I've always hand waxed my cars. Currently on the web theres a lot of discussion and advertisements for using DA Otbital Polishers which sure would cut down on the time and effort. The video's I've seen do a great job on light scratches and swirl marks. Anyone have any experience or comments about using these DA Polishers and what wax or polish did you use? Thanks Gary
I picked up the cheap 6" random orbital polisher from Harbor Freight and it really does make the job much easier on the ol' arms and back. I got a couple extra covers for removing the wax and I change them as they get loaded up. Then I finish with the fleece bonnet that comes with it for a final buff. It does a good job, not nearly as good I'm sure as a more professional tool, but for less than $20 it's hard to beat, IMO. No special technique or wax products required, just use the same product you normally use. It is safe to use and won't burn through the paint. It just makes the whole job easier, not sure it's any faster than hand waxing, just a lot easier on the arms and back.
I DON"T like any of Meguiar's products or their car shows they put on... At their shows some of the winners are pre-determined (are a lot of our Orange County opinions)... Last year at "The Benedict Castle Car Show" the 'Best of Show" trophy was given to Berry Meguir's daughter Nicole's best friend (who her & her husband put on the show that year) that was a plastic kit car of a '32 Ford roadster replica, there is one section called the "Elite" section and I was standing there when they announced the 'Best of Show" and it was just SILENCE and everybody looked at each other WTF???... Benedict Castle Show used to be a really good show with over the top cars from across the nation in a nice venue with lots of grass and rolling hills... So, back to Wax! I like Zehno Polish maybe once a year and in between, I use Surf City Quick Detail (with absolutely NO silicone!)... Seems to be working fine, I been doing this for years and still get compliments from passers-by every time I go anywhere...
If social opprobrium only worked. If you have a rat rod, with that "Patina" that is all the rage, why post a comment? Your dull dirty rusty finish say it all. Dorks.
Mothers California Gold Carnuba . Great stuff. http://www.mothers.com/02_products/05701-05500.html#&slider1=6
I own a few buffers, my fave is the variable speed orbital. I can remove swirls in seconds even on black cars. I use black foam pads and swirl remover, I spray a little detail spray on top of the pad to lubricate it a bit. Start it on 1 or 2 so it doesn't spray all over the pace then crank it up to 11 (actually about 4) so it does its thing (gotta get some heat on or the magic doesn't happen). Crank up the Zep, grab a crown and cola and enjoy an afternoon in the garage.
Sorry Skippy there's no win there. And you shouldn't use the P word so freely either, it's nothing to be proud of
HAHAHAHAHA, thanks Phil I just washed the keyboard off. I try to keep the paint on the cars with it, so I don't have to do bodywork. The waxing on is ok, but the waxing off hurts my shoulder............
Daily Driver. Try to get 4 times a year. Usually ends up 2 or 3. Hot Rods, few times a summer and thorough cleaning, detailing before winter. Mothers Meguiars etc. Turtle wax on inner panels, inside doors, rockers, underneath. For late models I actually bought turtle wax ice paste, goes on black plastic and headlights without white residue, even use it on side and rear windows as rain ex (NOT windshield) Dont like it on painted surfaces.
I wax every six months with Adam's Carnauba products. Then I use the glaze about every other month. Easy on and off, which is important for a 70 year old. Maybe to much, but I'm sort of anal about the paint protection here in the Sonoran Desert.
IDK we build Hot Rods and the Patina stuff makes way more sense to me personally and from what we have sold in the past Patina stuff sells for just as much if not more than full paint stuff. I have a 5 and 7 year old I sure as hell am not going to spend $5-10K on paint and body work to have them scratch or dent it. So I Drive my 74 Burb in the Winter months and my 55 in the summer months. I also go along with the unpopular opinion that I prefer 4 doors to 2. We have not built a 2 door hot rod in almost 3 years. I daily drive my old junk and don't want to wash and wax them every time I drive them I live in the country the roads are full or mud and crap from fields most of the time so no reason to have to worry about keeping something shiny all the time.
That Eagle One wax as you dry is good stuff. One time at a car show, Eagle One was giving away small bottles of it. Can't tell you how many bottles I wound up with but it was a lot.
Once a month for sure maybe more often under certain weather conditions. My son details cars a lot so I usually check what he is using. He uses a lot of Malco Products that are sold to detail shops in the area. He's got all the different compounds and he uses a product called Flash Wax which is easy to use. Jimbo
Once every couple weeks with some Behold. I wipe the car down with hot water then wipe it down with a clean rag dipped in hot water then slightly sprayed with Behold spray polish.. Its base coat clear coat, that stuff is like steel! The days of five year old and still wet leaded lacquer are over and so is the shine, nothing in this world shined like the old leaded lacquer.
Huh? Schwanke Engines said: "I have a 5 and 7 year old I sure as hell am not going to spend $5-10K on paint and body work to have them scratch or dent it." Better to teach them not to scratch or dent cars. Just saying'...
This! My kids at 5 and 7 sure as hell knew better than to scratch or dent cars. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Hello, When I was a senior in high school, we were late one day coming back to school from an off campus lunch with some friends. We had been going off campus for the last two years and each time we were able to get a front of school parking place before the tardy bell at the end of lunch. But, this one time we were having such a great time talking and eating fabulous sandwiches at our favorite sandwich shop that time just flew by. By the time we got back to school, all of the front row parking spaces were taken and we needed to go around the block near the Auto Shop for a parking place. That was ok, since we had Auto Shop in the afternoon. We had to find a space in the neighborhood homes, on a side street, a couple of blocks away. When school got out, we were all happy as usual. Until, we got back to my Impala. While we were in classes, some little neighborhood kid was playing around the Impala. It was parked in front of his house. He was playing in the grassy muddy area as his mom ran a hose out to the sidewalk planter area. Well, the kid got a little carried away and started making muddy swirls on the side of the Impala passenger door and above the swoopy side panel. I was not a happy camper. I knocked on the door and a straggly, disheveled, tiny woman came to the door and asked what I wanted. I started to yell…what the $#%^ when I noticed a couple of more little kids playing on the floor. Not worth the effort... Jnaki I used her hose to get the mud off of the side of the car, wiped it down with my detailing kit in the trunk and drove home, totally ticked off. I left a couple of black strips from the curb into the street. When I got home, I could see swirls on the black paint. So, I got out my detailing kit that included a mild rubbing compound in small batches to get to the swirls. I immediately wiped off the area and applied a small amount of wax…(Classic Car Wax). This went on until I could see that the swirls started to disappear and the deep black shine was back. Care was taken to not rub quite so hard and do a little area at a time. It took a while, but I was again a happy teenager. The upkeep on a black painted car is definitely worth the price of having the deepest, shiniest wax job on the planet. It was always an effort to wax the car monthly or when necessary, but well worth the effort. These days, it is not Classic Car Wax,(although, I still have an original can from the 60s) or any of the big name brands (been there and done that) but a product called Collinite. Our family cars are not black...those days were for anxious teenagers. The neutral colors stay cleaner, much longer without much work. Now, it is driving like we used to, just less upkeep on the car surfaces. A well prepared black paint job is a solid 10 plus for the teenage ego, especially on those Friday/Saturday night cruises. It looked good in the daytime and also in the parking lot lights while resting and dining on our special treat, French fries and gravy with cherry Cokes.
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