What products do you use to look after your Accord?

just wanting to find how everyone keeps their cars and if anyone is as pedantic as me ........i use
meguires scratch x for any noticable scratches
3m clay bar for tree sap and stuff
zymol natural liquid polish or creme polish for brilliant shine
zymol carbon wax for shine and paint protection
zymol hd cleanse for paint cleaning
zymol cleaner wax if i want to do a 2 in 1 polish and wax
autosol on exhaust tips
powerplus tyre shine
as my car is only 6 months old and because i have bought it new the only thing to keep it looking new is to frequently wax and wash car at least once a week.....dont leave birdshit and treesap on your car for too long and you will keep it new looking for ages...so am i as pedantic as my wife says or am i just an enthusiast....ps. i do the same on my work ute..

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Originally Posted by albii

...so am i as pedantic as my wife says or am i just an enthusiast....ps. i do the same on my work ute..

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your wife is a very smart woman:D

Don't worry albii, I'm almost as bad as you. I just haven't used Autosol on my muffler tips (but the autosol is here!) and I don't use tyre shine. On the other hand, I've got my gf to join in! I wet, she soaps, I rinse & dry, she NXTs, I buff. Hehehehe

Usually I wash once a week, top up the wax may once every 2 weeks. I only do a full clean, polish, wax every month or 2.

careful she'll have big muscle hadns to win you in a arm wrestling match =P hahaha

anyway na your not Albi :) when i get a car i'll do the same too =P *squeeky and shinie* :cool:

Padentic??
Whats that mean?
I think your just loving your car and keeping it in good nic!
No harm in that!

I say, if it keeps you happy and your fine with doing it. Keep it up!

Tip to keep exhaust tips clean and shiny... any polish will do :D.... Or you can buy a tube of 2 dollar chrome polisher...

Albii:
U got the whole collection of Zymol!! man they expensive !!.
where did u get themin BNE? my friend ordered them on line. he gave me someof the left over Zymol "Japon" as he doesnt drive a Jap car. Smell good ...

Keep up the good work. Maybe, we should gather and do polishing together :)

Zymol. Are they really expensive?

I use:
- Meguires gold class conditioner wash
- Meguires gold class liquid polish (will upgrade to NTX Tech Wax soon)
- Meguires Scratch X for scratches

That it!! I have the hardest to maintain colour (black) and I really cbf putting polish AND wax all the time when I know in 2 days time I'll be all dirty again because of Melbourne's every changing weather. I wash every 1-2 weeks and I try to polish it everytime as well. I find wax takes too much effort, and dunno if it's worth doing it.

SLugoid... WAX is definately worth the time bud :)

Hard mate. Hope i will wax my car next week!!

Slugoid, is Gold Class polish a cutting polish? Or is it just a oil replenisher?

You can cut out the polish step, and do a wash and wax each week. Then do a polish every 1-2 months. That would still be alright.

Since you have black, you can make NXT look even better by putting a layer of Meguiar's #26 wax over it!

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Originally Posted by SSML

Albii:
U got the whole collection of Zymol!! man they expensive !!.
where did u get themin BNE? my friend ordered them on line. he gave me someof the left over Zymol "Japon" as he doesnt drive a Jap car. Smell good ...

Keep up the good work. Maybe, we should gather and do polishing together :)

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a guy called Keith Tapsall still imports it with swissol products also i can give you contact details if you want.........lucky that your friend gave you his wax as it doesnt matter to use japon on non japenese cars i use carbon on my silver car and works fine....it just the carnuba content that differs...a marketing gimmick. be careful with the zymol wax if you dont know how to use it you will make a mess...maybe next meet i can show you my products..

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Originally Posted by albii

a guy called Keith Tapsall still imports it with swissol products also i can give you contact details if you want.........lucky that your friend gave you his wax as it doesnt matter to use japon on non japenese cars i use carbon on my silver car and works fine....it just the carnuba content that differs...a marketing gimmick. be careful with the zymol wax if you dont know how to use it you will make a mess...maybe next meet i can show you my products..

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Hi Albii:
I think my friend is using Zymol "Carbon" for his dark green Golf III VR6. he also has the Zymol cleaner and other bits and pieces.
he showed me the catalogue, Zymol even makes specific wax for Saab, Volvo...etc.

I m using NXT tech wax on my car. and we just NXTed PNR888's euro on Wed nite.

I used Zymol "Japon" on mum's red car for testing. (probably not using exactly correct technique), but still give great result on a 11 yr old car.

As my bro said (SSML), we NXTed my Euro on wednesday night, drove to work at Gatton on Thursday (75km oneway), then my baby is garaged eversince because it started raining on friday. so I walked to work on Friday and saturday (only 800metres oneway). When I woke up this morning, was going to take my baby out for a sunday joyride. but it rained again. so my baby is still in my garage. I hope it doesn;t become autistic. Well I wish tomorrow the sky will clear up, 'coz I can't walk 22km to work tomorrow.

Eversince I joined the forum, I wash and wax my car more frequent. even more frequent than when the car is brand new. (I was preparing my wedding and new life at that time).. hee hee

To renew an old thread - does anyone have any recommendations on a good carwash that is also cost-effective? I find Meguair's Gold-Class wash is just too expensive seeing a bottle only lasts a few month's worth of carwashing.

Buy in bulk if you use that much.

Is that the 1.9L bottle that you finish in a few months?

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Originally Posted by EuroAccord13

Tip to keep exhaust tips clean and shiny... any polish will do :D.... Or you can buy a tube of 2 dollar chrome polisher...

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Anyone tried putting those Euro stainless steel tips in the dishwasher? :D It might do a really good job! (haven't tried it... yet)

If u guys need car washing products pm me anytime thks!

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Originally Posted by yfin

Anyone tried putting those Euro stainless steel tips in the dishwasher? :D It might do a really good job! (haven't tried it... yet)

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Your wife would kill you if she found out. :p

Dishwasher tablets are extremely caustic. If you put chromed items in, the chrome will be stripped after washing (don't ask me how I found out). But fully stainless items should be alright as the forks and knives come out fine.

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Originally Posted by aaronng

Your wife would kill you if she found out. :p

Dishwasher tablets are extremely caustic. If you put chromed items in, the chrome will be stripped after washing (don't ask me how I found out). But fully stainless items should be alright as the forks and knives come out fine.

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lol and i thought teh dishwashing comment was a joke ;)

im stuck with using a chamois only... damn level 4 water restrictions :(

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Originally Posted by Vinnie

lol and i thought teh dishwashing comment was a joke ;)

im stuck with using a chamois only... damn level 4 water restrictions :(

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Can't you use a watering can with Level 4? We're allowed that with Level 3.

Nah I am pretty much the same, nothing but MacGuires (spelling?) I use their wash, tyre cleaner, and polish.. a little expensive but damn does it do a good job, always top finish! Gonna give my Milano Red 05 Euro a polish next weekend and a proper clean, inside and out, hopefully it will look brand new again!

How often are you meant to polish new cars anyhow? I have been pretty lazy, only done it once since I bought it over a year ago!

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Originally Posted by Thorn2004

How often are you meant to polish new cars anyhow? I have been pretty lazy, only done it once since I bought it over a year ago!

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If it is not swirled, you don't need to use swirl remover.
I'd wash weekly if possible and wax every 2 months. If you wash monthly, then you have to wax each time you wash because the dirt/birdpoo/contaminants would have gone through the wax.

which is better wax or polish?

and which one would you apply first?

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Originally Posted by sugz

which is better wax or polish?

and which one would you apply first?

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They are different. Polish is a stupid term because for other brands they refer to swirl removers, while Meguiar's uses it to refer to glazes!
Swirl removers are for removing swirls, while glazes are an oily solution that act as a lube for a buffing pad and also gives your car a wet look.

Wax is a protective coating that acts as a barrier between your paint and the environment.

And waxing is always done last.

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Originally Posted by aaronng

If it is not swirled, you don't need to use swirl remover.
I'd wash weekly if possible and wax every 2 months. If you wash monthly, then you have to wax each time you wash because the dirt/birdpoo/contaminants would have gone through the wax.

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Well I am a bad boy then I havent polished in around 6 months, please don't report me to Honda for bad treatment of my Euro ;) I just don't get the time, but I will do it this weekend if I can, of course I wash it alot more frequently than that just don't get to polish it as often, takes longer.

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Originally Posted by Thorn2004

Well I am a bad boy then I havent polished in around 6 months, please don't report me to Honda for bad treatment of my Euro ;) I just don't get the time, but I will do it this weekend if I can, of course I wash it alot more frequently than that just don't get to polish it as often, takes longer.

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I use swirl remover once a year.

But washing I do it frequently and wax every 2 months.

They do different things. Polish is a light abrasive that cuts the paint, hence removing light swirl marks. Wax simply adds a layer or protection and gloss on top.

As a rule of thumb, you want the paint as clean and scratch free before applying wax so polish goes on first.

ok, is meguires clay bar considered as wax or polished?

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Originally Posted by sugz

ok, is meguires clay bar considered as wax or polished?

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A claybar is a claybar. It's a physical paint cleaner. It doesn't remove swirls. It does cause marring.

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Originally Posted by sugz

ok, is meguires clay bar considered as wax or polished?

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A claybar is used in the prep process where you glide it along the paint surface and it picks up contaminants that are partially embedded in the paint (use a lubricant).


Usually my detailing steps are (in order of first to last):

1. Wash
2. Claybar
3. Light Wash again <- optional
4. dry
5. swirl remove heavy
6. swirl remove light
7. polish/glaze
8. sealant
9. topping wax

Then usually wait about 15-20 mins and wash off the first bird-poo.

Well, this is what works for me whenever I do a major detail on my car. I do this about once or twice a year. Otherwise it's a wash every weekend and a topping wax once every 4 weeks.

this is wat i do wash>claybar>NXT wax

thats it coz my arm already started to dislocate lol
i did those things and i remove most of the swirls and just wondering how to get the light cratches off...

^^ your swirls are being hidden by the NXT wax. They are still there.

instead of hiding it, wat can i do to get rid of it then?
scratch x?

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Originally Posted by sugz

instead of hiding it, wat can i do to get rid of it then?
scratch x?

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Proper swirl remover applied by machine. It's not a cheap and quick job....

I spent most of Saturday working on my Milano Red Euro after finally getting around to detailing her, 12 months later! I did the works, washed her with Maquires Gold Wash, used Maquires scratch/swirl remover over the whole body, then polished her with Maquires Gold Polish! I cleaned the Rims then applied the Tyre Cleaner then moved onto the chrome using a soft microfibre cloth polishing the exhaust!

Finally I moved onto the interior giving her a good vacuum out (yes I removed the Euro matts!) applied the leather cleaner which was supplied by my dealership for free, to all the leather and finally applied the leather protecter to all the surfaces! (our dealer is a dope when he supplied the leather cleaner/protector to us he was only meant to give us one small box containing 1 cleaner and 1 protection bottle, he instead gave us a whole box with 6 of these smaller boxes in them, over 600 bucks worth! Don't think he realised! - Lifetime supply maybe he was being generous?)

The end result of all of 4 hours is a brand new looking Euro, I will post some pics later on, you seriously would think it is off the showroom floor! It turns heads too lots of people gawking when I went up the street heh! (It is around 14 months old)

I STRONGLY recommend Maquires products simply the best results and quality products for everyone who loves their Honda as much as I love mine :D

I haven't given my Euro a good clean yet (haven't needed to) but I've been using Meguiar's products on my Mirage for years. After a wash I'll apply Meguiar's Paint Cleaner followed by their Deep Crystal Polish than their Deep Crystal Carbuena Wax. The shine stays for ages. I would repeat the process every 2 - 3 months giving it a quick wash in between when needed.

I have paint protection on my new Euro.....supposedly I do not need to polish etc. Can any one confirm this, or at least let me know if polish/waxing will ruin the paint protection? The dealer says that it won't but I'd like to know what your thoughts are.

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Originally Posted by bluedez_man

I haven't given my Euro a good clean yet (haven't needed to) but I've been using Meguiar's products on my Mirage for years. After a wash I'll apply Meguiar's Paint Cleaner followed by their Deep Crystal Polish than their Deep Crystal Carbuena Wax. The shine stays for ages. I would repeat the process every 2 - 3 months giving it a quick wash in between when needed.

I have paint protection on my new Euro.....supposedly I do not need to polish etc. Can any one confirm this, or at least let me know if polish/waxing will ruin the paint protection? The dealer says that it won't but I'd like to know what your thoughts are.

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I would still do the old wash/swirlremove/wax routine to keep the shine regardless of whether you have paint protection or not.... personally I think (and have heard) that the paint protection is a waste of money, it is simply a gimmick offered by the dealership because they get a kickback of the profits by the manufacturer of the product! If you are the sort of person that never cleans or polishes their car then yes it might offer some protection but for anyone who remotely looks after their car a good clean and polish will do the same job!

Make sure that you use Meguires for all the products they really are the best car care products I have found over the years!

(my 2005 Milano Red Euro came up beautifully I will post some photos later today!)