Detailing Tips & Tricks....

[xtrmty]

I have a VT S that is getting cut and polished in a week and I want to give it a couple of coats of wax when i get it bak. Is this a good idea and if so whats the best brand (price is no problem). Also what should i do about regular maintenance should i wax it once a week? or polish? or what?

P.S. i want it to be in show car condition, its currently getting every panel thats not perfect resprayed (except one rear quarter panel, wasn't worth it).

Hope lish or anyone else can help, thanks..

 

[Scooter79]

I have a VT S that is getting cut and polished in a week and I want to give it a couple of coats of wax when i get it bak. Is this a good idea and if so whats the best brand (price is no problem). Also what should i do about regular maintenance should i wax it once a week? or polish? or what?

P.S. i want it to be in show car condition, its currently getting every panel thats not perfect resprayed (except one rear quarter panel, wasn't worth it).

Hope lish or anyone else can help, thanks..

To start with, if your car is a daily driver you can forget about it staying in a 'show car' condition unless you complete every step every weekend without fail. I don't know too many people that have that much time available to them.

As far as best brand of wax, there is no such thing. It's all about personal preference. What works for one car won't do squat on another. What one person likes the other person hates. There's too many factors and variables in your question. Also a quality 'waxed' finish is only ever as good as the amount of prep time you put in. I get annoyed when people complain about a wax not looking good when they apply it straight over their swirly paint that has only had a wash. To get the best out of any wax you need to wash, clay, use a 'cleaner' polish or compound to remove swirls, etc.

Ok, in your situation I wouldn't be applying any wax for at least 4 to six weeks after the respray. An aftermarket paint job needs time to cure. Waxing will prevent the paint from breathing and properly cure.

Now some suggestions on what wax to use. It really depends on what colour your paint is. Is it metallic? From the avatar it looks blue. Some waxes work well to enhance clarity, some enhance the depth and create are darker looking finish. If you want something you can buy off the shelf try Meguiars Gold Class. Looks fantastic but the durability is crap. Lasts about one wash. Meguiars 'Hi Tech' yellow wax which is a paste is supposed to be very good for looks and durabilty. Can't say I've heard anything bad about it. For the harder to get 'boutique' stuff you should try Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax. Awesome on darker colours like reds, blacks and blues. Also heard great things about Poorboy's Nattys Paste Wax BLUE and P21S Concourse Carnauba Wax. As a general rule only, Usually the Carnauba waxes look great but are not quite as durable or long laster. Polymer or synthetic waxes are much more durable but sometimes lack the depth a carnauba wax can provide. Then you get some waxes that are a mix of the two.

Finally for regular maintenance I recommend a spray on wax to use after washing and in between proper waxing. Something like Meguiars Quik Wax is good to use as a 'booster' to provide additional protection. But you've also got Pinnacle souveran spray wax at $30 a bottle or Duragloss Aquawax at about $18 for an even larger bottle. I know a few people that use the Duragloss and swear it provides the best durability and look of all spray waxes.

I suggest you check out waxit.com.au for the more boutique stuff but it worth it. You really should post some photos to show what sort of paint we're dealing with.

 

[xtrmty]

Thanks heaps scooter79 your reply was really really helpful. Ill to keep the car as best i can, i understand i wont be able to keep it perfect. The car is metallic bermuda blue i might see if i can get my hands on some carnauba wax to do the car. Then i will hit it regularly with a spray wax. I have a few more questions though, how will i know when it needs another 'proper' wax?
is their any point in applying more than one layer of wax?
i have also been told that the high pressure cheap soap at the car wash will kill any wax or polish u put on your car is this true and if so what is the best way to wash the car to maintain the wax?

 

[Superior_Shine]

Scooter is definetly on the right track,

"how will i know when it needs another 'proper' wax?"
You will notice the water will no longer bead on the paint when the wax starts to wear off, your carnauba waxes will last about 2-3months while paint sealants will last about 4-6 months. If your only applying carnuaba wax then you can just reapply every so often. If your using a paint sealant apply this first then after its cured apply your carnuaba wax, then you will get the longer lasting protection of the paint sealant but the gloss of the carnauba. Then once every 4-6 months strip it all off and start again.

"is their any point in applying more than one layer of wax?"
Most will tell you that layering a carnauba wax will give you more of a warm/glossy finish. This is totally up to you, there is no right or wrong.

"i have also been told that the high pressure cheap soap at the car wash will kill any wax or polish u put on your car is this true and if so what is the best way to wash the car to maintain the wax?"
All car wash bays use recycled water, i dont know how good there recycling system is but do you really want to be washing your car with water/degreaser/grime etc.. that has been washed into there system?
Use a known car wash solution that wont strip the wax and wash the car at home, even if it takes longer with the water restrictions it will be well worth it in the end.

PS. i just want to point one thing out not for you but for other people, you said "the soap at the car wash will kill and wax or polish", a polish is not something that will protect your paint, its only use is to bring back the shine and remove any swirling etc.. I have so many people say to me "how often should i polish my car to protect the paint" or "i polish it every 3 months" and when i get to the job the paint is stuffed caused there was no protection and they thought a polish was protecting their paintwork. Alot of people dont know the difference between a wax and a polish.
I drive past car wash cafe's every day that say "Wash & Polish" and i wonder if they just polishing the car but not waxing it, or if they are misinforming people and only waxing it?

As scooter said be sure to check out Welcome to Waxit.com.au - Australia's home of Premium Car Care Products, brands = Pinnacle, Swissol, Zaino, Wolfgang, Poorboys, Klasse

Cheers

 

[Scooter79]

Thanks heaps scooter79 your reply was really really helpful. Ill to keep the car as best i can, i understand i wont be able to keep it perfect. The car is metallic bermuda blue i might see if i can get my hands on some carnauba wax to do the car. Then i will hit it regularly with a spray wax. I have a few more questions though, how will i know when it needs another 'proper' wax?
is their any point in applying more than one layer of wax?
i have also been told that the high pressure cheap soap at the car wash will kill any wax or polish u put on your car is this true and if so what is the best way to wash the car to maintain the wax?

Sorry for the delayed reply. There's a couple of easy ways to tell if your car needs a 'proper' wax. One, is that straight after washing the water should bead in evenly formed tiny droplets. The other way is when the car is just washed and dryed, run your finger back and forth over the paint. If it squeaks then it could do with another wax.

As far as applying the wax it's always better to apply sparingly. Two very light coats are always better than one thick one. Applying one thick coat will mean it will take much longer to cure, harder to buff off and be wasteful. Two light coats will also be more uniform in coverage.

It's true that car wash soap isn't good for your wax. Those car washes use super concentrated detergents that are strong enough to remove road grime from trucks. Now with water restrictions you don't have much of a choice. What I did was take it down to the car wash and hose off the grime with the pressure washer. Take it home and wash with a bucket and watering can on the grass. Water restrictions for car washing is a joke. In NSW you can pour buckets of water over your car but not use a trigger nozzle which actually uses half the water of the bucket method. Doesn't make sense. We bought a house 3 months ago with a massive water tank out the back so I can go nuts with the water. With all the rain we've have over summer the tank is always overflowing. Anyway one other option is to take your car to the car wash after hours when no one is around and use your own bucket, wash and sponge. If your looking for a good quality wash try either Meguiars NXT tech wash or Meguiars Soft wash. Both are excellent and won't strip the wax. Never use those traditional style sponges on your paint because they cause swirls and scratches. I prefer a plush mit or those Kenco style 'noodle' sponges. Best of luck.

 

[Scooter79]

Here's one I did on Tuesday. I know it's only a Hyundai but still gives you a good idea as to what can be achieved....

The car was recently purchased by the daughter of a mate from work, and was a paying job. Not sure what year but looked like it had never seen a wax in it's entire life. The clear coat was as crusty as hell. Felt like sandpaper. Do clear coats oxidise or is that only single stage paints?

The process was:

1. Wiped over with detailing spray as they washed it the day before. For spray I'm using Meguiars 'Waterless' detailing spray which as some of you know is actually rebottled Meguiars 'Last Touch' from their detailer range. Very high level of lubricity. Fantastic stuff and works out very economical when you buy it in the 2L bottle.

2. Clayed with 3M 'Perfect it' and the Megs spray.

3. Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze and a white LC polishing pad on a GMC orbital sander. I've used the Speed Glaze on a few different paint finishes and has never failed to impress. Some spots I used an orange pad but kept going back to the white one for most of it.

4. Finished with Meguiars polymer sealant. Unfortunately it's all I had in the way of wax/sealant. Still very good stuff but ideally I would have liked to try a few different products if I had the cash and time.

Before of the boot. You can actually see how crusty it looks

During shot of the roof. Starting to make a difference

Finally a few after shots

The customer was extremely impressed and her dads reaction was "There's no way I could have done that"

Hopefully they'll spread the word and I'll pick up a few more customers during my weekends and holidays

Another thing I noticed is that Hyundai paint is a bit harder than Holden paint making it slightly more difficult to remove the finer scratches without having to use a stronger product. But at the same time it makes it a little more difficult to cause swirls when washing. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[GAMBLR]

hey guys excellent thread.
not sure if ya can help, but i have tons on fine surface marks in my rims, they only show up in strong light, but it was prob from when my bro 'tried' polishing them for me with toothpaste and a tooth brush...(long story)
i've tried the Autosol metal polish, the Briteshine wadding in the tin and the car polish i've got (not sure what brand it is). all to no avail. being chrome rims, they look pretty shocking when ya see them... is there any product you could reccommend for me?
Also, what's the difference between a polish and a wax? didn't think there was one, i always polish mine (about once a month) but will a wax help?
Cheers in advance

CC

 

[Scooter79]

hey guys excellent thread.
not sure if ya can help, but i have tons on fine surface marks in my rims, they only show up in strong light, but it was prob from when my bro 'tried' polishing them for me with toothpaste and a tooth brush...(long story)
i've tried the Autosol metal polish, the Briteshine wadding in the tin and the car polish i've got (not sure what brand it is). all to no avail. being chrome rims, they look pretty shocking when ya see them... is there any product you could reccommend for me?
Also, what's the difference between a polish and a wax? didn't think there was one, i always polish mine (about once a month) but will a wax help?
Cheers in advance

CC

Firstly on the subject of polish vs wax. Generally speaking, a polish is designed to provide shine to a dull finish. A wax is designed to provide protection to a paint finish from things like bird droppings or tree sap. A polish provide no protection and if you only polish then the next time your car gets washed or driven in the rain then all your hard work will have gone to waste. You need to wax or use a sealant to lock in that shine and provide some protection.

Most over the counter polishes are simply designed to provide a shine but to get the best possible result you need to prep the paint first and remove any imperfections such as water spots, tree sap, and scratches and swirls. If you simply polish over the top of these all your doing is making these swirls more noticable. Most polishes in stores contain no abrassive so they won't 'remove' any swirls. However, some claim to remove them but all they do is fill them in becuse the products contain lots of fillers. The finish will look good at first but after one or two washes those same swirls will appear again. There's a few other type of polishes. You've got your cleaner polishes which contain small abrassives which break down as it's worked into the paint. These can remove light to megium swirls, water spots and dead oxidised paint. Then you've got your compounds or cutting compounds. he contain harsher abrassives. Used mostly by pros and smash repair shops to remove wet sanding marks and deeper scratches and not for use by amatuers.

With waxes you've got three types. 1) Carnauba wax which is extracted from the Brazilian carnauba tree. Pure carnauba is hard as a rock so it's mixed with other ingredients. 2) Sealants which are man made substances and 3) a mix of the two. Some say a Carnauba wax looks better but doesn't last as long as a sealant. Thats part of the reason some companies started using a mix of the two. What you use is trial and error and depends on the conditions and types of paint.

On the subject of your wheels. Most alloy wheels nowadays have a clear coat over the top just like modern car paint finishes. Toothpaste and autosol is pretty abrassive and it sounds like the clear coat has been scratched. In the old days of billet wheels toothpaste worked great not on modern alloys. The best thing for you to do would be to get some Meguiars 'Scratch X'. It's only a very mild product so it may take 4 or 5 goes to get the results but should come up looking great.

 

[GAMBLR]

ok thanks for that scooter79, will hafta look into it next time i'm in autopro. i've got a few days left of holidays so it mite get done after the regency inspection...
Cheers mate

CC

 

[onlycommodore]

hey there ... im new here .. and i live in saudi arabia .. i guess most of u here are from australia .. ne wayz ... i have a question bout detailin ... i have just purchased a new commodore V6 ... its red .. the color is awesome .. but its just 5 months old .. the guy who cleans my car used some crappy cloth and now it has millions of marks on the paint ... ive polished it 3 or 4 times ... but they dont go away ... plz help me . .!!!! ....