Spring is coming and I want my car shining

[vizzo]

With spring just round the corner i'll soon be looking to give the bodywork a bit of extra work to shine it up for the summer months.
I wash weekly using uber shampoo, woolen mitt, 2 bucket system with grit guards and pat dry. (except once a month when I give it a top up with autoglym aqua wax)
The result is a decent finish and very few swirls or other marks, but I think it's losing a bit of "sparkle" compared to when i got it (2nd hand) 9 months ago.

So I want to do something cheap, quick and effective.

Now i've read loads of threads and I'm still pretty confused - there's almost too much choice. It was a relevation to discover that polish is "destructive" in that it takes stuff off - I suppose i just thought you were just adding a shiny layer!

So in simple terms, when I've done a good wash what should i do? Should i use polish? Should i then use another product after that - a sliconeproduct to give a layer of protection? or something else?

I'm not naive enough to expect a showroom shine at minimal cost but don't want to shell out a fortune and ideally half a days work is my max! I'll be planning to do a similar exercise in 6 months time ready for next winter.

[mk2k41]

If Andy hasn't beaten me to it, I'll reply when I get back from work .

[lfcrule1972]

I like the sound of this, I'll be v interested to see recommendations for decent shine without hundreds of products

[mk2k41]

Right, I'm home and semi concious after a night shift so let's have a crack at this.

Firstly, you're right with what you're saying about polish. Different polishing compounds have different levels of abrasiveness, depending on what level they're aimed for. What they all do, in differing amounts, is remove some the clear coat which covers the paint. The clear coat protects the paint and body work from damage and corrosion, and if it gets damaged or worn away then the car will start to suffer. It's like sanding down a rough surface of wood, polishing removes layers until it is as low as the biggest scratch (that's simplified but that is what it's supposed to do). Obviously, your car only has a certain amount of clear coat covering the paint, so once it's gone it's gone. Polishing, whether it be by hand or machine, should only really be done once or twice a year at the most and it should only be done if you know what you're doing. Professional detailers will use a paint thickness gauge to tell how much clear coat they've got to play with, and whether or not it's actually possible to fix it without a respray. Also, applying polish by hand correctly is very hard work. If you don't work it enough and break all the abrasives down, they will stay on the paint and potentially cause damage.

Anyway onto your main question before you, and me, fall asleep.

You don't necessarily need any products to get a good shine or gloss, I've seen some fantastic cars with no products what so ever on the paint. However, for a daily driver that is near enough impossible to achieve without spending every waking moment on it. The key to keeping a daily driver looking good is getting the paint properly sealed and protected with a good quality wax. This makes cleaning easier and helps slow down the build up of dirt on the paint. You're already doing the right things with 2BM and the like, so I assume you're fairly competent when it comes to washing. What you need to do is give your car a really good wash, including removing iron fall out and any tar spots. Iron fall out is small particles of iron, usually from brake dust, that get themselves embedded in the paintwork. If left, these will start to corrode and eat through the clear coat and into the paint. Once your car is spotless you'll be looking at claying it to remove any old wax, and any surface contaminants that you can't see. Now, there are products out there to speed this process up. You can apply a number of pre wash and degreasing products neat through a pressure sprayer. The Power Maxed TFR applied through a sprayer neat will completely strip all the wax off any car, which takes some of the work out that you need to do. The other product which will help you is the Farecla G3 clay mitt. You can pick these up from Halfords, so they are easy to get. It works in the same way as clay bar, but without the faff and in half the time. You just use it like a normal wash mitt, dunk it in a bucket of your choice of shampoo and then using the cloth side go over the area you want to do to lubricate the surface and then flip it over and go over it again with the clay side. Once you can't feel it "grabbing", you know the paint is clean.

Once you've done this, you can now think about starting to apply your products. I like to use a glaze instead of a polish as they contain no abrasives at all, all they do is fill in any light swirls and defects and add gloss to the paint. You can't stop at this stage though, you now need to apply your sealant as any glazes will be washed off as soon as it rains or you wash the car next. If you're looking for minimal top ups, then you're going to be looking at a hard wearing wax such as Collinite 476 or FinishKare 1000P. These waxes are designed to be tougher and last longer, but they don't produce quite as much shine as less durable waxes due the differences in make up. These would be the waxes to use though before winter, otherwise you'll have to rewax your car at least once a month. There are specific waxes for shows and the like, these are usually quite expensive and not very durable but will produce a fantastic shine/gloss. A good middle ground wax would be things like Power Maxed Monsoon, Auto Finesee Essence, Farecla G3 Super Gloss Paste Wax, Fusso light/dark and Chemical Guys Pete's 53. The list really is endless when it comes to waxes, you'll have to do a bit of research and look at trying different ones out. All of those however are very good, and quite reasonably priced as well.

Once you've done all this, your next wash will be so much easier as the dirt won't be able to stick to your paintwork properly. Carry on washing in the same way as you have before, but consider applying a quick detailer once you've patted the car dry. This adds a small layer of extra protection and also enhances the gloss and shine. There are a lot of quick detailers on the market as well, so again you'll have to find one that works well for you. I personally use one of three depending on what sort of mood I'm in, and how long I want it to last for. Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer is the best one and lasts the longest, but it is also the most expensive. Farecla Body Shop detailer is the cheapest, and also does a pretty good job but isn't very durable. The new Power Maxed Quick Detailer is the third one I use, and this is pretty well balanced between the two. It's going to be the one I use now for maintenance washes, as it's quite durable and produces a fantastic shine.

So, sum up.

Pre wash - wash (2BM) - fall out and tar removal - clay mitt - glaze - wax

Then for your maintenance washes

Pre wash - wash (2BM) - quick detailer

Hope that helps, and hasn't confused you even more...

[Jimbob]

Great write-up.

JB

[vizzo]

Excellent answer - far more detailed than i expected but sticks to what I wanted to know. Feeling much more confident that i now know what i'm doing for the next step!

Just one question - i don't think you've suggested which glaze you would use.

[Hyperkev]

Good read never knew polish was a bad thing

[mk2k41]

Excellent answer - far more detailed than i expected but sticks to what I wanted to know. Feeling much more confident that i now know what i'm doing for the next step!

Just one question - i don't think you've suggested which glaze you would use.

This is true, sorry! I use Meguiars #7 Show car Glaze. I can't really recommend much else to be honest as that's all I've used!

[vizzo]

Excellent. I shall purchase these and then get stuck in when the weather improves!

Farecla G3 clay mitt - £13 – Halfords
Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze - £12.50 ebay
Collinite 476 - £18.50- ebay
Sonax bsd 750ml - £13 – ebay

[mk2k41]

Don't forget the applicator pads and microfiber cloths you'll need as well.

[mk2k41]

Also, if you need some guidance in how to complete each stage then ask away . It is all fairly straight forward though and for the most part printed on the container.

[mk2k41]

Good read never knew polish was a bad thing

It's not a bad thing when used correctly . It's just important to understand what it does and when it should be used.

[XanderCage13]

Nicely put together and especially when you were 1/2 asleep. :bow:

[vizzo]

Onto this at the weekend. How hard do you apply and polish up with the glaze and wax. Gentle or firm? Repeated swirls over same area or just a couple of times over each area?

[cyclone]

Pretend your making romantic love to it and your doing it right! I'm sure some of the detailing guys will be along to help out. in the meantime check out Detailing world forum for good info http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/index.php