thanks for your replies..my personal opinion is todays modern water based paints just do not keep a shine..gone are the days of "t cut" then an application of wax..I drive a black car nearly 4 years old..and its hard work to stop it looking dull even after a month...
Jim
|
Hi,
Try Collinite 476s wax if your looking fro a wax that will last; it should last 4 to 5 months.
Reading through the replies to this post it is clear there is little knowledge about detailing a car here.
There are many sites about car detailing (Google it) and the high street is not the place to buy good products,
Try here for products www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/
and go here for info www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/
There is a great deal to learn about detailing, start with learning the two bucket method for washing and dump that sponge. :-)
This is also a great site autopia.org/ Go to the top of the page and click on "How to".
Be careful once your hooked it will cost you a fortune LOL
This is what can be done with black www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=323
|
|
|
|
If the car has recently been polished with something like Autoglym Super Resin (to remove winter filth) then Turtlewax Platinum Polish and Super gloss finish (2 stage) are excellent on solid dark colours like red.... just drop the super gloss on silver doesn't do much over and above the platinum polish.
Great products to give a good shine, so long as the carp has been removed recently by a harder polish like Super Resin by Autoglym. Easy to apply and easy to buff off, just damp leather the dust off after 'buffing'.
|
|
After Ka razy's response - we have a solid red Yaris that's almost 8 years old that still looks like new - helps that it's on a private plate, but all the missus' school run friends think it's new - just use decent quality stuff ! Red is the hardest to keep new, but boy does is look good.
|
|
yes fossant,had a 10 year old nissan a while back,red,and it looked like new when I sold it..maybe its in the make of car......serves me right for buying something black.
|
I just wash my car (every once in a while!) with TurtleWax Zip Wax Super Concentrate Wash & Wax and dry it with a chamois leather. It stays nice and shiny, rain beads on it nicely, and the (red) colour never fades. The only cosseting it gets is that, when not in use, it lives in a garage with a dehumidifier to stop it rusting.
--
L\'escargot.
|
|
I have a black car that is almost 10 years old. Once cleaned the paint still reflects as if it were polished. Sure, laying on a 'wax' makes it look even better as does a T-cut, but the paint is in no way dull.
|
|
T Cut, who uses T Cut these days. I was an Auto Glyn, super resin fan but this year changed to Mer, and I'm impressed, and I'm fussy. Regards Peter
|
|
IIRC, Comma produce a wax that came out very well, at a sensible price,in a recent test.
|
Don't use Mer, it's too dusty and is very hard work to remove.
For a quck clean up, that is very easy to do use an All-In-One type product from a high end company. My personal preference is for products from Chemical Guy's (their UK dealer is www.carwashnwax.co.uk ). Using these high end products is a revelation from the high street products. They go on and wipe off so much more easily.
My recomendation from the above site would be the Cherry Wet Wax (actually an all-in-one product) for a clean up and loverly soft glowing finish. then for the ultimate, use a high carnuba content wax like the 50/50.
Believe me you'll be converted once you've tried them out.
|
The main problem with a Wash 'n Wax type product is that once on the windscreen it is very difficult to get off and causes smearing when using the wipers for a long time afterwards.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
My advice is just to wash the car using rain water with a little wash & wax stuff mixed in.
I discovered that polishing in botled/tinned wax just causes loads of micro scratching that dulls the paintwork after the initial gleam has worn off.
Our four year old Forester shines after a good downpour, the dirt mostly runs off.
|
I agree that going through a commercial carwash (the horror) leaves a waxy deposit on my windscreen.
When DIY I use Halfords Advanced Car Wash, one cap per bucket, and this seems to bead the water but not foul the screen. I reget to say I have only polished my car once in 5 1/2 years.
Now, the BMW bike is another matter.................
--
I wasna fu but just had plenty.
|
I use Meguiars stage 3 products. Stage 1 is a paint renovator, Stage 2 a polish and Stage 3 a Cannuba Wax. Followed off by Megs #21 sealant. It takes a bit of effort, but is well worth it. I do it approx every three months.
Weekly wash, I use Megs gold class car shampoo, followed by a quick wipe over with spray wax. The 'normal' wash will only take about half an hour because any grime just runs off. Some might see it as a bit over the top. but having paid close to £17000, I think it's perfectly justified. My previous Vectra was cleaned in the same way and still looked brand new after two and a half years.
|
My advice is just to wash the car using rain water
My handbook tells me to "wash the car after rainfall to prevent possible damage from acid rain".
Sounds so daft I had to check it but it does. What I'm supposed to wash rainwater off with I'm not sure. Bottles of distilled water from Boots presumably.
|
PS. Review of 50 different polishes on the Autoexpress site.
They rated Turtle Wax Platinum Extra Gloss as the 5 star best but gave Mer just 3 stars and
Meguiar?s just 2 because they didn't last well.
|
PS. Review of 50 different polishes on the Autoexpress site. They rated Turtle Wax Platinum Extra Gloss as the 5 star best but gave Mer just 3 stars and Meguiar?s just 2 because they didn't last well.
I thought that test was seriously flawed, in that they didn't seem to understand the difference between polish and wax. Polish is abrasive and 'flattens' out the tiny peaks and troughs on the surface of the paint, whilst wax protects the polished surface. Autoexpress seemed to be giving polishes poor marks for not being a wax and vice-versa.
S6 1SW
|
they didn't seem to understand the difference between polish and wax.
I've always (well, for 50 years anyway) known it as wax polish ~ "wax" is what it contains and "polish" is what it does. For example .............
"Crem Perfection
Natural Carnauba Wax Polish.
Natural Carnauba wax polish - no watery/chalky marks, fills in swirls & scratches in a gentle liquid cleaning formula and gives a fantastic deep shine. No white residues, dust or marks on plastic trim. Simply wipe on and buff gently off. Our best selling product, lasts for up to 3 months. Ideal for Acrylic, Cellulose, Synthetic, Two pack, Lacquered, Metallic and Glassfibre gel coat paints, newer water-based soft paints and dark colours.
Pack: 500ml
Price: £18.99
Product Code: RG4-500"
--
L\'escargot.
|
>> PS. Review of 50 different polishes on the Autoexpress site. ... I thought that test was seriously flawed ...
I agree the test was flawed, like many of Auto Express's tests. An extra three or four quid on a bottle of wax (or anything else really) that might last a couple of years is trivial when protecting a car that may well be losing hundreds or thousands over the same time, yet they mark down products heavily for being 'too expensive'.
|
Don't use Mer it's too dusty and is very hard work to remove.
Have used MER for years now. Good results and I've found it easy to buff off after applying.
|
Poorboys products everytime!
They have a complete range of products that can be applied in hot or cold conditions, the wax is a true wax (Poorboys World Natty's Blue Paste Wax) and goes on clear and can be wiped off without any white residue.
These products are made in the US and are of very high quailty at a reasonable price.
By the way NOBODY use a chamois leather any more, microfibre clothes are the way to go these days.
www.poorboysworld.com/index.html
www.seriousperformance.co.uk/Products.html
|
I've heard good things about Poorboys. Also consider Klasse/Carlack and Zaino's products and Pinnacle products, especially Souveran wax. Some of the synthetic glazes/sealants are more durable than waxes. Could try Zymol (hellishly expensive but it goes a LONG way; Titanium lasts well in my experience) or Swissvax (ex-Swissol; still pretty pricey but with a good reputation). For VFM and performance, Poorboys and Zaino's seem to take some beating.
I've been unimpressed with Meguiar's Gold Class wax - doesn't last and creates a load of dust buffing off.
For more info (and insiration!) regarding polishing, waxing, etc, see www.detailingworld.co.uk/ . I am assembling my Porter cable 7424 polishing kit - but I'm not obsessive, you understand.
|
>> By the way NOBODY use a chamois leather any more microfibre clothes are the way to go these days.
Speak for yourself! You cannot, I say cannot, beat a good quality chamois leather. Microfibre cloths I use with limited success but best of all for cleaning my spectacles but no good for 'leathering off' a car after washing.
The name of the best leathers, sold in Halfords, eludes me at the moment but are the most expensive ones sold there (not their own brand, I hasten to add). The former, when 'run in' produce the best finish on paintwork and glass any time. As a substitute, Autoglym's 'Aquadry' synthetic leathers are fine for perhaps everyday use but don't have the absorbancy of the real thing.
I know that the minute I post this, the name of the good quality leathers will come back to me!
|
|
I've switched from chamois to synthetic. More durable, kind to the wax or other sealant, and less likely to retain grit that will impart fine scratches. IMO, of course.
|
|
I use a Hydra flex blade, and finish off with a chamois on the small bits that the blade misses - such as around the door handles and the curvy bits of the bumper. Cuts down the drying time lots.
|
bits that the blade misses - such as around the door handles and the curvy bits of the bumper. Cuts down the drying time lots.
Does this not create small scratches or swirls?? I quite like the idea of this product.
|
Does this not create small scratches or swirls??
Hasn't up until now & I've been using it for more than a year now on two different vehicles. The blade is made from a very soft silicone - a lot softer than that of a wiper blade. Before each sweep I run my fingers or the chamois along the blade to make sure the it is clean.
www.wipersupply.com/hydraflexiblade.htm
|
|
Cheers DD will give it a go!
|
Sony, I only used that link for info.
I paid less for mine than the R.R.P mentioned in the above link. Something like £6 from Finmere market, IIRC.
Pays to shop around.
|
|
Will probably buy the Turtle wax version. Seems to be the same stuff.
|
I know that the minute I post this the name of the good quality leathers will come back to me!
Russells? tinyurl.com/3dm48a
--
L\'escargot.
|
>> I know that the minute I post this the name of the good quality leatherswill come back to me!
Pittard's leathers, of course!! Sold in Halfords et.al.
|
By the way NOBODY use a chamois leather any more ........
Well, there's me and oldgit for a start! And if nobody uses one why are they so readily available? Shops don't usually stock things that they can't sell.
--
L\'escargot.
|
I've tried synthetic and didn't like it at all. My current squeeze is a good quality chamois bought from Halfords three or four years ago which works well. I think HJ recommended www.grovemillchamois.com in the Telegraph a good while ago. Might try them next time.
Clk Sec
|
|
Synthetic chamois? Tried and hated - nowhere near the same absorbency as a real chamois. I use it to apply the Autoglym to my tyres now!
|
"My current squeeze is a good quality chamois.."
Each to their own.. :-)
|
Rolls Royce recommend Swissvax products ~ see tinyurl.com/2aku2s
--
L\'escargot.
|
|
|
|
