Hey Guys,
I am wondering if anyone could recommend me a good car polish to use by hand? My goal is to wash, clay, polish, then wax the car.

 

Hey Guys,
I am wondering if anyone could recommend me a good car polish to use by hand? My goal is to wash, clay, polish, then wax the car. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Also, how many times do people polish in general once per year, once every 2 years?

 

I've only had my 2007 RX350 since Janaury so I'll defer to others about frequency.

I used Meguiars 205 Polish, followed by Blackfire Wet Diamond and was very pleased with the result.

 

I've used the Meguiar's 3-stage system with great efficacy, but it definitely goes faster with a polisher. You can get it at just about every parts place, and it's not horribly expensive. In lieu of the basic carnauba wax that is stage 3, I would recommend using the Meguiar's gold class wax or 3M's perfect it show wax (I believe it is P/N 39026). While I am a Meguiar's fan, the 3M is honestly the easiest wax I have ever removed after applying it, and it leaves an absolutely gorgeous shine that lasts.

Polish, or wax? You should polish whenever it is necessary, which has no "magic formula," unfortunately. Assuming it's a daily driver, you should be polishing at least a few times a year at a minimum. This is, of course, in keeping with a washing schedule that limits contaminant dwell times on the paint. If your car is garaged, you may be able to get away with just a couple of times a year.

So how do you determine it? Touch the paint once you wash it. If it's not buttery smooth with no grit spots, it's time to clay and polish, then wax. That is a good general rule, but if there is a point in time where something gets on the car, it's a good idea to do it after removing it just to be safe.

As for the waxing, carnauba breaks down quicker in warmer climates, synthetics last a bit longer, but it's really dependent on how much you use the car, where it sits during the day (covered parking at work, for example), and how often you clean it. At a very minimum, you should be applying it 4 times a year, with applications of a quick wax product in between. If you add a sealant on top of it, it can prolong the protection.

Big Mack

 

polish as in removing swirls or just a paint cleaner?

for swirls you need a machine like a pc7424xp or a flex. won't be able to do by hand. only way would be to use a glaze to fill in those swirls.

if you just want to clean the paint by hand(e.g. oxidation), i personally use klasse all-in-one. there's a few other quite reputable brands out there.

 

Here's a simple kit to clay, polish, and wax...we call it Trinity. All can be done by hand and you should get excellent results:

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...Wax-Kit/Detail

 

You can indeed remove swirls by hand. An orbital polisher just makes the task about ten times faster and easier on your body. There a number of products that are designed to be used by hand. Even the Meguiars professional polishes #105 & #205 specify that they can be used by hand. All of the Meguiar's OTC polishes can be used by hand, SwirlX, ScratchX, Ultimate Compound all will work by hand. Removing swirls by hand takes a lot of patience and elbow grease. You might need a couple tubes of BenGay as well but it is doable.

Swirl removal is paint correction. It is much easier to prevent swirls than to remove them. Pay particular attention to anything that touches your paint. This starts with the washing and drying products, mitts, towels, etc. Anything that touches your paint can cause swirls so be sure everything is like new clean.

Good maintenance technique and tools are vital.

 

Most of what you said is spot on. However, moderate swirls, as seen on over 90% of cars out there, cannot be REMOVED by hand. They will be minimized and hidden so your eye doesn't pick it up. If you wipe the finish down with alcohol, you'll see finer swirls still present even though you thought they were gone. To truly REMOVE imperfections, as you stated, you'll need a machine polisher like the pc or flex. I'd rather spend a few hundred $$, get the proper tools, than to try and use a ton of elbow grease, waste my weekend away, and have my car look a little better. Best thing to do, bite the bullet, get the proper tools, and enjoy working on your car and know you have the tools to remedy most situations for many years to come.

 

Going to have to agree to disagree with you Moe.

I've been detailing cars professionally for 47 years until I retired two years ago. I know what can and can't be done by hand. You can remove swirls by hand. In fact you can even remove some scratches by hand. For the better part of my detailing career these power tools and foam pads weren't available and compounding/polishing paint by hand was often the only way to achieve flawless paint. It's not easy but it is not impossible.

That said, I've owned a PC for over 15 years and a rotary for about 12. They are clearly the best paint correction tools I've ever owned and I'd highly recommend them to anyone who is serious about keeping their paint perfect.

 

OK...I'm always open to learning; especially from the old-school folks. I mean that with respect by the way

What technique and products do you use to get scratches and swirls out by hand? I'd like to give it a try. Please advise on minor, moderate, and heavy swirls. Thanks in advance.

 

Moe, this is being written more for the OP and any who are considering this more than it is for your benefit as I'm sure you know all this intimately.

It's basically the same, or similar, products and pads you would use to remove swirls in the areas you can't get to with a PC or rotary. As I said previously, it is not easy. The choice of product and pads is something you base your choice on by trial and error to determine what is needed with the hardness of the paint/clear and the aggressiveness needed. The same as you do with the choice for use with a PC or rotary. Some cars, like Hondas are really easy to correct as their paint is soft. Lexus paint is also on the softer side and easier to correct than say a Vette.

The approach I'd suggest, if one must do this by hand, is to do a test spot and start with a foam pad and moderate polish. I'd suggest Meg's #205 as a first step and examine the results. After each step do a 50/50 IPA/water wipe-down of the test spot and inspect with a strong point source light or pull the car out into the sun. If the swirling is not removed in one or two passes, I'd try a MF or terry covered applicator and examine the results. If the marring is still present, I'd step up to a more aggressive polish/compound, like Meg's #105, for example, and go back to a foam applicator pad.

Once you have found the product/pad combination that gives the results you want on the paint you are working on, the rest is up to you. Doing a car by hand is difficult. I'd suggest working in very small areas at a time ( maybe 1' x 1') and concentrate on making that small area perfect before moving on. It is tedious work, for sure, by hand. Change to fresh pads frequently as the older pads become saturated. Change your MF towels frequently as well.

You may find that if you use a very aggressive pad/polish/compound, that you might need to follow up with a finishing polish to achieve the results you want.

Some OTC products that might also work well include Meguiars SwirlX, ScratchX and Ultimate Compound in order of increasing aggressiveness. These products also will work with the PC or rotary, BTW, so if/when the OP decides to get the tools, the products will still be useful.

The products I mentioned use the newer SMAT (Super Micro Abrasive Technology) as opposed to the older DAT (Diminishing Abrasive Technology) which means that they keep working and don't break down with friction and heat. They cut relatively quickly.

This process, by hand, will likely take a weekend. For most, this will be something they will want to forget as it is painful. For others it will be very rewarding. Therapy, if you will, for the enthusiast.

As I mentioned previously, while this can be done by hand, the use of a PC will reduce the time and effort required by at least a factor of 10. I would strongly advise anyone who plans to perfect their paint to consider the investment in this tool and pads. It is not difficult to master a PC and the results that can be achieved make it a great investment.

Our vendors here on the forum sell kits of tools & products to get you started and I'd strongly suggest you consider one of these starter kits. The tools are rugged and will last many years if maintained properly. My original Porter-Cable 7424 DA and Porter Cable 7428 rotary are both still running well after 15 years and over 2000 cars polished. For the cost of a professional detail, you can purchase the tools, pads, and products needed to do several vehicles or your own vehicle several times.

Way too many people, IMHO, think that all the shine from paint comes from the wax or sealant applied. The truth is that the shine mostly comes from the polishing.

 

Thanks for the explanation...it's what I thought you'd say. I agree...many times the focus is on the waxing, when in reality, polishing is the most important step for proper paint detailing.

 

Hope this helps you out:

Always remember most important thing is how to properly wash your ride.

Frequent and proper washing of your vehicle is necessary to preserving that show car shine. Classic Motoring Accessories and Proper Auto Care have been teaching proper cleaner techniques since 1988. Sadly, most swirl marks and light scratches are caused by the wash process, as grit and road grime are scrubbed against the surface. Over time these micro scratches reduce the gloss by diffusing reflected light and will thin the paint.

Products Needed For a Proper Auto Wash.

Wheel Cleaning Supplies
2 Five Gallon Wash Buckets with 2 Grit Guards

High Quality, Wax Friendly Car Soap



High Quality Wash Media such as Natural Sea Sponge, Lamb's Wool Mitt, or High Tech UltiMitt



2 Big Blue Waffle Weave Microfiber Drying Towels

Optional: Quick Detailing Spray an Bug/Tar Remover



Basics

Proper Auto Care recommends washing the wheels, tires, and wheel wheels first. This prevents wheel cleaner from spraying on a clean surface. Properly cleaning the wheels is also time consuming can lead to water spots if the rinse water from washing the car is still on the paint. For proper wheel care please click here.

It is best to wash your vehicle in the shade when the surface is cool to the touch. A hot surface will dry up the water or soap solution, leading to water spots. If you have shade available take advantage of it. If you cannot find shade, try to limit your car washing to first thing in the morning or later in the evening when the sun is close to the horizon and sun's rays are much less direct. After washing and rinsing, the standing water needs to be removed as quickly as possible to avoid leaving mineral deposits that cause water spots, which will actually etch or 'eat into' the paint.

The Two Bucket Method

Most people wouldn't drive to the beach and fill their wash bucket with a shovel full of sand before adding soap and water. Sadly, most of the dirt removed during washing is released into the soap bucket each time the mitt or sponge is reloaded with soap. After washing a couple of sections the soap solution becomes gritty and contaminated, and that grit is scrubbed against the paint. Even rinsing out the wash media after effect section is ineffective. Flowing water may remove some of the grit, but most of it is pushed back into the mitt or sponge. It is much easier, and far more effective, to use a second bucket to rinse the wash media in prior to loading it with more soap solution. Two buckets: The soap bucket and the rinse bucket.

Grit Guards ™ are an ingenious design that uses a grate and vane system to allow released dirt to sink to the bottom and prevents them from remixing into the water or soap solution. Proper Auto Care recommends using one Grit Guard ™ per bucket to give the best possible protection against scratching the paint with contaminated soap solution. When rising the wash media out in the rinse bucket, you should lightly scrub it against the grating of the Grit Guard ™ to help release grit.



Use a High Quality Car Soap Designed for Automotive Finishes.

Automotive soap is designed to remove dirty and road grime safely from the paint, with stripping the existing wax or sealant and will out scratching. Automotive soaps use surfactants to break the surface tension of water, allowing the lubricated solution to penetrate and encapsulate the dirt, reducing the potential for marring. Soap's such as Eimann Fabrik's Auto Spa and Blackfire's Gloss Shampoo are gentle enough to use repeatedly without stripping wax.



Use 5 gallon wash buckets to ensure plenty of soap solution is available to flood the dirt safely off the car. Fill the soap bucket about 4/5th's or 80% full of water before adding the recommended amount of soap to the bucket. Adding soap first results in too many suds and not enough water! Finish filling the water bucket with a stream of water to mix the solution fully. Place a Grit Guard ™ in the bottom of both the soap bucket and the rinse bucket.

Before washing, pre-rinse your vehicle with a steady stream of water to float as much dirt away as possible before getting started. Pre-treat any bugs and tar with a light mist of 1Z einszett Ant Insekt and Pre-Cleaner.

Wash with a Clean High Quality Wash Media.

Classic Motoring Accessories offers several different types of wash media: Natural Sheep Skin Mitts, Natural Sea Spongers, and the ultra soft UltiMitt, as well as various microfiber sponges and boar's hair brushes. Three of the most popular:

Sheep Skin (Lamb's Wool) Mitts are extremely soft and provide a long nap that prevents removed dirt from scouring the paint. Sheep Skin mitts require a more thorough rinse because they are so effective at holding dirt. High quality Sheep Skin mitts last about 6-12 months on average. There ability to clean paint gently and prevent swirl marks has proven through out the years.

Sea Sponges are incredibly durable if washed out after each use. I personally know of several people who have been using the same natural sponge for over 3 years!! Sea Sponges are very soft and will not paint. They also hod a lot of solution, but can be bulky and difficult to get into tight spots.

UltiMitts are a synthetic foam wash mitt, and they are my personal favorite. They release dirty extremely easily and hold a HUGE amount of soap solution, ideal for flooding the paint with soap during the wash. Proper Auto Care's UltiMitt is made out select Lake Country Concours foam, which is the softest available

Wash your vehicle a section at at time, start with the highest areas. Wash in straight lines, from front to back on horizontal surfaces such as the hood, roof, and trunk, and up and down on vertical sections such as the doors, fenders, and rear bumper to minimize the appearance of any accidental marring that may occur. Flood the section with soap water squeezed from the wash media before lightly washing the section in straight lines, rinsing with water after each section. Rinse the wash media in the rinse bucket before reloading it with more soap solution from the soap bucket.



Make it wet to dry it faster!

After washing and rinsing your vehicle a section at a time, remove the nozzle from the hose and do a final rinse with a gentle stream of water. Water has a natural viscosity, and by flooding the paint, it is possible to sheet off a majority of the standing water.















Big Blue III Microfiber Waffle Weave Drying Towels.

To remove the remaining water after flooding the paint toweling the surface is necessary. While a chamois or synthetic chamois do a great job of removing water, they lack a nap. Any dust or dirt that has settled on the paint will become trapped and rubbed against the surface. Big Blue III drying towels feature a woven microfiber that gives them the absorbency of a chamois while featuring a nap of fiber that hold any dust away from the paint. Although optional, using a detail spray such as Meguiar's M135 Synthetic Detail Spray offers many benefits during the final towel drying of the car. A light mist per panel (while it is still wet) will reintroduce some lubricity to the surface an prevent surface marring. The synthetic polymers will make the water easier to remove and clean any water spots. Wipe gently in the same directions as you washed, to minimize the appearance of any marring that may accidentally occur. Quality quick detailers will also boost the shine of the paint, helping to maintain that just waxed look!

CLIFF NOTES

Always wash when the vehicle is cool to the touch and avoid washing in direct sunlight if possible.

Pre-rinse your vehicle to remove loose soiling.

Pre-treat any bugs or tar with 1Z Anti Insekt and Pre-Cleaner

Wash, using the two bucket method with Grit Guards ™, a quality soap, an a high quality wash media. Wash in straight line motions a section at a time. Thoroughly rinse the section before moving on to the next section. Rinse the wash media in the rinse bucket often to prevent contaminating the soap solution.

After washing each section of the vehicle, do a final rinse with just a steady stream of water. This will cause the majority of the standing water to sheet off.

Dry remaining water with a Big Blue Microfiber and a detail spray such as Meguiar's M135 or Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray Sealant.

 

Next is Claying:

Every car finish shares a common enemy! junk from the road and pollution. When contaminants get a good grip on your car's paint washing alone may not be enough to remove them at all. Remember it's a tool for quickly and easily removing your surface contamination. Claying is also very effective on paint over-spray on your finish. How do you know if you need to use a clay bar? Good question, after thoroughly hand washing your car, feel the surface of your car's paint. Do you feel bumps and rough spots? if you do then these bumps are contaminants attacking the finish of your car. Removing these surface contaminants (road tar, acid rain spots, bug residue, paint over-spray, brake pad dust, hard water spots, junk etc.) will improve both the look and health of your car's paint. So before using detailing clay, you must thoroughly clean and dry your car to remove any loose dirt, Before using detailing clay, you must thoroughly clean and dry your car to remove any loose dirt. Clay is not a cure-all or a replacement for polishing, it's a tool for quickly and easily removing surface contamination. So a great clay is our Blackfire Poly Clay II Kit. PolyClay II detailing clay is the latest evolution in clay technology. These bars of entirely man-made polymers have a number of advantages over traditional clay bars:

* PolyClay doesn’t dry
* out with age or decompose with repeated applications. One, non-abrasive grade works on all paint finishes with or without
* clear coats. PolyClay has a unique elastic property that makes it easier to fold, stretch and apply.
* PolyClay leaves almost no residue on the surface making clean-up fast and easy.

Our kit contains:

* One 200g bar of PolyClay
* 16 oz. of Clay Lubricant
* Two (2) Microfiber
* Power Scrubber Cloths instructions.

 

Polishing and LSP.

When it comes to using polishes such as Meguiar’s M105 Ultra Cut Compound and Meguiar’s M205 Ultra Finishing Polish, regardless of the machine you choose to use, ProperAutoCare.com recommends starting with the least aggressive method possible. This would be Meguiar's M205 with either a Lake Country Flat 6.5 inch Black Finessing Pad or Meguiar's Soft Buff 2.0 Black Finishing Pad. Meguiar's M205




If this combination does not provide the results necessary, increase the aggressiveness of the technique (longer working time, more pressure, more power) or increase the cut of the product and switch to a medium polishing pad. The next step up would be Meguiar’s M205 Ultra Finishing Polish used with a Lake Country Flat 6.5 inch White Polishing Pad or Meguiar's Soft Buff 2.0 Yellow Polishing Pad.



If this combination does not provide the desired results, increase the aggressiveness of the technique or product selection. The next step would be Meguiar's M105Meguiar's M105 Ultra Cut Compound on a Lake Country Flat 6.5 inch White Polishing Pad or Meguiar's Soft Buff 2.0 Yellow Polishing Pad. Note that polishing with M105 will often require a second, follow-up polishing step with M205 to achieve the highest gloss and clearest, swirl free finish. Never mix polishes on the same pad. Switch to a clean, fresh pad included in the kit. If this combination is still not garnering the results you are looking for, increase the aggressiveness of the technique or the product.

Meguiar's M105 Ultra Cut Compound used with a Lake Country Flat 6.5 inch Orange Power Pad or Meguiar's Soft Buff 2.0 Burgundy Cutting Pad is an aggressive combination and is capable of “leveling out” most paint defects in one or two applications. If using Meguiar’s M105 Ultra Cut Compound is necessary, follow up with Meguiar’s M205 Ultra Finishing Polish to remove any light polishing haze and restore full clarity and a swirl free finish to the paint. Always test your combination on a test spot, and inspect in good lighting before proceeding to copy that combination over the entire vehicle.Lake Country 6.5 inch Black Finishing Pad

Least to most aggressive:

M205 used with a “Finishing Pad”: Will remove very light defects and result in a high gloss, swirl free finish.


Lake Country 6.5 inch White Polishing PadM205 used with a “Polishing Pad”: Will remove moderate to light defects and compounding marks, and results in a high gloss, swirl free finish on most paints.

M105 used with a “Polishing Pad”: Will remove moderate to heavy defects and will often require follow up polishing with M205.Lake Country 6.5 inch Orange Power Pad


M105 used with a “Power” or ”Cutting Pad”: Will remove moderate to heavy defects on most paints and will often require follow up polishing with M205.

Pad Priming: The new micro non-diminishing abrasives from Meguiar's require that the pores of the pad are evenly primed with product for fastest cutting and highest gloss. It is recommended to "prime" a fresh, dry pad one of three ways:

1.

The Kevin Brown Method (KBM): Apply a liberal amount of polish on the surface of the pad and massage the product into the pores with your fingers until the surface is covered in a fine film of polish. Remove excess polish from the pad, so that it feels slightly damp, by lightly pressing a cotton terry or microfiber cloth against the pad while it spins. Meguiar's M34 Final Inspection

2.

Meguiar's M34: Meguiar's recommends misting the dry pad with M34 Final Inspection, then drawing two lines of product, in an X fashion, across the diameter of the pad. M34 will help the polish spread across the pad during the initial polishing application.




3.

Hybrid: ProperAutoCare.com recommends using a hybrid pad priming system to save on material costs and increase ease of use. Mist the dry pad with M34 Final Inspection then draw an X across the pad. Quickly massage the polishing with your fingers into the pad and cover as much surface as possible.

Regardless of the priming method you choose, once the pad has been primed, apply a small amount of polish to the pad between sections. Three “dime sized” amounts, applied to the outer 1/3 of the pad are sufficient.

Polish one small section at a time, two feet by two feet, per application. Start by placing the pad on the paint and spreading the polish out, then turn the polisher on. Using firm pressure and overlapping left to right, right to left strokes cover the area to be polished.





Polish first going left to right.

Make a second pass over the working area using overlapping “up to down, down to up” strokes. M105 and M205 do not require a typical “buffing cycle” to break down the abrasives. Repeat this cross hatch pattern until the defects are removed or the polish begins to dry. Then reduce pressure and make a few more passes over the area to ensure a high gloss finish.




Create cross-hatch pattern going up & down.

Machine speed has much to do with your confidence level as you learn to use these polishes. We recommend using speed 5 on the PC 7424 or Meguiar’s G-110 and a speed of 3.5-4 on the Flex XC3401VRG Dual-Action Polisher. Overlap your strokes, using a “slow arm speed” while applying firm pressure. We have found success moving the polisher one to three inches per second allows the polish to correct most blemishes.

The amount of “work” or “cut” accomplished with a non-diminishing abrasive is dependent on the pressure applied to the polisher. For maximum cutting action with the Flex XC3401VRG Dual-Action Polisher, apply 15-20 pounds of pressure on the face of the machine. When using the Porter Cable 7424 or Meguiar’s G110 random orbital polishers, use enough pressure to slow, but not stall the rotation of the pad. On your final passes over the work area, reduce the pressure and lightly move the machine over the surface to allow the abrasives to jewel away any micro marring left from your polishing.

After polishing a section, remove residue immediately with a high quality microfiber cloth such as our Dragon Fiber Perfect Shine Buffing Cloth.

Because Meguiar's M105 Ultra Cut Compound and Meguiar's M205 Ultra Finishing Polishes' abrasives do not breakdown in the traditional sense, the polishes can be sensitive to contamination. During the polishing process, a trace amount of paint is removed, this can cause the non-diminishing abrasives to “clump” together with the spent paint particles. This can increase the polishing haze left on the paint from heavy polishing, effecting the finish left behind.

ProperAutoCare.com recommends cleaning your pads often by pressing a cotton terry or microfiber cloth against the pad while it spins on the machine. To completely wash the pads use Snappy Clean Pad Cleaning Powder.

For a LSP that looks great and provide you with the protection then look no further, we got the one that will put your mind at ease and a shine like no other. If you're looking for a high-definition, laser-sharp shine guaranteed to turn heads, look no further. This is the current state-of-the-art in paint sealant technology. Wet Diamond, All Finish Paint Protection is the only domestic paint sealant I know of to use a revolutionary, crystal polymer recently released by Wacher- Chemie, Munich, Germany. This polymer has a crystal structure that refracts light, similar to a diamond, to create a vibrant, high-energy, super slippery, head-turning finish. It can be used by itself as the final sealant or as the foundation of BLACKFIRE's signature Wet-Ice over Fire shine.

Wet Diamond, All finish Paint Protection is a paint-friendly, oil-in-water, emulsion safe for all finishes with or without a clear coat. This emulsion contains a small amount of a very refined mineral spirit in a water base. Multiple coats can be layered to deepen the gloss without drying or weakening the paint.
BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond, All Finish Paint Protection can be applied by hand or dual-action, machine polisher. It applies easily and buffs off uniformly even in climates of high heat and high humidity. You simply walk around your car wiping on and buffing off as you go.

The incredible shine is resistant to detergent washings and ultraviolet radiation. This keeps your car’s finish protected month after month and wash after wash.

[URL="http://properautocare.com/blacallfinpa.html"]