Sorry for the daft question guys/gals, but have never really been into polishing/waxing...

Was just about to order Meguiars clear coat liquid wax. It appears it is a combined polish and wax. I thought you were only supposed to polish the car every once in a while then maintain with wax. If so, what else do I need to be ordering to compliment this?

Also, I know someone/everyone will probably recommend Swissol, but I just can't justify the initial outlay right now...maybe next year...

Cheers

Ventmore

You use what your comfortable with in both outlay and results. Not everybody will declare undieing affinity to Swissol.

You use what your comfortable with in both outlay and results. Not everybody will declare undieing affinity to Swissol.

Cheers Kentish

I know you used to favour Mer...do you still use it?

Brands aside, if I'm buying a combined polish/wax, do I also need to buy a straightforward wax. Anyone use meguiars who can advise?

Cheers

Ventmore

No..I use Swissol now as I wasnt very happy with the swirl marks I was getting with Mer. Thankfully Swissol has been able to cure most of them, and leaves a much better finish..swirl free.

I'm not going to jump on the Swissol case, but one piece of advice I received from Mark was the difference between polish and wax. He told me that polish was, in general, mildly abrasive, and that continued use would eventually abrade the paint. In other words, if ,when you polish you car, the cloth has some of the paint colour on it, then you are removing paint (seems sensible to me). However, wax will just impart a further surface on top of the paint, which will protect the paint, but any defects will be visible underneath.

So, in short, whatever product set you choose it seems like the advice is go easy on the polish! And try to avoid those products containing silicone - I have a shelf full of bottles, and none of them last (they look great when they first go on).

HTH!

Cheers guys. I have ordered the Meguiars clear wax. Apparently I may have mixed up the details, as the clear wax appears to be just a wax.

As it's just a new car, I'm just gonna wax rather than polish and wax...do I only need to polish when the wax alone stops bringing out the shine?

Cheers

Ventmore

Ideally you should;

Clay bar/cleanse twice a year, to clean the paint ready for waxing, then wax

Top up wax once a month

Meguiars do some good paint cleansers

Meguiars is top quality stuff and the results are within 90% of the Zymol/Swissol type results, but at a much lower cost

And its way better than Autoglym/MER etc IMO

You shouldn't do anything unless it NEEDS doing. That goes for both waxing and polishing.

Wax is pretty much just that, wax, with some oil, sometimes fat to act as and emulsifier so that water can be mixed in. When you put it on it acts as a sacrificial layer to be attacked by the elements. Once it has worn down you should apply more. with very few exceptions, you cannot layer wax, so if you are waxing every day, you will just be putting it on and taking it off again. So putting it on more often than needed is just a waste of time and money.

I don't have any lab test for Meguiars cleaner wax. But cleaner waxes in general start to fade after about a month. It should offer ample protection for up to 3 months. (wax evaporates, so this time will be shorter in the hot weather. This is even more so for the natural ingredient high gloss waxes which can disapear in a matter of days. It's the oils which make them glossy, not the wax. Certainly leave show shine type products for show cars).

But waxes don't stop your car getting dirty, and I will guarantee that 5 mins after you have washed your car it will be covered in dust. Dust is abrasive and any attempt to remove, no matter how careful you are will result in fine scratches. In fact, even the air flow over your car moving it about causes fine scratches. After a while, when these scratches start to become obvious, then it's time to use a polish.

This will take the very thinest layer of clear coat off, taking the scratches with it.

I have seen people polish right through to the primer and need a total respray. The thing is, often these polishes are just that. Polish. They don't contain any wax. So after they have stripped a layer of paintwork off, they leave it naked and more prone to damge. This means the car needs polishing more often. So throw away the 'T'Cut.

A good coat of wax will help protect against these fine scratches as the dust scratches the wax and not the paintwork most of the time.

Cheers guys...I have ordered Meguiars Gold Class Clear Liquid Wax, which is I think just a wax. I'm going round with the clay bar after the next wash, so I'll wax it after that. I want to make sure it has a good coating for my next working week.

Thanks again

Ventmore

Ummm. I got the Swissol treatment on my new black Furby vrs. But did it with a neighbour, very much cheaper with 2 or 3 cars at same time. Totally delighted..... Would recommend it to anyone who has the dosh, and the other stuff Mark has is brilliant, particularly the fruity stuff for the alloys !!

Roger M

i use the meguiars products on my car and i think they are great!!!

first i wash, then clay, then wash again, then stage two polish, then gold class wax and it brings my motor up brilliant !!!

but if i leave it for 30 mins its covered in dust again ??