Hello all,

I have just collected my car from the repair shop where my pride and joy has just been repaired and resprayed (as some nice lady went down the side of me). It was painted by Alan Smith of Alan Smith Motors (A.S.Motors .. Home) as i requested my insurance company to get him to do my repair and paint work. Now Alan has done simply the most amazing job on my car (including sending 4 bumpers back to Skoda as they did not meat his quality standards). The paint now looks like it should ripple if touched and i really could not be any happier.

So, as I have no idea about cleaning properly or detailing, my question to you all is, what is the best way to keep the paint looking like this, are their any products I should use and how. I have read all the above threads by Will (Cheers for that) but wondered if i needed to do anything special seeing as its freshly painted. It was sprayed 1 week ago now. Can anyone suggest any products to use?

Its a Black MK1 Octavia VRS.

Thanks in advance for any help or advise

Kind Regards

Garry

Look at the sticies at the top of this section.

Most important are use the 2 bucket method with a wash mit, dry with a wffle weave or similar Microfibre, be careful on your choice of polish and use a quality wax.

You probably don't want to touch it for a couple of weeks as the paint will need to let any solvent off.

Thanks for the quick reply. Yep, i read all the stickys Was good of Will to do all that.

Was just wondering if their was any special polishes, waxes etc.. that were more suitable on fresh paint?

Will leave it a few weeks before doing anything other than washing it.

Kind Regards

Garry

Personally I like colli 476s and klasse all in one, but the product comes down to personal preference and knowledge about what works with your paint really.

speak directly to someone like cleanyourcar and see what theyll reccomend. id go with a very good wax like collinite 476 and get some speed detailer and some good waffle weave toweles to dry it off.

Dont go anywhere near it with polish for a few months, and I wouldnt wax it for a few weeks either.

Cheers guys. All good advice.

Will leave it for a while then. Now this is gonna sound like a stupid question, but, What is the difference between Wax and Polish? I always assumed they were 2 different methords to the same results? Sometime i polish my car, other times i wax it. Just depends what i have to hand. Am i missing something painfully obvious, lol

Kind Regards

Garry

Polish removes clearcote to remove imperfections and minor damage. Wax is a protective coating which also improves visual apearance.

I agree with what has been said so far, don't wax or polish just wash with a gentle wash mit with a mild wax free shampoo for a couple of weeks.

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I knew i was missing something.

So am i right is saying that after (say a month) If the paint is still good with no defects then waxing will be the best option and if i do have defects (like swirl marks etc...) then polish and then wax?

Kind Regards

Garry

Check with the body shop as they will be able to tell you exactly how long you should leave it before sealing/waxing.

I would say always give the paint a clean before you wax as otherwise any contamination on the surface will stop the wax bonding.

None abrasive cleaners such as the Klasse, Lime Prime Lite or Megs DC1 would be ideal. The last two are just cleaners and the Klasse AIO is a cleaner, polish and sealant all in one. As such the Klasse is the only one to offer protection and the wax would just be an extra layer of protection and depth.