mwiseltier

I have a black E63 amg. Does anyone know the best sealant or wax to keep my beauty shiny, scratch free and repel water spots, bugs and dirt? How is 5Star Shine? Is it hype--supposed to be good. Want to start off right. Advice appreciated. Thanks, Michael

Greg@DI

Beautiful car and color! Black tends to show the most imperfections so it's especially important to protect it. There is no real best sealant or wax only what works best for you. I think you'll definitely want to apply a base coat of sealant for long lasting protection. Waxes offer strong protection as well but it lasts much shorter generally speaking. My ideal combination of shine and protection would be to apply a sealant first and a wax on top.

The absolute strongest form of protection that I have used personally is the Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. It looks really sharp and protects for a solid 6 months in regular driving conditions. The only downside is that it's a little more finicky to remove. I typically mist a little quick detailer on a microfiber towel and remove the majority of the excess product and then follow up with another microfiber towel to make it look totally clean. Another great sealant is the Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket. It applies and removes super easy, shines great and protects for 4 - 6 months. My last recommendation would be the Poorboy's World EX-P which also protects for about 3 - 6 months and is a great value.

For waxes on black paint I would recommend the Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax if you want that jaw dropping "wet" look. This wax makes the paint look really deep and glossy. It applies and removes very easy and creates a show room shine every time. Another great option is the Poorboy's World Natty's Blue Paste Wax. It will make the paint look like hard candy and is a great value.

You can get 10% off all of these products at Detailed Image when you enter in the coupon code "10offMBW". Let me know if you would like more information about these products or additional advice. I would also be happy to help you clean and protect other parts of the vehicle like the leather, fabrics, dashboard, wheels, tires, etc.

Greg @ Detailed Image

BlackLiquorish8

FMJ ftw

OCKlasse

When it comes to straight sealants, FK1 #2180 is the best out there, IMO.

Nickc0844

I couldn't agree more with Greg. Klasse followed by The Sov. is a wonderful combo!

pinebaron

I second that; Souveran Paste Wax is jaw dropping on my black Bluetec.

rustyeleio

I would avoid 5 Star Shine. I tried it on my dads 4 runner and it requires a special pre-wash to apply and supposedly is not layerable. It didn't last 3 months before water spots appeared. The only solution was to start over...$$$$$$$ This stuff is supposed to last for years. I was very disappointed.

I have heard good comments about Klasse from a coworker who uses it on his black Porsche

robbyt18

Sealant - Chemical Guys Jetseal 109
Wax - Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax

Not a fan of Mezerna FMJ.

Greg@DI

Detailed Image now carries the Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 which is an outstanding sealant. The Menzerna FMJ has traditionally been one of my favorites, I'm surprised that you don't like it. The FMJ and Jetseal 109 have to be on the top of my favorites list now, both are very impressive. Jetseal 109 is very shiny and the durability makes it arguably my favorite sealant now. I agree that the Souveran Paste Wax is great to layer on top. It looks really wet and glossy on top of virtually every color I've ever tried it on.

Greg @ Detailed Image

jpohl402

Greg - How do the products you mentioned in post number 2 compare to the Zaino Show Car Polish?? Thanks!

Greg@DI

I believe Zaino makes at least three products with that title, could you please specify which one specifically you are referring to?

Generally speaking Zaino makes some great sealants that give good protection and shine. Z2 pro is probably one of their best which I rank pretty high on my sealants list. I personally like the Menzerna FMJ and Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 better though. These are two of the best that I would really look at if you're interested in a quality sealant. I find just a slightly deeper gloss with these two and comparable levels of protection. The FMJ is the easiest product to apply and remove I've ever used. The Jetseal 109 seems to be taking over though as the leading sealant amongst the high end detailing community. All three are well above average and should work well for you.

Some of the other products I mentioned are waxes (Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax and Poorboy's World Natty's Blue Paste Wax). These products are natural waxes which means they offer far more depth and gloss than most sealants but far less durability. Ideally I recommend applying a wax on top of a coat of sealant. These waxes only protect for about 2 - 8 weeks so the protection is limited. However the deep wet look they produce is what makes them a favorite product of many people. The Natty's Blue is probably the best value out there for a deep gloss. The Pinnacle Souveran is much more expensive but is easier to apply and looks very deep as well but with more clarity. I love applying Souveran on the paint because it really seems to make it look ultra crisp and really "wet".

We have all of the linked products in stock and we offer 10% off to all MBWorld.com members, just enter in the code "10offMBW" when checking out if you're interested. Let me know if you'd like more specifics on any of these products.

Greg @ Detailed Image

ShoremNJ

Used Mother's cleaner wax

heron25

I have a white MB and a black BMW- for the white- I use Klass AIO, followed by two coats of Klasse Acrylic sealant followed by two coats of Pinnacle (24 hours between each coat of acrylic sealant and pinnacle.)

On black, FMJ, 2 coats of Souveran. Looks like black glass. Can't be beat for looks.

chairman

The sealant, wax or what ever you use is a waste without a good swirl free base.

That can mean Menzerna (for example) Intensive Polish & Final Polish and or P0106 polish for the hard clearcoats, then once you are satisfied seal that paint to protect it. These are products I have used, there are others that are equally good for the MB finish.

In short, if you wax over swirl marks you will have glossy swirl marks and since it is a dark car, they will be more obvious.

Moxxon

I like the Sonus line of products found on the Autopia website. If there are some swirls, use a fine cut polish first such as Sonus SFX-2 with a random-orbit polisher. If there are no swirls, wash the car and then use Sonus paint cleanser/cleaner with a random-orbit polisher and then top it all off with Klasse AIO. Will make your black paint look gorgeous.....

ryan0

Zaino Z-5 + Z-2.



That's a 4 year old hood.

TKLEI14

I have ordered alot of products from Greg at DI, about a week ago I got some FMJ and nattys blue paste wax from them. I have only put the FMJ on the E63, but I will folow with the wax very soon.

Also fyi the nattys blue paste wax smells like bubble gum.

C-ROD77

Have to say I have used Zaino for seven ymustangs, Murano's and my Navigator and now on my MB and will never use anything else....

The Z6, Z2, Z7 and Leather cleaner/protectant are amazing products.

PLus Sal's customer service is great!!!!!

I vote for ZAINO!!!

lkirchner

One of my cars is a black SL55 on which I have tried everything (Zaino, Zymol, Meguiars #16 plus others). Someone posted earlier that whatever you use apply it over a swirl free finish. I use Menzerna 106ff polish to get the swirl free finish and top it with Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket (FMJ). It is truly easy to use and leaves a great finish. If you really want a wet shine over your swirl free base, apply Danase wet glaze topped with the FMJ. The car will look wet and gorgeous.

02W203HOUSTON

So what is the best reccomendation to do for a car that probably has not had any of these applied, my car is black and I can see the swirl marks, what can be done to remove/hide them?

pinebaron

You may look up my posts and details on the thread link below. I own two black vehicles; an E320 Bluetec and a Ford Expedition. Let me know if you have further questions.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...346&highlight=

Greg@DI

Best is really tough to define but I'll give you a recommendation using some of my favorite products.

Wash/Dry - Washing and Drying Starter Kit
Clay Bar - Clay Magic Clay Bar and Poorboy's World Spray and Wipe
Polishing (2 steps) Menzerna Super Intensive Polish (PO83) (orange pad) and Menzerna PO106FF (white pad)
Glaze - Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze (black pad)
Sealant - Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 (blue pad)
Wax - Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax (hand applied)
15x All Purpose Microfiber Towels

I would apply the polishes, glaze and sealant with the Flex XC 3401 VRG. I would hand remove the excess product with the All Purpose Microfiber Towels.

Washing and drying will remove loose contaminants. The clay bar helps remove stubborn surface contaminants. Polishes permanently remove swirls, oxidation and fine swirls. Glaze hides remaining imperfections and adds gloss. Sealant locks in the glaze, protects the paint and adds lots of shine. The wax adds more protection but really it's the depth and gloss that makes it so outstanding! If you would like more information about these products or the process please let me know.

Greg @ Detailed Image

Flex XC 3401 VRG

robbyt18

I agree.

02W203HOUSTON

Can you email me a link and summary of all the products and total costs. Also best order to apply, I assume in the order listed but just confirming. I am goign to pm you my email.

Greg@DI

Sounds good I'll be sending you an e-mail shortly.

Greg @ Detailed Image