Polish and wax help

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Originally Posted by mrwillz

and in the past 've thrown away the applicator pads

=[

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I use them for about 6-9 months until they start breaking apart. Then I use them for waxing rims instead and get new ones for paint.

hmmm, the wax attack comes with a dvd which shows the guy applying the polish, and leaving it to bond with the paint for a while, and then removing?

but he uses a pad to buff it off. So much easier than using a towel.

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Originally Posted by AzKik-R

hmmm, the wax attack comes with a dvd which shows the guy applying the polish, and leaving it to bond with the paint for a while, and then removing?

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Are you using the exact same product that he is using?

hmmm, no, i'm using the meguires, i figured it cant be that different can it?
the bottle also says safe for clear coats, and i dont recall seeing a warning on the label stating product must be removed before it dries....

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Originally Posted by AzKik-R

hmmm, no, i'm using the meguires, i figured it cant be that different can it?
the bottle also says safe for clear coats, and i dont recall seeing a warning on the label stating product must be removed before it dries....

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Each product is different.

Instructions are instructions. If it is difficult to remove a polish after it dries, then remove it immediately. You have your own brain and you're not a robot. The only thing that needs to set and cure are waxes and sealants. For everything else, you can remove them as soon as you finish working them in.

cool
I've never had too much problem removing the polish? guess i can do it that way sweet

Even with the meguiars techwax, you need to remove it after 1 min or else its gonna be hard to remove

it says to alow to dry on the packaging
:s

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Originally Posted by Shimian

Even with the meguiars techwax, you need to remove it after 1 min or else its gonna be hard to remove

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again, never had much problem removing techwax either. this is got me all curious, is it really that bad leaving polish on the car? even tho the polish was made in the last year, does not include a cutting compound, and states safe for clear coats? I understand some of the older polish's included a cutting compound which is not good to use every weekend etc

im using the meguiars 2 step polish. According to Aarong, it doesnt remove any layers of paint.
If i leave the techwax for 5 min to dry, it is harder to remove. Not as hard as polish, but still require some strength to buff off. Maybe next time ill wax the whole car first then wipe it off.

absolutely agreed, the step 2 doesn't remove any layers.

perhaps not use as much techwax? might be putting on too thick?

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Originally Posted by Shimian

Even with the meguiars techwax, you need to remove it after 1 min or else its gonna be hard to remove

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It means you are applying too much of it. :)

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Originally Posted by AzKik-R

again, never had much problem removing techwax either. this is got me all curious, is it really that bad leaving polish on the car? even tho the polish was made in the last year, does not include a cutting compound, and states safe for clear coats? I understand some of the older polish's included a cutting compound which is not good to use every weekend etc

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Is it the Deep Crystal Step 2 polish? That one is a glaze and doesn't have any abrasives in it.

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Originally Posted by aaronng

It means you are applying too much of it. :)

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I apply only a small amout per section (e.g. 1 door, bonnet). Probably about a 30cm line. Its buffed out evenly with my wax attack machine. Maybe i got a lemon deep crystal step 2 :(

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Originally Posted by Shimian

I apply only a small amout per section (e.g. 1 door, bonnet). Probably about a 30cm line. Its buffed out evenly with my wax attack machine. Maybe i got a lemon deep crystal step 2 :(

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30 cm!??!!?!?!?!?

I use 2x 10 cent blobs to cover 1 bonnet.

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Originally Posted by aaronng

30 cm!??!!?!?!?!?

I use 2x 10 cent blobs to cover 1 bonnet.

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Maybe less than that. I dont know how long the circumference of the mothers wax pad is. I squeeze out a thin strip so that it sits into the groove of the pad. Thinking more closely, probably more 20cm than 30cm

can only think of 2 other solutions,
if we've ruled out that you're using too much, then perhaps the car is hot when you're applying the polish? or perhaps you need to give a bit more shake on the bottle. if the first uses were a bit watery and the more recient usage is a lot thicker, then maybe add a lil water to the bottle to thin it down a little? anyone know?

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Originally Posted by AzKik-R

can only think of 2 other solutions,
if we've ruled out that you're using too much, then perhaps the car is hot when you're applying the polish? or perhaps you need to give a bit more shake on the bottle. if the first uses were a bit watery and the more recient usage is a lot thicker, then maybe add a lil water to the bottle to thin it down a little? anyone know?

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Only drove it up the road to wash the car then back home in the garage. So car is relatively cool. Waited about 30min before commencing polish/wax process. Opened a brand new bottle. Shook it everytime i apply a strip on the pad. Oh well, we see what happens next time

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Originally Posted by Shimian

Maybe less than that. I dont know how long the circumference of the mothers wax pad is. I squeeze out a thin strip so that it sits into the groove of the pad. Thinking more closely, probably more 20cm than 30cm

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Try slightly misting the pad with some water and use even less. When I use a pad to apply, I don't even squeeze a strip. I just put a very thin layer on the pad in the shape of a cross. After I apply the wax to the panel, it is almost invisible unless viewed at an angle. That is how little you are meant to use.

Also, NXT liquid wax was designed to be applied by hand, not by machine. So the consistency is a little bit too thick.

wow damn, i never knew you only use a lil bit. no wonder i was thinking "am i using too much" lol. next time ill use your 2x10 method aaronng

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Originally Posted by riruiz_88

wow damn, i never knew you only use a lil bit. no wonder i was thinking "am i using too much" lol. next time ill use your 2x10 method aaronng

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Use 1 x 10 cents at a time, do half a bonnet. After the first 2 panels, I find that I need to add even less for panels after that because the pad has wax on it. You shouldn't be able to see it on the paint with your eyes, but once you wipe it off, you can feel that the wax is on and smooth.

damn. i have been using too much too lol. my goes a very hazy white. u can make rolls from rubbing it off when it dried.

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Originally Posted by aaronng

Use 1 x 10 cents at a time, do half a bonnet. After the first 2 panels, I find that I need to add even less for panels after that because the pad has wax on it. You shouldn't be able to see it on the paint with your eyes, but once you wipe it off, you can feel that the wax is on and smooth.

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AARONNG: how much do you mix detergent and water for your wheel cleaner? im just gonna use one of those pump spray bottle

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Originally Posted by riruiz_88

AARONNG: how much do you mix detergent and water for your wheel cleaner? im just gonna use one of those pump spray bottle

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Spray pump bottle, I put a bit at the bottom, probably the area of a pikelet (those mini pancakes) and then fill the rest of the 400ml spray bottle up with water.

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Originally Posted by gbang007

damn. i have been using too much too lol. my goes a very hazy white. u can make rolls from rubbing it off when it dried.

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Whoa... what's way too much. You'd end up with your microfibre cloth being loaded up very quickly and will need more than 1 to buff the wax off.

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Originally Posted by aaronng

Spray pump bottle, I put a bit at the bottom, probably the area of a pikelet (those mini pancakes) and then fill the rest of the 400ml spray bottle up with water.

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aight then thanx, i didnt think i would need much but no harm in asking. what and how would you recommend polishing my stock muffler? its looking kinda ugly and i thought why not try bling it up a bit

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Originally Posted by riruiz_88

aight then thanx, i didnt think i would need much but no harm in asking. what and how would you recommend polishing my stock muffler? its looking kinda ugly and i thought why not try bling it up a bit

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Is your muffler originally chrome? If not, then you'll have having a looooong and fun time with Autosol. :)

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Originally Posted by aaronng

Is your muffler originally chrome? If not, then you'll have having a looooong and fun time with Autosol. :)

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ahh dont think it is. but i have seen some one on OH do so i thought why not. looks like ill have to have a full day off for this job, i was thinkin of using a toothbrush or something else?

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Originally Posted by riruiz_88

ahh dont think it is. but i have seen some one on OH do so i thought why not. looks like ill have to have a full day off for this job, i was thinkin of using a toothbrush or something else?

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A toothbrush is too soft. I'd use fine grit sandpaper and wet sand it down til it is bare, then use autosol to shine it up. After that, use NXT metal polish to finish up and to leave a layer of protection to slow down oxidation.

wow it does sound like it would take a while, cause the amount of oxidation i have aint funny. cheers :thumbsup:

Is it worth doing a quick wax inbetween the major wax/polish periods? I was thinking of getting meguiars quikwax. Whats the best way of cleaning the car before applying the quikwax other than taking it to the car wash? I was thinking to use a feather duster and a terry towel and go around the car but worried that i might scratch the car.

imo i wouldnt man. just wash it about 2 weeks at a time. if it gets dirty in between i just use Quick Detailer, and when you can notice the Quick Detailer getting harder to remove then its time to wax again. i think that quick wax is a load of crap. as for removing the dust from the car, i use a microfibre dust magnet from Meguiars. workers wonders, you can even use it in your interior

But QuikDetailer is just like water. How does it get hard? Or are you getting mixed up with QuikWax cos thats the one that goes hard. So using a microfibre dust magnet will not scratch the car whilst removing the dust?

i did actually try it with water, i didnt like the outcome. quick wax is if you dont have the time to do a proper wax. the dust magnet didnt scratch my paint. what i meant by the quick detailer becoming harder to remove was, you have to wipe more to remove the liquid. i have noticed it that it takes more strides of my cloth to remove it.

For me Quik Detailer, I assume youre talking about meguiars, is easy to remove. It is just like water. QuikWax on the other hand is a thicker liquid also from meguiars, where it will turn hard if you leave it too long.
I do a full wax/polish every 6-8 weeks. Im looking for something in between to help maintain the shine. So what ur saying is to use Quik Detailer which in my view is just like water but can remove grime easily and also gives it a nice shine. Where as QuikWax adds a coating which gives it a wax feel to the car.
Confused here :confused:

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Originally Posted by Shimian

Is it worth doing a quick wax inbetween the major wax/polish periods? I was thinking of getting meguiars quikwax. Whats the best way of cleaning the car before applying the quikwax other than taking it to the car wash? I was thinking to use a feather duster and a terry towel and go around the car but worried that i might scratch the car.

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Quik Wax is pretty troublesome to use. It's probably easier to just apply a coat of normal wax.

If your car is just dusty, try using a Pledge Grab-it duster and then QDing it after. If it has been wet by rain or has dirt or mud, then go to the car wash.

Well, assuming it has rained and car is still mint from major polish/wax. Looking to use something for inbetween maintenance. I will give the Pledge Grab it duster a try before applying the inbetween product. Any recommendations? Or should i just use Speed Detailer from meguiars?

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Originally Posted by Shimian

Well, assuming it has rained and car is still mint from major polish/wax. Looking to use something for inbetween maintenance. I will give the Pledge Grab it duster a try before applying the inbetween product. Any recommendations? Or should i just use Speed Detailer from meguiars?

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If it just rained and your car was clean before, I'd go over it with a quick detailer (speed or quik detailer is fine, I prefer last touch) and at least 2 microfibre cloths.

You don't need an inbetween product. If you did, that means the wax you applied during the first round doesn't last long enough and you should change to a better one. :)

I polished and waxed my car about 3 weeks ago. In that time, it rained a few days so i took it for a quick rinse but went around the whole car thoroughly with a cloth. I didnt use any high pressure rinse. After a chamois, car was still silky smooth, just like the day i polished/wax the car. Hasnt rained since.
Ok, since ur suggesting i dont need to use inbetweens (provided i did a good initial wax job), then ill leave it and save some $$$.

sometimes goin to the car wash is more of a hassle. thats what quick/speed detailer is for. is that Pledge duster re-usable?

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Originally Posted by riruiz_88

sometimes goin to the car wash is more of a hassle. thats what quick/speed detailer is for. is that Pledge duster re-usable?

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Quick detailer can't do much if your car has a film of dirt caused by rain mixing with dust. It's effective if you have dry dust.

Pledge duster is reusable if it is not too dirty. If you have heaps of crap on it after using it once, I don't think you would want to reuse it.

oh really, i thought it would be the same as the waterless detailer. well looks like im gonna have to go wash it, cause i do have rain mixed with dust. looks damn ugly. can you wash the Pledge duster?

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Originally Posted by riruiz_88

oh really, i thought it would be the same as the waterless detailer. well looks like im gonna have to go wash it, cause i do have rain mixed with dust. looks damn ugly. can you wash the Pledge duster?

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I'd just shake it to get the dirt out. If it is too dirty, just throw it away and put another refill on. They are cheap anyway. $5 for 3 refills I think.

Try using the Clay Bar every other weekend, depends on how much build up you get, a Clay Bar lifts all the crap off, and allows the shine to come thru

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Originally Posted by AzKik-R

Try using the Clay Bar every other weekend, depends on how much build up you get, a Clay Bar lifts all the crap off, and allows the shine to come thru

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Claybars are not designed to be used that often. They are still abrasive and do cause marring to your paint. The normal claybar that you buy is meant to be used once or twice a year. If you want to use it every month, you have to buy a fine claybar instead which is less "wearing" to the paint.

ok so its nearly time for me to do another wax. want to know if i need to polish aswell?or should i just go straight for a wax?

really depends what you mean by a "polish" to me a polish is a paint cleaner that i use to prep the surface prior to waxing.

so what i do is

wash
clay
paint cleaner
wax

i would suggest you use a paint cleaner but i know many don't.

i have polished my car before. what i want to know is, do i have to polish/glaze everytime i want to wax my car? cause what im thinking is, that if i dont polish/glaze my car it wont be as shiny?

^ I haven't ever polished/glazed my cars before.. so no you don't *have* to polish before applying wax. Without it it still turns out shiny... but depends on the condition of your paint too.

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What are your guys take on the meguires waterless wash?

I'm in brissy and over here you can't use a hose/bucket. The nearest car wash place is actually quite a drive away unfortunately. So it would take a long time for the engine to cool down before i could give it a wash. So I'd much rather do it at home with waterless products.

So atm I've tried polyglaze waterless and will do the meguires waterless wash tonight in the garage. I really want to avoid scratching my paint so when I wipe off the waterless wash I do so very gently and in one direction. I use a microfibre cloth to gently wipe it. Then another dry microfibre to 'buff' it shiny.

My car doesn't get too dirty in a week cos i work from home so any mid-week driving I do is normally just to the shops n back.

Is it safe to continue to do so? On one hand I love the convinience of being able to do it in the garage... but on the other hand am a little concerned about scratching my (new black) paint.

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Originally Posted by markCivicVti

So atm I've tried polyglaze waterless and will do the meguires waterless wash tonight in the garage. I really want to avoid scratching my paint so when I wipe off the waterless wash I do so very gently and in one direction. I use a microfibre cloth to gently wipe it. Then another dry microfibre to 'buff' it shiny.

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So you don't want to scratch your paint and you do it gently, but in the end, you still dry buff your paint?? That will cause swirling in your paint, especially with cheap microfibre cloths.

^ Yeah. Well... is there any technique that works well with these 'waterless' ways of washing the car?

Or are they really no good then? I don't remember the details now but there was this product that you mix in with water.. and apparently you don't have to rinse off. Apparently you can do it in the garage. Would this be better than meguires waterless wash? Or would it end up doing the same sort of damage since you still buff it dry?

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Originally Posted by markCivicVti

^ Yeah. Well... is there any technique that works well with these 'waterless' ways of washing the car?

Or are they really no good then? I don't remember the details now but there was this product that you mix in with water.. and apparently you don't have to rinse off. Apparently you can do it in the garage. Would this be better than meguires waterless wash? Or would it end up doing the same sort of damage since you still buff it dry?

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The product you are thinking about is QEW. It is still a 2 bucket wash. You remove dirt with one and then the 2nd bucket is sort of a rinse except that you rinse by wiping with the wet mitt instead of splashing.

With waterless washes, you wipe the paint dry after washing and that's it. If you want to buff til it is shiny, apply some wax first.

i have always done mine in circular motion............i use Turtle Wax and finish it off with Meguiars quik detailer.......work for me.

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Originally Posted by aaronng

The product you are thinking about is QEW. It is still a 2 bucket wash. You remove dirt with one and then the 2nd bucket is sort of a rinse except that you rinse by wiping with the wet mitt instead of splashing.

With waterless washes, you wipe the paint dry after washing and that's it. If you want to buff til it is shiny, apply some wax first.

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Thanks! I don't care how many buckets I need as long as I can do it in the garage then :)

But for the meanwhile I'll try megs waterless... and not buff it dry... just wipe it gently dry... then do the wax + buff.

Ever since i bought the mothers wax attack machine, my car is still smooth and shiny after one month. It rained during that time and all i did was take it to the car wash and rinsed the car thoroughly. Then chamois'd it good. Did this about 3 times during the month and still retains its silky smooth shine. Compared to hand waxing days, pretty much after 1 wash, wax all gone and back to rough nuts surface :thumbdwn:

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Originally Posted by Shimian

Ever since i bought the mothers wax attack machine, my car is still smooth and shiny after one month. It rained during that time and all i did was take it to the car wash and rinsed the car thoroughly. Then chamois'd it good. Did this about 3 times during the month and still retains its silky smooth shine. Compared to hand waxing days, pretty much after 1 wash, wax all gone and back to rough nuts surface :thumbdwn:

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That's the advantage of having a clean surface before waxing. The Mother's wax attack pads also clean the paint while you are applying the wax.

I always clean my car before i wax. Take it to car wash and spend about $6-$8. I go around thoroughly. Also wash the underside edge of the car where it is pretty much black.

When i wax by hand, i always take my time and try to do a good job. Result, as i mentioned. With mothers, its the mint :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by aaronng

Claybars are not designed to be used that often. They are still abrasive and do cause marring to your paint. The normal claybar that you buy is meant to be used once or twice a year. If you want to use it every month, you have to buy a fine claybar instead which is less "wearing" to the paint.

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one of my mates in U.S and A sent me over some really nice clay and the sprey stuff even says it can be used over and over without damaging your paint

to eliminate swirls.
(this is gr8 for windows too).
apply going vertically on your panel.
allow to penetrate.
clean off in a HORIZONTAL motion using a CLEAN terry towel or microfibre.
this means, you are not just smearing the same streaks, ur actually going against them and eliminating them.

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Originally Posted by FAT VTI

to eliminate swirls.
(this is gr8 for windows too).
apply going vertically on your panel.
allow to penetrate.
clean off in a HORIZONTAL motion using a CLEAN terry towel or microfibre.
this means, you are not just smearing the same streaks, ur actually going against them and eliminating them.

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What do you mean by penetrate? I don't see that eliminating swirls. Hiding swirls, yes.

penetrate, leave on, let it soak in.

you put it on in 1 vertical motion, and take it off in a horizontal motion.

eliminate or hide swirls? whats the difference?

Big difference. All you are doing is hiding.

lol.....ok mate.

if trying to remove marks on windows, do the outside with vertical wipes, and the inside with horizontal wipes, this way you can tell if the smear is inside or outside :D