advice needed after polishing black car??

[cattis72]

hi guys,

always polished my car with gold class, and no ploblems, switched to tech wax and now when the car is in the direct sunlight you can see polishing lines or haziness in the paint, looks real untidy. Never had this problem and now just cant seem to to bring the paint back to its immaculate finish. these arent swirls marks its like the residue hasnt fully come off the car, perhaps i pre-cleaner should have been used, any tips guys would be greatly appreciated.
cheers

[PepeLePew]

Shizer! Is that the new Meguiars wax?

I just bought mine but usually precede any polishing with ScratchX if I havent done it for a while...will be interested to see if anyone else has had the same experiences...

Did you polish in the shade?

[BlueSS]

Its really worth getting the car professionally polished when it gets like that, saves hours of cursing and swearing, my car's bermuda blue, i try and get it professionally done every 12 months or so and then polish it every 2 months or so with Wetlook, after the 12 months the swirls come back and its off to get done again, its worth the investment ($120).

[SV8VY]

Have another question hope you don't mind cattis72...I gave mine a wash and a polish with the Turtle wax and it was very easy and looks good.
I normally let Suttons in Link Road wash it when I work in the area.Have I wasted my time?Do car wash places eat at the polish or will it last 12 months as it says on the bottle?(I try and do it every 6 months)my car is silver also and so far doesn't seem to have the swirling marks.

[BLOWN_VXSS]

Has anybody else used the new Meguiars tech wax?
Interested in how you think it compares to the Meguiars gold class.

[Deano T]

I have a mate that swears by it. He has a black car and it looks a treat. I just tried it for the first time tonight. It was on dusk by the time I finished so I will let you know what I think in the morning.

[Ricko]

Ive used it and find it really good, but its on my Quicksilver car and cant compare it to other Meguires waxes as i always found them ordinary and used other/better products.

Some people baulk at $42 for wax, but thats about 1/2 the price of what i was using. :D.

The only thing i found with it is that the beading doesnt last long, but it still feels smooth and looks good.

cattis72, some tips that may help, as its an acrylic use VERY sparingly, and apply with the applicator just a little damp for lubrication, and then wait as long as possible to remove. It should come off with two or three wipes with barely enough pressure to keep the cloth on the sides of the car, and remove with a microfibre if possible.

As you stated, it may be a mixture of the acrylic over the top of the old wax/polish. Always use a paint cleaner when changing wax/polish types. Try a cleaner and re apply.

Read this review http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=35

and see what he has to say about it, and some tips.

[Blackcrew]

I`ve used tech wax on my black crewman and I`m very happy with the results,swirl marks gone,fine scratches gone.I found that the longer you leave it on the better the result.I posted in the technical section about the same subject just the other week.

[sirhc]

this is how i would address the prob go to recognised body shop and ask their advice and ask them to fix

[Ferret]

Hi Guys,

Polished the Impulse Blue Monaro in the shade at the weekend with Mequiars wet look and it was very hard to polish off. It has left the paint work looking a little untidy. I have been using Mequiars for a while on other cars with out any problems. Can anyone tell me what's the best polish going around at the moment.


Thanks

Ferret

[Glenn@Autowerks]

My only question is why did I buy a black car ?? Watching here for the best results :D

[dark]

Has anybody else used the new Meguiars tech wax?
Interested in how you think it compares to the Meguiars gold class.

I have used Zaino, Gold Class and just purchased the new Meguires NXT generation wax and it was a stunning result. Mine is black. It took three coats of Zaino to bring it up to one coat of NXT.

I am going to try Pinnacle Soveran Wax. I will report back.

[wrexed03]

I use techwax as well make sure you use it in the shade on a cool car otherwise its a prick to get off and looks crap. Tried other products and this is the best i have used on a black car. Now just need to figure out what will keep the dust off... :(

[myles]

Hi Guys,

Polished the Impulse Blue Monaro in the shade at the weekend with Mequiars wet look and it was very hard to polish off. It has left the paint work looking a little untidy. I have been using Mequiars for a while on other cars with out any problems. Can anyone tell me what's the best polish going around at the moment.


Thanks

Ferret

I haven't used it yet, but I read on here quite a few posts recommending the Auto Glym super resin polish (used at european car shows).

Auto Glym Super Resin Polish (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ag-1325.html)

I did however pick up Meguiar's Scratch X polish and it is 10/10 for making your car look better than ever.

Meguiar's Scratch X (http://www.autogeek.net/megscratxfin.html)

I applied the Scratch X then Mother's California Gold pure carnauba wax Mother's California Gold Carnauba Wax (http://www.autobarn.net/cagonafopuca1.html) . I'm still open to trying a different pure carnauba wax, the Mother's one was very good, but the Scratch X product (recommended on this forum) was exceptional.

Check out www.bettercarcare.com (http://www.bettercarcare.com) and almost every query you have on cleaning, polishing and waxing should be answered. eg. recommends polishing/waxing back and forth instead of circular motion to avoid swirl marks.

Autobarn will have most of the products mentioned. :)

[dominik]

Can anyone tell me what's the best polish going around at the moment. It depends on what you're going for: looks, protection, or both. There's usually a trade off somewhere.

For a polish, the Zaino stuff is the easiest to apply and thanks to some fancy polymers it can achieve that dripping wet just sprayed look which most people go nuts over. Z2 and Z5 are the ones you'll be interested in.

There's also the Zymol glazes which are pretty expensive but they use all natural ingredients (no silicone) and leave your car panels smelling like pina colada. I only know of one store that sells them up here so I'm guessing it's pretty scarce down there too.

As for rubbing out scratches, ScratchX performs miracles by hand and is a good place to start especially if you're pressed for time. If you want to do a professional job without visiting a professional, get some Meguiar's pro Mirror Glaze stuff and an orbital polisher with some lambs wool pads. Start with #2 Mirror Glaze (a high speed rotary buffer works best here and is what the pros use but unless you know what you're doing... wrong way go back), then #9, and finish with #7. It's also worth keeping in mind the clear coat isn't bottomless so you don't want to be using the more abrasive polishes every weekend because eventually you'll cut through.

An orbital polisher (especially one with a random orbit pattern) is a great investment because it won't generate too much heat and friction like a rotary buffer or leave the typical swirl marks, plus it makes the job of safely rubbing out a tough wax like carnauba a lot faster than by hand.

As for protection, a fine layer of carnauba paste wax maximizes resistance to scuffs and scratches so I think it's worth using. Mothers, Meguiar's #16... there are several choices. Rubbed out properly the yellow carnauba stuff is really glossy and as hard as concrete. I'm convinced nothing synthetic matches carnauba for protection even if it is a pain in the arse to apply. And definitely do it in the shade so you can get the excess off before it dries out... that's good advice.

It also goes without saying that plain old oxidation is your finish's worst enemy so the more time it stays out of the sun the longer it'll stay looking new. Anyway, owning a black car does mean a lot of extra work to keep it looking good but when it's freshly cleaned and polished cruising around just as the sun goes down, nothing looks better :cool:

[dark]

Has anyone any knowledge on protecting the car from bird sh*t. :mad:

[IIV8II]

Don't park under birds

[dominik]

Has anyone any knowledge on protecting the car from bird sh*t. :mad:A decent wax will offer some protection but you should use a dedicated cleaner for the crap removal job. Shop around for "Bug & Tar Remover"... Autobarn should have it.

[BLACK 346]

A decent wax will offer some protection but you should use a dedicated cleaner for the crap removal job. Shop around for "Bug & Tar Remover"... Autobarn should have it.

Be very careful using bug and tar remover on modern
clear coat paint, some can be very aggressive :)

[dominik]

Be very careful using bug and tar remover on modern
clear coat paint, some can be very aggressive :) True. How about the bug & tar wipes? The stuff probably wouldn't be on the finish long enough to do any damage. Anyway, surely bird shit is worse :)

[BLACK 346]

True. How about the bug & tar wipes? The stuff probably wouldn't be on the finish long enough to do any damage. Anyway, surely bird shit is worse :)

Bird shit is nothing, you should see what bat shit does
to your paint (instant permanant damage) :eek:
Seriously, after soaking the shit off with a heavily
water soaked rag, I would use a modern paint cleaner
to move the residue (Meguiars or Mothers etc).

[dominik]

Bird shit is nothing, you should see what bat shit does
to your paint (instant permanant damage) :eek:
Seriously, after soaking the shit off with a heavily
water soaked rag, I would use a modern paint cleaner
to move the residue (Meguiars or Mothers etc). I've heard about the damage they can do dropping their little toxic bombs in the middle of the night. I wonder how many days you could get away with leaving it there before a respray was in order?

[BLACK 346]

I've heard about the damage they can do dropping their little toxic bombs in the middle of the night. I wonder how many days you could get away with leaving it there before a respray was in order?

Unfortunately it does permanant damage in hours rather than days. I never park under trees (day or night) and
try to find under cover parking at night.

[BLOL67]

Hi all , i might have a answer.
I have always recieved excellent comments about the cars i've driven,currently a vs calais (factory bontanica blue on grey).Simple , follow these steps ( it works );
1.car must be cold and in the shade b 4 u start.
2.use a clean sponge with warm soapy water (meguiar`s soft wash),make shore you don`t push to hard on the paint and let the suds do the work,other wise you could add light surface scratches to the car.
3.dry with a chamoe( no idea how to spell that)

steps 1,2,3 should always be done.
This is where the magic happens.

4.if paint damaged,use T-CUT colour restorer( the all colour type is better and comes in a red bottle ) this will only cut the paint back slightly and may look a little foggy once cut back( this is normal).
5.use (meguiar`s wet look finish polish) ,apply on the applicator and take off using ( it looks like a stocking and can be bought at any auto store) then use a clean terry towel.This will bring out the colour and a bit of a shine.To add more of a shine polish a 2nd time.(i do )
6.now apply yellow wax 26.using a different applicator and the stocking stuff and a clean terry towel.this product will protect your hard work and add a excellent shine.

it`s alot of work but when it`s finished,stand back and just look,you will understand what iam talking about.

tip. only cut back the once until the marks are gone as u can not keep cutting back your paint everytime you polish your car.

hope this helps.
i normaly wash the car after work on friday and do the rest on the saturday.

[HyperUTE]

I get the same problem too, that why i get a wash'n'polish when i get my car wash and it turns out prefect. The guy told me the problem we get is we think and more we put on, the better it is but it just means more to take off. Apply just enough to cover/wipe the area (not too thick). The surface can't be too hot or too car. Its a good temp when your car is hot, wash it & dry in the shade, then polish it like how they do it.

[dark]

Anyone used the Pinnacle Waxes, expensive. I was quoted $89.00 but most reviews put it in the top 5 of all, especially on black.

[PepeLePew]

And these microfibre clothes are sposed to be the ducks guts now, hey I'll try anything to keep the swirls etc off my phantom finish

[kepler]

hi guys,

always polished my car with gold class, and no ploblems, switched to tech wax and now when the car is in the direct sunlight you can see polishing lines or haziness in the paint, looks real untidy. Never had this problem and now just cant seem to to bring the paint back to its immaculate finish. these arent swirls marks its like the residue hasnt fully come off the car, perhaps i pre-cleaner should have been used, any tips guys would be greatly appreciated.
cheers

Had exactly the same thing happen on the weekend with tech wax on my black Monaro (first time I've used the product). Seemed to be worst on the bonnet ... the car was in the garage and hadn't been run for about 6 hours, but the bonnet was definitely hotter than the rest of the car. Of course, it was 37 degrees in Brisbane yesterday, so even in the shade the car still felt warm.

Any updates cattis72 on how you fixed it?

[VXWagon]

Hi everyone,

I have now owned 2 black Commodores and 1 dark blue commodore in the last 5years and all of then had swirl marks all over them when i brought them.
But with a bit of elbow grease and about 8 hours and alottttt of soft cloths all /most imperfection can be removed.
But the main thing you need to remember is if you dont use a paint cleaner first to remove to contaminants then all you are doing is grinding them back in to the paint.

Step 1 Wash and dry car in the shade
step 2 Use paint cleaner to remove contaminants on the paint.
Step 3 Polish with something like Wet Look
Step 4 Protect with and Good quality WAX

The only products that i have found to work well are the Meguiars range
and no i dont work for them.....

I spend 1 day every year and i detail my pride and joy from top to bottom and then a quick detail of about 3-4 hours every three months.

to maintain paint between details use Quik Detail it works a treat...

Cheers
Zane

[IH8WRX]

hi guys,

always polished my car with gold class, and no ploblems, switched to tech wax and now when the car is in the direct sunlight you can see polishing lines or haziness in the paint, looks real untidy. Never had this problem and now just cant seem to to bring the paint back to its immaculate finish. these arent swirls marks its like the residue hasnt fully come off the car, perhaps i pre-cleaner should have been used, any tips guys would be greatly appreciated.
cheers


Sorry just got home after another 14hrs day working on cars for the AME show.

In answer to your question try the following:-

1.) Wash your car with dishwashing liquid and chamios dry.

The problem you have experienced is that you have applied the product to thickly, you haven't allowed it enough time to dry properly and/or the paint is to hot/cold. This is common with the new synthetic polishes and waxes. The dishwashing liquid will remove all the Tech wax and give you a good base to start again.

Never ever apply any polish or wax to a hot car, and be mindfull that it is winter time too and that the coldness affects the drying time. If it's to hot, to cold or to much it will streak! Synthetic polishes and waxes always work best when applied sparingly. I did a site members vehicle yesterday with 3 coats of Zaino Z2Pro and he watched me apply the last two coats of it. He was amazed that he could only just see that each coat had been applied as you have to apply each coat so thinly you hardly know it's there.

Microfibres are the bee's knees in detailing tools. However in saying that only TOP QUALITY MICROFIBRES are good. There are four levels of micrifibres and from memory they are all made in the same factory in China. The Meguairs blue ones ar level 3, with Enyo microfibre being last at level 4. NEVER EVER USE AN ENYO CLOTH ON A CARS PAINT! It will scratch the paint, but they are good for glass. The best microfibres are the gold/yellow ones and I thnik Bettercarcare sell them too. The gold/yellow ones are level one, so they are the top quality!

Black cars yes are difficult to look after and maintain. I swear and curse everytime I have to work on one. When corrected properly no colour looks better than black, but if worked wrong it will look terrible.

More than happy to answer any questions any one has if it helps.

[SCOTTR8]

i used to have a cherry black clubby and used sonax car wash and polish. you can even apply and remove the polish in direct sunlight. great product they are also the oem sulpplier to merc.

cheers scott

[VX-355]

.
]
Why don't you all try the eagle 1 as it is made by Meguiars and think it is better. The other thing and not a lot of people know this, if you have a dark colour car try and go to any dealer and buy the paint protection and use that. Its the best poish that you will ever use on a dark colour car. Wash you car with the eagle 1 car wash. It will save you time and money.

[VooDoo]

eerrr Since when is Eagle1 made by Meguiars. Sounds like a salesmans line to me. Eagle1 is very cheap and nasty compared to other products.

Zaino, Zymol, Swissol would be my teir 1 choice.
Sonax, Meguiars, Turtle Premium tear 2
The rest Teir 3 (for excels and cheap jap cars)

You will also find some of the best polish/wax's are also the easiest to use, you need to use less of the product and less often. Well worth paying the extra for IMHO.

[IH8WRX]

Not sure if many people know but Meguiars is actually owned by a company that owns lots of different businesses through out the world. They have both horizontal and vertical intergration of businesses all over the place. Kind of like Holden actually where they have their fingers in a lot of pies.

All I can say is that car care products are no different to performance products, that being "you pay for what you get"!

[als383]

Have used the new Tech wax and seems good..although..YES I may be doubling up..I always follow up with a coat of carnuba wax either liquid or wax......U may want to try and get some new polishing clothes mate..I find If I dont rotate the cloth enough or the cloth is old it will leave a swirl or smear.......personally I would never get a pro poish and wax..can do a better job myself...ANd yes have a 95 model that the shine would rival any new car of the lot !!Guaranteed!

[IH8WRX]

Have used the new Tech wax and seems good..although..YES I may be doubling up..I always follow up with a coat of carnuba wax either liquid or wax......U may want to try and get some new polishing clothes mate..I find If I dont rotate the cloth enough or the cloth is old it will leave a swirl or smear.......personally I would never get a pro poish and wax..can do a better job myself...ANd yes have a 95 model that the shine would rival any new car of the lot !!Guaranteed!


Really, I beg to differ :D You can't and never ever will acheive a better result by hand than you will over using a machine. It's just not possible as you need the heat to soften up the paint and work it. unless you can spin your hand at 2500rpm good luck being better than a pro.

[VXWagon]

Sorry just got home after another 14hrs day working on cars for the AME show.

In answer to your question try the following:-

1.) Wash your car with dishwashing liquid and chamios dry.


NEVER USE DISHWASHING LIQUID...as the chemicals in the dishwashing liquid will remove any wax or protection you have on your paint..........and with that it will be harder to maintain a good paint finish......

Cheers

Zane

[VX2VESS]

i use tech wax now also. seems ok if applied properly, not sure its worth the extra cost over the older one.

anyway i used it modifed with black colouring added to it. doesn't turn whitish in any chips up front then. great for dark cars

sometimes u need two coats, also need to make sure its all removed keep turning the cotten towels

[jsttry]

NEVER USE DISHWASHING LIQUID...as the chemicals in the dishwashing liquid will remove any wax or protection you have on your paint..........and with that it will be harder to maintain a good paint finish......

Cheers

Zane
That's the whole idea mate, remove all the old wax/polish so you are starting with a clean surface.

[Wonky]

NEVER USE DISHWASHING LIQUID...as the chemicals in the dishwashing liquid will remove any wax or protection you have on your paint..........and with that it will be harder to maintain a good paint finish......

Cheers

Zane
As jsttry said - the whole idea is to remove the old wax before starting again or you are starting from crap. Don't believe me? Well, believe Sal Zaino - Zaino's being manufacturers of some of the best stuff available!

From post #73 in the Awesome Polish thread :

" 3. I would definitely recommend you remove the wax buildup on your
paint. Just use Liquid Dawn(hand dishwashing liquid) as a car wash. It
has a high alkaline content which cuts right thru carnauba wax,
paraffin, silicone oils, etc. This will get your paint finish squeeky
clean and wax free.

I don't advise making a habit of washing your car with Dawn. But for
this scenario it's fine. High alkaline products like Dawn are tough on
polishes. It will never harm the paint finish though. A car wash is made
specifically to clean without removing durable polishes."

[ls1ozstyle]

As jsttry said - the whole idea is to remove the old wax before starting again or you are starting from crap. Don't believe me? Well, believe Sal Zaino - Zaino's being manufacturers of some of the best stuff available!

From post #73 in the Awesome Polish thread :

" 3. I would definitely recommend you remove the wax buildup on your
paint. Just use Liquid Dawn(hand dishwashing liquid) as a car wash. It
has a high alkaline content which cuts right thru carnauba wax,
paraffin, silicone oils, etc. This will get your paint finish squeeky
clean and wax free.

I don't advise making a habit of washing your car with Dawn. But for
this scenario it's fine. High alkaline products like Dawn are tough on
polishes. It will never harm the paint finish though. A car wash is made
specifically to clean without removing durable polishes."




So a quick wash in dishwashing liquid & water instead of using a paintcleaner would work yeh? That could certainly save me time & money.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[IH8WRX]

That's the whole idea mate, remove all the old wax/polish so you are starting with a clean surface.


It's great to see people learning and taking notice of tips and advice I've been posting up.

If your polish or wax has streaked it must all be removed. Polish and waxes can streak for a number of reasons as I've already outlined earlier, but they can also streak from being corrupted by other products you have applied to the car earlier. It's imperitive that you start with a clean fresh slate, hence why you wash the car in dishwashing liquid. You don't wash your car in dish washig liquid all the time, only wen you want to remove old polish and waxes to ensure you have a nice clean surface to start from.

[Parttimebuffer]

The best results I have seen on black are probably from P21S cleaner and wax. It has an enormous following in the states and is readily available in Australia for reasonable money. Pinnacle is very good and, of course, I have seen some nice results with Zaino.

Use of a top quality Microfibre is essential !! An earlier post mentioned different grades, yes there are many !. Try and pick something made in Korea, not China. Meguiars blue Cloth is made in Korea, not China.

[VX2VESS]

It's great to see people learning and taking notice of tips and advice I've been posting up.

If your polish or wax has streaked it must all be removed. Polish and waxes can streak for a number of reasons as I've already outlined earlier, but they can also streak from being corrupted by other products you have applied to the car earlier. It's imperitive that you start with a clean fresh slate, hence why you wash the car in dishwashing liquid. You don't wash your car in dish washig liquid all the time, only wen you want to remove old polish and waxes to ensure you have a nice clean surface to start from.

ct18 would rip it off even quicker but not as cheap. rips of grease too.