Pre-winter detail & layering question

[Manic]

First off I`d like to say hello and thanks for the wealth of knowledge I`ve gained from lurking on this forum for the last year.



Now to the grits of my post.



I`m getting ready for the pre-winter detail on my Candy White 2008 VW GTI. I need long lasting protection because of the extreme winters up here (Winnipeg, Canada).



This summer I`ve mainly been using:



ONR for washing and as a QD

P21S Paintwork Cleanser

P21S 100% Carnauba



Due to the lack of durability I know the P21S won`t last through 5 months of winter. So I`m looking at purchasing the following.



Klasse twins

Collinite 476s

OCW



I`m looking at throwing down a few coats of KSG, and then at least 3 coats of 476. The OCW will be used for the rear bumper, sideskirts, and front lip/grill.



Would this work out well? Can the 476 be layered over KSG without problems? Or would all of this be overkill? I may use a buffer, but there`s a chance this will be a hand application. Any tips?



I`ll take any suggestions I can get, but please keep in mind, I`ve chosen these products not only because they are durable, but because they are easily available in Canada. With the dollar in the dumper, and long shipping times, I need to purchase stuff north of the border.



Any help or info would be great.



Thanks

[Garry Dean]

Thats one hell of a protection plan! Sounds good! I think it may be a bit overkill!

[Manic]

It may be overkill. But as long as I can layer it up that way without issue, I`m happy.



Besides, I`ll have my car parked in a heated garage for 6 days straight, with no reason to go anywhere. I figure I`ll take advantage of it.

[Accumulator]

Manic- I`d simply choose between the KSG and the 476S. I use `em both on winter drivers and as long as you layer it`s absolutely a toss-up between them; both will last all winter.



Putting the 476S on KSG wouldl work fine, but it will preclude adding more KSG later.



I`d probably lean towards the Klasse in this case, with six layers you`ll get through winter fine and it might even hold up well into the spring. Using something like FK425 (or a locally-sourced equivalent) after washes will be overkill but will help keep things nice and slick so washes go easier.



Not sure why you`d use the OCW on the parts you mentioned, why not use Klasse twins with layers of KSG? I use it on the black exterior plastic on the minivan and it works great. I do use W-O-W-O on trim, seems to leave a more uniform finish. I`ve hardly *ever* encountered trim that I can`t use the Klasse twins on.



Oh, and spray sealants (I like UPP) work great for touchups on the Klassed trim. Not as durable as the KSG but a lot quicker and easier as a maintenance approach.

[Joel_MD]

Personally, I don`t think it does any good to "layer" waxes. Sealants are a different story. If you apply Collinite one time or twenty times you end up with the same microscopic layer of protection. I use 845IW on all my vehicles, and apply one thin coat with a blue pad on a PC. It lasts for months.

[Accumulator]

..If you apply Collinite one time or twenty times you end up with the same microscopic layer of protection. I use 845IW on all my vehicles, and apply one thin coat with a blue pad on a PC. It lasts for months.

Different experience here. Multiple applications of Collinite (476S and especially 845) last a lot longer for me than a single one (tested with decent controls including equalized starting times for the observation period). The difference was one of *months*; this wasn`t something subtle.



I have had rare occasions when 476S effected a solvent-action on previously applied coats, but it`s only happened a couple of times and using some kind of spit-shine technique (even just a pseudo-spitshine with a spritz of water/QD preceding an otherwise normal application) takes care of that.



I was never impressed with the durability of 845 until I started using multiple applications, I`d actually wondered what people were talking about as it didn`t last as long as #16 (both applied to plastic bumper cover of `00 Audi) but now that I`m layering it I agree that it can be very durable. Even 476S only lasts a few months if I apply just one layer.

[Manic]

Not sure why you`d use the OCW on the parts you mentioned, why not use Klasse twins with layers of KSG? I use it on the black exterior plastic on the minivan and it works great. I do use W-O-W-O on trim, seems to leave a more uniform finish. I`ve hardly *ever* encountered trim that I can`t use the Klasse twins on.

.

My fear was that I`d go for the Klasse twins on my trim (which is most of the lower portion of the vehicle) and it wouldn`t work out too well. I`ve had nothing but grief with most products on this trim. It`s really quite picky. That`s why I`ll be getting it painted next year.



I`ll give it a go with no OCW and just Klasse and see what it does. Ideally it would be best that way anyway. If it works, I can always use the OCW as a quick touch up, or on one of my other vehicles. Besides... One cannot possibly have too many waxes.



The problem is, winters up here are pretty nasty. Basically from November to April you have no hope in hell of keeping crud off of your paint. I have a hard enough time keeping my severe "white car OCD" at bay during the summer. This paint seems to attract dirt that doesn`t like to come off. I want to have a good build up of something on there to help keep the sand, salt, and other ick off my paint and easier to wash off.



With the temperature averaging around -30C (sometimes hits - 45C) in January, and February, I don`t want to even attempt to do another detail during that time. Heated garage or not, it`s enough to freeze ones knackers off.



Thanks for the tips all.