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kevinm
08-04-2013, 11:25 AM
Hi Guys,

This is probably going to be hugely subjective and I'm possibly opening up a whole can of worms but here goes.
I know that all who visit this site take good care of their vehicles; the photos tell as much and its obvious that many $ have been outlaid by owners on their vehicles either to improve the vehicle's performance, looks or both and also in maintaining them.

A walk down the cleaning products aisle of any Supercheap Auto store can be confusing to say the least due to the huge range of car cleaning stuff and the price differences between them.

My question is what is the best way to maintain the great shine on my 2006 LS? Until recently,
I was taking a couple of hours cleaning, vacumning, washing and polishing it every week. However, one guy (who is in the car trade told me that I should only use a polish once every six months and in between just use a liquid wax.
Another (mechanic) said that because modern cars have a clear enamel coat, polishing it every week takes the enamel off.
I was understandably worried by this and have since become very confused. I want the car to look great but I don't want to find out that after 12 months of weekly polishing, I end up destroying the finish!
Comments and suggestions would be welcome.

HaydenVRX
08-04-2013, 11:55 AM
wash the car.. then polish and wax. re apply wax about once a month, maybe even two months and re polish every 4-5 months imo.
wax isnt gonna do anything but protect the car so use it as often as you like

kevinm
08-04-2013, 11:57 AM
Thanks mate that helps!
Kevin

taniagirl
08-04-2013, 12:39 PM
wax just coats the paint work to protect it. As for taking the enamel off :) :) that's funny a normal polish that people use does not take enough paint off if used monthly it is mainly a cutting polish that will and that would take some time unless you are continuously buffing the car. Once it is polished and looking nice continue to wax it I try to wax my one every fortnight only because it does sit out in the weather and I am trying to protect the paint on this one unlike my TF where I just didn't care, But being a car detailer I thought this one should be kept looking nice

kevinm
08-04-2013, 02:14 PM
Great help it makes good sense thank you.
Kevin

RightNow?
08-04-2013, 03:10 PM
In regards to the enamel as well. If you are waxing the car every week or even every two weeks and polishing it at the same intervals, lots of the time the polish will just be taking off the wax you applied. So I doubt it would be doing much damage to the paint.

Speaking common sense, with no experience in detailing other than cleaning my own cars and reading things online just so you know. So don't take my word as Gospel.

I'd say wax as often as you'd like (as said above) and polish twice or three times a year. You should also look using a claybar when you polish as well, if you really wanna get the best possible finish.

Dave
08-04-2013, 04:05 PM
Im questioning why some are waxing every two weeks. This sounds like overkill and a waste of time. Good products and application should yield protection for months

taniagirl
08-04-2013, 04:08 PM
having a Sapphire blue Magna with original paint I'm not taking any chances and it only goes undercover when it is at a shopping centre or someone on else's garage or carport

Red Valdez
08-04-2013, 05:01 PM
I reckon polish every 6 months, wax every 2-3 months, then use a liquid wax/quick detailer as desired in between waxes. Like Dave said, good products should last for ages. A wax every week or two is just a waste of time and money.

Some polishes are abrasive (e.g. will remove a fine layer of clear coat) and others are not. You should not need to use abrasive polishes regularly. I had a full paint correction on my 380 three months ago (15-20 hours spent by a professional detailer) and there still isn't a swirl. I put this down to the fact that I am very careful with how I wash my car (two bucket technique, rinse mitten once or twice per panel, etc).

Short of misusing a rotary polisher or doing weekly paint corrections, the chances of cutting through a clear coat during the lifetime of a car is minuscule.

If you are serious about your car care you should look at www.carcareproducts.com.au and www.waxit.com.au for your detailing gear.

Dave
08-04-2013, 06:08 PM
having a Sapphire blue Magna with original paint I'm not taking any chances and it only goes undercover when it is at a shopping centre or someone on else's garage or carport

Still, you need to take a look at your detailing products and techniques if you feel that you are losing protection over a few weeks

See here - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=85205

The sealant i use at the moment (wolfs chemicals hard body) should give 6 months protection in harshest conditions here in australia and up to 18 months for a vehicle kept out of the elements

taniagirl
08-04-2013, 06:39 PM
I do agree with you Dave but using Maguirs a product I don't really trust after a month and the Magna standard paint id rather have piece of mind. The stuff I have here is all left over from when I had my business and I have run out of This (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/raceglaze-signature-series-black-label-cat13.html) that I would normally do on most of my customers high end cars only. I might get round to ordering some in the very near future

Dave
08-04-2013, 07:04 PM
Fair enough Tania. That Raceglaze wax looks nice :)

However may i suggest that even a panel pot of Dodo Juice wax should be good for 3 months protection on a properly prepped panel. I get quite a lot of use out of the small panel pots and they only cost $20 - http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/dodo_juice/blue_velvet_pro_panel_pot

This stuff is meant to be excellent, i havent tried the Pro, only the normal Blue Velvet and it made apricot rockets Verada really come alive

taniagirl
08-04-2013, 07:11 PM
being a high end detailer i really love using the non distillate waxes. The natural carnuba wax is the way to go. Doing cars worth over the
$100K worth then i wont go cheap even when i decide to buff and polish them < or now known as a paint correction > byt the newbies to the industries as i like to say

Dave
08-04-2013, 07:27 PM
Hehe it seems you know your stuff :)


How long have you been in the game?

texacola
08-04-2013, 07:56 PM
I reckon polish every 6 months, wax every 2-3 months, then use a liquid wax/quick detailer as desired in between waxes. Like Dave said, good products should last for ages. A wax every week or two is just a waste of time and money.

Some polishes are abrasive (e.g. will remove a fine layer of clear coat) and others are not. You should not need to use abrasive polishes regularly. I had a full paint correction on my 380 three months ago (15-20 hours spent by a professional detailer) and there still isn't a swirl. I put this down to the fact that I am very careful with how I wash my car (two bucket technique, rinse mitten once or twice per panel, etc).

Short of misusing a rotary polisher or doing weekly paint corrections, the chances of cutting through a clear coat during the lifetime of a car is minuscule.

If you are serious about your car care you should look at www.carcareproducts.com.au and www.waxit.com.au for your detailing gear.

Damn you Red Valdez! I just spent $317.23 at carcareproducts.com.au but I needed it all as I've been a bit slack taking care of my little VRteX's paint finish, so thank you as well as DAMN YOU! haha

kevinm
12-04-2013, 06:17 AM
thanks for tips and excuse my ignornace but what is a claybar?

kevinm
12-04-2013, 06:19 AM
Thanks.
There is a lot of good advice from all of you. And it seems that I have been wasting a bit of energy in polishing the car so frequently. I'll take a look at the websites and use wax/liquid wax between polishes.

HaydenVRX
12-04-2013, 06:40 AM
clay bar is liturally a fine grain lump of clay that you lubricate and rub on your car's paint and it removes any crap that has built up on the clearcoat over time, it gives you a perfect clean surface to protect with polish and wax. claybar should be done about once a year.

taniagirl
12-04-2013, 07:37 AM
Hehe it seems you know your stuff :)


How long have you been in the game?



only doing friends cars and my own these days and been in the 'game' for about 15 years i know :nuts: for being in it that long and about 12 years only doing the high end stuff. I employed people to do the other cars when i had my car wash :facejump:

kevinm
12-04-2013, 10:05 AM
Okay thanks for the Info.
Kevin

JoshSX
22-04-2013, 07:20 PM
Figured I'd chime in here.. Does anyone else have extremely faded and water marked pillars or know what the best way to restore them is?

kevinm
23-04-2013, 06:33 AM
Thank you!