Polish which is the best

GHB · Post by **GHB** » Fri 18 Apr, 2008 18:42

Polish which is the best

Want to do it over the week end and will post photos

Whats the best thing to wipe on the paint work?

Thanks

AntMan · Post by **AntMan** » Fri 18 Apr, 2008 18:55

I tried a few and either Auto Glym or i prefer Mequires they do a good 3 stage Paint cleaner, Polish, then a Caranuba wax they are all very easy on and off and the finish is superb.....

Phil · Post by **Phil** » Fri 18 Apr, 2008 19:14

Zymol is the best but very expensive -- I use Maguires now. After my respray I may invest in Zymol again

Justin Time · Post by **Justin Time** » Fri 18 Apr, 2008 19:47

meguiars all the way for me, 3 step kit after claying.

Lazeodoom · Post by **Lazeodoom** » Fri 18 Apr, 2008 20:09

Meguires 3 stage kit.

Start by thoroughly washing the car, and dry it with a microfibre cloth. Let it dry in the sun (fat chance at the moment I know) to get every last speck of water off it.

Do the three stage kit which takes at least 3 hours, and the longer you spend on stage 1 the better the overall finish. I use a prewashed set of cloths, to make sure there is no fluff or anything to get into the polish. The results are amazing.

I might try claying beforehand this time around, but if I'm honest it'd be difficult to get a better shine than the one I did last time!

Just waiting for a brighter day with no rain for a few days afterward to really get it done.

Disco Steve · Post by **Disco Steve** » Fri 18 Apr, 2008 20:21

What sort of money are those 3 stage kits??

Lazeodoom · Post by **Lazeodoom** » Sat 19 Apr, 2008 19:36

Can't remember off the top of my head but I remember guying some microfibre cloths, a 2 litre bottle of Meguires shampoo and the three stage kit for about £40. I think the 3 stage stuff would be about £25-£30 from Halfords. For £30 its well worth the money, and from one set of 3 bottles I've barely used a quarter to complete two full polishes.

321bhp · Post by **321bhp** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 01:48

you may think im slightly mad here,but think of this

on a normal car with just a solid base coat,say red,you are polishing the paint,on a car with metallic paint,arnt we just polishing the lacquer ,so shouldnt us with metallic paint,just get a lacquer polish

ps,its late and ive had a few wines

mich · Post by **mich** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 01:58

I agree with 321 bhp, all I use is Meguires Gold Class Liquid Wax @ NZ 25.00 and will do at least 6 polishes,

srvz3 · Post by **srvz3** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 10:03

Justin Time wrote:meguiars all the way for me, 3 step kit after claying.

this is spot on advice. clay bar the car first to remove the oxidization that will inevitably have built up then use the Megs 3 stage clean, polish and wax applications and it will look as though you can dive into the paint. plus nothing and i mean nothing will stick to the paint. just try placing any of the cleaning product bottles on the bonnet when you have done this and just watch it slowly slide off.
the megs wax has carnuba wax in it which is the same as Zymol and is nowhere near its price. the megs products are around £8 each, but be sure to wash the car with the two bucket method and use a lambswool wash mit and i also prefer to use the megs nxt shampoo or gold class if you feel a little flush.

if you require any more info on detailing the car to a very high standard have a look on here.

www.detailingworld.co.uk

HTH

mich · Post by **mich** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 10:15

Srvz3 How does oxidation build up on a clear lacquer??

icarus · Post by **icarus** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 10:16

I like Turtle Wax Platinum Series Car Wax and the Extra Goss.

I put it on with a 240volt mop and take it off with about 7 Tesco microfibres which I wash and reuse.

These arn't the only Platium Series products I use, being rather shallow like the colour of the bottles

Justin Time · Post by **Justin Time** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 10:43

mich wrote:Srvz3 How does oxidation build up on a clear lacquer??

Not sure on oxidation, but dust/grime/asphalt particles embed themselves on the surface of the lacquer. The only safe method of removal is claying.

mich · Post by **mich** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 11:04

Sure, but this will happen what ever you use, You spend heaps getting a near perfect finish, then after say 4-5 days motoring you have all the gunk etc back on the top, a good tough wax will help protect, but nothing will prevent it.

Richi · Post by **Richi** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 12:07

Well GHB...........

I find that whilst the Polish from Warsaw do a very good job.....the Polish from Krakow are generally shorter and therefore much easier to force into those difficult places - like round the wheel arches and those tight spots in your alloys.

They are also a jolly sight cheaper than a bottle of turtle wax too!

Rich.

srvz3 · Post by **srvz3** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 14:18

mich wrote:Srvz3 How does oxidation build up on a clear lacquer??

Gday my antipodean chum.
maybe oxidization is the wrong term but no end of sh1te will glue itself to the lacquer, my Z3 is arctic silver, therefore lacquered, and it was much improved by the use of a clay bar.
here's the science part:
erchem,,, "above surface contaminants such as industrial fallout, tree sap and bird lime, can be detected by running your finger tips over the paints finish after washing or drying. any grittiness felt can be removed using meguiars detailing clay"
also if the 3 stage stuff is applied after claying the effect on the car will last for some time, say 6 months, before it is necessary to repeat. i did mine last summer it still looks good. again try the detailing world site i have added above or go to
www.meguiars.co.uk for info

BonBon · Post by **BonBon** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 22:07

I like ps21. The best carnauba and best showroom shine.
Zymol is the best synthetic - and probably lasts longer.

mich · Post by **mich** » Sun 20 Apr, 2008 22:19

Gday srvz3,
My problem with clay is this: it claims to:
“Clay Kit. Our non-abrasive clay bar safely, easily, and instantly removes paint over spray, fallout, environmental contaminants and more, making waxing easier and more durable.”
now if it is non-abrasive what method does it use?? Is it chemical?? I doubt that it is as they recommend a lubricant. So if it is even, ever so slightly abrasive then you are removing some of the protecting lacquer.
So does it just rub stuff off???

srvz3 · Post by **srvz3** » Mon 21 Apr, 2008 06:59

g'day mich.
a fair point well made.
my understanding is that claybar is abrasive, and this opinion comes from the fact that you can purchase different grades of the stuff, so yes it does remove a very small amount of paint - lacquer, but then again doesnt polish actally flatten out paint by removing a slight amount of it, i'm thinking of the orange peel effect here.

mich · Post by **mich** » Mon 21 Apr, 2008 23:03

Gday srvz3,
A cutting compound certainly removes some paint, it does this to get rid of imperfections and give a smooth even finish, some polishes may also do this.
But a liquid wax is simply a coat laid on top of the paint for protection and of course to give a nice shine so any imperfections remain.
I know some of you are very keen on having a perfect finish, whereas I just want the Z to look clean and cared for, so to speak.

I still think Meguires claim that it is non abrasive is wrong

Lazeodoom · Post by **Lazeodoom** » Tue 10 Jun, 2008 14:54

It may be heresy to totally dismiss Auto Glym, but here I go...

I lent my Meguiars 3 stage kit to a mate who is selling his MG something or other and wanted to get a cracking polish job done on it. Having seen my Zed he asked what I used, so I lent it to him.

As he lives 30 miles away and I won't see him for a few days yet I didn't bother popping round to get the polish back when I wanted to do a job on my Zed today. So, I went to the car cupboard and found some Auto Glym Polish instead. Got the cloths and set to work.

The conclusion is that the Auto Glym is nothing on the Meguiars kit: It didn't exactly leave swirls, but it also didn't leave a deep shine that I'm used to with the other kit. I felt disappointed after I stepped back and looked at the finish. It was neither outstanding or poor, just middling. Anyone else had a similar experience with Auto Glym, or am I doing it wrong?

Justin Time · Post by **Justin Time** » Tue 10 Jun, 2008 20:26

I'd like to add something I found out the weekend just gone. Clayed, cleaned and polished the Z, but deviated slightly, and tried (with a windolene spray bottle for application) Autoglym's Extra Gloss Protection before waxing. It is a very thin liquid, with consistency of water, and applied in thin coats.

I've used it on my alloys since I installed them, the results have shown that it takes a bit more heavy duty cleaning agent/degreaser than the standard car wash detergent to remove. So having cleaned the paintwork, and polished it, this is all preserved beneath the autoglym sealant. This sealant is quite happily waxed with step 3 wax by meguiars, until such time that you want to re polish etc etc. This improves your chances of keeping the crud away from the topcoat and delaying the next cleaning/polishing application. Just ordered "Chemical Guys Orange Degreaser" to use when I need to clean the sealant off.

It's definately a better look than just normal waxing results, however, the coats added have to be the absolute minimum, or it will create an uneven coat.

PS: lazeo, was it the Super Resin Polish you used? What did you follow it up with?

Lazeodoom · Post by **Lazeodoom** » Wed 11 Jun, 2008 09:27

Yep, it was the super resin goo. I appreciate I didn't follow it up with anything, but it just didn't come out right. To be honest when I first got my Zed I used Turtle Wax and it looked very good, without any follow up. Athough its not as good as Meguiars and as I found later, it cuts. I just expected more from such a polish like Auto Glym. To be more satisfied by Turtle Wax than Auto Glym is disappointing!

I'll get the 3 stage kit back later this week and apply it in a marathon session early next week.

Justin Time · Post by **Justin Time** » Wed 11 Jun, 2008 16:10

To be honest though, meg's step 2 polisher doesn't make the paint come up well on it's own, you need a wax or a sealant to give it the best look. Plus, Autoglym's range apparently doesn't like being mixed with other brands such as meg's.

Would love to try Autoglym's HD wax, but considering that it costs £40 a tub, and I have 2 more bottles of step 3 meg's wax to use up, I don't really see the need to just yet. Heard very good things about it though.