Washing and Detailing

[LostSalad]

I was derailing the other thread too much, so I'm making a new one. @Freedom

Originally Posted by FT_86_SM_GP

After 3 or so washes it gets better, speak to @Freedom he does Supertrax every month and still manages to clay and wax his ride? keeping it spotless

Originally Posted by Freedom

After I am done from the pan I go straight home and wash the car. If you leave that water sit, you going to have a tough time getting the stains off.

I think if you wax your car before going to the pan it will make it easier to wash afterwards. I don't struggle getting the dirt off, just a light swipe with my microfiber mitt and use the two bucket method. I would definitely not go to a car wash, they will scratch the car horribly and the pressure washer isn't going to remove the stains.

You might have to clay your car then use a polish. If you don't want to do it yourself maybe look at taking it to a detailing shop.

For now I am over the skidpan because of this hassle but it is a really good way to learn the car safely.

I recently got my paint glazed - that should have the same (or better) effect as waxing before? I should've used my microfiber cloth but I have a really soft sponge and I used that instead. I should invest in a big fat mitt. I've been meaning to get a claybar, but I'm just not sure where to a) find them and b) get a good price. Midas? Online? I think I'll hit the skidpan again next month and then go the whole hog with cleaning. Even waxing the whole car is a freaking mission - so to claybar every surface and then wax/polish afterwards sounds like a whole afternoon's work.

On that note - is there a difference between "polishing wax" and "polish" o.O

Anyway, it's good to know that the stains get better after a few washes.

[Freedom]

Originally Posted by LostSalad

I was derailing the other thread too much, so I'm making a new one. @Freedom





I recently got my paint glazed - that should have the same (or better) effect as waxing before? I should've used my microfiber cloth but I have a really soft sponge and I used that instead. I should invest in a big fat mitt. I've been meaning to get a claybar, but I'm just not sure where to a) find them and b) get a good price. Midas? Online? I think I'll hit the skidpan again next month and then go the whole hog with cleaning. Even waxing the whole car is a freaking mission - so to claybar every surface and then wax/polish afterwards sounds like a whole afternoon's work.

On that note - is there a difference between "polishing wax" and "polish" o.O

Anyway, it's good to know that the stains get better after a few washes.

I don't want to sound like a detailing expert, because I am not. All I did was do some reading and research on the web.

Not sure what glazing does. I just suggest that if you freshly wax the car it will be protected as the water is going to land on the wax not on the car.

I've never heard of polishing wax, maybe it's a two in one thing . As for the clay, I've read that it all comes from the same factory so just find the cheapest one.

This forum has a thread for this stuff here: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42

And once you start with this detailing stuff you going to end up with a lot of products

[Ec1990]

Originally Posted by LostSalad

I was derailing the other thread too much, so I'm making a new one. @Freedom





I recently got my paint glazed - that should have the same (or better) effect as waxing before? I should've used my microfiber cloth but I have a really soft sponge and I used that instead. I should invest in a big fat mitt. I've been meaning to get a claybar, but I'm just not sure where to a) find them and b) get a good price. Midas? Online? I think I'll hit the skidpan again next month and then go the whole hog with cleaning. Even waxing the whole car is a freaking mission - so to claybar every surface and then wax/polish afterwards sounds like a whole afternoon's work.

On that note - is there a difference between "polishing wax" and "polish" o.O

Anyway, it's good to know that the stains get better after a few washes.

I'll try to answer these in order but if you would like anymore detail feel free to PM me.

I'll preface this with the absurd amount of misinformation and confusing terms that exist in detailing. Many companies use terms interchangeably and make it incredibly difficult to discern between terms.

Glazing is the use of a product that has filling properties. Instead of polishing or compounding which removes scratches by reducing the layer of clear coat to make it even, glazes fill in these scratches to promote a uniform appearance which provides better reflections and increased gloss. This is only a temporary fix and will not provide long-term solutions like polishing will.

As for clay bars you can find them at any local auto store and the wide majority is made by the same manufacturer (Clay Magic) due to a recently expired patent. Meguiar's makes a relatively easy to use kit that comes bundled with clay lube. It is important to keep the surface well lubricated to avoid possible marring which is micro scratches due to the clay. It's not something to be afraid of but aware of.

A polishing wax sounds somewhat confusing; do you have an exact product that is labeled as this? One possible difference is that it is an all in one type product that has properties of a polish, glaze, and a wax combined. Think of polish as a liquid abrasive, it reduces the level of clear coat in very small increments to level out the clear coat as described above.

Originally Posted by Freedom

I don't want to sound like a detailing expert, because I am not. All I did was do some reading and research on the web.

Not sure what glazing does. I just suggest that if you freshly wax the car it will be protected as the water is going to land on the wax not on the car.

I've never heard of polishing wax, maybe it's a two in one thing . As for the clay, I've read that it all comes from the same factory so just find the cheapest one.

This forum has a thread for this stuff here: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42

And once you start with this detailing stuff you going to end up with a lot of products

I agree that keeping a vehicle waxed or using a sealant is very important to form a sacrificial barrier. Not to nitpick, but for clarity's sake, clay in the US used to be produced by Clay Magic, although they did produce many different kinds to different manufacturer's specifications, I have no idea what laws exist in South Africa and am far from knowledgeable on it, so feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. So while they used to be the sole provider of it, it was not the exact same, although that patent has since expired and the market is now open to different manufactures. Although in recent years the clay towel and sponge have increased in market share and work excellently.

[LostSalad]

Originally Posted by Freedom

I don't want to sound like a detailing expert, because I am not. All I did was do some reading and research on the web.

Not sure what glazing does. I just suggest that if you freshly wax the car it will be protected as the water is going to land on the wax not on the car.

I've never heard of polishing wax, maybe it's a two in one thing . As for the clay, I've read that it all comes from the same factory so just find the cheapest one.

This forum has a thread for this stuff here: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42

And once you start with this detailing stuff you going to end up with a lot of products

I already own more car-care products than I ever expected :|. This is the male version of cosmetics... "Hey bro, look how smooth it is, I waxed this weekend"

It's a lot of effort but next time I'll try your advice and wax up before going to the skidpan.

Originally Posted by Ec1990

I'll try to answer these in order but if you would like anymore detail feel free to PM me.

I'll preface this with the absurd amount of misinformation and confusing terms that exist in detailing. Many companies use terms interchangeably and make it incredibly difficult to discern between terms.

Glazing is the use of a product that has filling properties. Instead of polishing or compounding which removes scratches by reducing the layer of clear coat to make it even, glazes fill in these scratches to promote a uniform appearance which provides better reflections and increased gloss. This is only a temporary fix and will not provide long-term solutions like polishing will.

As for clay bars you can find them at any local auto store and the wide majority is made by the same manufacturer (Clay Magic) due to a recently expired patent. Meguiar's makes a relatively easy to use kit that comes bundled with clay lube. It is important to keep the surface well lubricated to avoid possible marring which is micro scratches due to the clay. It's not something to be afraid of but aware of.

A polishing wax sounds somewhat confusing; do you have an exact product that is labeled as this? One possible difference is that it is an all in one type product that has properties of a polish, glaze, and a wax combined. Think of polish as a liquid abrasive, it reduces the level of clear coat in very small increments to level out the clear coat as described above.



I agree that keeping a vehicle waxed or using a sealant is very important to form a sacrificial barrier. Not to nitpick, but for clarity's sake, clay in the US used to be produced by Clay Magic, although they did produce many different kinds to different manufacturer's specifications, I have no idea what laws exist in South Africa and am far from knowledgeable on it, so feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. So while they used to be the sole provider of it, it was not the exact same, although that patent has since expired and the market is now open to different manufactures. Although in recent years the clay towel and sponge have increased in market share and work excellently.

I take it that means that after having the car glazed, polishing is actually just removing the glaze? Although, to be fair, I think I'd have a hard time removing all of it with my small applicator pad and elbow grease. I'll read up more about the whole polish vs glaze thing, because apparently the glaze is also a decent sacrificial barrier. I need to find better auto stores because I've only found one place that sells Meguiar's (Game) - everywhere else (eg. Midas) has stuff like Shield and Turtle. So far the Meguiar's stuff has been awesome so I'll definitely drop some extra bucks to get the wax bundle you mentioned (with the lube).

The "polishing wax" that I have is exactly that - I got a Meguiar's pack that came with soap and wax and a sponge + applicator pad. It even says polishing wax on the bottle if I'm not mistaken. I should take a photo next time I'm at home. So I wanted to get some polish-polish, and found a bottle that said "polish" on the front. Seems legit. Except on the back it described it as an all-in-one waxing and polishing solution :confused:. This was Turtle brand.

So you polish the crap out of it and then put wax over to seal it off and add protection? Would you say that the "all-in-one" solution is not as effective? If I think of any shampoo+conditioner I've ever tried in my hair... it never works quite as well as they say

[Cheddaa]

Makro have the shield claybar and detailing spray combo. Read up on forums how others use it. I tried it out on the wife's Auris 1st and it came out really really really smooth and shiny. Wash, dry, claybar with spray, quickly wash and dry again, mequirs polishing wax, then carnuba wax to finish off. Took me a very long time to do it by hand, and since haven't gotten around to wax my car yet :/

[Freedom]

Makro in Centurion stock Meguiar's products or you can order from them, but strangely they are cheaper from Makro.

[Ec1990]

Originally Posted by LostSalad

I take it that means that after having the car glazed, polishing is actually just removing the glaze? Although, to be fair, I think I'd have a hard time removing all of it with my small applicator pad and elbow grease. I'll read up more about the whole polish vs glaze thing, because apparently the glaze is also a decent sacrificial barrier. I need to find better auto stores because I've only found one place that sells Meguiar's (Game) - everywhere else (eg. Midas) has stuff like Shield and Turtle. So far the Meguiar's stuff has been awesome so I'll definitely drop some extra bucks to get the wax bundle you mentioned (with the lube).

The "polishing wax" that I have is exactly that - I got a Meguiar's pack that came with soap and wax and a sponge + applicator pad. It even says polishing wax on the bottle if I'm not mistaken. I should take a photo next time I'm at home. So I wanted to get some polish-polish, and found a bottle that said "polish" on the front. Seems legit. Except on the back it described it as an all-in-one waxing and polishing solution :confused:. This was Turtle brand.

So you polish the crap out of it and then put wax over to seal it off and add protection? Would you say that the "all-in-one" solution is not as effective? If I think of any shampoo+conditioner I've ever tried in my hair... it never works quite as well as they say

Yep correct, polishing will remove glazes. A dedicated polisher will perform much better than hand polishing but jumping into that can be a bit of an investment. I'm not sure what dedicated auto detailing are over there. But I do know there is a member over on AutogeekOnline with the user name lawrenceSA that is in South Africa that may be able to assist you better and owns a detailing store and does fantastic work.

Polish and wax does exactly that, polish the paint to your liking, then use wax to seal it in while providing that sacrificial barrier. I would agree with that an all in one is not as effective as dedicated products but they do work well with the understanding that it can be done better. They work quickly and can be done much quicker than polishing and waxing separately. They are mostly marketed to businesses that have customers that do not want to spend the full amount to get their paint perfect or say when someone is getting ready to sell a car.

[LostSalad]

Originally Posted by Freedom

Makro in Centurion stock Meguiar's products or you can order from them, but strangely they are cheaper from Makro.

Originally Posted by Cheddaa

Makro have the shield claybar and detailing spray combo. Read up on forums how others use it. I tried it out on the wife's Auris 1st and it came out really really really smooth and shiny. Wash, dry, claybar with spray, quickly wash and dry again, mequirs polishing wax, then carnuba wax to finish off. Took me a very long time to do it by hand, and since haven't gotten around to wax my car yet :/

That Makro is so far from anything useful (to me) that I'll have to do some maths on whether or not the petrol costs justify the discount . Good to know that they have stock though. Sometimes it's better to just not be stingy and buy good quality products.

@Cheddaa, why do you say to wash again after the claybar? Weird analogy, but is it kind of like brushing your teeth after you floss? Gotta get the shit you loosened up out of there . But surely it will be fine to clay, wipe with microfiber and then polish + wax?

Originally Posted by Ec1990

Yep correct, polishing will remove glazes. A dedicated polisher will perform much better than hand polishing but jumping into that can be a bit of an investment. I'm not sure what dedicated auto detailing are over there. But I do know there is a member over on AutogeekOnline with the user name lawrenceSA that is in South Africa that may be able to assist you better and owns a detailing store and does fantastic work.

Polish and wax does exactly that, polish the paint to your liking, then use wax to seal it in while providing that sacrificial barrier. I would agree with that an all in one is not as effective as dedicated products but they do work well with the understanding that it can be done better. They work quickly and can be done much quicker than polishing and waxing separately. They are mostly marketed to businesses that have customers that do not want to spend the full amount to get their paint perfect or say when someone is getting ready to sell a car.

Thanks for the referral . I think this whole deal can become an... obsession. Which I'm not entirely against, but I'd rather get into it slowly lol. I think the next items on my shopping list are a clay kit, high gloss polish and sealing wax. I'll keep the all-in-one stuff for touch-ups because it still looks pretty good . Not quite ready to drop 4k on an electric polisher though heh.

Thanks for all the help here ^_^. It's such a shame to drive this car around dirty - gotta do this properly yo.

[Cheddaa]

I read somewhere that they washed again after claying - and I found that the surface was a little bit sticky after the clay part and wanted the clean an dry before polishing. Most don't say anything about washing after claying though. Lol the flossing analogy, just a quick touch the surface brush up after

[LostSalad]

Originally Posted by Cheddaa

just a quick touch the surface brush up after

That is an interesting sentence lol. I found the combo! Thanks for the tip! I soooo almost missed it at Makro and went home. The guy helping in that section was sure they didn't stock it. I just happened to glance at it on the way out! I showed him afterwards for the benefit of future customers

Here is the product if anyone is interested. Price was R150. Includes 2 clay bars, detailing spray as lube and a microfiber :notbad:. They also had a special on Meguiers Gold Class shampoo (R70 per bottle) so I picked one up for future use.

Worst part about the trip was the guy on the intercom trying to hard sell a TV and not knowing jack shit what "smart", "quad core" and "wifi" meant

[FT_86_SM_GP]

I decided to spend sometime with my paint work and give it some much needed TLC,

My vehicle was parked for 6months and was washed only once during that period.

In addition to thick layers of dust, it picked up scratches from idiots
(I live in a complex / apartment),

My paint was dull, scratch marks deep and swirl marks for Africa.

I spent sometime on Youtube and found a decent (User friendly) reasonably priced kit,

Meguiar's Paint Restoration Kit:





Builders: R699
Makro: R599
Autostyle: R499 - Purchased

Includes:

1. Shampoo

2. Clay Bar(25g) and Quick Detailer

3. Ultimate Compound

4. Carnauba Liquid Wax

5. 2xApplicator Pads + 2x Microfiber towels

I was abit hesitant that a 25g clay bar will complete my car, so I bought the R150 Clay bar kit from Makro as well...




Results:

Took me around 4 hours (Didnt rush the process)

The 25g clay bar that Meguiar's provide was enough for the entire car.

My timing was bad, as it got dark as I was completing it, so could not do a quality check.



Woke up this morning, and used the micro fiber cloth to remove a layer of dust that settled, (Due to parking outside),

But overall the car has a nice gloss, the original paint is sparkling again,

The major scratch marks are still visible, but slightly,

Sill got half a bottle of Ultimate Compound and little Wax left for future use.

Money and time well spent for me.

[LostSalad]

Originally Posted by FT_86_SM_GP

Attachment 111786

:wolf whistle: