What do you use to polish your car?

[Maury Beniowski]

Personally, I use a clay bar followed by a good quality wax like Meguiars.

It's very fast, and it gives me a showroom mirror finish.

 

[maverick73]

i like using a carnuba wax twice a year... once just before spring, and once around fall... then 4 washing, i pay somebody 20 bux every 2-3 weeks for a hand wash while I eat or read the paper i don't think i've washed my own car in over 5 years.

 

[Gentleman First]

I generally just drive it through a car wash and call it a day.

Although last weekend i let a bunch of kids wash it in the parking lot behind Petro Can as they were raising money for grad or some darn thing

 

[Gentleman First]

i like using a carnuba wax twice a year... once just before spring, and once around fall... then 4 washing, i pay somebody 20 bux every 2-3 weeks for a hand wash while I eat or read the paper i don't think i've washed my own car in over 5 years.

Mav,

I want the chick in your sig pic to wash my car

 

[maverick73]

Mav,

I want the chick in your sig pic to wash my car

it's 30 bux for a topless wash, 50 if u want her to use her boobies to scrub... wax on, wax off!

 

[Gentleman First]

it's 30 bux for a topless wash, 50 if u want her to use her boobies to scrub... wax on, wax off!

Bargain deal man...here is a red

 

[Randy Whorewald]

I use Dupont "teflon" liquid wax. It seems to keep the dirt from sticking better than most of the others I've tried.

 

[hitrack]

The clay bar blows my mind!!! Fukk does that thing ever work awesome!!!!

My car is still fairly new and in good shape, so I havent polished it yet....no need IMO. Just hit it with the clay bar twice now and use Mcguires hi-tech yellow wax.

If your car is all shit bagged and faded your gonna have to polish it before you wax it. Also your gonna gave to determine how shit bagged and start off with a harsh polish and work up through the polishes to a final very fine polish, just like sandpaper on wood...same idea, then last you wax.

 

[Gentleman First]

Ok you guys are making me feel bad now

I thought i was doing okay running it through the car wasj every 2 weeks or so.
But wow, you guys go all out.

I feel like i neglect mine now.
In all seriousness, is it any help getting them to spray that wax on it at the automated car wash?

If it makes any difference i usually go to the Esso right near my house and get their "touchless" wash....but rarley opt for the wax spray as well, but do on occasion.

 

[maverick73]

Hmmm... interesting stuff posted... I will have to check out this magical "clay bar."

In my experience, when u have a good coat of carnuba wax on your car, the water beads in a certain way and in smaller "puddles." This wax basically protects against minor scratches from dirt and small rocks. It also helps reflect light better to give a nicer shine. With this "protective coating" on, frequent washing (every 1-3 weeks depending on how often u drive and how dirty your car gets) will return the car to essentially the same "shine" every time. When u see the water start to "stream" instead of "bead" then u know it's time for a new coat of wax. I think it can get extremely costly (from a time and money perspective) to wax on every wash. Of course, if you're living on paradise island, and have several monkey butlers at your disposal, then by all means, get it waxed every time!! "but how many monkey butlers will there be???"

My backup car is now 5 years old and people still think it looks like new on the outside (unfortunately, the inside was a bit ruined as a result of some "crack" fights but that's another story alltogether... that's what backup cars are for... gettin' the groceries, pickin' up the repaired air conditioner, gettin' crack.... ).

I will however have to check out this clay bar u guys are raving about .

 

[Maury Beniowski]

Hitrack, I knew deep down you're an automotive metrosexual...

Mav, the clay bar will cost you about $30 at Lordco. There might be cheaper ones elsewhere, like Ebay ($20). Spray an automotive cleaner on beforehand; about one square foot. The liquid acts like a lubricant, allowing the clay bar to do its magic. Split the clay bar into two or three chunks. Squeeze the bar into a ball shape; the stuff is like silly putty. Make sure your car is clean before starting, spray the liquid on (I think you could even use dish detergent), and begin to rub the surface, just like you were using an eraser. Reform the ball and continue. Wipe clean afterwards.

Like Hitrack suggested, you'll be amazed at the results. Your whole car should take about 30-60 minutes, depending on the amount of contaminants on the paint. Follow up with your regular wax, which now will go on much easier to apply, due to lower surface friction.

Afterwards, stand back and wonder how you ever did without this amazing bar. You can also use the same bar to clean your car windows, chrome surfaces, plastic headlight lenses, and so on. This is the secret stuff used by body shops to clean up the overspray after painting, new car showrooms, and car shows.

BTW, the only thing automated car waxes do is drain your wallet...

 

[Sexy BBW]

I have heard that using a CLEAN cloth baby diaper is good to rub it down, now don't ask me where I heard that, I just did and cant remember lol

 

[Gentleman First]

Interesting for those like me that know squat on the subject

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to_central/body_interior/1272211.html

 

[hardup]

I have heard that using a CLEAN cloth baby diaper is good to rub it down, now don't ask me where I heard that, I just did and cant remember lol

Diapercloth does an awesome job, they even package them for use in detail shops.
I've always used a paste wax (Turtle or Meguires) but last weekend I tried Ice clear liquid wax and it did a great job and was incredibly easy to apply. It's suggested to apply once a month.....I'll let you know if that often is needed.

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

Personally, I use a clay bar followed by a good quality wax like Meguiars.

It's very fast, and it gives me a showroom mirror finish.

I tried this today for the first time. FAST MY ASS! I hit the car wash around 9 a.m. It's about 1/2 km from my home, so it's mad convenient. Was back home before 10 a.m. and got straight into the clay bar. This took me until almost 1 p.m., had a 15 minute bite to eat, and went back at it with the Caruba polish. Wrapped up around 3 p.m. Total time was like 5 1/2 hours. Arms are fuckin' DEAD. Beer never tasted so good. Car looks pretty amazing though, I gotta say. I will likely do it again, but only once, just before I sell the thing.

 

[hardup]

Diapercloth does an awesome job, they even package them for use in detail shops.
I've always used a paste wax (Turtle or Meguires) but last weekend I tried Ice clear liquid wax and it did a great job and was incredibly easy to apply. It's suggested to apply once a month.....I'll let you know if that often is needed.

Alright......a follow-up to my last post here........They should recommend reapplying once a week, I should have known something that easy wouldn't last. I'm going back to paste wax....the extra work is worth it.

 

[Maury Beniowski]

I tried this today for the first time. FAST MY ASS! I hit the car wash around 9 a.m. It's about 1/2 km from my home, so it's mad convenient. Was back home before 10 a.m. and got straight into the clay bar. This took me until almost 1 p.m., had a 15 minute bite to eat, and went back at it with the Caruba polish. Wrapped up around 3 p.m. Total time was like 5 1/2 hours. Arms are fuckin' DEAD. Beer never tasted so good. Car looks pretty amazing though, I gotta say. I will likely do it again, but only once, just before I sell the thing.

OK, if you haven't done it before, it could sweat on a little longer. And, I should distinguish the claybar process from the wax.

A good pre-detailing wash and shammy = 45 min.
Claybar paint, windows and trim = 1 hour
Paste or liquid wax and buff = 1.5 to 2 hours.

If I just claybar the paint and windows after a wash and buff, I can usually do this in about 45 minutes (not including the wash). I use a 10% detergent solution to minimize any friction with the clay.

But in the end, isn't that paint so silky smooth, eh Fuzzy? It goes much faster after a few tries...

If you want to get rid of those swirl marks (especially on dark finishes), then a random orbit polisher (Porter-Cable) with a swirl mark removing solution will bring back that showroom look and shine. Add another hour there, plus the toothbrush cleaning of wax out of the cracks...

 

[gravitas]

Whatever the felons who are employed at the local detailing shop use seems to do the trick. I drive a generic SUV that gets washed/waxed every few weeks on the company dime so I'm not going to go overboard with a clay bar or something exotic like wildebeest jiz.