A Good Car Polish

[jam1e]

Hi folks,

I have a second car, but over time, as you can imagine, using it for shooting it cops a few scratches. I can get them out ok with different methods, but my old liquid Auto Glym polish isn't cutting it. I'm after anyone's knowledge about a polish they use that is a thick hardish wax in a tub with an applicator. The stuff we used to use before liquids came along. I'm after a good quality one which won't come after a couple of showers. I'm aware of "ceramic coatings", and have some. It's good quality polish I'm after.

Please could you let me know If you use a good brand and it's name.

Cheers.

Jam1e.

Also asked elsewhere.

[archi]

I have tended to use autoglym super resin polish

also as a wax protection used Farecla G3 finishing wax which was way to apply  and seemed to last 

[ditchman]

1 hour ago, jam1e said:

Hi folks,

I have a second car, but over time, as you can imagine, using it for shooting it cops a few scratches. I can get them out ok with different methods, but my old liquid Auto Glym polish isn't cutting it. I'm after anyone's knowledge about a polish they use that is a thick hardish wax in a tub with an applicator. The stuff we used to use before liquids came along. I'm after a good quality one which won't come after a couple of showers. I'm aware of "ceramic coatings", and have some. It's good quality polish I'm after.

Please could you let me know If you use a good brand and it's name.

Cheers.

Jam1e.

Also asked elsewhere.

whatever you deciede upon ....you need to TOTALLY de-polish all the paintwork....disolve ALL the old polish out of all the scratches............there is no point in lathering very expensive polish ontop of old stuff that has ingrained dirt /muck/polish deep into the scratches......if you dont you will end up putting a shine on dirty scratches

then start again......

investigate as to what solution will dissolve auto polish....

[jam1e]

Thank you Ditchman. Much appreciated!

Jam1e

1 hour ago, archi said:

I have tended to use autoglym super resin polish

also as a wax protection used Farecla G3 finishing wax which was way to apply  and seemed to last 

Cheers Archi !

[chrisv]

The wax in a pot in the Autoglym range is High Definition Wax. 
It’s harder to apply than the liquid ones though.

[Poor Shot]

If you can feel a scratch when you run a fingernail over it then it's too deep to be removed by hand. It will need a machine polish at a minimum which is normally best done by someone who has experience else you could impart even more damage to the paint.

Also polish and wax are different tools with different uses. It's not clear but going on the terminology used you are going to have to use first a polish to remove the finer scratches and then a wax to seal and provide a finish which will last more than a few weeks.

A polish will help remove finer scratches but will only provide a hydroscopic finish for a few days before fading.

A wax will last a lot longer but has no cutting properties so will only fill the finer scratches.

When I had nice cars I would periodically spend a whole day lifting up the paintwork by going over each panel with a light cutting polish like autoglym super resin polish (has some fillers and a light cut to reduce scratches) then a filling glaze like poorboys black hole (or white diamond for light coloured cars) to fill in any deeper scratches and provide a wet look finish and then a couple coats of Collinite 476 wax to provide a long lasting hydrophobic finish (absolute ****** to work with but a genuine 6-12 month finish unlike most waxes which fade in a few weeks). Before the above I would wash the car with a stripping wash soap which would remove any existing waxes, glazes and polishes so I had a clean surface to work with.

I now have company provided cars so I couldn't give a toss about the paintwork. They get washed once a year by the dealer when being serviced. They may see an automated car wash if they are lucky and I have a meeting at head office that the car needed to be clean for.

More recently I've started using a SI02 based ceramic spray wax which is almost as easy to apply as a detailing spray but so far has been on for 5 months and is still beading well in the rain.

[Wilts#Dave]

You’ll need to machine polish to remove anything but very light scratches, but if you’re going to hand polish I used to do the following process….go over with a clay bar to decontaminate first followed by some cleansing polish, then use a mild cutting compound you can apply by hand (I used to use Dodo juice Lime) prime with a applicator sponge, wipe off with a thick polishing towel (hard work). 
Then apply a good quality hard wax and buff off to seal in the shine. I tried loads but the Dodo juice range was always good for the money (I favoured blue velvet as my cars were blue/dark colours). 

[Westley]

I would 'T Cut' the scratches out and then use Mer polish. The Mer polish builds a shine with each subsequent use. It was a vintage car owner that told me about the Mer polish some 30 years ago, I have used it twice a year on my cars ever since. If I get any bramble or hedge scratches,  I just polish them off with the Mer. I have no doubt there are equally as good products out there, but after 30 years of use the Mer polish works for me.

[ShootingEgg]

Poorboy's do some good stuff. Not the cheapest but it's very good. 

[den5008]

On 24/08/2023 at 16:34, jam1e said:

Hi folks,

I have a second car, but over time, as you can imagine, using it for shooting it cops a few scratches. I can get them out ok with different methods, but my old liquid Auto Glym polish isn't cutting it. I'm after anyone's knowledge about a polish they use that is a thick hardish wax in a tub with an applicator. The stuff we used to use before liquids came along.

 

 

 

sounds like canuba wax to me.

[jam1e]

I ended up going with Bilt Hamber tinned wax in the end. Contains lots of Carnauba wax.

Not cheap, but cracking stuff!

Cheers folks.👍

[Hedgemonkey]

What you’re going to attempt is part of what I do for living. It’s easy with the right kit and products, which are a bit of an initial lay out, but you’ll sweat doing it. Many of the older products you mention are no longer available due to the VOC contents. Remember that cutting and polishing are two different processes. Farecla G3 followed by G10 are good cutting and finishing compounds easily available to yourself. A good polish is Autoglym Super Resin, it’s easy on and off. A decent “pink wax” is always worth a look to keep the lustre. Remember to use a slightly damp Microfibre when applying and a dry clean Microfibre to wipe off the products, and don’t use the same cloth for cutting and polishing. Same you’re not closer as this is a daily thing for me after refinishing panels.

[jam1e]

Thanks for the advice. 👍