The right way to wax a Cadillac
1 - 20 of 39 Posts
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 
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.
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.
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..the Sandman said:
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.the Sandman said:
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.
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.
Elvis said:
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.
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.
1 - 20 of 39 Posts
