. It will be treated with Pinnacle Souveran Wax. I'll let you know how things turn out.
You can read all about it at www.erazer.com It is really a good thing to do, even on a brand new car. Besides removing all types of pollutants and particles, the paint becomes so smooth that the polish goes on and off much easier!
It is just like polishing your car, only you use a candy-bar sized piece of special clay with a lubricating spray to polish it with. Simple. Then, you wash off the clay and lube residue, and wax the car - the results are amazing.
hi everyone, yesterday i tried to wax my car... it was the first time i had ever been involved in such an undertaking so naturally i made some mistakes. i know i used good stuff (meguiars gold class) but i must have put it on wrong... my car doesn't look too good this morning - lots of swirl marks, some dull points and some dust collecting on the hood already. i washed the car clean before i started but i guess i either didn't get all the wax off or did it wrong or something. So my question is, what did i do wrong? and more importantly, how can i fix it? thank you very much!!
I've got a scratch in my 2 month old Odyssey which is just deep enough to catch your fingernail in. I've taken it to two body shops and both said they would charge $50 to 'buff' it out as much as possible. This process apparently involves using special 1500 grit sandpaper on the scratch area to remove as much of the clear coat as necessary until the scratch goes away and then buffing the finish smooth. They said that they would not go below the clearcoat so if it was deeper than the clearcoat then the scratch wouldn't be entirely removed.
I find this procedure of sanding away the clearcoat somewhat frightening! I'm wondering if anyone has experience with using a scratch remover product on a scratch deep enough to catch your fingernail? Will repeated use of a scratch remover end up just doing the same thing of removing clearcoat or does it somehow 'fill' the scratch? I guess I don't really know how these products work.
1>fill (cover) with a polish or polymer type of product. (hairline scratches or "swirl marks", that you can see but not feel.)
2)polish with an abrasive so the scratch disappears or is not as noticable. Many different levels of abrasiveness are available
3)repair with paint (touch-up)
Sounds to me like the scratch is deeper than the clear-coat-since you say it is deep enough to catch a fingernail on. (I assume it is not down to metal or primer) Usually-if you can feel a paint scratch it is a touch-up paint repair type of problem-similar to a rock chip.
Is the body shop going to touch up the scratch with paint? If not, probably the body shop is planning on using the sandpaper (wet sanding) then a polishing compound to make the scratch less noticeable.
I don't think any type of polish could cover up that type of fairly deep scratch very well. Scratch remover? If you mean a polishing compound- that is very abrasive as well-whether applied by hand or machine-and is essentially what the body shop will be doing-you might want to leave that to a pro.
You could use a very fine abrasive (fine cut)-but if it is a deep scratch that would only make the scratch slightly less noticeable.
a paint repair (touch-up) is the safest way to go. However it is sometimes difficult to do, if the scratch is very narrow but deep. Some detail shops and body shops do airbrush type repairs that do a pretty good job of covering up scratches-you might check into that.
Just noticed very fine scratches on one of the outside MIRRORS of my new Solara. Not sure how they got there, but, more importantly, does anyone know of a product for removing scratches from MIRRORED surfaces vs. painted?
Hey, thanx for the advice. My only guess is that maybe I wiped a drop of water off the mirror with my chamois after I had used it to dry the wheels. Perhaps there was some brake dust residue on it that scratched the mirror. Anyway, I think I'll talk to a detailer and/or glass shop.
I've been reading up on the old posts, and I am interested in finding out more on the Meguiars 3-steps clean/polish/wax. Could you do the "claying" step instead of the step 1 clean, or are they really different in function? When I went to the Meguiars site to check out what they recommend me to use in the personalized care section, they recommended the Gold Class instead of the Step 3 wax, even though they have recommended the Step 2 polish. What's the difference between the two?
About the Qwik detailer, a few post back someone mentioned that it might scratch the paint. I thought you are supposed to use the Detailer between car washes to clean up dirt and bird doo and such. What is the proper way to use the detailer?
Last question: there are many comments about the durability on the Meguiars wax (I am more interested in the gloss.) Won't useing a spray-on wax beween major waxes prolong the life of the wax? The spray-on stuff doesn't take very long to put on and wipe off. I can do it after washing without adding too much more time to the whole thing.
I just bought a silver Acura and want to keep it looking new. Any help from you folks is much appreciated.
I have used Meguiar's three-step cleaner/polish/wax-it works well--but I question whether you would need to do all three steps on a brand new car. I would think the wax step would be sufficient. I believe that step one (paint cleaner) is mildly abrasive and is intended to remove swirls and minor oxidation-neither of which should be a problem on a new car.
As for the difference between the "step 3" wax, and Gold Class: from what I understand the "step 3 wax" is the "consumer" version of Meguiar's #26 Hi-Tech Yellow, which Meguiar's bills as a blend of polymers, carnauba, and silicone. Gold Class, on the other hand, is a polymer based protectant, that contains no carnauba.
Clay:I have used this type of product, but only infrequently to remove tree sap spots, however many people rave about it and use it regularly to clean their car's paint-others advise only using it for paint problems such as overspray and tree sap, that can't be removed any other way.
Advocates for using clay claim that it removes rail dust, industrial fallout and other contamination that are present even in brand-new cars.
Quick Detailer:I usually use these types of products only after washing, in order to remove any waterspots, and to provide a better shine, and extend wax longevity. Occasionally I will use a quick detailer type of product to remove gas spillage from overfilling my tank, or on bugs.
Others claim these types of products can be used in between washing to remove light coatings of dust-I don't think anyone recommends their use on a heavily soiled car.
One thing I would be very careful about is removing bird droppings-it is important to remove them quickly-but I would hesitate to use a quik detailer type of product to remove them. Birds eat dirt and small stones as part of their digestive regimen, and when they poop on your car, that grit is deposited on the paint-I think it is safer to just half-fill a bucket with water and a small amount of car wash soap, and just wash the section where they went. Then I rinse the area with a bucket of water-kind of a pain-but I think it is a better way to avoid scratching the paint with their grit.
Here are some car care websites with advice and information (be forewarned-they all also sell stuff):
first and foremost, I'm from the "other" wax topic.
fencer1--I like to clay my cars. It's non-abrasive and works well to remove the "nasties" from your finish. I've only had to clay the whole car once and afterwards, use it for "toucing up" areas. It's great for removing any residual bird droppings (once moistnened), tree sap, tar, etc. Most "cleaners" contain some sort of abrasive to remove the above. This causes swirling.
"Quick detailers" don't contain abrasives. That said, if you are using a quick detailer on a dirty car, you will experience scratching. Wash you car before using a quick detalier.
jster has some good suggestions about other products you can use. Personally, I don't even use quick detailers on dusty cars. I just go ahead and wash. It doesn't take that much longer than using the quick detailers. This way I can be assured of not scratching the paint.
There is a product called the Blob Remover ( www.langka.com) I believe. I have used it. You fill in the scrartch gradually, multiple coats and the final coat is thick and creates a blob. After an hour the blob remover is applied and it removes the excess paint and creates a relatively smooth finish, not like new but much better then plain touch up paint only.
I have used Langka. It is a liquid cream that you apply on a tee-shirt like cloth stretched over a plastic card about the size of a credit card. You wipe it over the blob and it dissolves the dried touch-up paint even with the surrounding surface. It seems to darken metallic touch-up paint to the point where it doesn't match well.
I tried wetting the cloth with lacquer thinner instead of Langka and using it the same way as Langka and it worked just the same. So rather than spend $20 for Langka, just get a plastic card, an old tee shirt and a can of lacquer thinner.
I just did a search here and only found 1 post in reference to the California Water Blade. I bought one recently, and it really works great. It really saves a lot of time drying my white van.
However our other vehicle is a Black Maxima, and it has a tendency to scratch very easily; seems I can't wash this (black) car without finding another scratch on it... And I do everything by the book: 100% cotton towels, no harsh materials, etc, etc...
For this reason I've been very hesitant use the water blade on it. Anyway, I'm curious to know if there are any other California Water Blade users out there? If so, I would appreciate your comments about it... with use on dark (black) paint. Thanks ahead of time. ;-)
Pocahontas, Community Leader/Coupes, Convertibles, and Sportscars
I use one on my light colored TL, with no problems so far. That doesn't exactly answer your question regarding a dark colored car, so maybe others will chime in.
Honestly, I think it is a little risky - if any little bit of grit is left on the surface, I would think the Blade could easily create a scratch.
And to tell you the truth, since I still have to go behind it with a towel, I'm not sure that it saves very much time at all. Lately, I have not even been using it, for that reason, but it does take a second towel without it.
MHO, for whatever it is worth... I think there has also been some discussion of this product in the Zaino topics, and in Paint and Body Care, if you want to go looking for the posts.
Pat Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
I've got a CA water blade that I use infrequently, also. I have the same misgivings as Pat does. A towel (or my prefered drying method...the ABSORBER artificial chamois) will absorb the grit, whereas the water blade will drag it across the surface.
This, of course, will cause scratches and swirls on the finish...much more noticeable on darker colors than lighter colors.
I think it's next to impossible to keep swirls off of any finish, no matter how careful you are. People will lean up against your car wearing "scratchy" clothes, it's difficult to get the surfaces totally grit free no matter how careful you are in your washing, etc. The best we can hope for is to minimize them by using 100% cotton towels (or chamois).
The water blade tends to work best on big, flat surfaces (like a van). The Maxima has many compound curves, which makes it more difficult for the water blade to get the water out of the curved areas. I do like the water blade for the windows, though.
I can see where it would cut down drying time on a van. The more complex the curves of your vehicle, the less effective it will be.
I finally used clay magic on one of our cars ( '97 saab 900 ) last night. Even after a very very picky double wash, I got a lot of grit & junk out of the paint. A few spots looked a little scratched. I used meguiar's gold class wax which seems to have covered the small scratches, and worked really well. The orbital buffer i got helped me do a better waxing job that I otherwise would have. The wax came off very easily. After conditioning the black trim, the car has never looked so good. I plan to clay once a year or so to keep the paint clean.
Comments
My Brand New '95 Millenia S Pearl White (the Unmatchable color) was damaged when my garage door hinge broke and the heavy door fell on the trunk and one fender. The body and paint job done by my great local shop (Sam's in North Hollywood) was not only undetectable over the 3 years I owned the car, but may actually have been a little better than the factory.
Don't sell them short!
People that are using the Z polymer claim that the water runs off so fast it doesn't spot - maybe you should try it or some other polymer? Perhaps if the water beading is enhanced beyond what wax can give you, the water runs off very quickly, taking the dirt/dust with it.
Good Luck!
another question: what about waxing the paint on the new plastic bumpers? i have new taurus silver frost.
Not really quite sure what it would do to the finish.
fastdriver
The Zymol you might want to check is listed on their web site (zymol.com) and runs in many compositions from $35-$45 up to thousands (really!) for a jar.
The quality of run-off from a car is of course desirable but it depends more on the design of the car than on the wax. If you have a Cadillac or something with a lot of flat surfaces, it's just going to bead and sit there; if you have a rounded design, more will run. (The designer of the Miata, Tom Matano, said that that was a test they used on the design of the original car -- they wanted it so that water would not remain on any surface to complete the "fluid" (no pun intended) design.)
Another option is to use a fairly good $70 leaf blower to push the water off the car -- it's a lot easier on it than even a towel, assuming you can stand having your neighbors gather one more bit of evidence that you're goofy as heck.
Take care.
Joe W.
I personally use both final inspection and Meguiars Qwik Detailer all the time. I hope this clears things up.
One area that doesn't seem to come up is my vinyl fenders and bumpers. For those unfamiliar with the car, the bumpers and rear fenders (actually just bottom half) are vinyl (or plastic) and are very shiny.
What should I use to keep them slick and shiny ?
TIA
On textured plastic or rubber trim-use a good non-solvent vinyl/rubber protectant like Vinylex or Black Again.
What I have concluded is these are the top three:
Zaino, Nu-Finish and Malm's. I just bought some Meguiar's "GOLD" or something. Should I even bother trying or skip right to Nu-Finish? Help! I love this car and want to keep it nice.
Terry
PS I agree -- you definitely have a clear coat finish.
If you want to upgrade to the better shine and longer lasting of a polymer finish, Zaino seems to be the best so far but I have also heard good comments about Finish First. Nu-Finish seems to last, but I don't see people raving about it.
Either way, you MUST start your new finish with a blue Dawn wash to remove all old wax and road goop, a clay job to remove grit and pollutants that have worked their way into your paint since it was new, and to smooooooth your finish.
THEN - the polish / wax of your choice. It will be worth it!
The Buick trunk and hood may need to be clayed. Can anyone describe the claying process to me? I haven't heard of it prior to reading about it here.
I am expecting my new Eldorado at any time now. It will be treated with Pinnacle Souveran Wax. I'll let you know how things turn out.
www.erazer.com
It is really a good thing to do, even on a brand new car. Besides removing all types of pollutants and particles, the paint becomes so smooth that the polish goes on and off much easier!
It is just like polishing your car, only you use a candy-bar sized piece of special clay with a lubricating spray to polish it with. Simple. Then, you wash off the clay and lube residue, and wax the car - the results are amazing.
Have fun!
(rs)
(rs)
is just deep enough to catch your fingernail in. I've taken it to two body shops and both said they would charge $50 to 'buff' it out as much as possible. This process apparently involves using
special 1500 grit sandpaper on the scratch area to
remove as much of the clear coat as necessary until the scratch goes away and then buffing the finish smooth. They said that they would not go below the clearcoat so if it was deeper than the clearcoat then the scratch wouldn't be entirely removed.
I find this procedure of sanding away the clearcoat somewhat frightening! I'm wondering if anyone has experience with using a scratch remover product on a scratch deep enough to catch your fingernail? Will repeated use of a scratch remover end up just doing the same thing of removing clearcoat or does it somehow 'fill' the scratch? I guess I don't really know how these products work.
1>fill (cover) with a polish or polymer type of product. (hairline scratches or "swirl marks", that you can see but not feel.)
2)polish with an abrasive so the scratch disappears or is not as noticable. Many different levels of abrasiveness are available
3)repair with paint (touch-up)
Sounds to me like the scratch is deeper than the clear-coat-since you say it is deep enough to catch a fingernail on. (I assume it is not down to metal or primer) Usually-if you can feel a paint scratch it is a touch-up paint repair type of problem-similar to a rock chip.
Is the body shop going to touch up the scratch with paint? If not, probably the body shop is planning on using the sandpaper (wet sanding) then a polishing compound to make the scratch less noticeable.
I don't think any type of polish could cover up that type of fairly deep scratch very well. Scratch remover? If you mean a polishing compound- that is very abrasive as well-whether applied by hand or machine-and is essentially what the body shop will be doing-you might want to leave that to a pro.
You could use a very fine abrasive (fine cut)-but if it is a deep scratch that would only make the scratch slightly less noticeable.
a paint repair (touch-up) is the safest way to go. However it is sometimes difficult to do, if the scratch is very narrow but deep. Some detail shops and body shops do airbrush type repairs that do a pretty good job of covering up scratches-you might check into that.
If so - There are some kits for polishing out windshield scratches - maybe that would work? Good Luck!
About the Qwik detailer, a few post back someone mentioned that it might scratch the paint. I thought you are supposed to use the Detailer between car washes to clean up dirt and bird doo and such. What is the proper way to use the detailer?
Last question: there are many comments about the durability on the Meguiars wax (I am more interested in the gloss.) Won't useing a spray-on wax beween major waxes prolong the life of the wax? The spray-on stuff doesn't take very long to put on and wipe off. I can do it after washing without adding too much more time to the whole thing.
I just bought a silver Acura and want to keep it looking new. Any help from you folks is much appreciated.
As for the difference between the "step 3" wax, and Gold Class: from what I understand the "step 3 wax" is the "consumer" version of Meguiar's #26 Hi-Tech Yellow, which Meguiar's bills as a blend of polymers, carnauba, and silicone. Gold Class, on the other hand, is a polymer based protectant, that contains no carnauba.
Clay:I have used this type of product, but only infrequently to remove tree sap spots, however many people rave about it and use it regularly to clean their car's paint-others advise only using it for paint problems such as overspray and tree sap, that can't be removed any other way.
Advocates for using clay claim that it removes rail dust, industrial fallout and other contamination that are present even in brand-new cars.
Quick Detailer:I usually use these types of products only after washing, in order to remove any waterspots, and to provide a better shine, and extend wax longevity. Occasionally I will use a quick detailer type of product to remove gas spillage from overfilling my tank, or on bugs.
Others claim these types of products can be used in between washing to remove light coatings of dust-I don't think anyone recommends their use on a heavily soiled car.
One thing I would be very careful about is removing bird droppings-it is important to remove them quickly-but I would hesitate to use a quik detailer type of product to remove them. Birds eat dirt and small stones as part of their digestive regimen, and when they poop on your car, that grit is deposited on the paint-I think it is safer to just half-fill a bucket with water and a small amount of car wash soap, and just wash the section where they went. Then I rinse the area with a bucket of water-kind of a pain-but I think it is a better way to avoid scratching the paint with their grit.
Here are some car care websites with advice and information (be forewarned-they all also sell stuff):
http://www.autopia-carcare.com
http://motorhead.net/home.htm
http://www.dccarcare.com
http://www.carcareonline.com
fencer1--I like to clay my cars. It's non-abrasive and works well to remove the "nasties" from your finish. I've only had to clay the whole car once and afterwards, use it for "toucing up" areas. It's great for removing any residual bird droppings (once moistnened), tree sap, tar, etc. Most "cleaners" contain some sort of abrasive to remove the above. This causes swirling.
"Quick detailers" don't contain abrasives. That said, if you are using a quick detailer on a dirty car, you will experience scratching. Wash you car before using a quick detalier.
jster has some good suggestions about other products you can use. Personally, I don't even use quick detailers on dusty cars. I just go ahead and wash. It doesn't take that much longer than using the quick detailers. This way I can be assured of not scratching the paint.
I tried wetting the cloth with lacquer thinner instead of Langka and using it the same way as Langka and it worked just the same. So rather than spend $20 for Langka, just get a plastic card, an old tee shirt and a can of lacquer thinner.
Mr. Vivona
However our other vehicle is a Black Maxima, and it has a tendency to scratch very easily; seems I can't wash this (black) car without finding another scratch on it... And I do everything by the book: 100% cotton towels, no harsh materials, etc, etc...
For this reason I've been very hesitant use the water blade on it. Anyway, I'm curious to know if there are any other California Water Blade users out there? If so, I would appreciate your comments about it... with use on dark (black) paint. Thanks ahead of time. ;-)
Pocahontas,
Community Leader/Coupes, Convertibles, and Sportscars
Honestly, I think it is a little risky - if any little bit of grit is left on the surface, I would think the Blade could easily create a scratch.
And to tell you the truth, since I still have to go behind it with a towel, I'm not sure that it saves very much time at all. Lately, I have not even been using it, for that reason, but it does take a second towel without it.
MHO, for whatever it is worth... I think there has also been some discussion of this product in the Zaino topics, and in Paint and Body Care, if you want to go looking for the posts.
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
Pocahontas,
community Leader/Coupes, Convertibles, and Sportscars Conference
This, of course, will cause scratches and swirls on the finish...much more noticeable on darker colors than lighter colors.
I think it's next to impossible to keep swirls off of any finish, no matter how careful you are. People will lean up against your car wearing "scratchy" clothes, it's difficult to get the surfaces totally grit free no matter how careful you are in your washing, etc. The best we can hope for is to minimize them by using 100% cotton towels (or chamois).
The water blade tends to work best on big, flat surfaces (like a van). The Maxima has many compound curves, which makes it more difficult for the water blade to get the water out of the curved areas. I do like the water blade for the windows, though.
I can see where it would cut down drying time on a van. The more complex the curves of your vehicle, the less effective it will be.
dave