Need opinions on waxing n stuff

[Nick1234]

So the Malibu needs waxed. Now usually i have always just used a cleaner wax, then a carnuba wax of some sort. Have had good luck with Maguires lately. Right now im trying to figure out what i need to do to get rid of swirl marks. Will a cleaner wax help pull those out, or will i need to polish?, then 2 coats of wax. I dont want to make this a 2 day 7 application process. And i dont have a a buffer.

 

Was just thinking cleaner wax and carnuba wax would get the job done. May not look good after first application, but when i do it again in a few months ill get better results?

Edited April 30, 2012 by Nick1234

[Mel87]

Best bet, buy a buffer. You can get fairly cheap ones that work well. I know some people are real devoted when it comes to waxes, but for me I have had good luck with the Mothers 3 step system. You could try to polish it but your best bet is to pick up a buffer, a lot more easy and more precise.

[urbex]

When I got the Lumina it wasn't dull, but it wasn't shiny. All I did was use cleaner wax, and after a few applications it got much better!

[Twenty]

So the Malibu needs TO BE waxed.

 

Sorry, that bugs me.

[Garrett Powered]

you will get better coverage if you just rub it out one time by hand.

[Nick1234]

Sorry, that bugs me.

 

lol. yeah

[urbex]

I've never used a buffer.... Ask Spencer how shiny my Lumina is!!!

[Addicted To Boost]

you will get better coverage if you just rub it out one time by hand.

Heheh. I've had great luck with Meguires NXT wax. I'm thinking it has a lot of fillers in it that fill in the fine scratches and swirl marks in the paint. The correct way to fix the scratches and swirl marks would be to polish it first though.

[BRZN]

Don't have a polisher? Don't go out and buy a cheap one, save your money for a decent one. Also, you'll never remove swirls by hand, you can make them a bit better/less noticable but won't completely remove them. I use my DA (Dual Action) set at 5,000 OPM (oscillations per minute) and can spend an entire weekend Friday through Sunday on a full correction with those speeds: try to get 5,000 OPM by hand! I use a cleaner wax under my rocker panels and on my front bumper sometimes when I didn't remove all the bugs while washing and don't want to bother with claying and waxing. It's also pretty good as a tar remover. Cleaner waxes have fine abrasives in them and can marr the paint, so if using one, start in an inconspicuous spot. There's enough abrasive in them to clean, not polish.

 

By hand a recommendation would be:

Wash

Clay

Glaze to fill minor imperfections

Wax, one coat would be fine, two better, of a good quality carnauba wax.

 

This has been machine polished and has two coats of Adam's Americana paste wax with a coat of their Brilliant Glaze overtop:

 

Now that's shiny!

Edited April 30, 2012 by BRZN

[pshojo]

Love the Color of the GTO! but back to real question. What does the clay do for you?

[94 olds vert]

Love the Color of the GTO! but back to real question. What does the clay do for you?

 

The clay removes the debris that collects in the clear coat. It helps to give the finish a really smooth feeling.

 

I just buffed my Gp yesterday. First time I've done so since I've owned it. I like Meguiars. I used the Ultimate rubbing compound, a cleaner and then a carnauba wax to give the paint some real shine.

 

This is 20 year old paint and it still shines up. Granted white paint doesn't have much depth to it. Sure does look clean.

 

[Nick1234]

Did you use a cleaner wax? And whats the difference between rubbing compound and a polish.

[94 olds vert]

Yeah I used a cleaner wax. It eliminates the oxidation and helps to bring out the color. A rubbing compound is used to get out scratches and swirl marks. A polish is much less abrasive and gets out very fine scratches it also helps to bring back the paints luster or gloss.

[LuminaPower92]

I have used all of the above. If you've never compounded and polished a vehicle I would be careful. You can burn the paint very easily. I've started venturing into wet sanding with much success as well. You don't need high speeds and fast movements when you buff. It's slow and steady. Basically, if your too slow you can burn the paint, too fast and you can put massive swirls into the paint.

[ChibiBlackSheep]

 

This whole page is actually very helpful: http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

 

you will see very quickly that you will need to invest in a proper polisher.

[BRZN]

What the hood looked like when I picked the car up last fall:

 

What it looks like now:

18 year old paint.

Washed to remove loose surface dirt.

Clay Bar used to remove imbedded surface contaminents in the paint.

Machine Polish with a Flex XC 3401 VRG

along with Adam's three step process:

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-738-adams-basic-flex-xc-3401-vrg-polisher-kit.aspx

I did first wet sand out a couple of the deeper scratches and started polishing with Meguiars 105 on a yellow pad before going through the Adam's products.

Topped with a liquid carnauba wax.

 

You'll get out what you put in. There really are no short cuts to really nice looking paint.