Wax or polish? Reccomendations!!

[kie39 0]

Hi relatively new to the forum and was wondering when the weather gets better should i wax or polish my corrado?

 

When i bought it last summer it was looking amazing but now cant remember what the chap was using. Any input would be useful.

 

Cheers Kie

 

P.s. The car is Bourdeaux pearl i believe, duno if that'll make any difference.

[junkie 0]

You should.

 

Wash 2 bucket method.

Clay bar

wash again

polish

wax

 

in that order and that is the simple way, you can get way way more involved than that but you will find it looks good after that mate.

 

Also look in exterior as there is a sub forum called car care.

[Neil VR6 0]

Polish fills in the gaps (swirls, 'spider webs', shallow scratches etc) and wax adds a protective layer on top. You can get all in one wax/polish type products if you haven't got the time or inclination to do the full process. I like this stuff:

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/reviews/revi ... =52&id=246

 

Seems to last a good long while, isn't too expensive and is easy to apply and remove. They even sell it in Halfords

[MonkeyVR6 0]

Too keep it simple, get some Autogylm Super Resin Polish from somewhere like Halfords and then try a carnuba (sp?!) based wax after you've finished polishing the car. Clay barring doesn't need to be done that often, but makes a big difference if you've not done it in a while, or ever at all.

[corradog60stage4 0]

a polish is used to remove swirls while a wax is just a coating and does not remove swirls.

the process is to polish first and add a wax after.

[vwdeviant 0]

Polish fills in the gaps (swirls, 'spider webs', shallow scratches etc) and wax adds a protective layer on top. You can get all in one wax/polish type products if you haven't got the time or inclination to do the full process. I like this stuff:

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/reviews/revi ... =52&id=246

 

Seems to last a good long while, isn't too expensive and is easy to apply and remove. They even sell it in Halfords

 

Dear God Neil stop using that!

 

I actually bought some when I really needed to get the car clean for a show and didn't have my kit near me... Finish was so bad I clayed it all off the next weekend and re-did the whole car!

 

With DBP I'd go following:

 

1/ Wash (2 buckets and I recommend Meg Goldclass Shampoo, from H-Fauds not cheap but lasted over a year and I wash the car about every 2 weeks at least!)

2/ Dry (I use a chamois, cause I'm Old-school and look after it, but get a good drying towel)

3/ Clay (Megs kit from H-faud) This will remove all the "Gritty feeling" from the paint caused by treesap/pollution/brake-dust etc, and leaves it mirror smooth. Will also remove all the old waxes and polishes off the paint.

4/Wash (not really necessary if moving to next stage, but if going straight to stage 8 then wash it)

5/ Paint Cleanse (Again Megs, "Stage-1" from H-fauds) do it twice... cleans and helps feed paint adding shine.

6/ Polish (Autoglym Super Resin... from... H-Fauds!) again at least twice, adds depth to the shine, and fill minor scratches swirls

7/ Seal (Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection) Does what it says, provides a sealing coat to all your hard work, and a First level UV filter too

8/ Wax (Megs Gold class from h-Frauds, or my fav is Colinite from various places such as Elite). Couple layers minimum. Final layer of protection for all your hard work, will repel rain/dirt/bird-pap/insects etc...

 

Have a look about there are various guides and How-tos.

 

Just remember the finished product is directly related to the amount of effort you put in! The above seems like over-kill but the whole lot should only need doing 2-3 times a year. After that it's just washing and topping up the waxing...

[Neil VR6 0]

Thanks for the advice but I've been using it for years on three different cars and my appraisal was based on my experience over that time. I also use Swissol Onyx and the finish is similar with the cleaner wax and can be applied and removed in half the time and at a fraction of the cost. Most people don't have time to wash the car 4 times, paint clense, polish, wax glaze etc. The cleaner wax gives a great finish, takes about 45 minutes to do and last for a couple of months. Most of those reviews seem to agree too. Granted its effect is enhanced by having a clay bar'd surface to begin with but personally I've got way too much going on in my life to go through all that paint clensing, double washing rigmarole!

[andy 0]

Thanks for the advice but I've been using it for years on three different cars and my appraisal was based on my experience over that time. I also use Swissol Onyx and the finish is similar with the cleaner wax and can be applied and removed in half the time and at a fraction of the cost. Most people don't have time to wash the car 4 times, paint clense, polish, wax glaze etc. The cleaner wax gives a great finish, takes about 45 minutes to do and last for a couple of months. Most of those reviews seem to agree too. Granted its effect is enhanced by having a clay bar'd surface to begin with but personally I've got way too much going on in my life to go through all that paint clensing, double washing rigmarole!

Totally agree :salute:

[vwdeviant 0]

Thanks for the advice but I've been using it for years on three different cars and my appraisal was based on my experience over that time. I also use Swissol Onyx and the finish is similar with the cleaner wax and can be applied and removed in half the time and at a fraction of the cost. Most people don't have time to wash the car 4 times, paint clense, polish, wax glaze etc. The cleaner wax gives a great finish, takes about 45 minutes to do and last for a couple of months. Most of those reviews seem to agree too. Granted its effect is enhanced by having a clay bar'd surface to begin with but personally I've got way too much going on in my life to go through all that paint clensing, double washing rigmarole!

 

As you said Neil, it's personal experience, and mine was such that the Zymol's been relegated to a bag under the stairs.

 

Just remember the finished product is directly related to the amount of effort you put in! The above seems like over-kill but the whole lot should only need doing 2-3 times a year. After that it's just washing and topping up the waxing...

 

The usual weekly Wash/wax routine takes me about 1hr. I don't do all those steps every time, I also have a life! :lol:

 

But I do have to keep on top of it, as I live 1/4mile from an airport, and the Kerosene fall out from the planes is a right arse to get off paint if left too long! Epecially when mixed with general big-city pollution, it just turns into a sticky black mess...

 

However the weathers been so rubbish at weekends of late it's been a good 3 months since I got the last coat of Colinite on it and even after 500+miles on wet, salted motorways it's easy to clean, and still beads almost as well as when it was first done! I have heard reports of Colinite 915 lasting (Beading) upto 8 months on properly prepped paint!

 

Plus I have found the above means you see the pearl in my P-Grey paint a lot more... If it were a flat Colour (eg. Flash Red) then it probably wouldn't need so much work. But darker colours and metallics/pearls do respond better to multi-stage paint detailing.

 

This is how my Factory-16yr old Pearl Grey responded to the steps above, Before that the finish was nowhere near as "deep" and yes I know the car's got some "Battle scars":lol:

[Neil VR6 0]

Well given my car’s the same colour of yours I might try some of that Collinite 915 as my Swissol Onyx will run out shortly.

 

The problem I have with traditional hard waxes is they’re quite hard work and certainly in the case of Onyx, need a warm sunny day so the wax properly goes off on the paint. I tend to use soft waxes as they’re easier to polish off.

 

Have you tried any of the Dodo wax products? (I use their wash and it’s very good)

[iceviolet 0]

Well given my car’s the same colour of yours I might try some of that Collinite 915 as my Swissol Onyx will run out shortly.

 

The problem I have with traditional hard waxes is they’re quite hard work and certainly in the case of Onyx, need a warm sunny day so the wax properly goes off on the paint. I tend to use soft waxes as they’re easier to polish off.

 

Have you tried any of the Dodo wax products? (I use their wash and it’s very good)

 

I am considering getting some of that Dodo juice, the only thing im not sure on is which one to get that will suit my car?? i do not know a lot about waxes and there is hard ones,soft ones and then a variety of different types. My car is ice grey violet, does anyone know which would be the most appropriate?? cheers

[Neil VR6 0]

Have a look at their website:

 

http://www.dodojuice.com/dodo-juice-range.html

 

They do different waxes for different paint shades; light, warm, and dark :) The soft wax is probably easier to use but the hard wax is probably more long lasting.

 

I use the wash called 'Born to be Mild' and it rocks. You only need a dribble and you get loads of suds :clap:

[vwdeviant 0]

No I haven't used Dodo yet, was thinking of getting some but bought the Coli 915 as recommended to me By Alex At Elite as one of the best winter protection waxes. TBH I don't think I'll go elsewhere, the difference in the "wet-look" finish between that and the Megs Gold-glass I was using was pretty much instant!

 

Yes it's a hard wax, and so far I've only used it in temps under 10 degrees but goes on ok and if you leave it 1/2hr it's gone off, I try and help this by putting the car in the sun when drying it to warm the paint up a bit. When applying if you finish in straight lines over the panel, then take off "against the grain" it helps the removal.

 

From What I can tell about the Dodo stuff, you don't really need to be too hung up on what colour does what. But drop Alex a line at Elite and he'll advise you (He's a dubber too!)

 

Elite/colinite offer linky

[Andy665 0]

You can't beat Collinite for use on an everyday car through winter, for the better weather there are waxes that leave a better finish but with a trade off in terms of durability.

 

After much trial and error I've found that Zaino followed by Zymol Glasur gives me what I'm looking for

[g60greeny 0]

another vote for collinite,i used autoglym deep shine first

[Neil VR6 0]

Blimey, that's a great finish!

[vwdeviant 0]

Only other advice for kie39 (and others) is:

remember a small amount will go a long way

 

use proper applicator pads (not old t-shirts),

 

if you give them a quick sprtiz with some QD (Quick Detailer) it means the product won't 'Sink' into the pad meaning it goes even further

 

Leave the products to go-off properly before removing, avoids streaks and means they will bond properly. (Important for Sealers and wax)

 

If you're getting a lot of 'dust' when removing the product, you're applying it too thick (except the Zymol clean wax always produced a lot of dust, another reason I didn't like it!)

 

If it's warm do one panel at a time, not the whole car! Some products can be a pig to remove if left too long.

 

In winter try to "warm" the paint in the sun this will help application and drying times... In the summer try and shade the car as some product's don't work well on hot paint... if you can't avoid this go with the Poorboys range as they have been designed to be used in direct Califorian sunlight!