Polishes and sealants on vinyl Shelby stripes

[T.O.Snake]

I'm planning to do a first serious detail on my 2010 GT500. Bought it new in Sept. The car is performance white with grey stripes.

I don't really feel like doing 85 steps (no offense to those who do).
Washed and claybar already last week, so now I was considering polish and sealant (maybe wax, but jot sure it necessary). If I'm doing everything by hand, is polishing going to do much? Car has some light swirls when the sun hits (from dealership washing, no doubt). Will any of the polishes (done by machine or hand) damage the vinyl stripes?

As for sealant, considering wolfgang, and figure wax might not be needed since it's supposed to last 4-6 months. Do I really need to wait 12 hours for curing? I wash at a place 15 mins from my house, and would rather be able to seal right after drying than risk getting dust/grit on it between the carwash and home.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[suicidekings]

I hope you havent been driving it around after the clay bar. Claying the paint removes polishes and wax so leaves your finish to be abused by the elements.

 

[Chewy]

If I'm doing everything by hand, is polishing going to do much? Car has some light swirls when the sun hits (from dealership washing, no doubt). Will any of the polishes (done by machine or hand) damage the vinyl stripes?

Not going to make it perfect, but depending on the product you can certainly make it look alot better. I would consider a specialty product called an AIO (All In One). It will basically clean, polish & seal the paint/stripes in one easy step. And works great by hand too. For this I'd recommend a new product that just came out that is getting fabulous reviews: HD Speed : High Definition Car Care, Eco-friendly auto detailing supplies

This guy did an ambulance by hand and you can see the huge improvement he made:
http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-...h-speed-megs-16-*work-progress*-day-1-a.html#

Regardless of what product you use, make sure that when you're doing the final wipedown that you clean out the edge of the stripe very carefully to remove any possible excess. This can eliminate the potential for the residue to dry/caulk (depending on the product of course).

 

[gamatt]

I used Optimum Polish (like Megs 205) on my Mach1 hood stripe, with a PC (orbital machine) and with light pressure and low speed it did very well, took swirls out of the stripe and left it very dark black. Like was said above remove residue promptly from the edges.

 

[46-062]

Do I really need to wait 12 hours for curing? I wash at a place 15 mins from my house, and would rather be able to seal right after drying than risk getting dust/grit on it between the carwash and home.

Thanks for any advice.

This IS NOT directed personally at the OP:

YOU CAN'T DO A "SERIOUS DETAIL" WITHOUT HAVING A CLUE ABOUT SEALANT CURING OR CROSS LINKING.

A "12 hour cure time" means apply the sealant, let it haze, wipe off after 15 minutes and wait 12 hours before running it through an automatic car wash or applying another coat of sealant or wax.

DO NOT LEAVE THE SEALANT ON THE PAINT 12 HOURS BEFORE WIPING OFF.

Who says you can't wash your car, drive a few miles and polish or wax? Just wipe it down with a spray detailer and microfiber immediately before starting.

Please take the time to do some research on websites like Autopia or spend sometime with a pro detailer before you waste your time doing it incorrectly. And, if you're not sure about how to polish and wax paint I strongly suggest you leave your vinyl stripes alone.

 

[T.O.Snake]

I do have SOME experience detailing, but I'm admittedly far from a pro. That's part of the reason I'm here asking for advice.

On the subject of leaving the sealant to cure, I've heard several people talk about leaving it overnight to cure before buffing, which, again, is why I'm asking. If I don't have do to that (as you say), then I'm happy.

Wih respect to the stripes, I only wanted to know if a hand polishing and sealing would have any negative impact on the vinyl, having never detailed a car with that feature. Pretty simple question, which is again why I'm here asking.

Beyond that, I'm good with everything else, thank you.

EDIT: just saw you prefaced your response with "not directed at the OP". Thank you for that. Then again, I'm not sure how I can't see it as something against me, since the questions I asked form the basis of your post.

 

[42RCODE]

Let the sealant set on your car for 20 minutes and then buff off. Then wait 12-18 hours before reappling another coat of sealant or topping with wax. Wolgang sealant won't hurt your stripes.

 

[T.O.Snake]

Exactly the reply I was looking for. Thanks.