Is Klasse the Answer?

A

alineal

New member
Hi All!



I'm new to the forum, but after only a few hours of reading :-), I can see that it can provide a wealth of information. There's nothing like the war stories of those who have been in the trenches testing products!



Anyway, have a question I know someone can help me with. One of the cars in my stable is a 1988 BMW M3. The paint is a single-stage acrylic enamel (Glazurit) in red (no clear coat), so it is very soft, along with being 16 years old. I'm at the point now where just drying it brings up red paint on horizontal surfaces. Polishing and carnauba make it shine only temporarily (even more temporary than carnauba's usual 3 months!) I've been curious about Klasse for years, but have been unsure about using something like that rather than wax because I didn't really know how it well it worked, if it yellowed, etc. Of course, the folks that distribute it thinks it's great. What I need to know is if you that have tested it think it will solve my problem based on your hands on experience with it.



Thanks!



Ali:)
 
AIO will remove some oxidation and restore some gloss and SG will do a good job of protecting it. Keep searching on Klasse. Tons and tons of information on them.
 
I think you need a paint cleaner of some sort like klasse all in one. Personally, I find klasse can take out oxidation like a champ. Another good product is colorx by meguiars that you should be able to find locally.
 
I disagee with zane. AIO will do more than remove 'some' oxidation. Go into the 'hall of fame' forum and look at the thread posted by jngrbrdman called 'behold the power of aio'. He removed all the oxidation from a red single stage paint job. It looked brand new after. If you have no swirls, then wash, clay, AIO, SG. If you do, then use an abrasive polish like DACP or 3M FI2 between claying and AIO'ing.



SG can be a PITA to work with. Take a look at my SG application technique. Do a search for the words 'wipe on off official'. That should bring up the thread for you.



Bill.
 
Thanks for your replies everyone. Bill, I'll check out the hall of fame info. Sounds just like what I need. I thought Klasse might be a bit difficult to work with (I'm used to buttery waxes like Souveran), but I'm one of those seriously sick people that like to spend hours on the "mental health therapy" of detailing.



Thanks again!



Ali
 
I didn't mean to underestimate AIO, I know it is very powerful. I just didn't want him to get the idea that it would totally correct his finish. :)
 
I've got an 89 Volvo with the same red paint. My results have been mixed with Klasse.



Round one, nearly a year ago, involved lots of work on the neglected paint, and produced a superb deep red shine. I loved it.



However, in recent months I've been watching the paint fade *under* the Klasse SG. Everything is still nice and shiny, no paint rubbing off when washing or such. The SG is still there. Just the car is turning pink again underneath the stuff.



That said, it's still better then the carnuba waxes I had been using.
 
In your application, I'd recommend AIO, but not SG.



First, due to the difficulty of application, and secondly because you have experience with some of the best carnuaba's out there, and I don't think you'd like the plastic - Zaino like shine.



I think you have some major oxidation on that car, based on what you've told us. You need to remove that first. If the finish is all swirled as well as dull, then you'll need something stronger than AIO to start.



I've attached an image to this that shows how you can revive a dulled finish. This car's paint looked like a chalkboard when I got my hands on it. In the picture you can see what it looked like before and after, as I only did half of the hood.



Now, keep in mind that this was all done with the PC, and I think that made a world of difference in itself.. If you don't have one, you should get it.



My steps were:



3M fine cut compound

Klasse AIO

S100 (or souvern in your case...)



This was last spring. I haven't touched the car since, and saw the guy last week. The car still looks 1000x better than the before pic. It's really a lasting change...
 

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The M3's paint has been cared for since it was purchased in 1990 by using Zymol's HD Cleanse at least twice a year and applying Zymol Carbon for protection. In the last 8 yrs. or so, I used Hi-Temp Lite Cute and Pinnacle Souveran. Of course, there was oxidation removed every time, but I wouldn't say there is a build-up of it now. It just won't hold a shine now. I know that a wax will only make paint shine if it is clean, so I was hoping that the aio would clean up whatever oxidation is there (I could also clay if necessary) and the sealant would help it hold a shine for a while.



It sounds like I should give the aio a try. I was hoping the sg would give some longevity to the shine. Carnauba definately isn't the answer. If it should start turning dull under the klasse sealant, do you have to remove it and re-apply? If so, does it take a stripper to do this?



Thanks so much!



Ali (btw, I'm of the female persuasion,not a guy



:)
 
alineal said:
..I was hoping that the aio would clean up whatever oxidation is there (I could also clay if necessary) and the sealant would help it hold a shine for a while. ... If it should start turning dull under the klasse sealant, do you have to remove it and re-apply? If so, does it take a stripper to do this?
Click to expand...



Welcome to Autopia. When you need to redo a Klassed car, you can just use the AIO to remove everything, no need for any special stripper. Though you could use rubbing alcohol or a polish if you're planning on using one anyway.



And don't worry about the Klasse being hard to use, the whole trick with SG is just applying it *very* thin.
 
Thanks,



If I only have to reapply the AIO and KSG after 6 months or so, I'll be very pleased. Right now, the shine lasts only a matter of weeks.



The "controversy" over whether it's easy to use or not makes me want to try my hand at it. I love a challenge! I've read the tips and get the idea that more is not better! I do have a cyclo so hopefully I won't get worn out with a lot of arm aerobics. Do you mainly apply it with the machine, and then buff by hand when dry, or continue with machine until product disappears? Also, is it best to work in sections to not let it dry too much? Everyone seems to mention using water or a QD so it seems letting it dry isn't such a good idea.



ALi
 
That was a ~1990 Nissan Altima. It was a NYC car, was always outside, and the owner confessed that he had not washed, waxed, or even pretended to care for the car since the day he bought it. He was the only owner.



I've known him since he was 8 years old, and had a new PC to play with, so I offered to help him out.



Not bad for a free-be, dontcha think??
 
Hate to say it but if the shine only lasts a week or two the paint is most likely dead and or has lived it's useful life. A rubbing compound may help but not for long. If your paint is, what we call dead, it will soon begin to act like a sponge and soak up just about everything you put on it. You'll start seeing wipe marks and streaks from everything you use. You might be able to add another certainty to the list...death, taxes and repaint.
 
alineal said:
Thanks,



If I only have to reapply the AIO and KSG after 6 months or so, I'll be very pleased. Right now, the shine lasts only a matter of weeks.



The "controversy" over whether it's easy to use or not makes me want to try my hand at it. I love a challenge! I've read the tips and get the idea that more is not better! I do have a cyclo so hopefully I won't get worn out with a lot of arm aerobics. Do you mainly apply it with the machine, and then buff by hand when dry, or continue with machine until product disappears? Also, is it best to work in sections to not let it dry too much? Everyone seems to mention using water or a QD so it seems letting it dry isn't such a good idea.



ALi
Click to expand...



SG is easy to apply, when done right. It is not like a carnuba wax where you have to work it in and buff it off. It is an acrylic, and sets itself up. If you've got material to buff off, you've applied too much. You're going to let it dry. Working with a damp applicator simply makes it easier to spread around and apply. Imagine it's superconcentrated in the bottle and requires a little dilution when applied.



I find AIO actually harder to work with then the SG. That's because the AIO is also a cleaner. The cleaning action takes a little work. Not much, but some.
 
foxtrapper said:
SG is easy to apply, when done right. It is not like a carnuba wax where you have to work it in and buff it off. It is an acrylic, and sets itself up. If you've got material to buff off, you've applied too much. You're going to let it dry. Working with a damp applicator simply makes it easier to spread around and apply. Imagine it's superconcentrated in the bottle and requires a little dilution when applied.



I find AIO actually harder to work with then the SG. That's because the AIO is also a cleaner. The cleaning action takes a little work. Not much, but some.
Click to expand...



I used AIO/SG this past weekend and I've read not to dampen the applicator for SG, but for the AIO. Is this not correct?



I also find SG easier to work with. Once you figure out just how thin to put it on there (when it goes on then disappears) its a breeze. I didn't use the woo method. Instead I used the Sonus QD everyone recommends for Klasse which made removal simple. I didn't have any streaking problems like some do. I'm a first timer w/Klasse and it wasn't a bad experience at all. Just a little hard to buff the AIO. Good luck!
 
ANB said:
I used AIO/SG this past weekend and I've read not to dampen the applicator for SG, but for the AIO. Is this not correct?
Click to expand...



Yeah, that's right. But (IMO) you don't really need to dampen the AIO applicator either.



I see you have a Cyclo :xyxthumbs I've found that one of the *VERY* few issues with the Cyclo is that it can sometimes be a bit much (speed/aggressiveness) for AIO. I hadn't thought if it earlier, but when I've used the Cyclo to do AIO it *is* sometimes a little hard to remove. Must say I have't tried SG by Cyclo, though I've *removed* it using suede-style MF bonnets on one.
 
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