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This is the month to start considering your Winter Detailing prep...


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i used the Mothers Clay bar and the quik detailer to do the whole car. I just bought her used and what a difference i felt in the paint. Granted i always use the claybar on my cars. Makes waxing so much easier and the paint feels like glass. Gonna start prepping for the winter and get her all ready.
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You're nuts. But if I had a shop or even a personal garage, I'd do that too, hehe.

 

That being said, aren't you worried that polishing every week will remove your clearcoat? It is very mildly abrasive after all.

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if you're just strictly polishing and not sanding then its kinda difficult to burn through, also depends on what grit of cut polish you're using, I use Farecla G4 personally.

 

Just be carefull with plastic and aluminium, if you're scared to burn through or warp them just use alot of water but you'll have a bigger mess to clean up.

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My cousin just recently applied Opti-Seal to his cars for the winter season. Do you have any experience with that OCD? How was the durability? My cousin's a fanatic about stuff like this too.... he said that he found that NXT's durability isn't so great (DOH!! that's what I use) and only lasts a few months at best.

 

Supposedly Opti-Seal is supposed to last a lot longer? He also mentioned it's a million times easier to apply than any sort of wax or sealant like NXT.

 

Anything that lasts a few months should be good enough. I honestly don't know anybody with a bottle of wax in their garage that simply waits for the product to wear off before applying a new coat. Most car enthusiasts will wax their car every few months whether it needs it or not. The only time I really care about durability is during the winter when I know getting that next coat of wax/sealant on is going to be challenging. I'm not a fan of waxing a car that needs to be clayed, so it would drive me nuts to wax my car in February knowing it was in need of more than that. So I use something to carry me from November through March. NXT may not get you that far, but it will protect you for most of the winter anyway. Wolfgang will get you that far, I know that for sure. Zaino and Klasse are also great durability winter sealants.

 

Unfortunately I haven't had a lot of experience with Opti-Seal. I've heard good things about it, but I just haven't gotten around to trying it. There are so many products out there these days that it is next to impossible to really evaluate them all. It would take forever to do since a proper evaluation can take months. I just don't have that kind of time or client base these days. It would take having a car you are willing to polish and leave alone for as long as it takes for the product to wear off, and none of my clients want me testing on their cars.

 

Meguiar's new Ultimate Liquid Wax is ridiculously durable from what I've read. I've been using it for awhile on a few cars and they still look amazing. They are mostly garage kept vehicles though, so I would expect the product to last for months. From what I've read on other forums it might be a good winter sealant to give a shot. Better looking and longer lasting than NXT is what most of the reviews are reporting, and I can't disagree with that.

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“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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The ULW is also a lot pricier. It costs more, yet the bottle is smaller.... but if it's that good, maybe I'll give it a shot....

 

Yeah, winters in NYC suck. I would take care of my car a lot better during the winter time if I actually had a garage I could do the work in, but I don't. I have to do all washes/details in front of my place, on the street, and then park it a block away in a garage space I rent that has no water or electricity in it.

 

Durability for me over the winter would be pretty important.

 

Wolfgang lasts that long? Hmm, perhaps I should use that, at least during the winter time.

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The info on the Autogeek website says Wolfgang lasts 6 months. I've never let it sit more than 4 months, but it has always done well at that. They boosted it a couple years ago with Polycharger and that increased the durability quite a bit.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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I really like Meguires Ultimate Liquid Wax. Really shows off the deep gloss of my RBP.

 

My winter prep this year:

painted stockers Duplicolor wheel coating graphite. They are wearing Conti EWC (love these tires... sidewalls are a little soft,(especially coming from 18" star specs!) but great other than that)

Hand wash

Clay bar

2 coats of Meguires ULW

1 coat of Meguires ultimate spray wax (next time I washed the car)

Primitave skid plate! :)

 

Unfortunately, my car was just hit and will need to get the front bumper fixed and repainted. I know this has been a hot topic, but with winter coming and NY salt how long should I wait to wax the new paint... or when the time comes and it's freezing cold outside is there a wax that will be forgiving of temperatures and easy to apply? Or do I need to borrow a friend's heated garage and use my regular wax?

Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT

Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon

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You should ask the body shop that does the work. New paint that isn't heat cured (like the factory paint) needs time before you seal it with anything. It is anywhere from 30 to 90 days to wait before you wax fresh paint.

 

Honestly, what I would do is wait till Spring to get your bumper fixed. You would be shocked at how much body work done after October has to be redone 6 months later. Just let it take another winter beating before you get it all fixed up. You'll enjoy it more and stress out about it less if you go that route.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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I'll have to ask some questions. I'm not sure if I can draw it out that long with insurance.

Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT

Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon

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Maybe it is different now, but the last time I did an insurance claim I just gave them the estimates for the work and they cut me a check. It may be different when going through someone else's policy though.

 

If you do have to get it done now, just wait till spring to have the bumper installed. Wrap it in a shipping blanket for a few months and bolt it on in March when the chance that someone is going to cut you off in the ice and put their trailer hitch through your grille has been reduced. ;) (personal experience there)

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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Body shop said 90 days, so prob spring for wax. Lifetime warranty though so might as well get it done while insurance is on top of things as I can always take it back if I need to.

Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT

Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon

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Body shop said 90 days, so prob spring for wax. Lifetime warranty though so might as well get it done while insurance is on top of things as I can always take it back if I need to.

 

The warranty is probably against the clear coat peeling or having it flake off. If you get hit or pounded by rocks then that isn't something the warranty covers. That is just wear and tear. I seriously would recommend against putting fresh paint on the winter roads, but its your call. Hopefully it survives the winter without incident and is ready to be polished out in the spring.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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Hey all! New owner checkin in. We just got our 2005 LGT wagon in October and it's been fantastic. I'm not polishing it before winter, I have a full correction planned for spring so I will just do it then. But we did do some prep for the snow.

 

First up, we pulled the fender liners and undertrays off, got rid of a small bit of rust on the rails and fixed up the spray on rock guard underneath, then did a fluidfilm application to stop any further problems. Fair bit of labor, but pretty cheap materials so it's worth it in the long run.

 

Then I did a full wash, tar removal, etc. and clayed it to get rid of the previous owner's crud, though I have to admit, they gave it to us in pretty good condition. I got rockguard applied to the front end, my buddy used my car as a test car for the new Xpel self healing film as opposed to the 3M he was originally going to use. It's pretty cool stuff.

 

Slapped on the winter tires and a couple layers of Menz Powerlock sealant and here we are, heading for the mountains on Friday!

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I got another coat of Meguires ULW on both cars over the weekend and Aquapel treatment on both.

Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT

Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon

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