Polishing?

[DanGB]

Right guys..

Ive had my car for about 1 year and 4 months now. so far I generally wash it say once a month and add meguiars liquid wax every 1 or two washes.

i understand wax is something you apply as much as you want, but polish should only be applied say 1 or two times a year as its abrasive?

Am I correct? if so, whats an easy type of hand polish you guys recommend, and any tips?

Cheers,
Dan

 

[UncleFester]

Polish is abrasive, although how much paint you'd remove by hand .... i don't think you'd polish the paint away any time soon ... especially seeing how hard it is to remove swirls and such using a PC.

TBH i'd not want to go back to working by hand, it's not just a labour saving thing, the end result using a machine polisher is a joy to behold.

I am NO expert but I honestly believe the end finish is all in the preparation of the paint.

1. Get it free of surface dirt by washing
2. Clay it to remove any surface contaminants
3. Wash it again and dry it immediately after
4. Put it in the garage out of the sun and get polishing until you're happy you've got all the marks out you can safely.
5. Apply whatever finishing product you're going to use be it wax or sealant.

Can't stress enough that preparation such as masking off window rubbers and non painted plastics etc will save you SO much time in the long run.

 

[DanGB]

Thanks Fester.

Im often reluctant to wash my car as I dont have a drive or garage so often have to do it on the street, or the church yard next door. Hence asking for quick and easy options.

Is claying actually important? ive never really thought about it. Plus im not that anal about keeping the car clean, sometimes i dont wash it for months. What difference does it actually make.. to me.. the lay man... (who is also quite tight)

And I definatly won't be polishing with a machine

What polish do people recommend I purchase for my yearly 'mega' wash before I apply my usual wax etc.

In Regards to rubbers, I just tend to wack on some back to black trim stuff if it has marks on it!

 

[UncleFester]

Clay will simply lift off things like sap, remains of bird poop, road tar .... or track tar in your case

Look at it this way, when you apply wax / sealant, you want it to last ... since you don't wash your car that often. It will only last between those washes if the paint is spotlessly clean when you apply it.

If you've got no garage space, no driveway, no place to work without interruption it might almost be worth asking one of the Pro detailers to do your car for you, take it to them to their premises .. lend a hand yourself and learn in the process.

The end result will be far and above what you could hope to achieve but their finish should be easy enough to maintain in the time you do have free and with your own simple wash method.

 

[s1mmo440]

Hi Mate, will try and help out as I am a Mobile valeter/Detailer.......

From what you say I think the best bet for you is to just wash the Car as normal then follow with something such as AutoGlym Super Resin Polish, Its hardly abrasive and fills any light scratches and swirls giving you a good base to apply a wax....another option would be Megs NXT Liquid wax which again is good at filling swirls etc.

Unless you have the time and seriously into Detailing your Car I dont think you need to go down the Claying route (although the results are superb as make the Paintwork feel like Glass after and a Clayed Car can help with better reflections etc)

After Super Resin Polish I would Def top it with something like AutoGlym EGP (Find both in Halfords) or buy a Wax off the Internet such as Nattys or P21's depending on your budget loads more out there to choose from!

Once you have waxed your Car just wash it when you feel the need and with a wax reapply it as often as you feel necessary, norm being once a month depending what wax you go for.

Hope this helps and if you need to know anything else will try to help!

 

[DanGB]

Thanks mate. I think I might try some of the wax, everybody raves about it on here.

I currently just wash it, then use Megs NXT Liquid wax to finish off

I actually have a bottle of Autoglym Super Resin Polish which I got free, so should I use that before I apply the wax? or is the megs and Autoglym products effectively the same thing?

 

[s1mmo440]

Yeah I would use either one or the other.....

IMO I would go for AG Super Resin Polish, even better if you got some for free! You dont need to top it with a Wax as does an all in one job but can get great results if you do mate