Polishes/wax

[chak8080]

I've been searching the net for all info on 5 star shine and this is what I come up with. There are people who love it (They actually used it before), people who say it's a scam (they never used it or seen it.. they never really looked at the product for what it is), and a couple of people who don't like it (because they didn't know how to use it).

$70 a kit

1) It doesn't last 5 years worth of washings.. most say it lasts a little over a year.

2) It's very slick and shiny but it's still not better than high end carnauba waxes or other less expensive waxes that give that deep show quality shine.

3) It IS the best protectant out there. Even some that don't like this product say that it protects your paint better than anything else out there... just not for 5 years.

4) It is a long process.. but you only do it once as opposed to doing it every few weeks.

Basically the experienced detailing professionals were saying that the 5SS kit isn't meant for everyone even though they advertise it so. If you erase all that marketing jabber and take a look at the product for what it actually is, it isn't half bad. People who live in more tollerable environments would probably not use this because they can get away with using cheaper proctecting products and waxes and could easily maintain it. People who live in rougher environments would probabaly use this stuff because its protection is top quality. People who don't really care about that true show quality shine but want a good shine would probably buy this product.. it's lower maintenance than your top producing waxes.

It just all boils down to preference, maintenance, environment and sacrifice. I want that show quality shine but I don't want to be out waxing my daily driver every other week or third week. I can sacrifice a lot of shine quality for maintenance if I go 5SS. I live in S.korea.. we have monsoons that lasts months, our winters are snowy sandy and miserablely cold, our summers are hot and extremely humid and can easily reach temps over 40 degrees C. I work long hours, I don't have a garage at home or any type of overhead parking so my car is parked in the elements everyday. I participate in no shows or events because they're aren't any here in Korea that I can participate in. I have a Japanese sports car in S.Korea (you history buffs would remember that most koreans and japanese secretly hate eachothers guts) so I've seen spit, ciggarette butts, ash, boogies and god knows what layin on my car sometimes. So the 5SS would be a better choice for me... but since I'm stubborn.. I'm still going for the high maintenace better shine! At least until I can't take the abuse any longer.. then I'll consider the 5SS protectant.

Don't pay attention to all the marketing hype and all the people who hate it or love it. Do your research, a lot of people have actually bought this stuff and it works best for their purpose. If your a detailing freak then don't buy the 5SS, there's obviously better products for shine. If you just want a decent shine that maintains itself and the best protectant, then you should consider looking in to the 5SS or other shine products that protect real well.

A lot of people make assumptions without actually taking a look when there's marketing hype so they remain bias on the whole situation.

Edited December 11, 2007 by chak8080

[ali-turko]

zymol is the best for a shine, iv attached a pic of the reflection i get of the paint,

at bout $100 tub its well worth it

[SS8_Gohan]

which zymol? Zymol has a lot of diff waxes, and alot of different prices too

Royale is the $18k wax

[ali-turko]

i use japon and carbon

[ali-turko]

and that 18k is for a life time supply for the stuff

[chak8080]

Ali-turko, is that the shine you get from japon and carbon (avatar pic)? Which zymol are you talking about? I think I might get a tube after seeing that picture!

[ali-turko]

that is japon, you can easily get a better shine with more coats, but the pic was JUST WITH ONE COAT

[SS8_Gohan]

chak8080 one thing to keep in mind though is that the final result is 99% prep. The wax will not do everything on it's own... you need to wash, clay, wash, polish, wash, paint cleanse (preferably if using a high-end wax, but 5SS has some sort of cleansing stage) THEN wax. It's the prep before hand which will give you the results you're looking for.

Given the environment you're talking about, you're best off with a sealant, then layer a wax on top. If you're keen, give 5SS a go and then layer a carnauba ontop, best of both worlds

[chak8080]

SS8 Gohan, thanks for the tips. But the 5SS says that their product won't work with wax. I don't want to apply the 5SS and get stuck with it.. know what I mean? What do you suggest for a car that's been resprayed black. I remember you said carnauba is probably the best after a respray but what else?

[SS8_Gohan]

really?? that's funny because the threads i found on other forums, autopia i think, had a 5SS rep saying it can be layered with any wax?? Maybe you're getting confused with the fact you can't layer 5SS itself?

What i was referring to before about resprays and carnauba's is that a fresh respray needs to cure/breathe. A carnauba can do this, a sealant (like 5SS) can't. BUT ~2-3 months after the fresh paint, feel free to do whatever.

You can go just straight sealant, or sealant and wax, or just wax.

Depends how fussy you are with swirls/scratches, but some products contain fillers of sorts. Whilst not really desirable as they mute the metallic a bit, products like Zaino's Z5 can help with light swirls/scratches, whilst giving you shine and protection.

Best bet would be get it professional done once off, so they'll clay, polish, etc. If you're going to do 5SS, either ask them to do it, or just ask them to detail the car, but not use any LSP (last step product). That way, they give the car back to you, and you can try the 5SS steps.

You environment sounds pretty harsh, so for a black car that seems to be getting some harsh treatment from the locals, definitely go with a sealant first. Give 5SS a shot, and then i reckon layer a shit load of something on top. I'd still go OCW for it's ease of use and cheapness. So after applying 5SS, you can then after every wash after, layer some OCW ontop and get maybe a good 4-5 layers going. Should be ample protection for you car.

[ali-turko]

belive it not that pic i posted is only wash, hand polish then wax,

but SS8_Gohan is right prep is very important but i was lazy that day

[chak8080]

thanks guys, i'll try out the OCW untill my paint cures for now. I wasn't sure if you could or couldn't wax over the 5SS.. if you can then that would probably be the best bet for me in the future.

[SS8_Gohan]

i just put a second layer of OCW on the car last night, and it's sunny here so i'll take some pics for ya. My car is GV1 or whatever the nissan paint code is for 'Black Pearl'

How long ago was the car resprayed? Got any pics??

[Ronin 09]

Danny, there are some pics of your car i took in the SnS thread

[chak8080]

I didn't get a respray yet. It's comming up next month when I get the East Bear front bar, EB aero bonnet and Do-Luck GTR aero fenders (or just regualr GTT vented fenders). I just want to be prepared before it all goes down. I really want to see that black pearl! Thats the same color I want.

[Leon.T]

OCW? Is that whats it called?

[R31Heaven]

I use Glare polishes and sealers I have found them to be the best in what I have used. I have used McGuires, Turtle Mothers Autoglym and numerous others and they just dont hold a shine long enough, anyway here is a link to were I get mine and it has a bit of a speel to what it actualy is and how it works. I used it on both my skyline & Commo. The link below is to only one company that sell it, but have found them to be the Cheapest. This is a piant treatment and is suposed to last 5 years Also my cras have been flat blocked which also helps to give a good shine. The stuff is also a little expensive but the results speak for themself.

Infinity Car polish

Skyline

Dunnydore

Edited January 7, 2008 by R31Heaven

[missusR34GT]

Wow.. I haven't used many products (using McGuire's atm) but that looks amazing!

When was the last time you put that polish on? Is it still as shiny?

[R31Heaven]

I am anal about my cars so yeah it is still shiny because I polish it every month with Mothers California Gold Wax to keep it like this, so using the Glare as the base and paint protection, an just keeping the show car shine with the mothers. people say I dont need to do it, but I do. LOL

[missusR34GT]

Thanks! Might give it a try!