Simple Polish Questions

I've been reading through all posts in this forum and have to say am a little overwhelmed at the variety of different polishes that people use.

So a simple question (I hope!): What is the best polish between £10 - £30? I’ve got one brand new car which I want to keep in top condition, and one 11 year old car I want to get looking as good as possible so I can sell it.

I currently use Autoglym, the main reason being that I can pick a litre of the stuff up for a tenner at car shows, but is there anything better? I see Meguiars mentioned a lot….

Another question: What is clay? Again, mentioned a lot but I’ve never heard of it before.

Thanks

Originally Posted by Zlov

I've been reading through all posts in this forum and have to say am a little overwhelmed at the variety of different polishes that people use.

So a simple question (I hope!): What is the best polish between £10 - £30? I’ve got one brand new car which I want to keep in top condition, and one 11 year old car I want to get looking as good as possible so I can sell it.

I currently use Autoglym, the main reason being that I can pick a litre of the stuff up for a tenner at car shows, but is there anything better? I see Meguiars mentioned a lot….

Another question: What is clay? Again, mentioned a lot but I’ve never heard of it before.

Thanks

Clay can be got from Halfrauds....Meguires do it.

It is what it says - clay, it comes in small bars of various grades...and is used to rub over the paint work - it removes imperfections in paint finnish and dug in marks and stain like salt crystals - tar and other contaminants...

Very good stuff although it is a labour of love - took over 2 hours to clay my car


Chris

Zlov, unfortunately there is no easy answer to this.Some manufacturers confuse the issue by branding polish and wax as the same thing but they're not. Polish will not protect paint and will wash away pretty quickly if not covered by a wax or a sealant.
Also most polish will contain abrasive microbeads to cut into the topcoat therefore increasing shine although this is almost impossible to do by hand. If you want to put a shine on the car and not do any paint rectification then a pure polish (non-abrasive) is what you need (Megs no 7 Glaze is pretty good stuff)
As Chris says the clay is awesome stuff.Run your hand over the bonnet of your cars when clean and if you feel any bumps or slight roughness (or a lot of roughness)then you need to clay it.Very easy to do and you'll be amazed at the difference in the paint quality,even if you can't see the imperfections believe may they are there.
Sorry if this is too long winded

Originally Posted by ALRN

Run your hand over the bonnet of your cars when clean and if you feel any bumps or slight roughness (or a lot of roughness)then you need to clay it.Very easy to do and you'll be amazed at the difference in the paint quality,even if you can't see the imperfections believe may they are there.
Sorry if this is too long winded

Dagnammit, you know how much work you've just convinced me to undertake ?

You know you want to tho'

What he said about the clay.

One of the best kept secrets of the detailing world. It's really not difficult and makes a huge difference to the condition of your paintwork. You can buy kits that comprise a block or two of clay and a bottle of spray lubricant.

Quite simply you gently rub the clay over a well washed car, using the spray lubricant to ........well.......lubricate the surface, and the clay picks up all the bonded contaminants which are stuck to the paint.

Afterwards you wax your car and stand back and smile.

i use meguiars 4 in one polish, here's the result:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/DSCF4733.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/DSCF4734.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/DSCF4741.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/DSCF4746.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/DSCF4745.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/DSCF4739.jpg

very quick and easy to use but gives a brilliant finish

Thanks very much for the advice, not long winded at all I'll pop down to the local Halfords on the way home tonight and have a look at what they've got. I’m intrigued by the clay. Sounds just the thing for my girl friends MX5 (the one we’re going to sell). The paint is rough to the touch.

Just to throw a stone in the works don't forget Carlack 68 nanotec polish. It removes contaminents that are left on the car (yes even after claying), not only does it clean it also bonds the polish to the cars paintwork making a lovely surface which will not only repel water but is ready for your wax. I cannot recommend the carlack 68 stuff enough it really is the very best cleaner and polish I believe is on the market today (but obviously its only my opinion).
Pic1
Pic2
Carlack 68 pre wax
Carlack 68 protection

astraman

I thought this was a post about speaking
an east European language.


Claying is very therapeutic I find.
Wouldn't have caught me doing it a few
years back, but it is a miracle to behold/feel.

Good results astraman,especially on a light car!

Originally Posted by Zlov

Thanks very much for the advice, not long winded at all I'll pop down to the local Halfords on the way home tonight and have a look at what they've got. I’m intrigued by the clay. Sounds just the thing for my girl friends MX5 (the one we’re going to sell). The paint is rough to the touch.

Try some clay, you won't regret it. I'm not one for caring to much about paintwork, but the time spent claying a car makes so much difference. Best of all once a cars paint is really clean (after claying) the polish is five times easier to apply. It really is a miracle product

Originally Posted by rancido64

i use meguiars 4 in one polish,
very quick and easy to use but gives a brilliant finish

I am fairly familiar with all the Meguiars products but can't say I have heard of "4 in one polish". Does it have a part number or can you post a pic of the bottle? Consumer or Professional range?

Thanks

I'm in the process of claying my bonnet as it currently has the texture of 80 grade sand paper! I am starting to think it was pranged and replaced sometime in its life - but with a terrible spray job. I'm using the meguiars clay kit and I also have a sonus clay bar (green) that is supposed to be gentler that I plan to use on the rest of the car as its fairly smooth already.

Its making a world of difference to the bonnet! Its taking forever though - probably 3 hours so far. But then this is really really bad paint!

f*ck*n ell!! 3 hours on the bonnet alone????

It must be seriously in a bad way.

I can clay the whole car in 45 minutes.

Originally Posted by springbok

f*ck*n ell!! 3 hours on the bonnet alone????

It must be seriously in a bad way.

I can clay the whole car in 45 minutes.

Put it this way.. if you tried and polish it as it was, bits of the polishing cloth would get caught a tear off all over it...