Polishing your new car.

[SunDrifter]

When is the ideal time to polish your new car for the first time?

I've heard people say that you should not polish the car for the first 6 months to allow the cars paint to properly harden... Is this worth heeding, or just an old wifes tale?

[Smoke Pursuit]

Wax not polish...

You really shouldnt need to polish a new car for 12 - 18 months if you wax it every 2 months or so... My Shockwave is nearly 12 months old and it doesnt need polishing yet...

Your car being white shouldnt need a polish for a long time providing you look after it and its not always out in the weather.

[SunDrifter]

What would you recommend as a good wax then? I've been using Mcguires gear, but i've heard good things about mothers stuff...

[nang3]

ive tried the Mothers stuff and liked it, but then i tried Zaino and Zaino blew it away...
takes longer but lasts waaaay longer and the difference is amazing when you compare two adjacent sections of paintwork..
I havent Zaino'd my car in about 6-8 months and it is only now is it wearing off i.e. water doesnt bead anymore

[Smoke Pursuit]

For wax you cannot beat Meguires new HiTech Stuff... Bout 40 bucks a bottle but is great.. Apply it with their applicator pads and whipe away with some 3M sythetic clothes or Bowdens own polishing clothes... Go to Autobarn to buy this stuff.

[CongoAU2]

Better off using Autoglym to wax and then use theAutoglym ultra gloss protection after that. I use that on my car and it looks beautiful. :

[b2tf]

Id give it about 4-5 weeks or so from new, if your dealer is half decent they will have loaded it up with wax etc etc anyway.

Meguiars is fantastic range of products and i find theyre really good for darker coloured cars (i have a very dark blue metallic), but are fantastic for lighter coloured cars too.

Give them a go and see what yuo think.

[SVR73]

My advice is to check the paint well after every shampooing. Look for new scratches, swirls and marring and do repairs on the area with the finest products you can such as paint cleanser , enhancing glaze like vanilla moose or a finishing polish

Why wax every two months using overpriced products when you can use an acrylic, ceramic or super polymer paint sealant and apply up to eight coats on your paint for superb depth, wetness, shimmer and reflectiveness
You will use far less than a synthetic or natural wax and they last far longer, 6 - 15 months and you can make them last as long as possible using shampoo's that condition and actually contain super polymer sealants and quick detail sprays that add a microfine layer of sealant after each wash.
You can top sealants with a couple layers of carnuaba paste wax for the ultimate shine

Waxes sit on the paint whereas sealants given two to 24 hours to bond sink into the pores, harden and become part of the paint
Eight coats are about maximum as you will have filled up all the pores in the paint and applying more than that is a waste with no chance for them to bond to the paint

[RAREV8]

Originally Posted by SVR73

My advice is to check the paint well after every shampooing. Look for new scratches, swirls and marring and do repairs on the area with the finest products you can such as paint cleanser , enhancing glaze like vanilla moose or a finishing polish

Why wax every two months using overpriced products when you can use an acrylic, ceramic or super polymer paint sealant and apply up to eight coats on your paint for superb depth, wetness, shimmer and reflectiveness
You will use far less than a synthetic or natural wax and they last far longer, 6 - 15 months and you can make them last as long as possible using shampoo's that condition and actually contain super polymer sealants and quick detail sprays that add a microfine layer of sealant after each wash.
You can top sealants with a couple layers of carnuaba paste wax for the ultimate shine

Waxes sit on the paint whereas sealants given two to 24 hours to bond sink into the pores, harden and become part of the paint
Eight coats are about maximum as you will have filled up all the pores in the paint and applying more than that is a waste with no chance for them to bond to the paint

Hi there,

Sorry, excuse my ignorance but I haven't come across this idea before and it sound great!

I am halfway thru' spraying my car at the moment and like the idea of a protective polymer. When you say spray it on- is this in a can/bottle or applied with a compressor?

This is probably a sily q, but if you can, let me know!
Cheers,

[SVR73]

Originally Posted by scottishxc

Hi there,

Sorry, excuse my ignorance but I haven't come across this idea before and it sound great!

I am halfway thru' spraying my car at the moment and like the idea of a protective polymer. When you say spray it on- is this in a can/bottle or applied with a compressor?

This is probably a sily q, but if you can, let me know!
Cheers,

It's comes in 473ml spray bottle but is also available in 1.89 litre and 3.78 litre size
Have got one brand which is not available in australia and you simply spray it onto the clean paintwork (some cars may need polishing before use) and wipe until dry using a microfibre buffing cloth.
It needs 12 hours to bond and cure and a couple days before you can wash your car as the product is oxygen activated and water will drown the ingredients if you wash within the 12 hour period

Dave at waxit.com.au has zaino z8 spray sealant, one I have not tried as zaino to me is too expensive but can get you the one I have if you wish.

Probably best used after you have put an acrylic or super polymer sealant on your car in the traditional way with a microfibre applicator pad.

I like the Meguiars nxt generation products. Has there own applicators, easy as to use

[nang3]

mate i still reckon give Zaino a go.. get the full kit - ~$190 or so, and follow the instructions to the letter, especially the claybar part, makes all the difference.. i will never go back to anything after zaino..