Car care, polishing etc
07 May 2004, 11:43 AM
#1
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Car care, polishing etc
Is there a correct way to look after the body work?
Last year I would wash, wax, then polish, but wondered if polish removed the wax. Or is this ok?
Last year I would wash, wax, then polish, but wondered if polish removed the wax. Or is this ok?
07 May 2004, 12:22 PM
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If you want to keep your body looking good then wash the car with clean water first, I recommend a pressure washer to rinse of as much dirt and grit as possible (some will not agree) at least hose it off. Then wash the car, use a Decosol car cleaning sponge (available from Halfords) these are almost a must, they are a canvas backed sponge that directs the water onto the car and not out through your fingers. Dont use too much shampoo, its tempting to add just a bit more, but use less not more as these will remove some (or all) of any wax, unless you use the proper Zymol or Swissol non wax removing stuff. Keep you sponge clean, wring it out and put in a clean plastic bag so it doesnt get dust or dirt on it.
Dry the car with a good quality leather, like a Pittards, keep this clean too, best to squeeze a leather not wring it, if you can find an old fashioned hand operated mangle so much the better. Your leather will not double in size and halve in thickness and will last longer and work better.
Then use a glaze, do not use polish! Polish is just that, it polishes the surface of your paint, just like wet and dry but very fine. The white stuff in polish is clay, the finer the granules the less abrasive it is. A glaze just adds wax, they usually have a high Carnuba wax content, they just add onto the paint. The difference between polish and glaze is the same as french polishing a piece of wood, this smooths the surface until it shines, glaze is like adding a varnish on the top of the wood. Glazes can be had from Zymol or Swissol, they tend to be more expensive than polishes. The first treatment is time consuming as you have to remove all the old polish with cleaners. But once this is done its quicker than using a polish. They last longer and really do protect better than a polish, so its woth it in the long run........
Look for Zymol or Swissol on the web. I wouldnt touch my STI with polish. Try it you will be amaxed....
STEVE......................
Dry the car with a good quality leather, like a Pittards, keep this clean too, best to squeeze a leather not wring it, if you can find an old fashioned hand operated mangle so much the better. Your leather will not double in size and halve in thickness and will last longer and work better.
Then use a glaze, do not use polish! Polish is just that, it polishes the surface of your paint, just like wet and dry but very fine. The white stuff in polish is clay, the finer the granules the less abrasive it is. A glaze just adds wax, they usually have a high Carnuba wax content, they just add onto the paint. The difference between polish and glaze is the same as french polishing a piece of wood, this smooths the surface until it shines, glaze is like adding a varnish on the top of the wood. Glazes can be had from Zymol or Swissol, they tend to be more expensive than polishes. The first treatment is time consuming as you have to remove all the old polish with cleaners. But once this is done its quicker than using a polish. They last longer and really do protect better than a polish, so its woth it in the long run........
Look for Zymol or Swissol on the web. I wouldnt touch my STI with polish. Try it you will be amaxed....
STEVE......................
07 May 2004, 01:35 PM
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another vote for swissol..
It's a bit harder to apply, but the finish is amazing.
Another tip is not to clean the car (or wax) with a circular motion, always run your sponge/cloth in a linear motion, this helps stop the fine swirling marks you can get.
kyle
It's a bit harder to apply, but the finish is amazing.
Another tip is not to clean the car (or wax) with a circular motion, always run your sponge/cloth in a linear motion, this helps stop the fine swirling marks you can get.
kyle
07 May 2004, 02:34 PM
#5
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I use Clearkote products.
Use a pressure washer (carefully) to remove majority of dirt and use the brush only on the wheels.
Then use Clearkote shampoo to remove remaining dirt and use a clay bar with the champoo water to smooth the body and leather off. I then use Clearkote Vanilla Moose wax hand glaze which is supposed to help remove swirl marks over time, doing a panel at a time and one cloth to apply and one to remove. I think spending as much time on this part as possible is important.
Finally apply Carnuba Moose Wax which apparently doesn't contain abrasives to really give the car a nice shine.
Don't know how right/wrong this is but its what I've been doing just recently.
Use a pressure washer (carefully) to remove majority of dirt and use the brush only on the wheels.
Then use Clearkote shampoo to remove remaining dirt and use a clay bar with the champoo water to smooth the body and leather off. I then use Clearkote Vanilla Moose wax hand glaze which is supposed to help remove swirl marks over time, doing a panel at a time and one cloth to apply and one to remove. I think spending as much time on this part as possible is important.
Finally apply Carnuba Moose Wax which apparently doesn't contain abrasives to really give the car a nice shine.
Don't know how right/wrong this is but its what I've been doing just recently.
07 May 2004, 02:42 PM
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Yep -use a cleaner and wax. I use zymol and its very good. It does mean a few hours work every 6 months but its worth it. Ring specialist cars at Malton. They have a zymol specialist who will tell you what you need and send it in the post. For shampoo, cleaner and wax your looking at £80. It sounds expensive but will last for years.
p.s. most of the glazes (waxes) cost an awful lot more (I got the boggest of bog standard package)
p.s. most of the glazes (waxes) cost an awful lot more (I got the boggest of bog standard package)
07 May 2004, 02:54 PM
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Some good advice on here, every one seems to agree use a glaze, there are some new polishes that dont contain clay and are in fact clear, I think one is called clear, its unlikely that they will be abrasive but check first before using it.
But Carnuba wax is the best there is, its organic (or is that orgasmic?) and is the hardest and most resistant of the natural waxes. It is also expensive hence the price.
But it seems odd to me that some one will spend many many thousands on a car and then begrudge 100 pounds to keep it looking good. A good glaze will last for ages its easy to apply and takes very little. I use Zymol Titanium which is hand applied, a pot is about 60 quid or so but will last several years.
important point is use proper shampoos that do not remove the wax you worked hard to put on last time you cleaned your motor. AND never ever use Fairy liquid, even on your wheels, it has a very high salt content.
Good luck.............
STEVE.........
But Carnuba wax is the best there is, its organic (or is that orgasmic?) and is the hardest and most resistant of the natural waxes. It is also expensive hence the price.
But it seems odd to me that some one will spend many many thousands on a car and then begrudge 100 pounds to keep it looking good. A good glaze will last for ages its easy to apply and takes very little. I use Zymol Titanium which is hand applied, a pot is about 60 quid or so but will last several years.
important point is use proper shampoos that do not remove the wax you worked hard to put on last time you cleaned your motor. AND never ever use Fairy liquid, even on your wheels, it has a very high salt content.
Good luck.............
STEVE.........
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07 May 2004, 03:08 PM
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07 May 2004, 04:47 PM
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First time you give your car the Zymol or Swissol treatment go over it with a clay bar after washing but before the cleaner . Youll be amazed how much extra crap will come off and it will leave a silky smooth finish.
Chip.
Chip.
Last edited by Chip; 07 May 2004 at 04:50 PM.
08 May 2004, 01:27 PM
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How to prepare your car with SWISSOL Wax
PLEASE NOTE: These instructions are for all the SWISSOL waxes bar Mystery & Divine. If you have Shield wax, instructions are also included here on how to use Paint Rubber (Clay Bar)..
Firstly make sure that you are fully prepared and remember that preparing your car to Concours standard, takes time & patience. The secret to a car detailing, being thorough & methodical. Remember too, that the waxing is the finale.... the icing on the cake! Cleaning the paintwork etc takes time, but you will find that as you go through each stage the paint becomes smoother, gains lustre etc. The wax provides extra gloss & feel to the paint as well as protection.
Start by wetting the car using a pressure washer or hose & then hand wash the car using a washcloth (small white towel in the kit) & the car bath provided. Rinse the vehicle & leave wet. Taking the Paint Rubber (clay bar) allow to stand in some hot water to soften for a few minutes. Then place the clay in the palm of your hand & starting with the roof, move the clay over the painted surface in a back & forth motion. Using wet finger tips gently feel the paint surface before and after using the clay. It will not have the pimply feel to the paint that it had before starting & but will be super smooth after claying it. Always keep the surface of the paint well lubricated with water or the quick finish supplied, otherwise the clay will stick to the paint. Proceed from the roof to the bonnet & boot & then on down to the doors & lower extremities. Pay particular attention to tar spotting, on the lower halves of the doors. If you have a stubborn tar spot just press the edge of the clay & rub somewhat harder & the tar will disappear. When you have finished, there is no need to wash the car again unless you really want to, as any clay smudges will disappear when using the cleaner fluid. If your Kit does not include a clay bar, then please ignore there above instructions regarding its use. Then dry car with an old clean very soft towel which has been washed without softener.
The next stage is cleansing.
This operation removes further dirt build up from the paint & any remnants of clay from the paintwork. The bottle you have will provide around four to six complete applications! Using the white applicator squirt on some Cleaner Fluid & work in & over the paint in an area of say 1 sq. metre. Allow the product to dry briefly (max 30 seconds) buff with the brown terry towel. Do not waste time getting out every mark from the paint... you’ll never do it. As soon as you have done one area, move onto the next area. As you have clayed the car, the cleansing operation is very quick & more of a wipe on wipe off scenario. When done stand back & admire the resultant gloss & feel of the paint. Always feel paint with the back of your hand and knuckles & never with dry or greasy fingertips. The paint will feel silk soft & super smooth. Before we move on, always ensure that all the shut lines have been cleaned. Open doors & clean door jambs etc etc.
The final stage...waxing
Take the black wax applicator & you will see that it has two distinct surfaces. One side is cloth & the important side is sponge. This is the side we are going to use for waxing... in other words it’s a case of sponge side down. Open the lid of the wax & you will see a white shive. Remove this shive to expose the wax. Now taking the black applicator sponge side down, twirl it across the surface of the wax to load it. Now starting with the roof wipe the applicator in a back & forth motion without pressing so as to spread the wax across the paintwork. If you **** your head to one side you will see the wax leaving a type of greasy film on the paintwork. Continue applying wax to all the paintwork, all light clusters front & rear, number plates & to the wheel rims. Remember the wax you are using has in excess of 10 times the wax content of a normal off the shelf preparation !! Remember too that the wax pot will provide 45-50 complete waxings... APPLY VERY SPARINGLY. Apply wax in the shade if possible. If you have no shaded area it is perfectly possible to wax in direct sun light.
Once you have applied wax to the above-mentioned surfaces, store the wax applicator in a clear poly bag (a sandwich bag will suffice). Expel the air & seal it. Move the car into direct sunlight to aid curing.
Now go and take a break. After a while take the black terry towel & fold it in half & in half again. Place the towel pad on the roof & with your hand and outstretched fingers, move the pad in a back & firth motion over the dried (hazed) wax surface.
You will now see the most awesome gloss & be able to feel very “soft” paint. When all done leave the car standing in direct sunlight for around 2 hours. This will deepen & enhance the gloss. Now taking the black terry towel again, very briskly but gently feather dust the surface again. Stand back and admire your handiwork & the resultant gloss. If you have any problems in applying the products or want to seek more guidance please do not hesitate to call us.
Regular maintenance
Generally speaking the Cleanser Fluid stage is done only once every Six months. During normal weekly washes you also do not have to re wax the vehicle, you merely jet wash, Shampoo & dry for a gloss finish. Regular waxing is recommended i.e. once a month. However the more wax layers that are built up on the vehicle over time the more protection it will have & the better the gloss finish will be. In addition it will also be easier to clean.
Washing Instructions
Wash all terry towels & the white square applicator with the ordinary wash at 30 to 40 degrees C. Allow the towels & applicator to air dry.
The black wax applicator is best stored in a sealable sandwich bag. This keeps the applicator moist & ready for next use. Once the level of the wax has dropped in the pot, you can store the pad in the pot (this is what we do).
Should the black applicator dirty (say through dropping on the floor) hand wash in lukewarm water & then rinse thoroughly. Once towels & pads are dry, store them in the storage bag that came with your kit.
PLEASE NOTE: These instructions are for all the SWISSOL waxes bar Mystery & Divine. If you have Shield wax, instructions are also included here on how to use Paint Rubber (Clay Bar)..
Firstly make sure that you are fully prepared and remember that preparing your car to Concours standard, takes time & patience. The secret to a car detailing, being thorough & methodical. Remember too, that the waxing is the finale.... the icing on the cake! Cleaning the paintwork etc takes time, but you will find that as you go through each stage the paint becomes smoother, gains lustre etc. The wax provides extra gloss & feel to the paint as well as protection.
Start by wetting the car using a pressure washer or hose & then hand wash the car using a washcloth (small white towel in the kit) & the car bath provided. Rinse the vehicle & leave wet. Taking the Paint Rubber (clay bar) allow to stand in some hot water to soften for a few minutes. Then place the clay in the palm of your hand & starting with the roof, move the clay over the painted surface in a back & forth motion. Using wet finger tips gently feel the paint surface before and after using the clay. It will not have the pimply feel to the paint that it had before starting & but will be super smooth after claying it. Always keep the surface of the paint well lubricated with water or the quick finish supplied, otherwise the clay will stick to the paint. Proceed from the roof to the bonnet & boot & then on down to the doors & lower extremities. Pay particular attention to tar spotting, on the lower halves of the doors. If you have a stubborn tar spot just press the edge of the clay & rub somewhat harder & the tar will disappear. When you have finished, there is no need to wash the car again unless you really want to, as any clay smudges will disappear when using the cleaner fluid. If your Kit does not include a clay bar, then please ignore there above instructions regarding its use. Then dry car with an old clean very soft towel which has been washed without softener.
The next stage is cleansing.
This operation removes further dirt build up from the paint & any remnants of clay from the paintwork. The bottle you have will provide around four to six complete applications! Using the white applicator squirt on some Cleaner Fluid & work in & over the paint in an area of say 1 sq. metre. Allow the product to dry briefly (max 30 seconds) buff with the brown terry towel. Do not waste time getting out every mark from the paint... you’ll never do it. As soon as you have done one area, move onto the next area. As you have clayed the car, the cleansing operation is very quick & more of a wipe on wipe off scenario. When done stand back & admire the resultant gloss & feel of the paint. Always feel paint with the back of your hand and knuckles & never with dry or greasy fingertips. The paint will feel silk soft & super smooth. Before we move on, always ensure that all the shut lines have been cleaned. Open doors & clean door jambs etc etc.
The final stage...waxing
Take the black wax applicator & you will see that it has two distinct surfaces. One side is cloth & the important side is sponge. This is the side we are going to use for waxing... in other words it’s a case of sponge side down. Open the lid of the wax & you will see a white shive. Remove this shive to expose the wax. Now taking the black applicator sponge side down, twirl it across the surface of the wax to load it. Now starting with the roof wipe the applicator in a back & forth motion without pressing so as to spread the wax across the paintwork. If you **** your head to one side you will see the wax leaving a type of greasy film on the paintwork. Continue applying wax to all the paintwork, all light clusters front & rear, number plates & to the wheel rims. Remember the wax you are using has in excess of 10 times the wax content of a normal off the shelf preparation !! Remember too that the wax pot will provide 45-50 complete waxings... APPLY VERY SPARINGLY. Apply wax in the shade if possible. If you have no shaded area it is perfectly possible to wax in direct sun light.
Once you have applied wax to the above-mentioned surfaces, store the wax applicator in a clear poly bag (a sandwich bag will suffice). Expel the air & seal it. Move the car into direct sunlight to aid curing.
Now go and take a break. After a while take the black terry towel & fold it in half & in half again. Place the towel pad on the roof & with your hand and outstretched fingers, move the pad in a back & firth motion over the dried (hazed) wax surface.
You will now see the most awesome gloss & be able to feel very “soft” paint. When all done leave the car standing in direct sunlight for around 2 hours. This will deepen & enhance the gloss. Now taking the black terry towel again, very briskly but gently feather dust the surface again. Stand back and admire your handiwork & the resultant gloss. If you have any problems in applying the products or want to seek more guidance please do not hesitate to call us.
Regular maintenance
Generally speaking the Cleanser Fluid stage is done only once every Six months. During normal weekly washes you also do not have to re wax the vehicle, you merely jet wash, Shampoo & dry for a gloss finish. Regular waxing is recommended i.e. once a month. However the more wax layers that are built up on the vehicle over time the more protection it will have & the better the gloss finish will be. In addition it will also be easier to clean.
Washing Instructions
Wash all terry towels & the white square applicator with the ordinary wash at 30 to 40 degrees C. Allow the towels & applicator to air dry.
The black wax applicator is best stored in a sealable sandwich bag. This keeps the applicator moist & ready for next use. Once the level of the wax has dropped in the pot, you can store the pad in the pot (this is what we do).
Should the black applicator dirty (say through dropping on the floor) hand wash in lukewarm water & then rinse thoroughly. Once towels & pads are dry, store them in the storage bag that came with your kit.
08 May 2004, 07:13 PM
#17
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nice one fulham 
thanks mate...
goes off to search for swissol at a sensible price....
btw- are you retailing the products now? or do have to go thru scoobyworld?
tempted for the shield starter kit... can you beat their price mate?
thanks mate...
goes off to search for swissol at a sensible price....
btw- are you retailing the products now? or do have to go thru scoobyworld?
tempted for the shield starter kit... can you beat their price mate?
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