Which car polish?

[swanbourne]

I've tried many "ultimate showroom shine" polishes over the years but are there any which really stand above all others? I'm not only looking for shine, a bit of longevity would be good too. What do you use?

Eddie

[VinceR]

I use Turtle Wax & an electric polisher .. seems to be good for a couple of weeks, depending on the weather of course!

Cars and wax............ one of the biggest "cons" of all time and so many fall for these super expensive tins of wax that have "heavy advertising"

once a car is really cleaned (100%) i reccon the best is this


http://www.woodsautomotive.co.uk/Harlywax.htm

Ive seen it been used on 3 x Astons and the owner wasnt short of cash or brains !

waste your money if it makes you feel better ...but this is about as good as it gets

[Brian]

Tesco's wash n wax.

Good preparation though first; a thorough wash down with the Karcher and brush - then wash n wax and a gentle spray off after being left on the car for a few mins. Dont put it on the windows if you drive at night a lot.

If your wheels look dull after using wheel cleaner it really gives them shine. The wheels are a fantastic testing area for waxes etc

:) :)

B

[JasonG]

Eddie,

This is one of those difficult questions, like "what is the best watch".
All I can say is that for polish I use Autoglym super resin polish, then Chemical Guys sealant followed by Collinite 476s wax. Don't forget that you really have to wax after polishing andost of the UK waxes are polishes too and hence bad!
Meguiars make a good 3 step system (cleanser, polish and wax) that Halfords stock. The Collinite is the longest lasting proper wax I've ever used.
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk is a good guy to buy from, plenty of good advice too.

Tra

Jason

[andy tims]

I've been using the basic (carbon I think) Zymol for years - The tub cost me about £40 nearly 6 years ago & I'm less than a third through it, so it's actually pretty good value especially when you consider that a quarterly wax really keeps the water beading up nicely when the car gets wet.

I know lots are sceptical about Zymol etc, and some of the £1000+ a tub versions are just a ego job really, but the regular versions are great & way easier to use than Autoglym etc. which I had been using before.

[westy]

Eddie,
Autoglym super resin polish
Jason

Have used this lots!
Two or three applications in pretty quick succession does build up protection.
I like it.

Cheers,

Westy.

[Ari]

I use Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine, followed with a coat of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection.

The UDS puts a good coat of polish on and cleans the surface (obviously you have to wash and dry the car first, but it helps remove residue), the EGP is like a hard barrier that goes over it and protects and makes it last.

I use this method on both my car (Audi, metallic paint) and my boat (GRP) and it works superbly.

I do the boat once a year (it's only in use for six months a year) and the car every six months although I reckon you'd get away with doing it less.

I've also heard good things about Meguirs, but never used it so can't recommend it from experience.

This is the boat hull after waxing last month. It's the third year I've done it and I put two coats of UDS on first, and then a coat of EGP each time so it's effectively got six coats of UDS and three of EGP now and it looks superb! When I hose it off the water just sheets and falls off!

This was taken with my camera phone when I'd finished.

[Ari]

Incidently, I used to use Autoglym Super Resin Polish religiously, but tried the Ultra Deep Shine a couple of years ago and have to say it is far superior. Easier to buff off and a fraction of the white chalky residue/dust.

[Rod]

Best stuff I have used was from Amway - it was brilliant. I ran out of it and can't find an agent for it now :(

Rod

dont you just find those Amway people so "lost in life" ? i got asked to attend a "change your life style" meeting by one and after 5 mins i asked him if he could just explain what it was he wanted to try and get me involded with. us Brits dont need the crap Americans need to get onboard !! he spent a fortune buying stock and then all his friends gort sick of him trying to sell it to us all the time. But some products are good

[hogthrob]

This was taken with my camera phone when I'd finished.

I'm having real trouble seeing a boat there, let alone anything that's polished. Am I missing something?

[Ari]

the left two thirds of the picture is the highly polished black hull of my boat, reflecting the gravel of the boatyard and the wooden supports of another boat.

[ewan.w]

...What do you use?

Eddie

My wife :D Not sure what polish she uses but she can make the car look great; I get bored having done one side

Cheers

Ewan

[rfrazier]

the left two thirds of the picture is the highly polished black hull of my boat, reflecting the gravel of the boatyard and the wooden supports of another boat.

That's seriously shiny! Doesn't it make being on the water more hazardous by blinding the helmsmen of oncoming vessels?

Best wishes,
Bob

[Bristolian]

Possibly due to the fact that I cannot settle on a preferred polish, (but largely because Im too bloody lazy and live at the end of a very muddy lane) I have not waxed my car in over 5 years. It gets washed (by the garage) when it gets serviced. It passed its MOT last month.

It smells of cow poo. (Could be me, actually. Sorry 'bout that...)

It may present a biohazard.

It has never been stolen.


Rgds

David

[adrian]

the left two thirds of the picture is the highly polished black hull of my boat, reflecting the gravel of the boatyard and the wooden supports of another boat.

Whoa! :shock: Now THAT's a polish! :shock:

[swanbourne]

Best stuff I have used was from Amway - it was brilliant. I ran out of it and can't find an agent for it now :(

Rod

Amway is still trading Rod but this may be one reason why you can't find an agent.

UK Government - The Department of Trade and Industry has reviewed large amounts of documentation regarding the Amway/Amvio motivational fraud. If you live in the UK, were recruited into these organizations and lost money, please file a complaint immediately with:

Mr. Cliff Callaghan
Tel: 020 7215 3338/3051
Director & Deputy
Inspector of Companies, Companies Investigation Branch,
DTI
VB 707, 10 Victoria Street,
SW1H ONN
Cliff.Callaghan@dti.gsi.gov.uk

You could always become an agent yourself. :lol:

Eddie

[Ari]

That's seriously shiny! Doesn't it make being on the water more hazardous by blinding the helmsmen of oncoming vessels?

Best wishes,
Bob

Nah, we're always going too fast for it to be an issue!! :D

[docd]

the left two thirds of the picture is the highly polished black hull of my boat, reflecting the gravel of the boatyard and the wooden supports of another boat.

A ha :!: - I thought that you had a highly waxed gravel underside to your boat - good job I didn't comment :lol:

[Ari]

Just found a couple of pics of the car after two coats of Ultra Deep Shine and one of Extra Gloss Protection.

It's good stuff! :)

[Ari]

the left two thirds of the picture is the highly polished black hull of my boat, reflecting the gravel of the boatyard and the wooden supports of another boat.

A ha :!: - I thought that you had a highly waxed gravel underside to your boat - good job I didn't comment :lol:

No, that tends to slow 'em down! :D

[dawson2k5]

I work at the specialist car dealers my dad owns, and we use a system for most of the cars, Wash, Leather, Sit to dry, Machine polish with 3 grades of polish and then a final coat of wax.
Here is my car which has had my own special treatment which took nearly 5 days to complete:







Thanks,
Andrew

[emgee]

I've used Mer for years, great results for a comparitively low cost :D
cheers
Mark

[doug darter]

I hate to say it, but I'm a cheapskate when it comes to polish.

I wash my car (and Wendy's) once every week or so. I use a bucket and hot water, then I rinse off using hot water and a high concentration of Turtle wax liquid (twice what it says on the can :D). I leave it on the car to dry, then I wash the car with hot water to remove any residue, then chamois off to a shine.

Water beads off just like it does with wax, and I've never had problems with smears on the windscreen.

[Neil.C]

Here is my car which has had my own special treatment which took nearly 5 days to complete:

What?? :shock:


Have you lot got OCD or something?

Spending hours polishing cars and then driving around dirty old roads in the rain etc?

Lifes too short. :wink:

[dawson2k5]

I enjoy polishing and cleaning, plus i haven't really driven it since i polished it.
too busy with the new BMW at the moment.
thanks,
Andrew

[MartinMW]

Hi

The best car polish i have ever used was a brand that i brought back for America some 20 years ago. Its called Meguiars and it was by far and away the best i have ever used. I used to have a vintage Volvo P1800 and the finish it put on that was unbelievable. You can get this over here in the UK now quite readily, if you do a search on the net you will find some online stockists and availability in some shops.

I thoroughly recommend it :)

Cheers
Martin

[dawson2k5]

same stuff i use martin, great gear and really works well, but only in the summer when it is warm.
thanks,
Andrew

[tekkno]

Its called Meguiars

You are quite right, it is. Wouldn't buy anything else.

[Grath]

Hi

The best car polish i have ever used was a brand that i brought back for America some 20 years ago. Its called Meguiars and it was by far and away the best i have ever used. I used to have a vintage Volvo P1800 and the finish it put on that was unbelievable. You can get this over here in the UK now quite readily, if you do a search on the net you will find some online stockists and availability in some shops.

I thoroughly recommend it :)

Cheers
Martin

I don't know if it's available over there but Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0 is a favorite of a lot of guys on a car forum I frequent. It's a synthetic wax that is long lasting but some guys prefer the look of a carnuba wax. I've never used it myself though.

[Grath]

Here is my car which has had my own special treatment which took nearly 5 days to complete:

What?? :shock:


Have you lot got OCD or something?

Spending hours polishing cars and then driving around dirty old roads in the rain etc?

Lifes too short. :wink:

Don't forget a large part of that 5 days is probably curing time. Some waxes will require a 12 hour cure time between coats.

[MartinMW]

Hi

The best car polish i have ever used was a brand that i brought back for America some 20 years ago. Its called Meguiars and it was by far and away the best i have ever used. I used to have a vintage Volvo P1800 and the finish it put on that was unbelievable. You can get this over here in the UK now quite readily, if you do a search on the net you will find some online stockists and availability in some shops.

I thoroughly recommend it :)

Cheers
Martin

I don't know if it's available over there but Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0 is a favorite of a lot of guys on a car forum I frequent. It's a synthetic wax that is long lasting but some guys prefer the look of a carnuba wax. I've never used it myself though.

Yes it is available over here Grath, they have almost the full full product range and one or two of the UK sites do some super deals now and again on 2 or 3 coats treatments :)

same stuff i use martin, great gear and really works well, but only in the summer when it is warm.
thanks,
Andrew

Andy, there are a couple of their other products that you should try, the NXT range is superb but the deep crystal gear is great if you want to spend a little more time 8) I also find that if the car is clean that the NXT quick detailer is great for keeping topped up with little effort.

Cheers
Martin

I feel the women that live with most of you guys must be gagging for it !!!


its bad enough been a watch nut ...but 3 pages about a car wax is tooooooooo much ! :D

[wali]

we know what sort of polish you get luke old bancock boyo!

[Jim M]

used them all in 30+ years on maintaining my own. Ease of on and off and lasting results.

[Neil.C]

Here is my car which has had my own special treatment which took nearly 5 days to complete:

What?? :shock:


Have you lot got OCD or something?

Spending hours polishing cars and then driving around dirty old roads in the rain etc?

Lifes too short. :wink:

Don't forget a large part of that 5 days is probably curing time. Some waxes will require a 12 hour cure time between coats.

Oh that's all right then. :roll: :lol: :wink:

[williec]

Its called Meguiars

You are quite right, it is. Wouldn't buy anything else.

yep, meguiars for me too - bike and car
Willie

[swanbourne]

Thanks for all the replies chaps, I went with the Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0 in the end but AutoGlym was a close second. I found the Meguiars on eBay, I hope it's not fake!

I'll try to remember to post pictures when I've used it. :lol:

Eddie

[inthered]

The secret is to use Meguiars deep crystal paint system or body scrub to get rid of all the built up gunk that washing won't remove,then apply the polish then the wax.Makes for a long day but well worth the extra effort.

[Seabadger]

I use Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine, followed with a coat of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection.

That's pretty much what I do, although I'm not entirely happy with the results. I keep on seeing cars (mainly German) that look vastly more glossy than my Alfa, despite being a few years older. I suppose the clue could be in the word "Alfa", in retrospect.

[swanbourne]

The secret is to use Meguiars deep crystal paint system or body scrub to get rid of all the built up gunk that washing won't remove,then apply the polish then the wax.Makes for a long day but well worth the extra effort.

Eh? The wax alone isn't enough? :shock:

Eddie

[Grath]

The secret is to use Meguiars deep crystal paint system or body scrub to get rid of all the built up gunk that washing won't remove,then apply the polish then the wax.Makes for a long day but well worth the extra effort.

Eh? The wax alone isn't enough? :shock:

Eddie

Depends on how anal you are and the kind of results you are looking for. A pro detailer will tell you that the better the prep work, the better the results. A pro will tell you to wash, use a clay bar to remove surface contaminates, wash again, use a polish to remove any swirls in the clear coat, then use a paint sealant and then two coats of wax. The product recommended above is an alternative to the clay bar step.

This is all optional and depends on what you are looking for and I wouldn't recommend running out and buying too much stuff just yet. I think you'll be happy with a wash and a wax but if you aren't happy with the results from the NXT wax, then I would look into trying a clay bar (or the above product) before you wax. This preps the surface and gives you a surface that is smooth as glass to apply the wax to.

Edit - I should probably mention that all the steps I have above don't need to be done every time you wash your car. Claying and polishing are done on an as needed basis. If you keep a nice coat of wax on the car you won't need to clay but once a year.

[swanbourne]

This is more obsessive than watches. I only want to clean the bloody thing!

Eddie

[Grath]

This is more obsessive than watches. I only want to clean the bloody thing!

Eddie

That's what I thought. You'll be happy with a wash and a wax. The wax you bought has a reputation for being long lasting and I think you will be happy with it.

[MartinMW]

This is more obsessive than watches. I only want to clean the bloody thing!

Eddie

:lol: :lol: :lol:

As Grath says i think you will be more than happy with the NXT :) but you really can tell the difference if you use the deep crystal system and maybe once a year its worth giving the car the 'full monty'

Cheers
Martin

[Ari]

Thanks for all the replies chaps, I went with the Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0 in the end but AutoGlym was a close second. I found the Meguiars on eBay, I hope it's not fake!

I'll try to remember to post pictures when I've used it. :lol:

Eddie

Good choice, heard a lot of good things about Meguiars. I stick with Autoglym only because I know it works for me, but if I were to try something different it'd be Meguiars without a doubt from what I've been told about it.

[NJH]

Meguirs Tech wax is very good IMHO, it will hide some minor marks on the car as well. However it will not last more then a few weeks at most which is not as good as traditional waxes which last longer but are much more effort. To apply and buff of Tech wax is perhaps 15 minutes work, personally I don't mind such little effort every now and then rather then the effort required for a full Zymol process.

Yes it can be obsessive, one of my friends in Porsche club spent 6 hours just preparing the front bumper as part of a full on zymol treatment before entering a concours event! OTOH someone I know well that has won prizes in the PCGB national concours uses one of the cheapest most common polish/wax products on the market, so I agree that there is a lot of BS in this stuff.

My own view which I say again is MHO is that you can not beat the results of a really good machine polish followed by whatever wax. IMHO the actual products used are rather immaterial, the skill and technique used in the machine polishing and OCD attention to detail is what does it from what I have seen. In this regard the best polish is the one that works best on your car and with the process you want to use.

Lastly though if the car is not old it is doubtful it really needs any actual polishing, just a careful wash and quick wax. Many garages for example use a glaze which is a quick cheap way of making the car look really good for a few days.

[Neil.C]

This is more obsessive than watches. I only want to clean the bloody thing!

Eddie

Be careful Eddie you are being sucked into the strange and anal world of car polishers.
:twisted:

I see the sad folk on their driveways on sunday morning when I'm walking my dog but I stay well away in case it's contagious. :lol: :wink:

Anyway surely you must have some Bosnian hand car washes around your way?

Fiver and it's done. :D

[Scottishtrunkmonkey]

Sorry to bring this back to the top Eddie :D

Anyone tried the 'Ice' stuff I saw on the tele last night?