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Car Polishing 101

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » December 5th, 2010, 9:12 am

Post a pic in direct sunlight.

Pics in the shade don't show much.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Chemical » December 6th, 2010, 7:29 pm

cinco wrote:the 2.0 lasts way longer i tried them both
^^^ah you set buddy you got the right one


^^Not really nah..I got less than 2 mos with the 2.0 using turtle wax car wash from P/smart. You can't go wrong with Autoglym. BTW anyone ever used the AG odour eliminator. Its specifically for cig / pet scents.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » December 7th, 2010, 6:16 am

But AG SRP is a POLISH with a mild sealant

It's durability alone will NEVER compare to a wax or full sealant. Folks apparentlystill can't make the distinction between a polish and a wax.

Once you use a good wax (following a surface prep which may include claying and polishing), you'll get at least a solid 3 months from it.

For me, using SRP alone, I'd get about 3 weeks of nice beading if so much, before I see the beading start to deteriorate somewhat.

The key to maintaining that wax is using the car wash of the corresponding BRAND IMHO. As Karm Khan rightly said, try to use products in the same system.
Last edited by Alpha_2nr on December 7th, 2010, 2:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Chemical » December 7th, 2010, 1:45 pm

In theory, a wax contains wax which stays on your car to protect your paintwork, and a polish contains abrasives which removes a tiny amount of dead and oxidized paint. In practice things might not be quite as simple as this because there are many products that can do both at once. And there is also the problem that the marketing guys can call a product anything they want and frequently do! Sometimes you can’t go by what it says on the front of the bottle, you will need to read the small print to see what the product actually does. I cannot stress this enough, waxes and polishes are different and do different things, but the marketing people don’t really care about definitions and will call a product anything that they think sounds good (Wax, sealant, glaze, paint cleaner, etc.). So it’s important to understand what the differences are, what you want, and then choose your product based on what it says on the back of the bottle, on sound advice and recommendations.

Polish
The purpose of a polish is to clean your paintwork and make it shiny again. A polish usually contains abrasives, this is most commonly aluminium oxide, as you put it on the car will remove dead paint which has become oxidized. They may also contain lots of solvents which clean your paintwork (paint cleaning products). Products do contain waxes and oils but generally speaking, these are there for lubrication of the abrasives and not enough to give protection to your car. In fact having polished your car you will have stripped back any protection you may have, so you will need to put a wax on your car.
I’m often asked how often you should polish your car, the best answer is to do it when it needs it - when the paintwork starts looking dull and tired. You shouldn’t really polish your car every time you clean it, if you do want to follow a schedule, then once every 6 months is enough for most people, but once a year is fine.

Wax
The purpose of wax products it coat your car in a protective, sacrificial layer. Wax products contain a blend of waxes and oils. The waxes can be natural waxes and/or synthetic, although there is a trend at the moment for the synthetic based products to be called Sealants*. Both types of product get attacked by road salts, UV rays, ozone and all the other nasties — but while they are bearing the brunt of this punishment, your paintwork doesn’t have to, which is why we call it a sacrificial layer. Waxes and sealants generally last from 1 month to one year, generally speaking most waxes last 3 months, be warned, they don’t always do what they say on the tin. Many waxes will promise that they last 1 year but they seldom last anywhere near that, so it’s best to assume you wax lasts 3 months**. The general rule of thumb is that the longer they last, the less shiny they are, and visa versa***. Waxes are designed for slightly different purposes, some people like to wax their car every week and want the best shine they can get, other people want to put it on and forget it for a year, they require protection and don’t worry too much about getting a ‘wet look shine’. There are even products designed to make a car really really glossy that will last a few days or even a few hours — this sounds crazy and impractical, but they are perfect for cars in a showroom or at a car show.

http://www.carcareadvice.co.uk/faq/exte ... polish.htm

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby AYE_SOLDIER » December 7th, 2010, 2:02 pm

nice info in here
but very little pics :roll:

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Chemical » December 7th, 2010, 5:45 pm

http://www.amazon.com/Autoglym-HDWAXUS- ... B001FEISS6

ordered it. Will do over the car before Xmas. Thanks Alpha, I never understood the difference until now, however the wash is pretty expensive @ Car Plus. Who are the agents locally for it here ?

This is who sells AG to Amazon.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » December 8th, 2010, 6:46 am

^^Lotsa folks sell AG on Amazon.

But bro, you could have gotten AG EGP (Extra Gloss Protection) down here for alot cheaper. EGP is essentially a synth resin which is just as durable (if not more) than AG HD Wax......

I've use both (different cars), and they're both good. In fact, I prefer EGP on my daily machine.

The way I see it, HDWax and EGP are more of connoisseur's products - the average detailer doesn't need to spend that much on a wax...for such a small amt. E.g. The Mother's (Step 3) Carnuaba Wax is pretty darn impressive. I used it on my gf's car (surface clayed and pre-prepped first of course)....and geeze that thing is beading like crazy even after two of "her" washes.



Just remember that with application of these - LESS IS MORE. Use a LITTLE.
:D

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Chemical » December 8th, 2010, 1:01 pm

*steups*

When I get it am gonna layer has ass on ( 2 times ) & I'm finished till end of 2011 !

Just don't have time anymore (or money to pay 7 - 8 hunderd bucks) for a polish & wax.

On a second note I've been told its between $ 40 - $50 bucks to wash / vac / AA a car now as I had to authorise a P/cash voucher :shock:

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » December 8th, 2010, 7:39 pm

^^I meant use a little per application/layer. Too much will leave smudging and other "strange" effects, and it gets difficult to buff off.

And remember to dampen the foam applicators before use :!:

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby AYE_SOLDIER » December 10th, 2010, 4:19 pm

hey chemical when u stuff lands let us know what was the shipping cost like.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby AYE_SOLDIER » December 10th, 2010, 4:32 pm

quick shot
jus washed, polish an waxed :wink:
i got some small reflections so i decided to share
Image
i wish i have a proper camera tho. :oops:

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » December 11th, 2010, 6:11 am

AYE_SOLDIER wrote:hey chemical when u stuff lands let us know what was the shipping cost like.


You could have asked me eh....but NOOOOOOO. Blank d alpha....I worked out to about 680 TTD landed (I brought in a bunch of detailing stuff in that shipment, so that was an estimate).


Reflection looks good bro, but I'd have opted for a resin as opposed to a wax in your case (car is silver right?).

Most yellow carnaubas seem to make the silver just a hint darker, the sealant makes the "flake" in the paint stand out a bit more IMHO.



BTW, you still haven't posted a sunlight shot AYE_SOLDIER !!! :lol:

No offense eh bro, but pics in the shade don't show the finer details of whehter your detail actually worked or not. e.g. you could still have mondo swirling there and we won't see it


Here's a not too recent one of one of my cars, after using a polish with some nice glazing oils (UDS) and a finish with a mild sealant - notice NO swirls AT ALL (even in direct midday sun):


I darkened this one a bit because it came out a tad too bright:



I'll be following up on this finish with a dedicated sealant (most likely Pinnacle) within two weeks time.
Last edited by Alpha_2nr on May 27th, 2011, 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby AYE_SOLDIER » December 11th, 2010, 10:34 am

Alpha_2nr wrote:
AYE_SOLDIER wrote:hey chemical when u stuff lands let us know what was the shipping cost like.


You could have asked me eh....but NOOOOOOO. Blank d alpha....I worked out to about 680 TTD landed (I brought in a bunch of detailing stuff in that shipment, so that was an estimate).
:lol: :lol: well i didnt know.
but thats 20tt less than it sells in trini
u bought it from amazon btw?

Alpha_2nr wrote:Reflection looks good bro, but I'd have opted for a resin as opposed to a wax in your case (car is silver right?).
yes it is (shiddy cam) :?

Alpha_2nr wrote:Most yellow carnaubas seem to make the silver just a hint darker, the sealant makes the "flake" in the paint stand out a bit more IMHO.
what do recommend i use?


Alpha_2nr wrote:BTW, you still haven't posted a sunlight shot AYE_SOLDIER !!! :lol:

No offense eh bro, but pics in the shade don't show the finer details of whehter your detail actually worked or not. e.g. you could still have mondo swirling there and we won't see it
.
:oops: i know an i will soooon.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » December 11th, 2010, 8:33 pm

Honestly, if you want a sealant, I'd say use this:

Image

or

Image

If not a sealant, and you don't want to spend the coin on HDwax, I've used Mothers Carnauba (the Step 3) of their 3 stage system....and damn that thing is GOOD. Beads like wow....but I find it lasts longest if you wash with their car wash (Mothers), and do a QD (i.e. SHowtime detailer app or spray wax) from time to time.

Plus the mothers is the cheapest.

If you do go with the Mother's Wax, you can use this to help "maintain" the wax layer (something which you really can't do with a sealant IMHO)

Image

Depends on how far you wanna go in terms of cost....but I should explain more.

While a sealant would outlast a carnauba on a single layer application, it is also a tad bit harder to work with. Plus, a sealant normally can't be "topped up" with a spray detailer/spray wax like a typical carnauba app....and a wax can be layered (I do this) while layering sealants doesn't do squat (or so I've been told).

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Parvin » December 11th, 2010, 8:38 pm

I'm awaiting my vacation to do my share of work.

Got the Mothers line ... Shampoo, Clay Bar, Step 1 - Step 3, Back To Black.

Gonna be doing it by hand so that's an entire day for this job. Will be taking out all lights, emblems etc so that I can complete the task as best as possible.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » December 12th, 2010, 5:35 am

Why don't you just tape over the lights and emblems...instead of taking them out?

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Parvin » December 12th, 2010, 9:44 am

good point.

but i'm sure there is a build up of dirt and grime in those little spaces. so i just want to know for sure that it clean,

i was very shocked to see the build up of dirt in the space between the spoiler bolted onto the trunk

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby AYE_SOLDIER » December 12th, 2010, 1:51 pm

thanks alot for the advice Alpha_2nr
i have the step 3 in the mothers which i use.
i'm thinkin about using the HD wax when the step 3 is finished.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby oxidation » December 19th, 2010, 1:19 pm

well i clayed and jus waxed

paint is as smooth as glass now

camera is not of great quality

but damn it looks good for a silver car


tis is jus one coat of nxt wax


Image

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Chemical » December 19th, 2010, 2:57 pm

Looks great.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby AYE_SOLDIER » December 20th, 2010, 8:42 am

nice!

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Parvin » December 20th, 2010, 10:06 am

I forgot to ask if 1 clay bar kit would be enough for the entire car ? Using the Mothers kit with 2 bars and 1 bottle of the lubricant

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » December 20th, 2010, 2:05 pm

^^yep it should be fine. I was ultra liberal with the Showtime detailer spray, so I almost ran out :lol:

But I always have a bottle of Quik Detailer or Rapid Detailer handy, so those suffice for me in the event of an emergency :D

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Parvin » December 21st, 2010, 10:01 am

thought his would fit in here ... what can I use to clean the interior ?

Like shampooing the seats ?

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Chemical » December 21st, 2010, 10:47 am

AYE_SOLDIER wrote:hey chemical when u stuff lands let us know what was the shipping cost like.


I cancelled the order as I went to the States last week to avoid paying I/duties & vat & I forget to buy the damn thing as my wife gave me a long list for herself & our son :?

BTW half a clay bar will work perfect on a small sedan .

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby nareshseep » December 21st, 2010, 11:40 am

Great info here guys, all this time I thought polish and wax was the same thing..lol

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby oxidation » December 21st, 2010, 4:35 pm

clayed my windshield today and no more skippy wipers

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Parvin » January 2nd, 2011, 3:38 pm

Finally got to get this done. Spent Ole years day on it. Started at 9:45 AM and was finished at 11:45 PM.

Washed ... Clay Bar ... Mothers Step 1 ... Step 2 ... Step 3

Will post pics as soon as i take a few. But I was very impressed how GREAT the clay bar system alone worked ... a lot of sheit was embedded into the paint.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby Alpha_2nr » January 2nd, 2011, 8:06 pm

So I used NXT tech Wax 2.0 last week. Paint was pre-polished with some UDS. I found the NXT was applied with an MF applicator (not the crappy foam one they provide).

Went on well....but a little strange to buff off - it left some slight streaking that necessiated a secondary buff with another MF. It basically acted like a wax....but in fact, it's closer to a sealant.

That said, it beads well, and the car looks fundamentally the same to the pics I posted above.

I don't think it's particularly durable, so I'll be "topping" up the NXT coat with some Meg's QD during successive washes.

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Re: Car Polishing 101

Postby ~Vēġó~ » January 2nd, 2011, 11:26 pm

so someone flicked their cigarette and it landed on my hood and burnt itself out there......left a light brown scorch mark.....tried to polish it out with normal wax polish but it's still there.....should I use a polishing compound to take it out?

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