My first ever polish.....

[N4D5]

No not a polish bird

Right over the years all the cars I've had I've never been a55ed to polish any of them, I know very bad of me.

So I finally decided over this weekend to give it a blast, as it was perfect weather for it.

I used:

Jet wash
Micro-fiber washing glove, looked like mop from one side.
Micro-fiber cloths 5 pack
Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner
Autoglym Super Resin Polish
Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection.

Right so i started simply jet wash got rid of all the excess dirt, then gave it a very good rub down with the new glove and autoglym shampoo.

Dried with leather chamois, no effort required here as sun was blazing down.

Then parked car in shade and let cool for a while, applied the super resin polish with new micro-fiber cloth to the whole car in one go, i was expecting this to be a right pain in the jaxy but it was a doddle, little more effort required where it had slight scratches. Let this set for about 20 mins, then with new micro-fiber cloth started to slowly buff off. Already i was quite impressed with results.

Then once whole car buffed and a cold drink later i decided to do the gloss protection, applied as instructed with no effort all over car and left to set for about 1 hr. Then it was the final buff with new micro-fiber cloth again. So easy to do and the result were pretty cool too scratched and swirls gone.

The paint work is shiny and has good reflection but to the touch it is not smooth like glass, which is what i was hoping for.

I think next time it will have to be a clay bar before the super resin polish.

Would this give me a glass finish or do i need to look at other ideas also what is best for cleaning tyre's, cheapo option.

So here are my pics guys, do let me know what you think and where i could improve for next time.

Ps. Please post your polishing result here too.

Nad

 

[coolhans]

Very nice car and a good result. well done.

 

[Padrino]

So what are you doing next weekend?
Looks great, well done

 

[dizzy lizzy]

wow - looks very impressive -lovely

 

[MissyD]

..... do let me know what you think and where i could improve for next time.



Nad

you could try it on my car and see if the results are as good

 

[television]

Looks great and well done

 

[Dosco]

Well done that looks better than ex showroom

 

[47p2]

Looks great, now you can come up here and do mine

 

[Boogs]

Looks good, will be easier to wash next time too.

You sound like my wife - she's never polished a car either, but that does not mean to say hers is not always nice and shiny

 

[Chrishazle]

It does look good, but if the paintwork still feels slightly rough to the fingers then a clay bar will make a major difference. I'd recommend the Bilt Hamber regular clay bar - 1/4 of it will be enough to do the whole car, then use it on the wheels before throwing that 1/4 away! The paintwork will feel silky smooth afterwards! Big advantage of BH is that you only need water as the lubricant, not an expensive detailing spray - and the bar is bigger!!

Think about whether you need to do a little paint correction between clay and polish - as after claying is the perfect opportunity to do the paint correction (to remove small swirls, scratches etc). I'd suggest AG Bodyshop 03B (2000 grit) followed by 01B polish - officially they're only for pro bodyshops, but online you can buy them! Be careful with the 03B near edges, and use a water mist with it. Also start gently - you can always get rougher, but if you go too rough too soon...

After the 01B I use AG super high gloss then a couple of coats of AG HD wax, which works really well for my red porsche - much better than Meguiars 3 step or NXT, or AG super resin - all of which I've tried. Best wax I've ever seen on my paintwork was Swissvax best in show, but £150 for 50ml is too rich for my blood, especially as you also need the pre-oil which is another £30!! Black is a law unto itself, so no doubt others with black cars will give their views.

As you've discovered, seeing your P&J looking fabulous is very rewarding and satisfying, and makes the hard work worthwhile. Good luck, and enjoy!!

 

[Donk]

Considering you did not clay it first that looks really good!! What Chrishazle has said is about right, but be warned polishing by hand properly is really hard work, especially with Nano paint. I use a meguirs DA polisher now for swirls, marring and random deep scratch removal, I think its a G220 which saves a lot of muscle ache, it all depends how far you want to go and how much you want to spend really There are an absolute multitude of polishes, glazes and waxes and sealants you can buy, you can spend a fortune, but usually its the prep of the clearcoat that makes the most impact on the shine. Some galzes and polishes can deepen the colour but ultimate shine comes from havving a swirl free clearcoat.

If you do get round to claying it but dont polish it, the Autoglym SRP is pretty good at temporarily filling in small swirl marks and holgrams which you may see in the paint. I personally use Poorboys Black Hole Glaze by hand on dark cars (after claying and polishing) topped off with a couple of layers of Nattys Blue carnuba wax for summer protection (smells like bubble gum) simply as they are so easy to put on and take off. You can also get waxes and sealants that will go on protecting for 6 or 9 months and still keep beading water off, look for Colinite 476 or Finish Kare products. I used Carlack 68 AIO on my Jag but was not that impressed but lots others like it so YMMV.

Google cleanyourcar dot co dot uk or somewhere similar for a huge selection of goodies but keep a tight hold on your wallet

 

[Chrishazle]

The 2 DA polishers recommended on detailingworld.co.uk are the Meguiars 220 which Donk has, and the Kestrel DAS6 which looks almost identical but is loads cheaper. BUT - by the time you've bought the machine and the pads to do the necessary - different pads for paint correction, polishing and buffing - be prepared for your wallet to be £150-200 lighter!! I've now put a DAS6 on my Xmas list as it takes a lot of the elbow grease out of polishing and waxing - it's not just for paint correction / swirl removal, it's also a polisher and buffer!

Have a look at theultimatefinish.co.uk, they will also talk to you and help on the phone! But, as Donk says, it's a slippery and potentially expensive slope!!