To polish or not to polish
Discussion
^What md said - Wax, NOT Polish! Polish is used to correct paint, Wax protects.
Not sure whether you mean 'New brand new' or 'New to you new' but either way give the car a proper and thorough wash first and assuming the paint is good enough, give it a coat of a good quality Wax. Take your time as not only will it make cleaning the car easier next time, but the finish will last longer until you have to treat it again.
Not sure whether you mean 'New brand new' or 'New to you new' but either way give the car a proper and thorough wash first and assuming the paint is good enough, give it a coat of a good quality Wax. Take your time as not only will it make cleaning the car easier next time, but the finish will last longer until you have to treat it again.
Porsche911R said:
I use Zymol Concours Wax, it sets quite hard protects very well and looks great.
A tub lasts for years and years.
Swissvax Best of Show is also a great wax.
Wow. Those are both around £200 a tub. I thought the Autoglym hi def one wasn't bad but then Silver is not exactly a difficult colour.A tub lasts for years and years.
Swissvax Best of Show is also a great wax.
Edited by Porsche911R on Thursday 5th April 18:21
Schmed said:
Porsche911R said:
I use Zymol Concours Wax, it sets quite hard protects very well and looks great.
A tub lasts for years and years.
Swissvax Best of Show is also a great wax.
Wow. Those are both around £200 a tub. I thought the Autoglym hi def one wasn't bad but then Silver is not exactly a difficult colour.A tub lasts for years and years.
Swissvax Best of Show is also a great wax.
Edited by Porsche911R on Thursday 5th April 18:21
Although the recipe has since changed, my pot of Swissvax (SwissOL as it was then) is 13 years old, probably got a year or two more in it yet.
Schmed said:
Wow. Those are both around £200 a tub. I thought the Autoglym hi def one wasn't bad but then Silver is not exactly a difficult colour.
People pay £1.5k to a detailer or £5k for some cling film on their cars£200 on a tub which will do 30 cars is peanuts you only need to do it every 6 months so that's 15 years worth of wax.
You can buy £20 pots I have a few and they look great some last a few weeks some wash off on the next wash.
You seem to get what you pay for.
with PPF and ceramic coats you are paying for the labour not the product. with a £200 wax you are getting a nice long lasting product with amazing finish.
Porsche911R said:
Maxym said:
Best route though is a ceramic coating, best applied by a specialist detailer.
it's not the best route just another option but at £1k to 1.5k an expensive one which repair shops hate if you get a scratch to touch in.I'm about to pick up my Golf GTI which is being done by an outfit with a great reputation for £595 (five years' 'protection' allegedly) but the bloke isn't VAT-registered yet.

Maxym said:
Best route for maximum protection on a car kept outside. True re the subsequent repair implications. I'm happy to deal with any such problem when the time comes.
I'm about to pick up my Golf GTI which is being done by an outfit with a great reputation for £595 (five years' 'protection' allegedly) but the bloke isn't VAT-registered yet.
I'm about to pick up my Golf GTI which is being done by an outfit with a great reputation for £595 (five years' 'protection' allegedly) but the bloke isn't VAT-registered yet.

- will you keep it 5 years ?
Porsche911R said:
Maxym said:
Best route for maximum protection on a car kept outside. True re the subsequent repair implications. I'm happy to deal with any such problem when the time comes.
I'm about to pick up my Golf GTI which is being done by an outfit with a great reputation for £595 (five years' 'protection' allegedly) but the bloke isn't VAT-registered yet.
I'm about to pick up my Golf GTI which is being done by an outfit with a great reputation for £595 (five years' 'protection' allegedly) but the bloke isn't VAT-registered yet.

- will you keep it 5 years ?
Both our cars live outside
My wife's car was new from the factory, we arranged fo it to be delivered complete with all the body protection on to my favourite detailer (the supplying dealer was not allowed to wash it, wax it or do any prep to the outside of the car).
My detailer removed all of the body protection stuff, corrected the 1 small error in the paint, cleaned it thoroughly and applied a Gtechniq paint sealant.
The car looks fantastic, probably the best paint on a Skoda anywhere
It lives outside, and has done for 18 months but still looks brand new. The sealant protects it from swirl marks, bird crap, hard water etching etc, its a doddle to clean even through we have very muddy lanes leading to the village. Best £500 I ever spent on a car.
If I was buying a new Porsche, I would have it protected this way without a second thought
My wife's car was new from the factory, we arranged fo it to be delivered complete with all the body protection on to my favourite detailer (the supplying dealer was not allowed to wash it, wax it or do any prep to the outside of the car).
My detailer removed all of the body protection stuff, corrected the 1 small error in the paint, cleaned it thoroughly and applied a Gtechniq paint sealant.
The car looks fantastic, probably the best paint on a Skoda anywhere
It lives outside, and has done for 18 months but still looks brand new. The sealant protects it from swirl marks, bird crap, hard water etching etc, its a doddle to clean even through we have very muddy lanes leading to the village. Best £500 I ever spent on a car.If I was buying a new Porsche, I would have it protected this way without a second thought
Whatever you use to wax, assuming you wash the car and then dry it somehow (I used to use a chamois) could I suggest you try Autoglym Aqua Wax?
You wash and rinse as normal, then go round the car with the Aqua Wax spray applying a squirt to each panel and spreading with the first of the supplied microfibre cloths. This mops up any residual water and applies a new thin layer of wax. Then run over the whole car with the second supplied cloth to polish off any surplus wax.
Much quicker than using a chamois to dry, and you get a top-up to your original wax coating every time you wash the car. I've used it for two years now and find it excellent. My 981 came to me used with some excellent but unknown paint treatment so I've never needed to apply a hard wax.
For my wife's new BMW I clayed it with Bilt Hamber (uses simply water to lubricate), then AG Intensive Tar Remover to cleanse (as advised by AG), then AG Super Resin Polish, then AG HD Wax. Has worked very well except that nothing stops flies crapping on white cars outside!
You wash and rinse as normal, then go round the car with the Aqua Wax spray applying a squirt to each panel and spreading with the first of the supplied microfibre cloths. This mops up any residual water and applies a new thin layer of wax. Then run over the whole car with the second supplied cloth to polish off any surplus wax.
Much quicker than using a chamois to dry, and you get a top-up to your original wax coating every time you wash the car. I've used it for two years now and find it excellent. My 981 came to me used with some excellent but unknown paint treatment so I've never needed to apply a hard wax.
For my wife's new BMW I clayed it with Bilt Hamber (uses simply water to lubricate), then AG Intensive Tar Remover to cleanse (as advised by AG), then AG Super Resin Polish, then AG HD Wax. Has worked very well except that nothing stops flies crapping on white cars outside!
andyglos said:
George Smiley said:
Or a jay cloth and wring it out
But you can’t beat a Brillo pad for those especially stubborn marks......I had a customer come in with his Lotus Elise swirl-marked to buggery as his two daughters thought it would be a nice treat for Father's day to wash their dear dad's car and save him a Sunday job.
Think the bill was £1200.
Porsche911R said:
Schmed said:
Wow. Those are both around £200 a tub. I thought the Autoglym hi def one wasn't bad but then Silver is not exactly a difficult colour.
People pay £1.5k to a detailer or £5k for some cling film on their cars£200 on a tub which will do 30 cars is peanuts you only need to do it every 6 months so that's 15 years worth of wax.
You can buy £20 pots I have a few and they look great some last a few weeks some wash off on the next wash.
You seem to get what you pay for.
with PPF and ceramic coats you are paying for the labour not the product. with a £200 wax you are getting a nice long lasting product with amazing finish.
I wax my PPF

Also worth noting that a ceramic coating is different again, it can help protect from swirl marks more than wax, otherwise it does a similar job but is much longer lasting. You can generally put wax on top of a ceramic coat for extra shinyness
Funny, I only saw one post suggesting clay bar. For most paint jobs that have been exposed to the elements a thourough wash and dry followed by a full clay bar treatment (clay bar will take you a couple of hours of vigorous exercise) followed by a high quality wax will bring you delight. The before and after clay bar treatment is unbelievable when you compare the roughness of the paint. I personally like the Mothers product line of clay bar and their Gold classi car wash and the Mequiars line of waxes and cut polish. For dark coloured paint you need real patience if you end up using cut polish or you will end up with swirl marks on the paint. You may want to spread out the love over a couple of days to avoid rotator cuff issues. Also most important, is to get a bunch of those micro fleese towletts for the buffing and a sponge applicator for the wax.
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MF drying towel.