How to get the best from these products - wax advice reqd.

[Goochie]

My wife's car has covered about 85k miles since 1997 and as a result is now starting to look a little tired. There are a number of hazy scratches which look almost like spider webs laying over the paintwork and a couple of slightly heavier marks from hedges etc. Its neever seen a motorway so luckily there are no stone chips at all.

The bodywork looks from a distance to be a very dark grey but once up close you can see it is a pearlescent charcoal sort of color with a hint of gold to it.

I'd love to get a really deep shine to it (inspired by a certain shiny Enzo ) but I don't fancy buying a lot of new products.

I have the following products:

Autoglym bodywork shampoo
Autoglym Super Resin Polish (the red one)
Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection (the gold one)
Autoglym tar remover
Autoglym glass polish
Meguires quick clay kit (white clay bar and lubricant)
T-Cut metallic
T-Cut normal

Whatever (wax?) I need to buy needs to be available from Halfords and less than £30. I don't have an electric polisher.

My current thinking is:

1. Rinse
2. Wash with Autoglym bodywork shampoo
3. Rinse
4. Use tar spot remover where required
5. Clay entire car
6. Wax ??
7. Polish with Autoglym super resin polish
8. Seal with Autoglym extra gloss protection

However, is the Autoglym polish suitable for use after waxing? Are my steps in the correct order etc.? As said, I'd like a really deep shine.

Comments welcome.

[hutchingsp]

I'd leave out step six. Autoglym SRP is mildly abrasive, so if you wax the car and then use it all you'll be doing is taking off the wax you've put on.

What I would do after claying is use the SRP with a microfiber covered foam applicator and cut it into the paint i.e. work it in until it disappears.

Depending on how bad the spiderwebs are you may not have much luck getting rid of them by hand, but the SRP will help to fill them.

The EGP is basically a sealant so goes on after the SRP. Theoretically you could just do a couple of coats of this (leave 24hrs between them) and you should be good.

What I would suggest is don't spent the money on wax/polish as what you already have is decent (without wanting to sound snobbish I'd leave the T-Cut alone), I would instead buy a good quality wash mitt and drying towel, and some good quality microfiber applicators and cloths - these are the products that will be the most beneficial as they will prevent you adding further swirling to the paintwork.

[Goochie]

If it rains between coats of EGP, or the car gets dusty, do I just need to wash with AutoGlym body shampoo then use the EGP again? or do I need to re-use the polish before applying the EGP?

[hutchingsp]

A wash will suffice. As the SRP is abrasive it will take off pretty much anything underneath it as well as laying down a layer of its own protection.

Basically it has kaolin/chalk or some sort of fine abrasive in it which is why it dusts when you buff it off.

[MaKSiNG]

hutchingsp said:

A wash will suffice. As the SRP is abrasive it will take off pretty much anything underneath it as well as laying down a layer of its own protection.
Basically it has kaolin/chalk or some sort of fine abrasive in it which is why it dusts when you buff it off.

I stand to be corrected but are you sure this is correct?

I thought SRP is non-abrasive or even if it is then very very mildly. It does however contain fillers which is why it is able to mask as opposed to remove light scratches. The dusting effect you get is from the filler.

Goochie said:

My current thinking is:

1. Rinse
2. Wash with Autoglym bodywork shampoo
3. Rinse
4. Use tar spot remover where required
5. Clay entire car
6. Wax ??
7. Polish with Autoglym super resin polish
8. Seal with Autoglym extra gloss protection

Goochie - My thinking is almost the same but here is my take on it.

1. Rinse
2. Wash with Autoglym bodywork shampoo
3. Rinse
4. Clay entire car
5. Use some sort of paint cleanser (like Zymol HD Cleanse or Meguiars Stage 1) to remove any oxidation and strip the paint right back.
6. AutoGlym SRP (possibly 2 or 3 applications back to back)
7. AutoGlym EGP (2 or 3 applications with 24hrs in between to cure) to seal.
8. Carnuba wax on top to give the shine.

In future I would just need to wash, then apply another layer of wax every 4 weeks or so. Repeat the whole process once every 6 months.

This all comes with the caveat that I can actually be bothered to spend 3-4 days doing all of this to the car and risk loosing my wife.

[Anatol]

Autoglym SRP is a mild abrasive, with fillers/sealant action.

It tries to fulfil the jobs of cleaner/polish/sealant all in one product. How well it does so is a matter of opinion.

The word "polish" identifies a product as abrasive. Polishing is an abrasive action. Unfortunately, even some manufacturers use "polish", "wax", "glaze" or combinations like "wax polish" interchangeably.

Tol

[PJ S]

Step 2 - washing should be done with household washing up liquid, if you plan on claying the car.
This will remove any layers of wax/sealant that have built up.
Simply rinse and then clay.
Once this has been done, and subsequent polishing/sealing, then a car shampoo should be used to prevent wax/sealant removal when you wash the car during the 4-6 months the sealant will last for.A detailing spray after drying the freshly washed car should be all that's required to top-up the sealant's protection.
Your routine will be governed by the weather you travel in, as well as whether the car is garaged/carported or left sitting under trees on the street.
If the latter, you'll be claying more often than if you can find a parking space away from them - and I don't mean 20ft from the nearest one! Tree sap carries on the wind twice that distance, easily.

[hutchingsp]

MaKSiNG said:

hutchingsp said:

A wash will suffice. As the SRP is abrasive it will take off pretty much anything underneath it as well as laying down a layer of its own protection.
Basically it has kaolin/chalk or some sort of fine abrasive in it which is why it dusts when you buff it off.

I stand to be corrected but are you sure this is correct?

I thought SRP is non-abrasive or even if it is then very very mildly. It does however contain fillers which is why it is able to mask as opposed to remove light scratches. The dusting effect you get is from the filler.

It's absolutely definitely abrasive though as you say it's a question of to what extent.

I would say that it's abrasive enough that it will remove any product underneath it with little pressure, and with the right applicators and a lot of pressure it will physically remove clear/light swirls rather than just fill them in.

The only thing I'd say with the process you've listed is that if you go to the expense of using something like HD Cleanse, that contains quite a lot of glazing/filling oils which cleans the paint and gives a wax ready finish, what you'd be doing is paying £20 for that, using it, and then taking it all off with the SRP.

[MaKSiNG]

I have never used Zymols HD Cleanse.
So is HD Cleanse pretty much the same thing as Autoglym SRP?
I just cannot get my head around all these products and the order etc

[PJ S]

Yes, both are paint cleansers, and recommended for use after claying the car.

Order is fairly simple to remember:

1st time and when a thorough routine is required

wet
wash
dry
clay**
cleanse*
polish**
sealant**
wax*


Weekly and when car looks a bit sorry for itself routine

wet
wash
dry
detailer spray


The * refers to an optional task that you can skip - some are happy with just a sealant, others prefer a final coat of carnauba.
The ** refers to a task only needing done periodically - claying only needs done when you feel anything on the surface after washing/drying. Polishing if you need to remove swirl marks or scratches. Sealant once every 3-4 months depending on where car is kept.

Bear in mind this is just the paintwork - there's the wheels, tyres, rubber, and glass needing done too!

Edited by PJ S on Friday 6th July 20:10

[hutchingsp]

MaKSiNG said:

I have never used Zymols HD Cleanse.
So is HD Cleanse pretty much the same thing as Autoglym SRP?
I just cannot get my head around all these products and the order etc

Ish.

SRP is an all-in-one so it'll clean paint, it'll remove and fill light swirls, it'll also put down some protection.

HD Cleanse is a paint cleaner and has a lot of glazing oils in it, it'll give a fantastic finish but unless you follow it up with a wax it'll wear off in no time as it has no sealing/protection abilities of its own.

You can apply a layer of wax over either.

What you wouldn't want to do is use HD Cleanser and follow it up with SRP (or vice versa) as the SRP would remove all the HD Cleanse (and vice versa).

[MaKSiNG]

Great. Thanks both. Much clearer now.

I think I will continue to use my SRP until the bottle is empty and then try the HD Cleanse.

Just another quick one:
As I said earlier I am new to all this and have never really used wax before. So just want to try and get into it. I think I have narrowed it down to 2 waxes. Poorboys and P2S. Which one for a complete newbie who will most probably struggle to apply it the first time and then rub it off again?

[belleair302]

Poorboys make some top products....P21S is a good wax but the durability is poor. However Souvran make a top wax, ClearKote make some highly underated products and finally Collinite make some outstanding products for durability. A good wax should last for upto 8 weeks and you will rarely use much over a 12-18 month period, so choose carefully for you colour and what you want to achieve. Maybe look at a couple of samples first and talk to some experienced detailers.

[hutchingsp]

MaKSiNG said:

As I said earlier I am new to all this and have never really used wax before. So just want to try and get into it. I think I have narrowed it down to 2 waxes. Poorboys and P2S. Which one for a complete newbie who will most probably struggle to apply it the first time and then rub it off again?

Neither, I'd go with either Collinite which is fantastically durable, or Victoria Concours which gives a fantastic appearance but isn't quite so durable.

Either would be fine over SRP.

[belleair302]

Applying wax is simple....wash the car, dry, clay, wash again and dry. Polish, glaze, seal and then wax....but apply either by hand....dont laugh I mean use your fingers, or with an applicator. Then remove excess with a clean microfibre, and add a second coat. The more coats the better the lustre, but three should be enough.