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Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts)
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You won't be able to get a good job yourself without a random orbital buffer. Trying this by hand will not produce satisfactory results.
Bretfraz gave good advice, but I took a slightly less intrusive approach. I used Meguiar's chemical scrub then then a swirl remover. The scrub wil not work on any surface with cracks. That will take off the paint. I felt that this approach would take off less of the clear coat.
I really like his idea of using a professional to remove the initial oxydation if you can.
The main thing that I wanted to add was that at this point you have a delicate clear coat surface. Once the initial surface is restored use less abrasive cleaners. On my formerly damaged surface I never use a cleaner wax. It brought up pigment with every wax job.
I don't use anything stronger than glaze. I use that twice a year. 3M's Perfect-IT Glaze for Dark cars is a bit more expensive, but it's the best for reds. 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze are also very good. I also don't apply a glaze on this car without using a clay bar first. This removes the pollutants that can scratch the surface more. Some color will always come up when you glaze.
That's why regular applications of wax become crucial. Use a pure waxing product. Meguiar's #26 Hard Yellow Wax with Carnauba is very good. I apply a liquid coat, then wait a couple of weeks for it to cure then put on a paste coat. This combination on 2 of my cars has lasted over 6 months in the summer.
But on my damaged surface I have found 3M Perfect-It Show Car Wax not only provides the great looks, but seems to keep oxidation out better. I just started using it on this car so I'll know for sure next spring. It advertizes 6 months durability. The way dirt and water fly off, I believe it. I just put on my second coat, and the depth of the shine is as good as anything you'll see at a car show. If ordered directly from 3M it is a little bit softer and easier to apply by machine. Even with the machine, I just do a section, like the side, the hood, roof or trunk. If this stuff sets for a long time it is real work to rub off, otherwise it is easy for a paste.
I also understand that collonite #426 is very durable as well.
And NEVER use anything other than 100% cotton, or the new Microfiber cloths designed to remove waxes or glazes from car finishes. If it's like mine the clear coat is more sensitive.
2) Is there a difference between glazes and polishes?
A glaze is a fine polish that remove or fills in spider webbing and buffing marks. Most glazes include emollient oils to feed the paint and bring out the gloss. A glaze is the last step before applying wax. Glazes have no protective qualities and they can wear off within days or hours if not covered by wax.
So glaze is a subset of "polishes". Polishes run the entire gamut of products from mild to wild.
Polishes? Modern marketing has confused it almost completely. That's why I look for glazes.
Protege_fan
Are there any opinions on Nu-finish? Is it suitable for winter use?
Thanks.
Pro_fan
Now use the product that cannot be mentioned on this board plus # 26 and Collintie for side panels. Nu Finish is fine if you want durability only !
I use nu-finish on part of my car that is NOT clear coated ( inside the engine bay ) , and a substantial amount of color was on my rag after i was done.
I also did part of a friend's car that was HEAVILY oxidized and had no clearcoat(left?) the nu-finish made it look really amazing--glassy and smooth--but again, a lot of paint came up on the cloth. Aside from that, it was like the amazing TV ad. Wax alone didn't come close. If i had done his whole car, it would have superficially looked new.
I am leery to use it on my new(ish) car with clearcoat though, i worry about it eating away the clearcoat over multiple treatments.
If i had an old car, heavily oxidized, not shiny at all, i'd try it though, to restore the paint.
dave
Also, if I can't use the #26 on plastic parts, what do I use on the plastic bumper painted the same color as the car?
The "Mirror Glaze" line is targeted towards professional detailers and serious enthusiasts. The products are more specialized and results-specific. Mirror Glaze users are more concerned with effectiveness and results than price. Distribution is limited and focused on the trade. The best places to find a wide selection of Mirror Glaze products are at body shop supply stores.
Finally, you can wax "plastic" but use good judgement. For example, if your car has bumper covers painted jsut like the body (same color, same gloss, looks just like the body but made of plastic) I see no reason they can't be waxed. It is plastic parts that have no gloss and have a texture that you can see and feel that cannot be waxed. Stuff like body cladding on a SUV cannot be waxed. Best thing to do is use tire dressing on cladding.
bretfraz/mrdetailer: I did finally buy some Perfect-It instead of the Collinite (the insulator stuff-= 485, I believe) because it was available locally. I'm planning to use it on my red Toyota as mrdetailer suggested for red. I'm anxious to comare durability compared to the #26.
Really should have used a swirl remover before the #7 though. But hey-its only a truck!!
We started with the dawn/clay/dawn routine. Next came Meguiars clear coat body scrub, which actually was quite amazing. Next, we applied Meguiars step 2 polish with a combination of very careful hand polishing and a random orbital buffer. Next came the step 3 carnuba wax. This was all with the cheap "consumer oriented" stuff from Checker. Finally, last night we decided to put on another wax layer, using the Meguiars #26. It was a great final step. I swear it looks new.
Two of the guys in neighborhood were so impressed with the change they were seeing in this '91 "clunker" that they offered to clean windows and detail the interior. Then they took the two "chicks" working on it to check out new hubcaps. Who knew that waxing a car had such wonderful side benefits? Next week we tackle one of the guy's '96 oxidized silver job. The new neighborhood entertainment!
Did you use the paste? You'll find that as you use the #26 you learn to let it dry just the right amount of time before wiping it off. Under most conditions its under 5 minutes. If you let it on even a couple of minutes too long you tripple your work.
Meguiar's is the only car care line where I have a fair degree of experience not only with the consumer line, but the Gold Class, and the Professional line. Here is my opinion based on my 5 years of experience.
1. The clear coat body scrub is excellent for neglected surfaces. I used it twice, then use the glazes and waxes after that.
2. The consumer Deep Crystal produces a nice shine, but to me puts on thiner coats than the other lines.
3. I like the gloss on Gold Class, but not the durability.
4. I now only use the professional line, not for looks, but because of durability. My car that was waxed 5 months ago with #26 is still beading well. If I used Deep Crystal they lasted about 3 months before loosing beading.
Rewaxing in about 2 weeks with #26 after allowing the recent finish to cure and fully harden greatly increased durability.
If you've been bit bad like me you have to watch the car care budget.
urchin34: I used the #26 over the Meguiar's cleaner/wax (not the #6 but the Walmart level stuff) it worked fine and gave a deeper shine.
Orbital buffers are safe to use as long as common sense is applied.
I'm sure that temparature, and humidity would affect it too. With our 25% humidity (no significant rain for 6 months) it dries pretty quickly. My biggest problem was getting it off after it dried hard. It took a lot of elbow grease.
I did a second coat on my Dad's dark green Taurus this weekend. The car looked really good before, but great afterward. And there are absolutely no swirl marks.
Hand coats can be nice, but for real beauty nothing beats a good buffer. It also applied very quickly.
I use the mid grade Sears that I got on sale for about $70.00.
This was mentioned in post #826 by Bret.
I'm new on this board. I had a problem and a friend suggested me to submit it to this knowledgeable discussion board.
Last Friday I took my 3 month old yellow Mazda Protege5 for a 140 miles trip to Lufkin, a town located in the North side of Houston, TX. At one point I followed a small truck, and I notice something hitting the windshield, probably falling from the truck, but nothing was broken and everything seems to perform normal. I did my 102 miles camping/biking trip Friday and the whole Saturday in Lufkin area and get back to Houston late that night. Sunday I took my car for a wash, and then I noticed there is black paint spray all over the hood and and the right back door of the yellow Protege5! One have to get close enough to see them, but still I'm really mad! I tried to remove few large spots with my finger nails with care, and they seems to come out. The yellow paint is very fragile (I got 2 scratches on the hood from small flying stones), and there is a rumor that Mazda had problems to make the yellow paint sticking strong enough to the body, and hence the yellow Mazda cars are only available in limited quantity. So my question: is there any way to remove the black paint spots while minimizing the dammage to the original paint? Thank you very much for your help.
Bruno
Cheers,
Bruno
Clay bars can actually be purchased in different grades from auto paint supply stores. The type I am speaking of here is the mildest one -- the overspray remover. These were originally designed to remove the paint airbrush slopover when a car was repainted. However detailers have used them for years to create a mirror surface before a car show. It has been found to be the only efficient way to remove pollutants from a paint finish such as sap, bird droppings, rail dust, sand and salt that have embedded into the paint finish. They have only recently become popular for consumers.
I have used these clay bars.
Meguiars Body Shop Professional Overspray Clay. This is a white natural clay. It stretches fairly easily once warmed in the hands, shows the accumulated dirt well, and is easy to fold in and expose a clean surface.
Meguiars Clay Bar with a Quick Detailer Kit (Autozone $9.99) Frankly it looked and performed similar to the professional overspray clay. There was no appreciable price difference. The only real disadvantage was that it was impossible to see if used on a white car. This is the least expensive all-in one deal.
I purchased Mothers California Gold Paint Saving System ($19.95). It had not only the clay, but Mother's Showtime Instant Detailer, and a small bottle of Mother's Cleaner Wax. Luckly it was a bright yellow color. This is clearly an artificial clay. It has a definite plastic texture. This is harder to warm up. Sometimes it will strink after stretching, so make it a little larger than you want and you'll be happy. It is not quite as easy to fold into a clean surface as the natural clay.
Erazer Surface Cleaning Material. This had a good cost advantage. From www.autofanatics.com for 17.95 you can purchase a kit that has 2 bars instead of the 1 bar Mother's came with, along with 16 oz of the Lubricating Agent and Gloss Enhancement Spray and 4 ounces of Acrylic Paint Protector. Its look and performance were identical to the Mother's Clay. The kit form makes it very economical.
In order for the clay to work correctly it has to have a lubricating agent. Some use Soap and water, but I use Quick Detailers for consistency and ease of use. Here are the ones I used when claying.
Meguiar's Quick Detailer, and Meguiar's #40 Final Inspection. The Quick detailer has a wide spray on the bottle. This was the best for applying before rubbing the surface with clay. Quick Detailer does contain a little carnauba wax, Final Finish does not. These two are characterized by their "high lubricity" to use Meguiar's words. They appear to be more slippery and consume less product. However, they are also a little bit harder to get a dry surface when wiping. Both have a nice, clean smell. Shine is excellent. Meguiars does not use silicone.
Mother's Showtime Instant Detailer. This had a standard spray bottle, and was not as slippery as Meguiars. This honestly was not a problem until running into trouble areas. Then it consumed a lot of liquid to get the surface clean. Mother's wouldn't disclose whether they used silicone or not. Application of waxes after using it has not been a problem.
Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover, and Emerald Series Permium Detailer. The first product removed bug stuff pretty well, Tar, not so good. both work fine as a lubricating agent.
Erazer Lubricating Agent and Gloss Enhancer spray. This is the one that stands out of the crowd for me. On a dirty surface this cleans very quickly, dries easily and leaves and excellent shine. Slightly better than the others. The lubricating agent contains more alcohol so it dries quicker. Just work a smaller area at a time. This is very easy to dry the surface with this agent after using the clay.
Bottom line. Generally all of these products worked well. Rough surfaces, sometimes after years of neglect, would again become showroom slick and mirror smooth. The differences between the products is not significant enough to worry about, it's rather a matter of preference and cost.
So far I have purchased Meguiar's #26 liquid, cotton terrycloth pads (applicators) and 100% cotton terrycloth towels for buffing/removing wax.
Washing the car thoroughly at the coin-op (which i have been doing every week anyway, so it's pretty clean already), drive it home, dry off whatever is left, and then hit it with the liquid #26.
Thoughts on this?
BTW, if anyone has ideas on additional steps, keep in mind that the selection of QUALITY waxes/polishes/glazes at the local Autozone is limited to mostly Meguiar's stuff.
Oh, and protection is definitely more important than shine.
Thanks in advance for the advice.
I have car where I did this treatment almost 7 months ago. It rained hard yesterday. It still beads as well as the car waxed just 2 weeks ago. If I just did the liquid it generally lasted about 3 months.
Again, i believe you, i'm just the curious type.
Here's what I do:
1. Wash car with normal soap, mitt and bucket at the local DIY coin-op spray joint. Just like I'd do in my driveway if I had one.
2. Dry there. Only prob I have with driving and drying is that you pick up any loose crud on the road before you get home. Instead buy one of those Calif Water Blades and/or an Absorber. Bring some cotton terry towels with you. Then dry as normal. The blade lets you squeegee off water and the Absorber.....absorbs. Finish drying door jambs, around trunk and hood, and the wheels with the cotton towels.
3. Go home and wax there. #26 is good stuff but it doesn't have any polish in it. If you don't wanna do the "two step" then I suggest Meguiars Medallion. Prolly the most durable product they make. Has a light chemical cleaner in it. A great "one step" product. Remember to wax your car in the shade with the paint cool.
Final comment - A glaze on a black car is the best way to bring out the gloss. No other color responds to glaze like black. I've owned several black cars and they've always looked their best when I've done the glaze/wax combo.
Anyway, are there any steps I am missing, or ones I should discontinue?
Anyway, my technique at the coin-op is the same as my driveway. I bring a bunch of quarters and keep feeding them in. But I use car wash soap and a couple mitts and wheel cleaner& brushes. I never ever use their spray wax or that foaming brush. Nasty things, those. The goal is to gently wash the car. Just use the rinse mode.
The high pressure is nice to blast the wheels clean and rinse of the engine. But I keep the wand 18" or so away from the paint. High pressure can easily damage your paint so go easy.
The only allowance I make when bucket washing is I go to the coin-op when it's not too busy. I hate rushing thru my wash.
On glaze, your car is definitely ready for it. It may look good now but glaze will make it pop. Glaze is a very fine polish that includes emollient oils to feed the paint and light fillers to hide swirl marks. Follow it up with a coat of #26 and you'll be amazed. I'm sure Auto Zone has Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze. That's good stuff. 3M's Imperial Hand Glaze is also a winner.
On your new car #5, #7 Showcar Glaze would be best for the first year or two.
Thanks again.
...all they were offering were their opinions and no one ever supported any of their claims with facts. All they do is throw opinion after opinion, and when they're pressed for proof, you get name-calling and more opinion.
None of them have attempted any emperical testing
I'm curious if you could post your methodology. Have a great day!
Some clearly follow an I have facts, you have opinions philosophy.
Beading is something that I watch very closely. Any significant reduction and I rewax. In my view it's fairly obvious. Look at the car finish after a rain like I did yesterday. If I need a rewaxing that there is a visible difference in drop size. Ironically poorly waxed cars have smaller drops, and dry quicker.
Do I put a uniform drop on each car weekly and measure the height and width of each drop to the utmost micrometer? Of course not. But my cars are outside in all weather so I watch it closely.
I also notice the same phenomenon when I wash the car and then drive it. At about 55 MPH if the water beads, groups together and then flies off it's a good finish. If it drips off in sheets I rewax. I also rely on touch, shine and whether I need to get it ready for the long cold winter.
I do try to wash weekly, by hand when possible, dust when needed, use a detailer to catch bird droppings, and water spots in between, and park in the shade whenever possible. The car that has held up so long is white.
I do know that in prior years when I used a cleaner wax instead of a glaze then wax that this prime quality only lasted about three months. I've been a little frustrated with the longer time, but the wife likes it better. More time for the Honey do list.
dave
I tried Klasse for the 2nd time last week. I was preparing "MY" 2000 Mazda Protege ES, for our 2nd Annual Edmunds Mazda Mid-Atlantic Protege Picnic. I really wanted my Protege to pop, so I went for my own version of a 4 step concour "Wet Look Shine", lol! The whole deal took me about 7 hours. However, this included a hand wash in my driveway, an interior detail (just a quick touch up) and a couple of breaks for lunch & dinner.
Step 1-
I glazed my dark Emerald Mica PRO-ES, with a hand application of 3m Imperial Hand Glaze.
Step 2-
A hand application of Klasse All-in-One. Very very easy. Apply a nickel size dab of All-in-One to a folded micro fiber towel dampened with a quick detailer. Wipe right off, no drying needed.
Step 3-
A hand application of Klasse High Gloss Sealant. Klasse is acrylic that bonds to the paint. Very, very easy to apply. Apply a nickel size dap of Klasse Sealant to a folded micro fiber towel dampened with a quick detailer. You need to let the sealant dry before removing. I let it dry before dinner and a hour, 45 min. later it was plenty dry. Wipe off with dry cloth, no heavy buffing needed.
Step 4-
My final concour move! A coat of Blitz One Grand Wax. This aplication of Blitz was for added depth and wet shine. Blitz One Grand is a tad easer to apply than Meguiar's Hi-Tech #26 Yellow Wax. Nonetheless, it seems that most hi-end carnauba paste waxes can be, somewhat of a pain in the butt to remove, hehe!
Results:
Awesome, well worth the effort.
Respectfully,
Larry