now im on the waxing part...all i can say about polishing a car is
1.its a biacth
2. when your done ...its hard to even express it, but it is so damn smooth, and shiny. it took out 90% of the swirl marks they werent to bad, but it looks 50 times better than when i bought it..do the dealers not even wax it or what..any way be back in about 30 to and hour and give final results, im using meguires crystal polish, and zymol to wax...

Late

Greg
www.jdmracing.com

Yeah, I will spend an hour or two washing and waxing the entire car.


Looks great for about two days.


I either need a garage or less dirt road driving.

ok all done....its sooooo damn beautiful

late

Greg
www.jdmracing.com

You need to buy a silver car... I haven't washed mine in a good 6 months and it still looks good (albeit up on a lift in the air, but I HAVE driven 4 of those months...).

Cool, it's nice to know your hard work has paid off.

I've heard that the dealer does more harm than good when they give your new car that first wash. They're pretty careless and use harsh materials, and put lots of swirls in your paint. Some detailing purists refuse to let the dealer wash their car EVER.

Boy I can understand that. My car had swirl marks when I bought it that I didn't notice for a few months. I knew I didn't put them there because I'm so careful.... geeez, I'd rather they didn't touch it....

my car is silver, the bomb color :)

late
Greg
www.jdmracing.com

polishing and waxing a car is so rewarding at the end. all the hard work pays off when you see the car pulling out of the driveway and having the sun shine on it. sweet....
:D

Hell, whenever I wax my car.. It rains!! Got a drought? I'll come to your neighborhood and wax my car, it'll rain within 24 hours!!

That's the rule man, whenever you clean, it rains. :D

Next time I wax, I'm taking out the hood vents. I STILL have wax gunk trapped in there, and I waxed the sucker like in June...

-S2-

Soft toothbrush man... it'll get all that shiit out.

Bill
NSG Racing

just wondering.... what wax do u guys use? should i use the special kind made for silver paint? or not yet? and when should i give my baby her first waxing?
thanks for the advice,
mak

Well, here's my take on waxing and dealers...

First off, the dealers (mine at least) only washed the car with water and soap. How do I know? Well, you know the plastic sheet that covers the hood, trunk and roof during transport? When they take that off, it leaves a small line of glue all around where the plastic was. That line cannot be removed with water and soap alone. That suits me just fine, at least I know that the dealer doesn't use any harsh solvents on the car.

Secondly, as for the waxing, here's what I do (BTW, this works on any color and regardless of how new/old the car is):

1) get the car washed at a hand-car-wash (because I hate washing, especially the interior and it takes too long and is not very rewarding).

2) Meguiars all the way! First off I use the Mirror Glaze (#7). This part takes the longest because it actually cleans the paint and removes any embedded dirt and old wax as well as swirls. After this step, the car looks like it just came out of a showroom. However, the paint is exposed to the elements. I used to do this part by hand. It would take approx. 4 hours (including the inside of the doors, trunk, under hood - basically everywhere there's paint). I now invested in a high-speed buffer (the only thing that will work with the Maguire's #7) and I cut down the time by half. Obviously, some areas can only be done by hand.

3) Apply a nice coat of Yellow Wax Paste (#26) by hand and buff by hand. This process takes approx 1/2-1 hour. Once the paint is clean, it takes no time to apply and buff the #26.

4) Use Meguiars Endurance on the tires (and all other black plastic/rubber areas of the car).

5) Enjoy the mirror wet-look of the car.

6) If it rains and you get some water spots on the car, just wait till it dries, use a soft car duster to remove the dust. Then, use Meguiars #34 Final Inspection spray and with the terry cloth used to buff the car, buff over the whole car. It'll look like the day you waxed it. This process takes 15 minutes and your car is always clean.

I wax my car at least 4 times a year, sometimes more depending how the paint feels. Just pass your hand on the hood/roof/trunk (those 3 areas are most affected by the elements). If you feel that the paint is a little bumpy or doesn't feel as smooth as a piece of glass, it's time to wax it. Besides, waxing can only benefit the car's finish (provided you use a good product like Meguiars).

Happy waxing y'all.

For more info on Meguiars products:

You might check out some of the discussion in the Dress Up & Style board. A number of people (including myself) recommend Zaino products. The shine is incredible, its easy to apply, and lasts pretty long.

You can also check out Zainobros.com (http://www.zainobros.com)

Don't let anyone else wash your car! You do it I don't care how unrewarding it is. No one will do it right but you. I love cleaning the interior. Take the seats out and scrub that carpet. I smells so good like a woman.

waxing sucks. it's so freakin long but i do it cause blue rally is the sh....