:)

I bought some car wash with wax right in it. If you have a coat of wax on it, it will revitalize it. It works well if you rub the whole car with a towel after you let some of the water run off. It is made by KIT, thats all i know. But i am satisfied with results. It works great on my GTP, makes your eyes hurt it is so glossy :cool:

"Remember Daniel-san.....WAX ON.......WAX OFF"
I couldn't resist saying that :D

:)

My detail products of choice have been Mother's line. I use a 10" orbital buffer. I plan on trying Zaino on the STS once the weather breaks.

For wax application by hand, i use just that - my HAND. Nothing better for applying wax and being sure there is nothing there to scratch the paint.

For touch-up and spot detailing, I use products made specifically for motorcycles - but work great on cars as well. S100 Detail + Wax spray is great for detailing doorjambs etc.

:)

Originally posted by the Sandman
Hmm, I've applied leather conditioner with my bare hands (no rag or applicator) but never wax. Really good results?

I tried it after reading a tip years ago. It works for me! Great results. Of course - i use a soft dry rag to buff the wax off.. ;) Applying the wax by hand, you will know immediately if there is any grit in the wax or on the paint. Also, you control exactly how much product gets applied to the car by feel instead of by looking. I've also found it to be the best method for keep wax out of emblems etc.

:)

Years ago I bought several cans of the original Blue Coral (bee's wax). I am on my last can. This, for me, has by far been the best wax I have used. I have not been able to find any more of it though. I think they stopped making it.

The way I used it (by the directions) was to apply a thin coat to an area about 3 feet square. Wait till it gets sticky and buff it out.
Does a beautiful job.

Anyone know where I can get more of this stuff?

Pat

Hey Pat, I don't know where to get the original Blue Coral bees wax, But I left a link to another product that works better than anything I've ever tried. I don't sell it or anything but a tech that works in my shop turned me onto it and I couldn't believe how well it worked and it goes on and off easy. Check it out in this forum. Under "Try this stuff" KC:banana:

:)

I don't have a Cadillac yet, but I hope this is a helpful contribution:

For the past three years I've been on a quest for the best auto-finish products. Here's my process and my chosen products:

1) Meguiar's clay bar (twice a year)
2) 3M Swirl Remover (once a year, apply with orbital buffer)
3) 3M Imperial Hand Glaze (twice a year)
4) 3M Paste Wax--still experimenting here (as often as possible)
5) 3M Gloss Enhancer (detailing spray, as often as desired)
6) Kit car wash--I like the smell (always wash by hand if possible)

Finish First products are also pretty good, synthetic, and long lasting. I used them for a while, but on a black car I found that I had to work a little harder to keep it looking just perfect.

Just before using the clay bar, I use a mild mixture of Dawn dish soap to strip any excess wax or difficult road film. Only wash about 2 sq. feet of the car at a time, and immediately rinse. Rinse liberally!!! DON'T let that stuff sit on your paint!

Nothing is prettier than a black car when it's clean. Nothing looks worse when it's dirty. It's definitely a love/hate relationship, especially in the winter. It's 13 degrees right now.

:)

I have a feeling this thread may turn into a seperate page outside the forums - on the main site.. What do ya think?

:)

The problem with newer paints is that they aren't as hard as the old ones so you have to be very careful about how warm you get them while polishing. Remember one thing, no matter what paint color you have, no matter what make car, when you're waxing and polishing, you're working on clear.
If you want the paint to "feel" smooth as hell, you're going to need to "color-sand" it. At least that's what we used to call it. It means to do a wet sand with 1000-1200 paper and get out all the orange peel. The problem with that is sometimes you're not left with a lot of clear. And sometimes if you don't know what you're doing, you can go through the clear and into the color coat ( or base-coat). That's why when you get a custom paint job, there is usually extra clear applied to allow for the wet sanding.
Personally, I always use a rotary machine to get the finish clean and smooth, and then after that I'll only have to use an orbital buffer and maybe a hand-applied glaze.

Originally posted by the Sandman
Hey Elvis

Nice post. Could you give us a rundown of the products you tried and eliminated from your "best" list?

Chances are if it's heavily advertised and/or also available at Kroger or Walgreen's, don't buy it. Not that it's bad stuff, it's just not that durable and it's probably over priced.

Meguiar's makes good stuff, but that polish/cleaner stuff of theirs is a major pain--too much work.

Do NOT use any of the pigmented polishes or waxes. In theory it's a great idea. In practice, I can tell you it doesn't work.

Also, it is impossible to put teflon on your car for $19.95. What you're really getting are teflon particles mixed with a wax or polymer, which do not protect you against anything.

Other products I've used and like:

Kit "Scratch Out" (comes in a yellow plastic bottle)
Meguiar's car shampoo (pinkish bottle)
Finish First's "Finish Fast" detailing spray

When I run out of the 3m wax, I'm going to try Griot's next.

In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a natural wax man, not a synthetic polymer man. If I had a silver, grey, bronze, or gold metallic paint job, (maybe even white) I'd go the synthetic route.

But for dark colors, or basic colors like red, green, or blue I'd recommend carnauba wax. You get a much richer, deeper looking finish.

You can't put Teflon on your car at ANY price to be honest. It's a process that cannot be used in this way. It's the same as when companies claim to have a Teflon motor oil additive. Remember Slick 50? As I recall, they claim (or claimed) that their additive would apply a Teflon coating to all your internal engine parts. A quick conversation with an engineer from Dupont quickly convinced me that those claims were bogus.
As for what's the BEST protectant to put on your paint? What produces the BEST shine? There are so many products out there that do equally well no matter what anyone says. It's a VERY subjective call. There is no BEST. Just remember that there is at least one tip. If it's a "cleaner" wax, or has anything in it that's supposed to prepare the surface or eliminate scratches etc., it MAY do a great job but will not last as long as a basic sealer without the "cleaner" additive. It may produce a superior shine but it will not last as long.

Elvis makes a very good suggestion. 3M stuff is very good, but I like Zaino in place of the 3M wax and 3M Gloss enhancer. A couple of coats with Zaino makes a killer shine. Also I also recomend Zaino leather cleaner and cream. And NO, I am not a dealer.

Originally posted by Elvis
I don't have a Cadillac yet, but I hope this is a helpful contribution:

For the past three years I've been on a quest for the best auto-finish products. Here's my process and my chosen products:

1) Meguiar's clay bar (twice a year)
2) 3M Swirl Remover (once a year, apply with orbital buffer)
3) 3M Imperial Hand Glaze (twice a year)
4) 3M Paste Wax--still experimenting here (as often as possible)
5) 3M Gloss Enhancer (detailing spray, as often as desired)
6) Kit car wash--I like the smell (always wash by hand if possible)

You confirmed my suspicion, Sunrise. I haven't been as impressed with the 3m wax, either.

I really never worried much about which wax to use because I did it so often I didn't think it mattered. I always considered the preliminary stuff to be more important than the final coat. And I guess that I was doing such a good job cleaning, compounding, polishing and glazing that ANY wax would've looked good.

Elvis, I think you are right, the key is prep work. Waxes are all pretty good and the differences are probably very difficult to sort out objectively. As a Corvette owner, I subscribe to the Corvette Forum and picked up many useful hints, things that work well, from guys that are absolutely fanatical. Those same folks, or at least the majority, seem to prefer the combination of 3M you listed along with Zano or Mequires. I started with the 3M/Zano on my vette and the result was amazing. That's not to say that similar results could be obtained with other products.

I SWEAR BY 3m Imperial Hand Glaze.

http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/5462/2h/www.digitalriver.com/v2.0-img/operations/3mauto/image/3/9/0/39007_detail.jpg

http://www21.3m.com/dr/v2/ec_Main.Entry?SP=10007&SID=28181&CID=0&CUR=840&DSP=0&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=0

I have used the porter cable and HIGHLY recomend it. With the over $2000 i spent last year on detailing suplies i would say the PC was my best investment. But don't buy it from Griots. It's way overpriced. The thing to do is go to lowe's or some other local hardware store, and check the price on the Porter Cable 7336. It's the EXACT same machine as the 7424, except it comes with the 6 inch counter weight rather than the 5 (most detailing pads are 6 inches so this is a big plus). I picked up my PC for ~$110 at lowes here in CO.

Once you buy the PC you need pads. I've tried 4 different brands. Meguiars are good if you can find them (check with paint stores). The other place to get some good ones is from CMA (classic motoring accessories, www.properautocare.com) They have a kit you can buy that comes with the velcro backing plate (which you NEED to use most pads) and some other pads. For basic work their standard polishing pads are good. But if you really want to get some action you should try the "orange power pads". Those are excelent. If you have any questions please ask.

Also for those that are unsure if it is safe. If you happen to be near colorado come out and visit me. The PCs are so safe that i will let you buff my car with an abrasive compound with just a little bit of instruction (there is a video a friend of mine did that is an excelent begining point). You really can't mess things up with the PC, you can however get amazing results.

Elvis: Have you tried other products besides 3m IHG? From my tests i found that while the shine was decent, it didn't last nearly as long as some other products. There are some new products out that were developed by chemists, 'engineered' to be perfect detailing products. Many of these not only give a better shine than IHG (in general.. shine depends on a lot, ie what make/model/color car and paint condition and so on) and last a lot longer. I've got a whole garage full of products, if there's something you want to try let me know and if i have some i can mail you a sample.

Also to answer the orginal question. I wax by hand. Doing the final layer of any product (or combo) is best done with just your two hands and a good microfiber cloth. Using a machine for the final coat usually ends up wasting product. The final coat doesn't need to be worked in like an abrasive, just set on top so it can adhere to the surface. It doesn't even take any less time with a buffer. The rule i use is that if i'm trying to 'fix or clean' the paint in any way i use the buffer, if i'm just enhancing, i use my hands.

The karate kid movies really put a lot of people down the wrong path with doing it by hand. First rule of waxing:

Don't work in circles.

That is how the 'wax on', 'wax off' worked in the moves, but it's wrong for your car. Here's why:

You will always have small scratches in your finish (with the exception of very very few people) these are commonly what's refered to as 'swirls'. They can vary in intensity and look, but are aparent at some level on almost every finish. Modern day clear coats are VERY soft, and the softest materials will marr them. Even those nice soft cotten towels. So when you buff off your wax you will scratch the surface slightly. If you buff off in circles your scratches face in all directions, catching lots of light.

The real way to to do it is the same direction. Most people i know follow the rule of going in the direction of air flow over the car. On your hood go from the bumper to the windshield, on the sides from front to back and so on. This way all the scraches will be in the same direction, and much less noticeable in the light.

A nice trick though is to do one coat in that direction, and if you are following in another do it in the perpindicular direction. This will align the particles (in most products) in a different fashion and give it a little extra shine. It's just a slight difference, but every little bit helps. Still though when doing this for each set of buffing off you go in a linear motion in the same direction.

Nice work, Dr. Jones! Good info that will benefit us all.

No, I haven't tried anything other than 3m IHG. I would take your word for it if you can recommend a better glaze. My car is black, and it shines like a mirror after a good detailing job.

As you probably know, scratches and swirls show up worse on a black car than any other. Until I owned this car, I never had a need for a glaze. I'd just polish every 18 months or so, and wax about every 90 days.

I became a fanatic when I bought this car. We just had our 3-yr. anniversary on Sunday. 35,000 miles and still looking showroom new.

Great info. now all I need is product and patience :D

I definitely dont have the spare time (and for that matter, the spare money) to do all this stuff. What would you recommend as the best stuff if you dont have a huge budget. Basically, I want something that gets the job done, i dont need all that fancy stuff. I do have access to a buffer, but i dont personally own one. Basically, i want something that is easy to apply and gives a good shine (i dont need it to blind people when they see it).

Originally posted by elwesso
I definitely dont have the spare time (and for that matter, the spare money) to do all this stuff. What would you recommend as the best stuff if you dont have a huge budget. Basically, I want something that gets the job done, i dont need all that fancy stuff. I do have access to a buffer, but i dont personally own one. Basically, i want something that is easy to apply and gives a good shine (i dont need it to blind people when they see it).

just go to a local shop and pick up some Meguiars stuff. If you want simple just a cleaner wax. If you want a little more get a glaze and any of their pure waxes.

Ok. Does using a buffer really make that much of a difference? Also, does that spray stuff get good results? Also, what would you recommend for other detailing products (eg. leather stuff, wheel cleaner, and other products for various jobs)

Originally posted by elwesso
Ok. Does using a buffer really make that much of a difference? Also, does that spray stuff get good results? Also, what would you recommend for other detailing products (eg. leather stuff, wheel cleaner, and other products for various jobs)

Buffer makes a huge difference if you are using it for what you are suposed to. And you have the right technique and products. I'll put togeather a list of products and post it here sometime soon. In general spray stuff isn't good, (regardless of what it is) but their are exceptions to every rule (ie most Quick Detailers are sprays, and some work VERY well).

OK, ill be watching for all those products. I may wash the cars tomorrow, because it is supposed to be 50! WOOHOO, the cars will be thanking me

IM still not brave enough to buff my own car after seeing my bos try it on a Vixen Motorhome. he wore through the paint into the gelcoat

Originally posted by Dead Sled
IM still not brave enough to buff my own car after seeing my bos try it on a Vixen Motorhome. he wore through the paint into the gelcoat

my guess is that he was using a rotary buff (did it have a speed controll as a number (ie 1-6) or was it around 1000 (ie rpms). With those yes you can hurt your car. With a duel action buffer, like the porter cable 7424 (or 7336) you are much much safer. These buffers don't just spin in place, the pad rotates, but it also has lateral movement, (hence 'duel action') This keeps it from building up as much heat. Which in some cases is good and safer, but it also keeps you from getting the best results with the best products. There is a really good video showing how easy it is to use one of these buffers, i'll try and find the link and post it here. Basically with a duel action, you can do a little bit of reading, and be ready to buff your own car without having to worry about damaging it.

it was a Snap-On polisher 1000rpm

What can you tell me about "Pink Glaze"? My local body shop seems to live by the stuff. I'm not sure if Pink Glaze is the name of the product.

Originally posted by Mad'lac
What can you tell me about "Pink Glaze"? My local body shop seems to live by the stuff. I'm not sure if Pink Glaze is the name of the product.

Well there are 3 compaines that make a pink glaze. The most popular is 3M, then there is a company called American something or other (i forget) and some company that died out a while back that had one. It's probably the 3m stuff, which i've never used but i hear it's pretty decent, but can leave a haze. In general a glaze is just a filler. They often have oils and silicone which just fill the swirls and cover up what is wrong. Meaning that the results might be good, but they usually don't last. I personally like to do the job right the first time.

If a customer comes to me i'm not going to throw some glaze on their car that will make it look nice, for a month or so. I'm going to remove the swirls and smooth out the clear coat, so without anything besides the paint, it still looks good. Then i'll top it off with a good sealent that will last 6+ months. To me that is the right way to do it, but people have their own opinions.

That's one of the reasons I don't do detail shops!

I dont do them either, for 2 reasons. 1. Too expensive, 2. Its more fun to do it myself.

I would consider going to those types of shops if i knew the products they used. And possibly if they had pictures of results. Still, id rather do it myself. I have to have something to do on the weekend.

I have the Griot's orbital buffer and it works great for applying the wax. I remove and polish by hand. If you want a good wax job that makes the paint really look deep, use the Griots clay bar first. You will be amazed how much deep grit this removes after washing and will leave the finish smooth as silk.

:)