Buffer and Spray Wax

[Nick1994]

I'm not patient enough for "real wax". What I've been using (not on my crusty Camry lol) is Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax and a clay bar and wipe it real good with microfiber towels. Works pretty good.

What if I clay bar the car and use the Meguiar's spray wax then use an electric buffer from say Harbor Freight real carefully. Will this shine it up pretty good? I'm talking about using the fluffy pads. I wouldn't hold it in place and let it burn the paint, just a light dusting with the buffer.

Obviously as you guys can tell I don't know a lot about detailing, I just know I can't sit still long enough to do all the steps required that a lot of you guys do, I wish I could. My goal is shiny paint (usually a 2013 red VW) and help keep it pretty healthy for years to come. Most people I know here in Phoenix who don't even garage their cars rarely wash, let alone ever wax their car, and they usually hold up ok.

 

[qwertydude]

There's no point using spray wax and a machine.

If you're going to use a machine at least step it up to a real wax. Meguiars Ultimate Wax applied by machine will definitely keep your car shiny and relatively swirl free. The protection will also last a lot longer than spray wax so you'll be using it a lot less often which will ultimately save you time.

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/polishers/6-inch-compact-palm-polisher-90219.html

Even a cheapy machine like the 6" "wax spreader" polisher above and a microfiber bonnet will apply wax very thinly, almost invisibly as it should really just look like a smeared fingerprint, which will make removal a breeze. And you're not going to burn your paint with that machine, or really even the more powerful DA polisher.

 

[Robenstein]

I second the idea of using something like Meguiars ultimate liquid wax. It goes on easy with a polisher like you looked at and comes off almost as easy as spray wax. One bonnet to put it on, one to take it off. I did my whole car (scion tc) in under 30 minutes with my 10 inch orbital buffer. I applied it by hand with a foam applicator and polished it off with a microfiber bonnet.

 

[charbaby]

The whole idea behind liquid waxes is for their ease of use. No buffer required!

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
The whole idea behind liquid waxes is for their ease of use. No buffer required!


+1 It comes off so easily and fast why bother?

 

[qwertydude]

Applying Ultimate Wax by machine will actually remove some fine swirls and blemishes. Meguiars OTC waxes all have light polishing abilities as they all have light abrasives meant to clean paint. But applied by machine they make a great AIO.

 

[genynnc]

Nick, hate to say it... but if you are "not patient enough"... just stick to what you are doing and don't change a thing. After all you said it works- 'pretty good.' (Or pay a reputable detailer to 1-step the car... but it sounds like that is not a path you are willing to choose.)

If you want to 'step up' your car care maintenance and devote more time and patience then I wouldn't choose Meg's UW for the polishing step. (Not knocking UW one bit... it's one of the best OTC sealants out there and has proven to be every bit as durable as Collinite products- for me. A cleaner wax just has more cleaners that UW... and it sounds like that is what you need.)

I would be picking Meg's Cleaner Wax and/ or Mother's Cleaner Wax or DG 501. By hand or by a HF D/A with a foam finishing pad. The HF D/A, with coupon, is probably about $20- 30 more than a old school 'wax spreader' and combined with a cleaner wax... you will clean the paint and fill very light swirling at the same time. It might have the ability to refine defects every-so-slightly, but that will be due more to the pad and machine action than the actual cleaner wax. The HF D/A is dynamically better than a wax spreader.

Also, technique doesn't matter too much with the above scenario. You can move the HF D/A ALMOST as fast as you want to with a cleaner wax (but effectiveness will suffer) and still lay down a thin coat of cleaner wax. Just keep the speed around '3' and pressure light. After the machine wax is completed, use your spray wax to maintain.

You could probably wax the car with the D/A and wipe off in 1- 2h hours, tops (make sure to avoid trim with cleaner waxes.)

So... wash/clay/wax... it could be done in a 3- 5hr window... depending on your desired outcome and the condition of the car before starting.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
The whole idea behind liquid waxes is for their ease of use. No buffer required!


+1 It comes off so easily and fast why bother?


When its hot as hades out you wont sweat as much, and I find that if you use the buffer to apply some waxes, you get a more even and consistent coating. Indeed some waxes say on the back that for maximum effectiveness if applying by hand you may need two coats.

 

[RTexasF]

One of the few actual "spray waxes" that contains carnauba is Optimum. There is no advantage to machine application. Lay in the sand and do it by hand.

 

[qwertydude]

There's most definitely an advantage to applying wax by machine. Spray wax by machine on the other hand is pointless.

But applying regular wax by machine applies the wax in a thinner coat but more thorough. This means removal is much easier, you end up using less wax, and the machine application really works the wax into the finish helping to bond the wax to the paint better from the heat of the friction. This is definitely more true with paste wax as I've always had paste wax last longer when applied by machine.

Besides the above you'll definitely be less physically tired machine applying wax. And if you're using a cleaner wax or AIO machine applying is the only way to get any decent correction out of them.

 

[Nick1994]

Ok so if I get a harbor freight buffer and the 2 types of pads I take it I do these steps:?

1. Wash car
2. Clay bar
3. Apply Meguiar's liquid wax (with machine)
4. Buff off shiny with the fluffy pad

Please correct me. Thanks

 

[qwertydude]

If you apply the wax by machine you'd probably be able to buff it by hand faster than by machine it's as easy as a few wipes instead of the struggle with caked on wax applied by hand. And to really give it a gleaming shine after wiping off the wax residue give a light spritz of water or spray detailer to the section and wipe it clean and buff off the section. It'll really set off a good wax job, especially if you decide to polish before waxing.

Inevitably dust and dirt settle on the wax while you let it dry. Better to be able to turn to fresh sections of towels by doing the removal by hand than to grind it in the paint by machine removal of the wax with a single bonnet.

If you mean fluffy pad as in the wool pad don't use that to do any removal, it can haze up paint when dry buffed. The wool pad is only for applying compounds with the intention of further refining the finish with a finishing polish before waxing. That's a pretty involved process especially if you're going to tackle it with a cheapy 6" buffer.

Use microfiber bonnets to apply the wax, remove by hand. You'll get the best results with that method unless you want to step up the ability by ripping to foam backing off and applying velcro to the plastic backing plate so you can use real 6" foam polishing pads.

When waxing it may not seem like you're applying much of anything since you don't see a hazy layer. But it doesn't take much wax at all. Just a couple lines across the bonnet. To check if you're still applying wax simply press the waxer on a window on your car with the machine off. If it leaves a stain you're still applying wax. Literally the wax should just resemble a smeared fingerprint on your paint.

 

[qwertydude]

If you are getting a real DA polisher though genynnc pretty much covered it. Get a couple finishing pads and a cleaner wax and maintain the waxing with spray wax.

If you wanna do some correction Meguiars Ultimate Polish is pretty foolproof and hard to beat in terms of price vs finish quality vs correction ability. Follow that with a pure wax and the results will be outstanding.

So if going the DA route the minimal kit I would get is a couple finishing pads, maybe a polishing pad just in case you wanna step up the correction, a finishing polish Ultimate Polish is the best bang for the buck in my opinion, a cleaner wax, and a pure wax or sealant of your choice.

 

[jimbrewer]

Unless you are doing paint correction, (i.e. grinding) the main advantage of the dual action buffer is the ability to easily, quickly and consistently apply a paste wax. In my opinion its actually easier to use a paste wax with a dual action polisher than a liquid wax. When I tried a liquid I waste quite a lot of material.

Don't underestimate the "consistency" part. It really makes a difference. I agree with the others that its easier to remove the wax by hand with microfiber towels. Even still, I figure I save at least an hour for every layer I apply with the DA. I can do my whole truck with Collinite paste wax in maybe 30-45 minutes, not counting removal. That's after a conserable amount of prep work, of course.

So, if I'm really going to town which I do maybe two or three times a year, I do a glaze, a sealant/wax like Collinite and if I am up for it a carnauba wax on top. I estimate each layer applied with the DA saves an hour.

I'd say the cost-benefit of a Harbor Freight machine is pretty easy to justify if you are using it for at least four layers per year, even without using it for grinding purposes.