Car Care

I have a lot of years experience trying various products to keep my cars showroom new. The following are my current choices, but I'm always open to new and better ideas:

Car wax: Clear coat is a life saver. It's main claim to fame is that the polymers block ultra violet light from deteriorating pigments in the paint. But not all waxes work well on clear coat. I've found that you want to avoid any wax with polishing compound in it. Also, I much prefer the newer synthetic waxes rather than the carnuba waxes that used to rule. The new synthetic waxes are liquid, contain silicone and go on and off with no rubbing (which you don't want anyway on clear coat). My current pick is Meguires Gold Class Clear Coat Liquid. $10 for a little plastic bottle that will go a long way. Always hand wash the car first with a soft lamb's wool mitt and dry with a clean chamois so there is no airborne dust to abrade the surface, then put it on gently and wipe off with a terry cloth towel. Good for about 6 months.

Tires and rubber mouldings: Armor All original. This stuff also contains UV light blockers and prevents deterioration of rubber weatherstrips. I use it on everything in sight that is rubber on the outside. Some like to use it on plastic dash panels, but I find interior plastics have build in UV blockers and don't crack like the old dashes used to. Use it on dashes if you like, but it's a waste of time, IMHO. There are a lot of glossy "wet" tire coatings, but they look a bit "fake" to me. I prefer a nice clean wheel and a nice clean tire sidewall.

Windshields and headlights: Rain-X is my choice. Silicone in a liquid carrier. You have to make sure you get it coated evenly over the windshield and then polish the heck out of it to remove streaks. Be careful, however, if you have a rock chip or crack that you want to get repaired before it spreads and don't coat the glass with Rain-X before you get the crack fixed or the Rain-X will seep into the crack and prevent the repair from "taking". I'm not sure yet whether or not to use Rain-X on the Lexan headlight and fog light covers. Any one else on that? Shouldn't hurt, but I'm not sure of the long term effects of the solvent.

As far as wax goes.....I would NEVER use it. I used to until I started using Zaino Brothers Polish. Looks so much better, lasts SO much longer. I will never touch wax again.

I've never heard of it, but a polish, unless it's mis-named, removes surface material. Once you go through the clear coat, deterioration accelerates as UV blockers are removed. On the other hand, if it does add a silicone wax (as I suspect it must), it's probably the same stuff as Meguiars .. maybe a slightly different formula. I'll check it out. It either has to remove surface material OR it has to add "wax" of some sort. I don't want anything removed.

You've never heard of???

Zaino?!?!? Seriously?

Check it out. There are now products on the market that are similar to Zaino but Zaino is neither abrading nor wax-based...

I have been using the Z for 6 years now....and on 8 different vehicles of different brands and models and I tell you this discussion has been beaten to death on many forums of many makes and models.

Is it a wax or a polish - what is a wax, what is a polish - It gives me a headache!

Zaino - works (IF YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS) I am not saying it is better or worse that a good wax but it does work.

Mothers also works so does McGuires (spelling?)

It is a matter of preference.

Originally posted by TheJizzer@Feb 24 2005, 09:13 AM
Is is a wax a polish - what is a wax what is a polish - It gives me a headache!
That's easy! One of them is stuff you put on that leaves your car shiny and smooth and makes water run off. Ummm... I forgot which one that is, though...

:o :P :D

Originally posted by gto_in_nc+Feb 24 2005, 09:16 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (gto_in_nc @ Feb 24 2005, 09:16 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-TheJizzer@Feb 24 2005, 09:13 AM
Is is a wax a polish - what is a wax what is a polish - It gives me a headache!
That's easy! One of them is stuff you put on that leaves your car shiny and smooth and makes water run off. Ummm... I forgot which one that is, though...

:o :P :D [/b][/quote]
No no no.... I understand -- I was just saying that if you go around and read post from forums around the country there is always a big discusion about the issue of

wax vs polis vs vs vs vs and one is this and one is that and and and....

I say Try 3 or 4 differnet ones and pick the one you like...

I bet they are all close to equal :type:

I agree with you, J! I also think the whole "is it wax?" discussion is silly, too.

Take it from a 'part-time' detailer, whatever product you decide to use on your paint, Zaino, Adams, Meguiers, Mothers........................The most important thing you need to do is the 'pre-wax' prepping.

1) Wash
2) Clay Bar
3) Polish
4) Wax

These steps are very important to achieve the non-swirl and slick depth shine we all want!

Swissol car care products. Never had the money to use it though. I hear that it can make a difference in the outcome of a concourse de elegance though.

Originally posted by VegasLightz@Feb 26 2005, 12:07 AM
Take it from a 'part-time' detailer, whatever product you decide to use on your paint, Zaino, Adams, Meguiers, Mothers........................The most important thing you need to do is the 'pre-wax' prepping.

1) Wash
2) Clay Bar
3) Polish
4) Wax

These steps are very important to achieve the non-swirl and slick depth shine we all want!
AHHH -- yes follow the protocol

This is my first post here....YIPPPPPPPEEEE!!!!!

I agree it's just a matter of preference. I use either Meguiars Gold Class or NXT Generation Tech wax. I just put a coat of Meguiars 26 hand glaze and Gold Class wax last weekend and the paint looked awesome.

I also agree that the preparation is the key. It's a huge pain in the a** and is time consuming but using the clay bar after washing and prior to polishing/waxing is the key. I go through clay bars like there's no tomorrow. I also find microfiber cloths to work very well with the wipeoff.

I just started using Meguiars NXT Tech Generation glass cleaner. Shoot some on and wipe with a microfiber.....the stuff works great. I also treat with Rain-X every few weeks....it's funny I've hardly ever used the wipers in my 4 months of owning the car and have never used the windshield wiper fluid(and that's through a wonderful Ohio winter).

Chris :D :D :D

amorall powerwash and wax it dry works very well for being a quick job. i prefer meguiars wax for the majority the time when i like the goat to get a nice bath.

Has anyone tried Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash? Does it really leave no water spots without towel drying?

I work in the paint shop at BMW in SC and have done so for ten years. I have polished thousands of cars. In the paint shop we don't polish the entire car, only in spots that need attention. Polish contains an abrasive and is used for removing paint defects, like dirt in the paint, orange peel, minimizing scratches, etc. Wax is a protectant that doesn't remove any paint, it merely provides a shiny protective barrier between your paint and the environment. Every time you use a polish, you are removing paint. On a clear-coat paint, you don't want to use a polish unless you are trying to fix something, like a scratch. The best way to maintain your car's factory finish is to wash, clean, then wax. Washing removes dirt, cleaning removes old wax without hurting the clear coat, then fresh wax to protect the finish. We don't use these products in the plant, but Zymol makes some of the better products for the car owner. You can get a starter kit for around $100.


www.zymol.com/carwash.htm

How about clay bars? What are you guys using/what do you recommend (brand)?

I'm with SCgto on this one. I'm not a body shop guy, but I was a service manager over the body shop and I am a chemist by education.

I'm not familiar with a "claybar" but it sounds like a fine polishing technique. Unless the finish is damaged, you shouldn't remove any exterior clear coat. Using a polishing technique on a new finish simply removes UV protection by thinning or removing the clear coat. Use a top quality wax to help protect the clear coat and make removal of dirt easier (insects, etc. -- you guys DO drive fast enough to kill bugs on the front of your Goats, don't you?) I would guess that IF using the clay bar does improve the outer surface, you have done so by removing the clear coat and are polishing the underlying paint layers. I think that's a mistake if you plan to keep your car very long, as I do, because you're now letting destruction ultra violet light in.

As far as removal of "old wax", the jury is out on that one. Newer premium waxes contain both carnuba and silicones which don't discolor or build up like older waxes did. Silicones wear off, which is why you have to renew the Rain-X on your windshield. Always wash the car with detergent designed for cars. This avoids a stronger detergent from removing any more of the wax than necessary.

With non-clear coated finishes, paint oxidizes from ultra violet light break down and will dull. That requires polishing to remove the oxidized outer layers of paint, but I don't know of any cars (certainly not the new Goats) that do not come with clear coat.

Also, different colors have differing degrees of stability. Blue is the worst color because the pigments are less stable (there is very little natural blue color in nature - flowers, etc.). Darker colors absorb heat and cause quicker oxidation than lighter colors. Finishes with metalflake break down more quickly because the embedded particles (actually mica, not metal) all have a physical bonding interface with the substrate which increases the rate at which the separation begins to take place. Also, reflective particles increase the amount of light that bounces around under the surface causing oxidation and degradation.

I'm no expert on this, but I am old enough to remember when new cars weren't clear coated, and I have owned both.

A clay bar is exactly what it sounds like: a lump of clay, although many clay bars
nowdays are synthetic hence they shouldn't dry out. Just like VegasLightz said above, a clay bar is used after washing. This falls under the "cleaning" I mentioned above. It also removes hard water spots, airborne contaminants, etc. When you wash a car, it looks clean, and it is...mostly. But after you use a clay bar the paint will feel like glass. I personally prefer the H-D Cleanse by Zymol, but they both do the same thing. In the BMW paint shop, all the cars we work on the paint is brand new, often having been painted within an hour or so, so we have no need to use
clay bars or other cleaners. Also, clay bars aren't abrasive, so they won't damage the finish if used properly.

With non-clear coated finishes, paint oxidizes from ultra violet light break down and will dull. That requires polishing to remove the oxidized outer layers of paint, but I don't know of any cars (certainly not the new Goats) that do not come with clear coat.

I'd have to agree with you, I don't know of any new cars that don't use a base/clear paint finish these days. I believe the main reasons are:
Fade resistance: most clear coats have UV inhibitors to help prevent fading.
Durability: most paint defects can be polished out without having to go down to the color layer. This saves rework time in the factory.
Better for the environment: many factories now use a water-base primer and base coat, only the clear coat is solvent based. This helps reduce VOC emissions and decrease the possibilty of a negative environmental impact.

Clay bar is awsome for a vehicle with overspray on it and also i put the 3m paint protectant film on the front end headlights hood mirrors all looks really good cant see unless your looking i think its gonna keep the sand blasting rock chipping ect to a min.

Originally posted by TheJizzer@Feb 24 2005, 09:13 AM
I have been using the Z for 6 years now....and on 8 different vehicles of different brands and models and I tell you this discussion has been beaten to death on many forums of many makes and models.

Is it a wax or a polish - what is a wax, what is a polish - It gives me a headache!

Zaino - works (IF YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS) I am not saying it is better or worse that a good wax but it does work.

Mothers also works so does McGuires (spelling?)

It is a matter of preference.
Zaino buffs, a question for you all...

How much z2/z5 do you use per coat on your Goat? I know it says it goes a long way, but I wonder just how far? I'm using the ZFX accelerant, and I'm thinking a full mix bottle is a least 2 coats. What do you think?