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Do you/should you polish..?


sipar69

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I have been using this on the Z (White) since I bought the car about a year ago. I wash the car carefully by hand every week because it lives out on the road and use the polish about every two months.

 

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-proddetail.asp?v06VQ=HD

 

The polish really makes the car look great, but I've a recollection of reading somewhere that it's not good for the paintwork to polish a car too often. The product info claims it's ok for use on new cars, metallic finishes etc but I'd like to know what others think/do in terms of keeping their Z looking good.

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Personally I wouldnt polish that often, but then SRP has next to no cut (wont take off any clearcoat) so no harm done - especially if you are doing it by hand.

 

You'd be better off using the 2 bucket method to wash it and keep it topped up with wax and/or sealant. Only polish it once every 6 months instead, and clay it at the same time. This will keep the paint tip top and not wear away too much clearcoat.

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It's not a harsh cutting compound and I used to use this on my old Focus for 9 years with no issues. I wouldn't be to worried but then would Nissan paint be more exposed being thinner? Still as long as you're not being aggressive with the Super Resin I wouldn't see an issue?

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I have been using this on the Z (White) since I bought the car about a year ago. I wash the car carefully by hand every week because it lives out on the road and use the polish about every two months.

 

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-proddetail.asp?v06VQ=HD

 

The polish really makes the car look great, but I've a recollection of reading somewhere that it's not good for the paintwork to polish a car too often. The product info claims it's ok for use on new cars, metallic finishes etc but I'd like to know what others think/do in terms of keeping their Z looking good.

 

 

I googled that very question pal, as wasn't aware it was bad to do it too often, and found this on the meguiars website.

 

 

"There is no standard answer regarding how often you should wax. Many variables influence the life of the wax:

 

Type of paint

Condition of paint

Local environment (normal conditions and extraordinary events)

Number of hours exposed to outside conditions

Quality and type of wax applied

Quality of wash solution used to wash car

That's why Meguiar’s is the first to provide car owners with a personalized Car Care Rx Plus that takes into account all of these factors. What is right for a car kept outdoors all day in the Midwest is not right for a car kept 80% indoors in San Antonio.

 

Another factor to consider is your personal desires for how your car should look.

 

If you always want your car to look like it just won a car show,

then you can and should apply a pure polish or premium wax often.

 

Meguiar’s pure polishes can be applied as often as you like, even daily with no negative effect, and in fact will keep you car looking showroom new for the life of the car if you were in fact to polish it each and every day. Meguiar’s polish/waxes and pure waxes can also be used often for maximum protection and eye dazzling good looks.

 

Whichever product you decide to choose, the important point it is to begin a regular cycle of car care and stick to it."

 

 

 

I'm no expert pal. I did mine a few weeks ago before the zedfest, and spent about 7 hours on it, have no intention to do it again until it really looks like it needs it.

 

 

http://www.meguiars.com/faq/index.cfm?f ... ection=_16

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The main thing you need to consider is what you are doing when you polish and wax. Taking pure polish and pure wax - polish removes a tiny layer of clearcoat, like doing an exfoliation for your car. This smooths back the clearcoat to give a blemish free finish, but it does remove some of the clearcoat in the process, and also removes other contaminants on the paint. Waxing applies a layer of wax over the paint to protect it.

 

Ideally you want to prep the paint once properly giving it a proper polish (ideally by machine) to get the paint tip top. Then you want to apply wax and/or sealant to keep it protected. Once you have the paint protected you shouldnt need to polish it again until there is good reason - either the paint has a lot of contaminants and/or swirls that need removing. This could be every 6 months or even upto a year. If you wash regularly and keep wax/sealant topped up it should last a while.

 

SRP is a bit of a middle man. It has properties of a polish (very very light cut) and properties of a sealant. This means technically you can use it more often as it technically seals the paint as you polish so will keep the paint looking pretty good - but IMO I would do it less and use a proper wax/sealant on top. Claying before polishing is also a good idea as it removes contaminants that are embedded in the paint (things like metal filings) which can not only make the paint feel rough, but also rust and mess up the paint.

 

As with everything there are different levels of OCD you can have, but its well worth making some effort (clay, polsih, wax) to get excellent results :thumbs:

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I used to enjoy getting in about my car in a detailing sense, now I just can't be bothered, so I decided to have her professionally detailed. Best decision I've made re cleaning :thumbs:

 

Now I just have to give her a wash and dry her off and occaisionally a wipe down with some Do Do Juice Tropical. The detail should last for around 4 months, longer the less I wash it I guess, sooner the more I do, I will, however, get a pre-winter protection detail for peace of mind.

 

The plethera of products and advice is actually mind bogglingly numbing to me, I am lazy though :teeth:

 

The cost of buying all the materials and time it takes just doesn't make it a worthwhile prospect for me, 1/2 hr wash and dry and Bob's your Aunty, ready for a drive :thumbs: I do admire the guys that spend the time to do it with startlingly fantastic results, but I would rather be at the country pub having lunch than on the drive claying, polishing, waxing and buffing :wacko:

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Main thing after a good polish is to keep it waxed regularly - I try to do my mine every month or so with Supernatural. Reflection you can achieve on the Storm White.

P1000409.jpg

 

Even taken to using the Supernatural on the wheels - certainly does help to stop the brake dust from getting a hold ;)

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Main thing after a good polish is to keep it waxed regularly - I try to do my mine every month or so with Supernatural. Reflection you can achieve on the Storm White.

P1000409.jpg

 

Even taken to using the Supernatural on the wheels - certainly does help to stop the brake dust from getting a hold ;)

 

WOW, looks great pal. Never heard of Supernatural before(other than the TV prog) Better than Meguiars??? How much, and where from? :headhurt:

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I used to enjoy getting in about my car in a detailing sense, now I just can't be bothered, so I decided to have her professionally detailed. Best decision I've made re cleaning :thumbs:

 

Now I just have to give her a wash and dry her off and occaisionally a wipe down with some Do Do Juice Tropical. The detail should last for around 4 months, longer the less I wash it I guess, sooner the more I do, I will, however, get a pre-winter protection detail for peace of mind.

 

The plethera of products and advice is actually mind bogglingly numbing to me, I am lazy though :teeth:

 

The cost of buying all the materials and time it takes just doesn't make it a worthwhile prospect for me, 1/2 hr wash and dry and Bob's your Aunty, ready for a drive :thumbs: I do admire the guys that spend the time to do it with startlingly fantastic results, but I would rather be at the country pub having lunch than on the drive claying, polishing, waxing and buffing :wacko:

 

Totally get where you're coming from, but the odd thing is since I work in an office all week I find being out in the fresh air doing the car quite theraputic! Maybe I'll get fed up with it eventually though! :lol:

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Totally get where you're coming from, but the odd thing is since I work in an office all week I find being out in the fresh air doing the car quite theraputic! Maybe I'll get fed up with it eventually though! :lol:

 

 

That's one of the main reasons I do it too pal. That and the end result. Nothing nicer than stepping back and going "ahhh yeahhh"!! I was bullied into doing my boots n stuff in the military, so I guess some of that must have rubbed off!

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I used to enjoy getting in about my car in a detailing sense, now I just can't be bothered, so I decided to have her professionally detailed. Best decision I've made re cleaning :thumbs:

 

Now I just have to give her a wash and dry her off and occaisionally a wipe down with some Do Do Juice Tropical. The detail should last for around 4 months, longer the less I wash it I guess, sooner the more I do, I will, however, get a pre-winter protection detail for peace of mind.

 

The plethera of products and advice is actually mind bogglingly numbing to me, I am lazy though :teeth:

 

The cost of buying all the materials and time it takes just doesn't make it a worthwhile prospect for me, 1/2 hr wash and dry and Bob's your Aunty, ready for a drive :thumbs: I do admire the guys that spend the time to do it with startlingly fantastic results, but I would rather be at the country pub having lunch than on the drive claying, polishing, waxing and buffing :wacko:

 

Totally get where you're coming from, but the odd thing is since I work in an office all week I find being out in the fresh air doing the car quite theraputic! Maybe I'll get fed up with it eventually though! :lol:

 

Well it took me years to get fed up :lol: I guess I'm just getting too old and my back is fooked :console: It is a gratifying experience to stand back and admire 7/8 hours of work detailing your pride and joy B)

 

Good luck on the detailing :thumbs:

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