Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

i wouldnt use anything but meguiars ;)

hope you're joking...

firstly - what is the difference between a pre wax cleaner and a polish - are they the same thing? some online shops mention pre wax cleaner and i figure they are similar.

second - whats the go with layering waxes - especially ahrd and soft?

third - is their a kind of sealant (wax etc) that is bit longer lasting? all the carnauba waxes seem to say re-apply every 2-3 months and re polish every 6...is this to do with the synthetic vs carnauba???

1) Pre-wax cleaners generally speaking including chemical cleaners, as opposed to physical abrasives, ie, you're not removing any clear, you are just cleaning the clear as best as possible, to prepare it for a wax. Lime Prime is a great pre-wax cleaner. No abrasives, just a great cleaner to make sure all polish residue and what not are gone, and you're left the best possible surface to apply the wax.

Polishes generally fall under chemical cleaners or physical abrasives, usually the later. But there are some AIO products (all-in-one) that can both chemical cleaners and abrasives, a 1 step product. Can work well in some cases (can help with water marks, hence the chemical cleaners) but in terms of cutting power, it's very low.

So basically, it would be wash - clay - wash - polish - wash - pre-wax cleaner - wax. Again, Lime Prime (made by Dodo) would be one of the top choices here. Lime Prime is probably best applied with a machine and the finest polishing pad you have.

2). A couple things. You can't layer waxes too quickly, as all waxes have a curing time, some faster than others. It's ideal if you can organise for the car to be in full sun after a wax application, as this will help not only with curing, but the look as well. Generally speaking, you'd want to give it at least a full 24 hours and make sure the car shampoo you are using is pH neutral, so as not to strip the wax you just put on.

There are "hard" and "soft" waxes, but both can be layered as far as i know.

3) Synthetics do generally last longer, with a trade off in look to the carnauba, but some high end carnauba's can last a long time. I had Zymol Royale on my car which held out for about 5 months, but this is the THE best wax you can get at $18,000 a tub. But generally speaking, a synthetic will provide better protection for longer. Zaino's Z2 Pro would be a great synthetic to lay down as a base.

The best thing really is to get the car's paint in as best condition as possible, then put down say 2-3 layers of Z2 Pro and THEN layer some carnauba ontop. This is probably the best combo you'll get as you'll get the better protection from bird droppings/water marks, etc from the sealant but you'll yield a better, deeper, look to the car with layering a carnauba ontop. Plenty of protection, and good looks from that combo.

In terms of re-polishing, that won't as much to do with the synthetic/sealant as it will your washing process. If you're pedantic about your washing process, then you might be able to get away with just topping up the wax periodically and polish once a year.

hope that helps

  • 2 weeks later...
is carnuba wax the best product to shine a black car?

Yes & no! there are some great sealants out there like Zaino Z2 and Duragloss 105 with 3 layers and good prep work before hand will give you a great shine. With Waxes they tend to give you the depth in Metalic paints. I use both I put 3 layers of sealant (Z2) and have 3 layers of Wax. The sealant gives me 12 months of paint protection and the Wax adds the bling. Also remember the Preperation is the key factor to a shiny car, if you paint is faded or heavily swirled you will not get as good of a result as if you done paint correction or cleaned your paint with a polish prior to laying down you LSP the only exception to this is if you use a Glaze (Megs#7, PB Black hole, Chemical Guys EZ Creme)prior to the laying down of the Sealant/Wax as they have fillers and will fill minor maring and swirls. Just to add to this Sealants tend to give better result on light coloured cars than Wax. So if you are only going to use one product I would go Silver and whites (Sealant ) Blacks blues, red (Wax). Also be aware Wax brands have different life spans on your car as an Example Megs NXT expect 2 months, Collinite & SwissVax 4-6 months. This is not and issue if you clean and LSP your car regulary.

Edited by R31Heaven
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Anyone use Aqua Wax from Auto Glym? Friend recently used it on his S15 and ive detailed his car several times, sealant, wax and show shine quick detailling products. Nothing has made the S15 look like this and all you do it apply when dry!

Wondering if black cars have similar effects? Anyone?

Anyone use Aqua Wax from Auto Glym? Friend recently used it on his S15 and ive detailed his car several times, sealant, wax and show shine quick detailling products. Nothing has made the S15 look like this and all you do it apply when dry!

Wondering if black cars have similar effects? Anyone?

auto glym is ok, but it has alot of sillicone in it, which is good and bad, good it will hide swirl marks and make light scratches look a lil better, bad i never used to use it in the workshop as the sillicone would find its way to the paint shop and screw with them, but for normal people doing it in your drive way its top notch stuff

Hey there, I've just spent $100 on 3 products,

1. Meguiars NXT Carwash

2. Meguiars Quik Clay Kit

3. Meguiars NXT Tech Wax

I have some existing products such as Meguiars paint cleaner and Soft wash and Quik Detailer

I'm just a budding enthusiast, so what i wanna ask is,

Can you look after your car decently for under $250?

This would include;

1. Carwash

2. Clay

3. Paint cleaner (is this necessary?)

4. Polish

5. Sealant

6. Wax

On this budget what brands/products are best?

I know there are some insane routines out there, but essentially can you get away with a wash, clay, wash, paint cleaner, wax?

I'm going to be sorry for asking, but what is the importance of a good polish? *runs and hides*

So for the mediocre enthusiast, can you spend under $250 for good results?

Thanks in advance,

Danny

Edited by squareznboxez
Can you look after your car decently for under $250?

This would include;

1. Carwash

2. Clay

3. Paint cleaner (is this necessary?)

4. Polish

5. Sealant

6. Wax

On this budget what brands/products are best?

I know there are some insane routines out there, but essentially can you get away with a wash, clay, wash, paint cleaner, wax?

I'm going to be sorry for asking, but what is the importance of a good polish? *runs and hides*

So for the mediocre enthusiast, can you spend under $250 for good results?

In one word Yes!

You have a pretty good idea already with that list of steps, The paint Cleaning and polishing is the most important part of the processe as it is the part that actualy gives you the shine, there are two types of polish, abrasive and non- abrasive,. Abrase has cutters in it and are used to remove imperfection such as scratches and swirl marks. Non is used to remove surface contanaments or light oxidation and to finish or give a lustre to your paint. The Sealant & wax only enhance it, so dont skimp on that bit. If you dont have a polisher to get out all the Swirl marks go for somthing like Autoglym Super resin polish or a Glaze as it has good filling properties to hide them. If your cars a light colour either Silver or white only use a sealant as a Wax will not make it any noticably better. With Megs polishes they dont last long 2-3 months if lucky. were somthing like Zaino Z2 ($48) or Durgloss 105 ($25) will give you 12 months protection. and to keep it shiney never use a DIY brush :) take a Bucket with Shampoo and a Megs Lambs wool mitt.

Edited by R31Heaven
i want to know what stores can you buy all these detailing products from, accept from online, like supercheap auto? what other stores would sell auto clay? and whats the best range to use that you can buy from a retail store

You cant, Anything you get from either Supercheap and Autobarn are made for the mass market and are not very durable, (but if you wax you car every month it not a problem). and are average to good, comparing them to some of the boutique brands . If I was to pick some from these shops I would say in order. Autoglym, Mothers and Megs. I buy from online as they have the better products and it is very easy to purchase, I also dont follow one brand, I have several as they tend to have excellant ones and half average ones in their ranges, its taken a long time and a lot of money to find out :). If you feel like looking at a few reputable ones I use, here are some links. Also quick list of what I use. and ones I want to try, they very in price to not bad to selling a lung.

Polishes abrasive - Menzerna range

polishes non abrasive - PoorBoys

Glazes - Chemical guys EZ Creme & Megs #7

Sealants Zaino Z2, Duragloss 111 &105 & Poorboys EX-P

Waxes Dodo Juice Blue Velvet (6 months), Collinite 915 (12 months), Poorboys & Nattys Blue (Cheap but not durable 2-3 months)

Wish list

Wax - Dodojuice Supernatural, Swissvax Concourse & Chemical Guys 50/50

Waxit

CarCare

Chemical Guys

Edited by R31Heaven

Im new at detailing cars, all i have ever done is used car was solution with a sponge and a shammy, but now i want to takee more care of my car, but i also do not want to buy products off the internet, i can buy them from auto barn but i have no idea what products are decent from them. all i know about waxing is it makes your car look shiny but its hard work and can leave swirls?? but whats the difference between waxing and a cut and polish? i would really appreciate if someone could explain to me the best way to do it all, like wash the car with a grease remover? ( for cars ofcoarse ) then clay the car then wash it with greasse remover again? then cut and polish then wax it? please help :)

Basicly Cut & polish is (best I can put it)

1. Cut - An abrasive polish that removes Clear coat or paint to remove imperfections in the paint ei: Swirls and scratches, it is removed after correction is done, no protective properties what so ever. There are different grades from corse to fine for the final shine (Bling).

2. Polish Is an Paint cleaner it removes mild grime and contanamant from you paint to leave a lustre, no protective qualities what so ever and is buffed off after the process (Unless its an All in one, another story)

3. Sealant/Wax Has no correction properties what so ever, but has paint protection, puts a layer on your paint. Can contain oils and other chemicals go protect your paint from UV, Bird poo to a point, you still need to remove it as soon as possible. and other airborne contanimants. I would say a sacraficial layer. Also enhances the shine you have put on your Car in the Cut & Polish process. Its basicly protects all the work you have done in the previous Polishing process

Process I use every twelve months only

1. Wash with good Auto Shampoo PH Neutral a bucket & Lambswool mitt ( Do not use your DIY Brush Aaaaaarh)

2. Clar Bar

3. Correction or Cut & polish to the old, I use varying Abrasive polishes depending on work needed. to get shine.

4. Wash

5. Sealant/Wax

I cant emphasise the importance of the polish process as this! adds the shine to your car not the wax/sealant, wich enhances the paint thst has just been polished to a high shine, If you have a faded car, no Wax Sealant will give you a show car shine.

Edited by R31Heaven
Basicly Cut & polish is (best I can put it)

1. Cut - An abrasive polish that removes Clear coat or paint to remove imperfections in the paint ei: Swirls and scratches, it is removed after correction is done, no protective properties what so ever. There are different grades from corse to fine for the final shine (Bling).

2. Polish Is an Paint cleaner it removes mild grime and contanamant from you paint to leave a lustre, no protective qualities what so ever and is buffed off after the process (Unless its an All in one, another story)

3. Sealant/Wax Has no correction properties what so ever, but has paint protection, puts a layer on your paint. Can contain oils and other chemicals go protect your paint from UV, Bird poo to a point, you still need to remove it as soon as possible. and other airborne contanimants. I would say a sacraficial layer. Also enhances the shine you have put on your Car in the Cut & Polish process. Its basicly protects all the work you have done in the previous Polishing process

Process I use every twelve months only

1. Wash with good Auto Shampoo PH Neutral a bucket & Lambswool mitt ( Do not use your DIY Brush Aaaaaarh)

2. Clar Bar

3. Correction or Cut & polish to the old, I use varying Abrasive polishes depending on work needed. to get shine.

4. Wash

5. Sealant/Wax

I cant emphasise the importance of the polish process as this! adds the shine to your car not the wax/sealant, wich enhances the paint thst has just been polished to a high shine, If you have a faded car, no Wax Sealant will give you a show car shine.

thanks so much for your help, I'm just a bit scared about the cut and polish lol but I'll get it

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Latest Posts

    • Next on the to-do list was an oil and filter change. Nothing exciting to add here except the oil filter is in a really stupid place (facing the engine mount/subframe/steering rack). GReddy do a relocation kit which puts it towards the gearbox, I would have preferred towards the front but there's obviously a lot more stuff there. Something I'll have to look at for the next service perhaps. First time using Valvoline oil, although I can't see it being any different to most other brands Nice... The oil filter location... At least the subframe wont rust any time soon I picked up a genuine fuel filter, this is part of the fuel pump assembly inside the fuel tank. Access can be found underneath the rear seat, you'll see this triangular cover Remove the 3x plastic 10mm nuts and lift the cover up, pushing the rubber grommet through The yellow fuel line clips push out in opposite directions, remove these completely. The two moulded fuel lines can now pull upwards to disconnect, along with the wire electrical plug. There's 8x 8mm bolts that secure the black retaining ring. The fuel pump assembly is now ready to lift out. Be mindful of the fuel hose on the side, the hose clamp on mine was catching the hose preventing it from lifting up The fuel pump/filter has an upper and lower section held on by 4 pressure clips. These did take a little bit of force, it sounded like the plastic tabs were going to break but they didn't (don't worry!) The lower section helps mount the fuel pump, there's a circular rubber gasket/grommet/seal thing on the bottom where the sock is. Undo the hose clip on the short fuel hose on the side to disconnect it from the 3 way distribution pipe to be able to lift the upper half away. Don't forget to unplug the fuel pump too! There's a few rubber O rings that will need transferring to the new filter housing, I show these in the video at the bottom of this write up. Reassembly is the reverse Here's a photo of the new filter installed, you'll be able to see where the tabs are more clearing against the yellow OEM plastic Once the assembly is re-installed, I turned the engine over a few times to help build up fuel pressure. I did panic when the car stopped turning over but I could hear the fuel pump making a noise. It eventually started and has been fine since. Found my 'lucky' coin underneath the rear seat too The Youtube video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLJ65pmQt44&t=6s
    • It was picked up on the MOT/Inspection that the offside front wheel bearing had excessive play along with the ball joint. It made sense to do both sides so I sourced a pair of spare IS200 hubs to do the swap. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the strip down but here's a quick run down. On the back of the hub is a large circular dust cover, using a flat head screw driver and a mallet I prised it off. Underneath will reveal a 32mm hub nut (impact gun recommended). With the hub nut removed the ABS ring can be removed (I ended up using a magnetic pick up tool to help). Next up is to remove the stub axle, this was a little trickier due to limited tools. I tried a 3 leg puller but the gap between the hub and stub axle wasn't enough for the legs to get in and under. Next option was a lump hammer and someone pulling the stub axle at the same time. After a few heavy hits it released. The lower bearing race had seized itself onto the stub axle, which was fine because I was replacing them anyway. With the upper bearing race removed and the grease cleaned off they looked like this The left one looked pristine inside but gave us the most trouble. The right one had some surface rust but came apart in a single hit, figure that out?! I got a local garage to press the new wheel bearings in, reassemble was the opposite and didn't take long at all. Removing the hub itself was simple. Starting with removing the brake caliper, 2x 14mm bolts for the caliper slider and 2x 19mm? for the carrier > hub bolts. I used a cable tie to secure the caliper to the upper arm so it was out of the way, there's a 10mm bolt securing the ABS sensor on. With the brake disc removed from the hub next are the three castle nuts for the upper and lower ball joints and track rod end. Two of these had their own R clip and one split pin. A few hits with the hammer and they're released (I left the castle nuts on by a couple of turns), the track rod ends gave me the most grief and I may have nipped the boots (oops). Fitting is the reversal and is very quick and easy to do. The lower ball joints are held onto the hub by 2x 17mm bolts. The castle nut did increase in socket size to 22mm from memory (this may vary from supplier) The two front tyres weren't in great condition, so I had those replaced with some budget tyres for the time being. I'll be replacing the wheels and tyres in the future, this was to get me on the road without the worry of the police hassling me.
    • Yep, the closest base tune available was for the GTT, I went with that and made all the logical changes I could find to convert it to Naturally Aspirated. It will rev fine in Neutral to redline but it will be cutting nearly 50% fuel the whole way.  If I let it tune the fuel map to start with that much less fuel it wont run right and has a hard time applying corrections.  These 50% cuts are with a fuel map already about half of what the GTT tune had.  I was having a whole lot of bogging when applying any throttle but seem to have fixed that for no load situations with very aggressive transient throttle settings. I made the corrections to my injectors with data I found for them online, FBCJC100 flowing 306cc.  I'll have to look to see if I can find the Cam section. I have the Bosch 4.9 from Haltech. My manifold pressure when watching it live is always in -5.9 psi/inHg
    • Hi My Tokico BM50 Brake master cylinder has a leak from the hole between the two outlets (M10x1) for brake pipes, I have attached a photo. Can anyone tell me what that hole is and what has failed to allow brake fluid to escape from it, I have looked on line and asked questions on UK forums but can not find the answer, if anyone can enlighten me I would be most grateful.
    • It will be a software setting. I don't believe many on here ever used AEM. And they're now a discontinued product,that's really hard to find any easy answers on. If it were Link or Haltech, someone would be able to just send you a ECU file though.
×
×
  • Create New...