Polishing/waxing Guide

[Andy_C 50]

As promised, heres the next in my series of how tos and Im going to concentrate on polishing.

 

Many, many people confuse wax with polish and the 2 perform completely different functions - a POLISH is in short an abrasive, which will either 1) remove old, dead paint, revealing fresh paint beneath or 2) fill in scratches and swirl marks/holograms using a combination of oils and chemicals to fill the scratch and also to round off the edges, muting the defects appearance.

 

WAX is a generic term, and can refer to both carnauba and synthetic waxes. These products are usually non-abrasive and do not clean your paint, they simply protect it against the elements.

 

To confuse you further still, there are also glazes and cleaner waxes more on this in a sec.

 

POLISHING

 

As most people opt for hand polishing (and lets face it, nowt beats a good hand job..), Ill concentrate on how to achieve the best results using easy to obtain products and simple to learn methods. Ive provided an appendix later on listing the right products for the job)

 

There are 2 absolute rules to remember here so pay attention 007.

 

1. ALWAYS start with the least aggressive product remember, you can always remove more paint, but

once its gone, its gone and you cant replace it without repainting.

 

2. 99% technique, 1% product if you simply slap an expensive product onto the car without any real

knowledge, youll achieve very little improvement. Prepare the paint properly and concentrate on your

technique this will give you the right results!

 

its not what youve got, its the way that you use it (been my excuse for years now)

 

Firstly, you need to know how to evaluate your paint and determine what the problem is, otherwise youll spend a lot of blood & sweat for nothing not to mention your other halfs tears when youre spending a lot of time in the garage engaging in rapid hand movements!

 

You also need the right tools for the job Id suggest a few microfibre towels & applicators and some foam applicators.

 

Heres how to determine what the problem is and the best route to rectify it.

 

Oxidisation this is caused usually by exposure to sunlight and extreme conditions. Most modern paint finishes have UV blockers built in to minimize the effects of exposure to the elements, but older paints tend not to.

 

Features colour fading, spots appearing, milkiness to paintwork

 

Remedy the dead paint on the surface needs to be removed and the fresh paint beneath. Use a mild polish initially such as Poorboys Professional Polish or Meguiars Deep Crystal Stage 1.

 

(You can use either a foam or microfibre applicator for applying the polish. I find that the microfibre ones work better as theyre slightly more aggressive and give the product a bit more bite).

 

ALWAYS follow the product instructions youll usually need to use a bit of elbow grease to work the polish into the paint and remove the defect. Remove with the microfibre towel and then protect with wax or sealant.

 

Swirl Marks look at your car in either direct sunlight (you know, that bright, hot thing which occasionally appears in the sky over here) or use a halogen worklight youll see lots of tiny circular scratches. These are caused by either 1) car washes (think nylon bristles rotating around and around on your paint), 2) incorrect use of a buffer (think apprentice with a big heavy rotary mop) or 3) poor washing techniques (think you, grubby yellow sponge etc etc..)

 

If swirls are mechanically present (i.e. buffer or carwash) then its unlikely you can remove them by hand and Id usually suggest you find a friendly and professional valeter who will machine polish your car TIP; always use someone recommended by a friend as there are a few bad valeters out there!

 

Features tiny scratches usually only visible in bright sunlight or artificial lighting. Appearance is similar to cobwebs or long swirly scratches/scuffs.

 

Remedy the swirl either needs to be removed (usually buffer only) or filled in. to achieve this, you need to use a product that will fill the swirl and also round off the edges to stop light reflecting and enhancing the defect. Again, use a mild polish specifically for swirl marks, such as Meguiars Scratch.

 

Scratches can come from a variety of sources really! Poor parking (by you or the idiot who thought a Discovery would fit in that space next to you), psychotic ex and a key and so on the list is endless.

 

Features errr, how long have you got?! Can be anything from a small scuff to a deep scratch.

 

Remedy firstly, rub the scratch with your fingernail. If you can feel it, then even machine polishing may not remove and you need to look at wetsanding or repainting. If not, then you may be able to do something to improve matters. Start by cleaning as much of the area as you can use paint cleaning clay, tar remover even meths to clean up the scratch as in many cases whatever had contact with the paint will leave residue on the paint, making the damage appear a lot worse.

 

Use any of the products previously listed to remove as much of the scratch as you can.

 

WAXING

 

Now that you hopefully have paintwork mintier than a Polo (come on, this is a long guide!), you need to protect it. Polishing will improve your paint and remove/hide defects but it wont protect so you need either a wax or sealant or both if youre a bit strange and obsessive like me.

 

Firstly wax when I say wax, Im talking about paste waxes in tins/tubs and made from carnauba. This is a natural wax (grows on trees, dunnit?!) and is refined from its natural state (solid and dense) to a workable paste form, using in most cases a variety of chemicals and solvents to soften it.

 

The general thinking is that the higher carnauba content, the greater protection the wax will offer theres a Zymol/Swissol school of thought which I dont (and wont) subscribe to, which tells you all about how their waxes contain natural ingredients Jeez, I want to wax my car with the stuff, not serve it as part of a 5 course dinner!!!! Id suggest you Google your way to either company to read more just please, please dont get taken in!

 

Examples of good carnauba waxes include P21S, Pinnacle Signature & Souveran (the most expensive Ive bought at around £40 a tub but well worth it), Poorboys Nattys & Collinite (the latter being the exception to the durability rule this stuff lasts for bloody ever!)

 

Apply using a foam applicator pad and remove with a microfibre towel. A good tip is to have a spray bottle filled with distilled water handy. If your wax goes streaky, simply spritz and wipe. If you want to get a bit silly, chill the distilled water in the fridge gives an even deeper shine!

 

In my experience, MOST carnauba waxes simply add a bit of bling to your paint and some protection most last maybe 8 weeks and then theyre finished, which is where synthetic sealants come in..

 

Basically, these are manufactured waxes no natural ingredients and usually created by a bunch of clever blokes in white coats in a secret underground laboratory guarded by Page 3 Girls wearing Nurses uni..hang on, getting a bit carried away (thats what sniffing wax does to you)

 

They are manufactured to provide much longer lasting protection for your paintwork and can be both acrylic or polymer based. Theres a lot of fancy science involved here (and maybe a few Page 3 Girls.s*it, off I go again, sorry) which I dont claim to understand but virtually all of these products will last 6 months plus. Some of them also use chemical cleaners to remove/reduce defects and also protect and I class these as cleaner waxes (clever, innit?!)

 

Examples of pure sealants are Poorboys EX-P, Menzerna FMJ, Wolfgang, Zaino Bros

 

Examples of cleaner waxes are Autoglym Super Resin & Klasse All In One/Carlack 68. you can then add a pure sealant on top Autoglym Extra Gloss or Klasse Sealant Glaze in layers to build up ever more protection

 

In terms of application, simply use a foam applicator and wipe the sealant on, again following instructions. The main rule here is keep it thin thick coats are a bugger to remove and have never been proven to add any durability, if anything youre just wasting money and effort!

 

Some sealants work a panel at a time, others half or whole car. Some work in sunshine but generally most are better applied out of direct sunlight. Wipe with a microfibre towel and youre done.

 

You CAN use both to give you both durability and looks simply apply your synthetic sealant first, buff off and then apply a wax over the top. Klasse All in One with a couple of layers of Sealant Glaze and a couple of coats of P21S works really nicely and will stay looking good too.

 

If you cars a second car and usually garaged, then you dont need to worry so much about sealing as you can concentrate on looks alone and thats where glazes come into their own

 

A glaze is, to me, a VERY mild polish and usually very rich in oils which give gloss & depth to your paint. It will not remove defects but will hide anything minor. If used after polishing, it will add a huge amount of glossiness and reflection to the paint. Waxing simply enhances this.

 

Paint Cleaners also fall into the same category again, mild chemical cleaners that can be used as a final step during polishing, prior to sealing/waxing. I dont use these that often as they tend to be used more by the concours brigade.

 

Glazing is painfully easy my easy favourite is Clearkote Vanilla Moose Wax hand Glaze (can be applied by hand or machine) that can be applied via a microfibre pad and buffed with a microfibre towel in minutes.

 

So there you go, a brief guide to perfect paintwork!

 

Id emphasise that perfecting my technique has taken some years and lots of reading and experimenting. This is NOT something youll learn overnight and it should really come with a Health Warning as it can get unhealthily obsessive (as anyone whos seen my 205 will probably agree.)

 

Heres an appendix of whats what to help you.

 

POLISHES

 

Poorboys Professional Polish & Super Swirl Remover range*

Meguiars Deep Crystal Stage 1 & Professional range*

Menzerna Intensive/Final & PO85RD

Optimum polish/compound

 

WAXES

 

P21S

Poorboys Nattys/Nattys Blue

Pinnacle Signature/Souveran

Collinite (various)

 

CLEANER WAXES

 

Autoglym Super Resin

Klasse All in One

Carlack 68

Poorboys Polish with Carnauba

Meguiars Gold Class/NXT** & pro range

 

GLAZES & PAINT CLEANERS

 

Clearkote Vanilla Moose Wax Hand Glaze

P21S Gloss Enhancing Paint Cleaner

Meguiars Deep Crystal Stage 2

 

* Most professional ranges are better suited to machine application including the SSR line-up

** NXT & Gold Class both have very mild cleaners present

Edited October 25, 2005 by Andy_C

[Super Josh 4]

Fantatic Mate, just the ticket

 

 

 

Josh

[Richie 32]

Great post mate, i'll be referring to this when i valet my baby this week.

[mak 0]

I must admit I read the title and though I know how to polish thanks, but thats opened my eyes a little, nice one andy

[Andy_C 50]

I must admit I read the title and though I know how to polish thanks, but thats opened my eyes a little, nice one andy

 

That's just what I thought before I started to get this obsessive mate I realise that there's a lot of people here who keep their cars looking very good so this may be of little use to them but for those who don't or just wanted a few tips, I hope it helps.

[ellisg 0]

Andy,

 

Whats your views on the hard sealing lifetime/10 year sealants, like Diamondbrite/Lifeshine.

Are they waste of time/rip-off? Just for the new car brigade?

[Guest quantumjohn]

Andy,

 

That's a great post. Thanks for taking the time to put that all down on keyboard.

 

John

[Andy_C 50]

Andy,

 

Whats your views on the hard sealing lifetime/10 year sealants, like Diamondbrite/Lifeshine.

Are they waste of time/rip-off? Just for the new car brigade?

 

Hmmmmm.......

 

One way of answering this would be to post a pic of an L plate Mondeo which was Supaguard'd when 2 years old so what about 9 years ago. Owner's washed it as normal since then and it's now pink so it's done IMHO very little to do his paint any favours at all!

 

As en enthusiast, long term protection is useless to me as I wash even the daily use cars pretty regularly, seal & wax them etc. I guess for the non-enthusiast (read about 98% of car owners) it might be of benefit but it's not for me and I'm sceptical about *any* product which claims that it "eliminates the need for polishing or waxing for XXX years" - plus the actual products involved cost feck all so there's an element of profiteering in it PLUS I could never be sure that a dealership valeter is competent enough to properly prep the paint before applying the sealant.

 

As I understand it, some of these products are literally akin to laying a skin of PVC over your car - all well and good if the paint is perfect beneath it - and believe me, brand new car paint, even on expensive cars, is rarely 100%

 

Bottom line really is that you pays your money etc - but they're not my cup of tea at all

[tidypug 5 2 Cars]

great post, is there any way we can pin this up so its easier to find?

[Paintguy 0]

Andy,

 

Whats your views on the hard sealing lifetime/10 year sealants, like Diamondbrite/Lifeshine.

Are they waste of time/rip-off? Just for the new car brigade?

I'm totally with my namesake on this one.

 

I first applied one of these types of coatings 20 years ago. I wasn't impressed then, and I'm still not. I've rarely seen them applied properly, and even then most have small print, saying you must use their particular car wash/renovator regularly to keep the protection 'topped up'

 

IMO, the only good thing about some of these packs is that they come bundled with a form of scotchguard protection for your seat and carpets, but even that doesn't last long. It's just a good add-on for dealers to make up for falling profit margins.

[Andy_C 50]

Tis ture matey - and a lot of Scotchguard sprays have been withdrawn due to their VOC content and cargionegenic (SP?) content - shame as they're excellent if you have small kids who have naff all respect for car interiors!

[Paintguy 0]

Carcinogenic ?

 

Nasty stuff, however you spell it!

[Super Josh 4]

And if anyone needs their bad paint properly prepping before the winter sets in. Then I can whole heartedly recommend Andy C and his machine polisher

It will get rid of all those spider webs and swirl marks that would be impossible to remove by hand. Then all you need to do to maintain that lovely appearance is apply a little sealer and wax every so often.

 

 

 

Josh

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

So what is the recommendation for those of us who aren't all that bothered about there cars looking showroom clean but do care about preventing the paint from decaying.

 

I currently use AutoGlym Super Resin (on the Red car you didn't see) and that seems to give a fairly lasting effect. Thing is I'm not about to spend hundreds of pounds on polishes, I own my cars to drive them but I do want to provide some protection to them.

 

Put it this way, I don't give a damn about swirl marks but do want it to stay red!

 

Rob

[Enfield 0]

So what is the recommendation for those of us who aren't all that bothered about there cars looking showroom clean but do care about preventing the paint from decaying.

 

I currently use AutoGlym Super Resin (on the Red car you didn't see) and that seems to give a fairly lasting effect. Thing is I'm not about to spend hundreds of pounds on polishes, I own my cars to drive them but I do want to provide some protection to them.

 

Put it this way, I don't give a damn about swirl marks but do want it to stay red!

 

Rob

 

Try using AutoGlym's Ultra Deep Shine. That seems to keep the car looking clean for ages!

[Andy_C 50]

Super Resin's fine for what you want it to do Rob - if you start getting fading then hopefully some of the tips may help you.

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

Cheers

[ashlee205gti 1]

Any remedys for cracked laquer? Ive not long brought a graphite grey and naturally metallic paints comes with the troubles of cracking laquer, especially with the 205s

[SamGTi 0]

Try using AutoGlym's Ultra Deep Shine. That seems to keep the car looking clean for ages!

 

That's true! I have always used Super Resin polish on my red 205 but in the summer I started to use the Ultra Deep Shine too and what a difference it made! It's easy to apply too and, as said by Enfield, it does keep it cleaner for longer!

[Turbo7379 3]

I am another fan of Autoglym Super Resin Polish , I've been using it for years . I like it coz it's so easy to apply & polish off . The only thing that bugs me about it is that the car has to be perfectly dry before you apply it .

 

Any of you that use it will know how it gets into any grained unpainted plastics & how hard it is to get off again . A good tip is to polish all the trim first using Autoglym Bumper Care & that stops the polish sticking to it . That tip came from the guy on the Autoglym trade stand at a car show .

 

I bought a bottle of the 'Extra Gloss Protection' which I guess has been renamed to Ultra Deep Shine . I tried it once but I found that it didn't dry very well & I couldn't get it to shine up so never bothered trying it again .

[Andy_C 50]

Apply Super Resin THIN using a foam pad and it won't stain or dust up.

 

Extra Gloss is simply a pure sealant - no cleaners, no abrasives at all. Ultra Deep is a separate product - not used it but not heard *great* things about it - particularly iro removing it after use.

[Richie 32]

On my miami the ultra deep AG product made the paint look "too" deep. As mines a lighter shade being LTD edition i wanted to keep it light. Dont know why i tried it really I tried the extra gloss yesterday and it seemed to make it a little glossier on top of my NXT waxed bodywork, and easy to apply and remove.

Edited October 29, 2005 by Richie

[Enfield 0]

Anyone got any good websites that sell all those products?

[Andy_C 50]

www.detailingworld.co.uk

 

Best place to start matey!

[d-9 0]

Like ashlee said, are there any remedys for cracked laquer apart from respraying?

 

My 106 has got really crappy paint on the roof and bonnet, all the laquer is crazed.