wax and polish

[gooseadrian]

i need something good, really good...any suggestions?

[myinfernalbmw]

Go to detailersdomain.com. Phil sells money in a jar that you can rub all over your car or whatever other sick fantasies you have.

[Emre]

For best results, you really need to do it in multiple stages. There's no alternative to elbow grease.

Here's what I do to each car once per year:

1. wash with Meguiar's Gold Class, leave wet
2. clay the car using quick detailer as a lubricant
3. wash again with Meguiar's Gold, then dry with chamois
4. clean paint with single- or two-stage paint cleaner (I like Meguiars)
5. polish with 3M hand glaze
6. wash again, then dry with chamois
7. finish with carnauba paste wax (I like Mother's)

The whole thing takes a couple of hours from start to finish, but the car ends up sparkling clean and will stay clean for ages. All the products I mentioned above are readily available at Autozone, Pep Boys, etc.

[5Toes]

My detailing partner and I (we detail cars together and make $$$) love Chemical Guys products. Their 50/50 wax is supposedly awesome, but I havn't tried it yet.

If you want a very cheap shampoo that is amazing, but their Wash and Gloss. $18 a gallon AND it dilutes less than an ounce per bucket

[csermonet47]

For best results, you really need to do it in multiple stages. There's no alternative to elbow grease.

Here's what I do to each car once per year:

1. wash with Meguiar's Gold Class, leave wet
2. clay the car using spray-wax as a lubricant
3. wash again with Meguiar's Gold, then dry with chamois
4. clean paint with single- or two-stage paint cleaner (I like Meguiars)
5. polish with 3M hand glaze
6. finish with 100% carnauba wax, like Mother's

The whole thing takes a couple of hours from start to finish, but the car ends up sparkling clean and will stay clean for ages.

Why would you use spray-wax as a clay lubricant? You either need to use a quick detailer or clay lubricant for that. Clay is to remove wax and other contaminates.

I personally do a full 20+ hour correction on my car about once a year. I start with a concentrated soap wash with foam gun to try to break down any old wax or anything. 2 bucket wash method with grit guards are awesome. I also use a grout sponge that you can get from Home Depot. I find it to be the cheapest and most easily available swirl free wash medium around. I then go over with clay and quick detailer. Then mask your plastic and rubber trim (Do it properly or you will pay in the long run. It is a total pain in the ass). Bust out some detailing lights and get to buffing. I start with an orange lake country pad with Meguiars M105 and follow with a white lake country pad with Meguiars M205. All this is done with PorterCable 7424. Make sure the compounds are completely broken down before removing them from the paint or they will still be abrasive and leave light swirls. M105 is pretty aggressive, so sometimes I use Poorboys SSR 2 in its place, which is a less abrasive compound. After buffing it is a good idea to take some 50/50 rubbing alcohol/water mix and clean the panels again as sometimes old polish can fill in the light scratches and make it look like they are gone. After doing the whole car I do a layer of Poorboys EX sealant and let it cure for an hour. After I let it sit, I remove and do a layer of Victoria Concours Wax. It is a very tough wax and will protect your paint for months. The hardest part without a doubt is keeping it swirl free. I have found the two bucket wash method with a foam gun and drying with a leaf blower to be the most effective for me. The most important part of detailing is definitely keeping everything clean. A little bit of dirt on a microfiber can ruin your whole day ...

Also Chemical Guys Wash and Gloss is a great soap. Isn't quite as concentrated as they claim though. The best over the counter soap without a doubt is Meguiars Gold Class. I would say that the Meguiars M105/M205 combo with Lake Country pads and a Porter Cable 7424 is one of the most tried and true detailing combinations ever. Don't even bother with trying to polish by hand. As for a good cheap wax, I have had good luck with the Poorboys Natty wax. The best place to get detailing stuff is www.autogeek.net. They always have sales and are a sponsor of bimmerforums. You can use the code clubmember for 10% off any time.

Here is my work. Paint is over 20 years old:

[F34R]

^Gorgeous!!!!

[mikeedler]

ICE wax from turtle wax!! its awesome! even polishes the black trim without turning it white. need to buff out crappy paint first though.

[Sailor37]

this should help.

http://www.pornhub.com/

[ak-]

Peanut butter everywhere derp

[750]

Been lusting after this car for some time now,...

[deansbimmer]

One stop shop: Autogeek.net
First: Buy a good orbital or rotary machine. Flex/Dewalt/Makita/PorterCable...

Not everyone can drop a grand for professional equipment....so...
Wash method is important but not rocket science. Meguires Gold is good for the money.
Favorite Glaze: Poorboys Black Hole or White Diamond.
Favorite Polish: Menzerna line. If you can only get one get: Super Intensive Polish (on an orange pad)
Favorite Sealant: Wolfgang 3.0.

That's it. These aren't that expensive. We've used just about every brand and product out there and these are my favorite for producing the best shine, the quickest. It only took us $20k and a few hundred cars to get through them all..

[SkiFree]

If your looking for a very nice Carnuba based wax for cheap (no such thing as %100 carnuba)....

You know the spendy P21S wax right ($35ish)? The S100 'bike wax' sold in Harley Davidson dealership parts departments for $15 is the same exact thing. Works amazing on top of a good coating of Klasse All-in-one Polish.

[gwb72tii]

griotsgarage.com

[deansbimmer]

griotsgarage.com

Highly overrated. The only thing I like from griots is their undercarriage spray.

[Emre]

Why would you use spray-wax as a clay lubricant? You either need to use a quick detailer or clay lubricant for that.

You're right. I meant to say quick detailer ... not spray wax.