Need To Get My Shine Back!

[Rancidpunx]

Look I gave the guy 2 different options as a professional opinion. I use both products on an almost daily basis so would like to think that my opinion is a valid one.

Now to put this to bed I had an FG XR today so grabbed some phone pictures of the dash.

Before, 30k on the clock and nothing ever used on the dash.

and then after 303.

You will get a similar result from both product.

Whichever way you go gege6, you will be happy.

[spinr33]

Also one thing to add most of those interior sprays if you leave on then buff off gives a gloss finish if you spray on wipe of straightaway gives a more matte finish.

This is something too keep in mind

[Bellato]

MadF6, your using to much. Its a matte finish, if you are finding its glossy your applying it to liberably. Ahalf spritz into a MF is enough for half the dash.

Bellato, Remove naviwax immediately, dont wait for it to haze. Its wipe on wipe off. Do quarter of the bonnet, remove and move onto the next section. Sometimes if your applying to much it can haze up over night with the temperature change. I have personally never had a problem with it, but saw it first hand from a customer who bought some from me. I did a coat for him and left the tin and came back in the morning after he had done 2 more coats. When I opened the tin there were deep gouges into the wax. Literally less than a 1/4 turn in the wax is plenty to get you started, you seriously need the smallest amount.

Oh sweet, I was under the impression that you had to let it dry to a haze first! Next time I'll wipe it off straight away.

I think I'm using too much aswell! Might give it a month or two until it all comes off then give it another go and try what you said!

Thanks mate

[Rancidpunx]

Its hard to get used to not using much as its instinctive to. Give it a really good clean in a couple of months and give it another try. I would recommend getting a paint cleaner type product to cleanse the finish before trying again next time. You could even put down a paint sealant first to extend durability. I would also put money on the polishing you had done earlier playing with the applications. If they left behind polish as you mentioned the oils will still be sitting in the pores of the paint making things smeary. Make sure everything your doing is on a cool surface away from direct sunlight.

Edited 18/02/13 10:52 AM by Rancidpunx

[Bellato]

Yea the more I think now it was a pretty average cut and polish. If I decide to keep the car more than a couple of years I'm going to get the bonnet and front bumper resprayed then take the car to custom car care in Wagga for one of their paint corrections, they seem to do a pretty good job!

Yea I do it all in a shed, and make sure it hasn't been in the sun and haven't driven it so the bonnet isn't hot

[Michael.S]

I use Zaino cleaner and condition for Leather although I am not hands on familier with Gtechniq so not sure how they recommend aftercare. For the rest of the car you cant go pass 303 aerospace protectant. Lasts about 3 months and is antistactic so you will notice less dust. Einzeit also make a good cleaner/protecter product as an alternative.

I was under the impression that virtually all "leather" these days in modestly priced cars was polyurethane coated leather, pretty much making leather cleaners and conditioners useless ,is that incorrect ?

[Rancidpunx]

Pretty much Michael, its also worth knowing that your "Leather" may not be from a cow. Most cars only have leather on the bits you actually sit on, the rest is just vinyl. Toyota just got caught out claiming their Leather was more than it actually is.

The problem with cleaning and conditioners is that the terminology is a little out dated. Just like the word "Polish". Going back a few years to original paint finishes, polish was put on to he paint to make it shiny and glossy. People still talk about putting polish on a car today. But that's not the case any more. What they mean is wax. Polish is now abasive and does its job in removing surface defects and then its is completely removed before wax is applied. There are filling polishes and glazes that blur the lines even more.

The same goes with leather products. Generally speaking the products on the market are designed for modern interiors but its not glamourous to advertise a product for your leather than is not leather. Using a real leather condition in a modern car does have a negative effect, but then its not designed for those application. There is one company make a big deal about their products and bash everyone else in the process. As it happens their products are actually pretty good, they just shout about it unlike everyone else. Mostly you will find "conditioners" from modern brands are not actually conditioning the leather but rather adding a small amount of protection due to the leather in the cars these days. Whether it works is down to the end user and their perception of money well spent? Does a $300 tub of wax really do a better job of $50? The guy who spent the big dosh will tell you absolutely, but the other other guy will tell you different. You could ask 10 different people on the subject and get 10 different opinions.

Personally I like what Zaino does as well as a few others brands and have been using them long term on cars to notice if there were any adverse effects, including my own. Ultimately cleaning the seats makes a bigger difference than conditioning them.

[Michael.S]

Thanks for clearing that up and your explanation !

I'm a bit obsessed with trying detailing products but gave up on the leather stuff a while ago and been happy using a slightly damp "microfiber sponge". I think the last product I used was the one you were referring to that bash all the other ( Bowden's? ) it wasn't bad but just seemed like more work and money for a result that I didn't think was as good as the damp microfiber (regardless of how little product I used or how hard I tried to buff off it looked a touch streaky)

I have a scuff in the "leather", not deep likely from a passengers keys hanging out their pocket, any opinion on the best kits or methods to fix it ?

[Rancidpunx]

Absolutely a lot of cars look better with just a clean but most people will want some kind of conditioning dressing applied. How many people still smoother the dash in Armourall? They think it looks greasy and crap but still apply it because "your supposed to, right?"

As for your scuff, most things will be abit hit and miss depending on the severity of the scuff. Its highly likely that the damage is permanent due to it now being physically different to the surrounding area. Much like a scratch that cant be polished out of textured plastics.

[Michael.S]

I know exactly what you mean, I have to restrain myself from using unnecessary products - I would love a good leather conditioner just to feel like I am doing something good for my car, regardless of how pointless it may be. If you like a dust repellant, matte finish of plastics I've become a recent convert from Einszett Cockpit Premium to Sonax dashboard cleaner - awesome stuff.

The scuff is only small, I took half a dozen pictures with the iphone and it didn't show up in any - but it's like any other minor imperfection, nobody else will ever notice but I know it's there and it bothers me. There seem to be a few kits around, might just buy one and hope for the best.