First time: Wax Polish or Both?

[Oil Changer]

I debated starting this because of the similarities to the, "When To Wax A New Car" thread, but here goes nothing:

Bought a new car second week of December. Weather is now nice enough for washing.

Do I want to wax, polish, seal or all three? All of the above? None of the above?

Do i wax then polish or polish then wax?

It rained recently and the water beaded quite impressively. My main concern is protection from road salt.

Just clay and wax as the other thread suggested?

 

[dparm]

Polish before wax, because you want to polish-out any scratches/blemishes/swirl marks. Technically once you polish, you shouldn't have to repeat it unless a new blemish appears -- the sealant or wax over the top will slow that down or prevent them.

Some people apply waxes over sealants, depending on the specific products.

 

[cancov]

Wash, clay bar, polish, sealant. If you have any strength left, apply wax on top of the sealant for a deeper shine.

 

[SLCraig]

Protection from salt is rust proofing and regular washing. I don't think anything else matters truthfully.

 

[Oil Changer]

Thanks. I'm a wax noob. My biggest question was wanting to know the proper order.

Without starting another thread, do you prefer to do this by hand or machine? Do some steps necessitate being applied by hand or machine?

Recommendations on a good wheel?

 

[Scum_Frog]

Depending on how "show car finish" you want your vehicle there are some products that combine a "light polish" and wax into one product. For most guys on their DD's this gives excellent results.

 

[Tros]

Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Thanks. I'm a wax noob. My biggest question was wanting to know the proper order.

Without starting another thread, do you prefer to do this by hand or machine? Do some steps necessitate being applied by hand or machine?

Recommendations on a good wheel?


I like doing things by hand, but when time is an issue, the buffers come out. Stop for a minute and look at the directions; they will tell you if you need to use your hand or a buffer to get correct results. Also, make sure you use the right product. Rubbing compound and polish is not exactly the same thing. Rubbing compound is more aggressive than the polish. Sometimes both are needed.

My tips:
- Work in the shade. It will make all the difference.
- Do not use dish soap after you wax your car; use the automotive cleaning soap. Dish soap is great for cleaning and stripping your paint down to the clear coat, but will take off your wax.
- Spend most of your time cleaning, claying, and polishing. I see too many people jump to waxing for that amazing finish, but it won't look good if you skip the other important steps.
- Buy up quick detailing sprays. They are nice to use between car washes IF you are looking for that "always clean" look. I like the cleaner style ones to get bird poop off before it has a chance to do any damage.
- When washing start from top to bottom. This should be common sense, but apparently it's not.

The important thing is to have fun and take pride in what you are doing. The "always clean" look is fun, but high maintenance if you drive out of town often.

My suggestion, if the price point allows, is to look towards Meguiars and Mothers for a good quality OTC products. Their directions are clear, and the products are surprisingly effective.

Have fun!

 

[sunfire]

Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Without starting another thread, do you prefer to do this by hand or machine? Do some steps necessitate being applied by hand or machine?


Polishing is hands down much easier by machine. You can't get a swirl free finish without a DA. I wax with the DA because it's faster and leaves a more consistent film. There is a learning curve with a DA polisher. And it'll probably cost around $200 for a DA with some foam pads. Don't even waste time with those orbitals from Sears... I've been down that road.

It really comes down to how good you want your car to look and how much you're willing to pay.

I tell my lazy friends to just drive it through a car wash. Get some spray wax and be done with it. It'll save you time and money.

 

[Oil Changer]

Thanks to all for the great replies!

What is DA?

 

[Tros]

Originally Posted By: sunfire
You can't get a swirl free finish without a DA. I wax with the DA because it's faster and leaves a more consistent film. There is a learning curve with a DA polisher. And it'll probably cost around $200 for a DA with some foam pads. Don't even waste time with those orbitals from Sears... I've been down that road.


I completely disagree. You can get a swirl free finish with out a DA. It is more work, but it can be easily done. WITH that said, everything else is spot on.

And DA means dual action. You'll want on of those polishers over a simple rotary polisher. Look up a dual action polisher and you'll see the difference.

 

[tomcat27]

A porter cable 7424 is a very nice da polisher for a car in good shape. I love mine. It wont compound... but most of us don't need to

 

[bigmike]

A Porter Cable 7424 will compound. I use mine all the time with Meg's Ultimate Compound. There are better units out there if compounding is your trade, but for most car DIY jobs, it works just fine. For a beginner, it's probably one of the best choices.

 

[46Harry]

I use a Porter Cable 7424 for compounding and it works great, but the right pad is necessary for a good job. Meguiars Ultimate compound is great. I just detailed a 59 Studebaker with my 7424 that hadn't had any paint maintenance for years. Compounding and a coat of carnauba wax did wonders for the paint.

 

[sunfire]

Originally Posted By: Tros
I completely disagree. You can get a swirl free finish with out a DA. It is more work, but it can be easily done. WITH that said, everything else is spot on.

You might be able to get the clear coat on your car to an acceptable swirl free finish. But not everybody's clear coat is easy to work on as yours. Some CC are so hard to the point where you need a DA polisher do any work. DA makes thousands of even pressure passes which is more than anyone can do with their hands. It also breaks down the abrasives more consistently.

Again it really comes down to how good you want your car to look and how much you're willing to pay. DA by an experienced user will always leave a better swirl free finish.