What do you use to wash and wax your car\'s some use Turtle Wax & Autogylm while I use Meguiar\'s car care products. What would you use to protect your car and why would you use it.
We sell a fiar amount of Maguiars, peeps seem to like it.
MER is really good stuff as well.
4th\'d for megs :)
Mer is the work of the devil - avoid it like the plague. It\'s abrasive and will mash your paintwork. I spent two and a half yyears and a lot of money trying to repair the fdamage Mer did to my SX\'s paintwork.
I use:
Sonus grey clay to cleanse the paint.
Merzena PO91l to cleanse and prep the paint.
Autoglym SRP to polish
EXP sealant to seal
Natty\'s paste wax to seal.
All good stuff :)
I imported a mint 300ZX for a good mate of mine a few years back, I went round one day to find him washing the car with fairy liquid!!!..... Standing there in shock I give him the benefit of the doubt thinking he maybe just using it to get rid of all the ground in dirt, then put polish & wax on etc, but to my horror he said to me thats all he uses to clean it..........!!
I bought him some polish and wax for christmas but I know he\'ll never use it!
Back on topic though I use meguiars. Although i\'ve heard nothing but good reports about the poor boys stuff. Might give that a go soon!
Megs clay bar and bodyshop 3 stage once or twice a year with mirror glaze, just regular wash with nxt shampoo and wax every so often.
Meguiars shampoo every time! (Smells soooo good!) makes it easier work to polish up so it\'s nice and shiney aswell (Or maybe that\'s just me being a big girl!) I\'ve used a couple of different waxes, I think it\'s Turtle wax in the garage at the mo though!
I go for Autoglym shampoo (trade size ;)) for the wash, then at the start of the show season build the polish and wax up with the 3 stages of meguires and a scratch X.
I then use Meguires Tech Wax during the year for a quick show polish or the Autoglym stuff thats been develped for dark colours :)
Chris
I use farecla products. You can only buy from specialized sellers though such as paint suppliers. It\'s top notch stuff used by the pro\'s http://www.farecla.com/
i use meguires sometimes but also have bought this autoglym for dark paint and that is good as well.
turtle wax, autoglym and meguires are over priced.
I got a 5gallon drum of autosmart detergent. I need to get some more supplies tho of wax and polish ect. only got the odd bit of turtle wax lieing about.
Gonna have a look about for something with a good amount of carnuba init but i\'m not gonna fork out for zymol tho.
Well i like to keep a good cote of wax on so the dirt doesn\'t really stick, as for wash and wax?? Well i buy the cheapest stuff i can lay my hands on (Concept wash and wax) doesn\'t make any odds as i put the three stage poorboys wax on my car and its really!!! good at repling dirt (i just hose it off once a week and it usaly lasts all winter).
Bit of advice, if you do go through the agro of having it properly Waxed don\'t get TFR (Trafic film remover) anywhere near it as it will bring the wax off.
I use Meguiars nxt to wash mine, just because it\'s got an RX on it. Dumb I know.
Then to clay/wax it I use products made by a company call Bilt Hamber. They make a wax product called AutoBalm. It\'s really odd to use but the depth it adds to my black paintwork is amazing. You apply it with a damp cloth (or mist the panel and apply), wait 10 seconds then buff it to a shine with a clean dry cloth. Very odd, but very effective. Plus you no longer have to worry when you get a little moisture left from chamoising the body, it helps the application.
It\'s also good at sealing damage to paintwork eg. stone chips, and therefore stopping Mr. Rust. See the link below for their tests they carried out.
http://www.bilthamber.com/autobalmcomparison.html
I\'ve had a few products from these guys and they all do what they say on the tin and for a reasonable price.
I always use poorboys products but the GF use meguires on her FTO.
Quote from: memskiMegs clay bar and bodyshop 3 stage once or twice a year with mirror glaze, just regular wash with nxt shampoo and wax every so often.
Is that the mirror glaze mould release wax mate??? that is insain stuff!! did mine with it once & 3 months later the water was still beeding up & rolling off :)
I tend to use a mix of Meguiers & Auto glym on mine!!
Jono
I use poorboys, trouble is it smells so nice. A bit like bubblegum, or marzipan. Ive resisted the temptation to eat it so far thankgod.:D
I use Meguiars 3 stage....carnauba wax smells soooo nice!
I use a combination of megs and autoglym. I have a suggestion that someone should make a car wax that has a smell that will repel cats. Luckily the RX7 sleeps in the garage but my missus car and that daily runner is forever covered in cat prints, even the moment you\'ve finished washing the car.
Top tip, if you don\'t like someone hide some catnipp on there car.
You could try using that stuff you get in the garden center for repelling cats. Not sure where you could put it.
One of the lads had a combat against cats.... rather sick though!!
Tabasco sauce in a water pistol, cat gets on to car, squirt cat fur with water pistol. Can naturaly wants to clean fur, cat licks & winces, then legs it (then possibly cat licks its bits) yea its got to be upsetting!!
Jono
I tend to switch between Zymöl,Duragloss and Einszett products on mine.
Quote from: neil97rsMER is really good stuff as well.
Mer is the car polish equivalent of Fairy Liquid, Awful stuff.
Quote from: deanflowersI use poorboys, trouble is it smells so nice. A bit like bubblegum, or marzipan. Ive resisted the temptation to eat it so far thankgod.:D
LOL I\'m exactly the same! bubblegum... mmmm it seems so good. I use Zymol too.
Last year I turned up at my mates house to find him trying to \'buff\' scratches out his MGZR front bumper with a brillo pad...
Mind you this is the same guy who after stopping to fix a puncture at the side of the road on his Ford Ka, spent 45mins trying to prise the hub cap off.. not realising he had alloy wheels..... the AA guy nearly sh1t himself laughing!:Hammer
Needles to say I dont allow him within 40ft of the Rex!
Being the lazy type I was considering having a paint shop mop my car.
This a safe bet or could there be any problems.
John
John, depends how good the paint is - the results should be a lot better than what can be achieved at home by normal means, but then again if your clearcoat\'s already very thin you\'ll just shortened the time until the respray.
A good bodyshop should be able to advise, trouble is, they\'re a bit rare.
Quote from: johnfBeing the lazy type I was considering having a paint shop mop my car.
This a safe bet or could there be any problems.
John
There are pro\'s and cons to this, talking from the point of view of someone who works in a Body shop, you would be best off going to a really good Valeter and asking them to do it for you. The main reasons i say this is firstly a Body shop would most likely be allot more expencive (its done per hour rather than per job) then in the paint shop world you will find very little Silicone wax (The best wax\'s have lots of silicone in) so there for it may not last as long, then you have the enthusiasm side of it, i\'m a typical Painter and i think the worsted part of the job by far is the final denib and polish (its Manotinous and messy) where a valeter will see it as a warm job :) (not outside washing cars ;))
Quote from: elford_timA good bodyshop should be able to advise, trouble is, they\'re a bit rare.
Not so much rare but expencive and very picky with the work they do.
Down here in the SE, they also seem to be a bit rare - hence me going Oop North to a mate\'s bodyshop in Bolton when I need that kind of work done.
Quote from: elford_timJohn, depends how good the paint is - the results should be a lot better than what can be achieved at home by normal means, but then again if your clearcoat\'s already very thin you\'ll just shortened the time until the respray.
I don\'t agree, i see cars at shows that have been done by people on there drives and are better than i see new cars going out let alone them leaving a bodyshop which is inherently dusty and don\'t be surprised if they get an apprentice to buff it as this is the sort of work the Apprentice painters do.
The best bit is it will have to be Valeted anyway once its mopped as the G3 gets every where and is a True Pain in the rear to clean out of door shuts etc.
My advice is to take it to some one that knows allot about keeping cars Shiny rather than making cars Shiny (there is a Difference)
Quote from: elford_timDown here in the SE, they also seem to be a bit rare - hence me going Oop North to a mate\'s bodyshop in Bolton when I need that kind of work done.
Find your self a 911 dealer in your area and ask who they use. I can guarantee two things they will be expencive and they will be Very good. The guys who look after 911\'s rather than Ferrari\'s etc are better as the Typical 911 owner is a Pain in the rear (no offence) don\'t exactly know why but its a well known fact in the Body world, properly as most of the expencive ones are Black.
We have a place Ooop North that is called Loyds they are REALLY good but you will pay for it, what you mean is a Body shop that is really good that isn\'t really Expensive, now there rare.
Thr guy I\'ve spoken with is self employed, works on his own out of a small unit, with ovens etc. So he\'d be doing it himself, £60
I think we may have a slight misunderstanding here - I was talking about mopping the car, not painting it. I\'ve also seen some stunning home paint jobs[1] and I know that they\'re possible. I was more referring to doing the usual "consumer" type valet as opposed to using all the right tools, compounds etc which of course you can do at home if you\'re willing to invest the cash and the time to learn the skills.
Good point about choosing your valeter, though.
[1] I\'ve also seen a few really horrible ones, like the motorbike tank that someone resprayed with a rattlecan. Pity that it wasn\'t even the correct colour and that you could see the original colour shine through where Mr Rattlecan had masked off the stickers a tad too generously.
Quote from: GrizzlyFind your self a 911 dealer in your area and ask who they use. I can guarantee two things they will be expencive and they will be Very good. The guys who look after 911\'s rather than Ferrari\'s etc are better as the Typical 911 owner is a Pain in the rear (no offence) don\'t exactly know why but its a well known fact in the Body world, properly as most of the expencive ones are Black.
... and as we know, black\'s the worst colour for bodywork. That\'s actually good to know if I need to look for a bodyshop in a new area which may well happen in 12-18 months, as shipping a car to the UK to get it painted may turn out a tad expensive then.
Quote from: GrizzlyWe have a place Ooop North that is called Loyds they are REALLY good but you will pay for it, what you mean is a Body shop that is really good that isn\'t really Expensive, now there rare.
Hmm. You may actually be surprised to hear that I am happy to pay for quality work, and pay well. The main reason I ended up having the FC redone at my mate\'s bodyshop wasn\'t because of an attempt to save a fiver or to snaffle a mate\'s discount, but because I found it hard to find a decent place after my initial disappointment down here (and that place wasn\'t that cheap either, plus they did come recommended), and my mate is very meticulous about his work so simply got them to do the job because the last thing I needed was another car-related headache. Mind you, if I factor in the duplication of the work, the transport cost and the additional hassle and time I wasted, I spent way more on the respray for the FC than the car is worth. As you do :D.
Quote from: johnfThr guy I\'ve spoken with is self employed, works on his own out of a small unit, with ovens etc. So he\'d be doing it himself, £60
Don\'t mean allot, i don\'t check my own work, if he\'s the boss then who checks the level of his work?? we have a QC guy who wanders round checking things are done correctly and the job leaves at a standard he is happy with (Higher standard than the Customer usaly) its a well known fact you don\'t check your own work because if you missed something in the booth when you painted it then there is a fair chance a second party will point it out before it gets to the Customer.
In this day and age you don\'t get anywhere in the Body trade as a One man band, i would be very wary. Don\'t get me wrong there not all like this but most people that have 150k of gear and work on there own as a one man band are Dodgy.
You\'re right I am talking about mopping the car.
Surely this small paint shop should be able to bo it, he says it\'s no prob.
Thought I would get better service from a small guy and he\'s on the same estate as me, so hopefully he\'d want to do a good job.
I think you may have to sign up to read this but here is what i mean about people (not pro\'s) getting there car Polished to a "Good standard" possably better than most new cars. (BTW sorry is on a F**D web site, can\'t bring myself to say it)
http://www.passionford.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=272023&sid=147fcdf6c7796193047e1138f85f0f61
Quote from: johnfYou\'re right I am talking about mopping the car.
Surely this small paint shop should be able to bo it, he says it\'s no prob.
Thought I would get better service from a small guy and he\'s on the same estate as me, so hopefully he\'d want to do a good job.
Fair enough its not hard to do i admit but mopping the car is only the first stage, and that has to be done spot on to get a good end product. As an example i can spend two days polishing a car properly and at £40 an Hour a valeter would be ALLOT cheaper (If you see my point)
TBH i\'m just a bit confused, i personaly would let the person in the job that suits my needs the most do the work. I have more faith in good valeters to do a job like this properly rather than a Body shop, not saying the guy you have lined up can\'t do a good job but the end product would be better by a guy who cleans cars for a living.
Ah, OK. More misunderstandings then :). Yep, you have to sign up for that but if it\'s worth it, I may as well...
There are a few people on Talkaudio that have been bitten bad by the valeting bug, so I\'ve seen what non-pros can do with determination and the right tools. Pretty impressive, I have to say.
Which reminds me, I hope that next w/e is going to be dry so I can go attack the FD with a vengance, get all the cr*p off and clean it up properly so I can stick it under its newly acquired car cover.
So - would it be better for me to talk to valeters rather than a paint shop?
John
I admit i hate wax and all valeting products, i have only really cleaned my car properly once (tyre shine and all that) call me paranoid but you know when you wax your car and you can smell the wax on you hands a few days later, thats stresses me out to the degree i don\'t touch anything like Mister sheen or tyre Sine etc etc without Gloves on. I just hate rework.
Haveing worked as a valeter, i will tell you now high silicon waxes are there as they look shiney once applied but do not last as it easily weathers off (we used them because we were just contracted to an audi garage). You really want a high consentration or pure carnuba gold wax as such in the very expensive zymol products. It actualy sets as hard as concrete. To get a deep gloss shine it relies on a perfect flat surface this is why you mop the car to remove scratches and particuarly the small onces you don\'t really know are there. As for it being cheaper for a valeter to do i wouldn\'t be so sure they charge alot more than £40 per hour. More like a half day valet would be in excess of £200.
If the car isn\'t to bad just clay it as this takes off far less clear coat and may well give you finish you want.