Car Polish

This is where you can find out about valeting and detailing--washing, cleaning, polishing, waxing and other car care issues.
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eddie1
Joined: Sat 24 May, 2014 07:41
Posts: 136

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Scunthorpe

Car Polish

Post by eddie1 »

My car is cosmos black, the previous owner used Mer, so I thought I'd try it. I'm not quite happy with the finish, two ways either add to the shampoo or put on neat in overlapping circles. I used it neat, its very hard to get that deep shine, also can see the swirls at certain angles. Going to try Autoglym, which is what I've always used!
Any recommendations for a suitable polish on black paint! Or technique, should I buy a buffer?

Thanks ...... Eddie
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micklaw
Joined: Sun 13 May, 2012 19:07
Posts: 129

  Z3 roadster 1.8 TU

Re: Car Polish

Post by micklaw »

Hi eddie welcome to the world of car polishing.
As you can guess there are lots of products on the market all claiming they do the best job.with my limited knowledge i have picked up on the way i find that choose a polish that you are happy with and find out how it works best on your car.i have stuck with the meguiars line.
A quick guide is.
Rince with clean watet
Wash with two bucket method one clean cold watet and one wirh shampoo.using a lambswool mit
Clean using cleaner polish
Pre wax polish
Wax to finish.
I have wrote a rough guide on zroadster.org under bueaty parlor.
You can clay the car aswell before you cleaner polish.its all in the guide.
And yes a duelaction polisher is worth the money if you like a nice shiny moter.
Hope this helps cheers mick
bazza1966
Joined: Thu 21 Nov, 2013 10:09
Posts: 92

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Car Polish

Post by bazza1966 »

Hi, Mick

I also have a Black car 1998 Z3 2.8 can't upload photos but have a look on .org look in media for Bazza's pic's?
my method
1st Clay-bar (before every wash / polish)
2nd Wash with a good car shampoo using a Lambs wool mit
3rd D/A polisher with Maguire's ultra finish (I do this twice a year or when swirls or blemishes appear)
4th Poor-boys Black Hole can be applied by hand or machine (every deep clean) I think Machine is best.
5th A good carnuba wax I use R32

hope this helps.

you will find photo's on the Dorset Sea Run write up.

Bazza
Bazza (East Dorset)
eddie1
Joined: Sat 24 May, 2014 07:41
Posts: 136

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Scunthorpe

Re: Car Polish

Post by eddie1 »

Thanks Mick & Bazza, I think the cleaner polish is a good idea. The cars in for a three phase pro' polish on the 1st. I'll change the regime when I get it back! Looks like there's a lot more products out there than the old autoglym range!

Regards. ..... Eddie
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Davejue1
Joined: Sun 22 Sep, 2013 07:25
Posts: 1249

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Mansfield

Re: Car Polish

Post by Davejue1 »

I fair enjoy valeting my Zed. It's not black but a dark colour none the less. I have tried alsorts and at the moment am using Mer ultimate which is by default. My son asked what I wanted for Father's Day so asked for a bottle of meguiars and got a bottle of Mer!!! Not keen to be honest, as you say the shine isn't great and it's bloody hard work to get off when put on neat. I used autoglym for years but then started to find it leaving more and more residue.
So my preference is Meguiars. I have several of there products and find them very good. As for technique, if you have a good paint finish, wash, dry, polish on with a good cloth in circular motion and polish off. Job done! :cheers

Cheers
Dave
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"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional!"
therealdb1
Joined: Tue 25 Jun, 2013 21:47
Posts: 263

  Z3 roadster 2.0

Re: Car Polish

Post by therealdb1 »

Hi, when I brought my black Porsche many moons ago the vendor recommended Zymol Carbon wax applied with bare fingers. It was like rubbing melting coconut butter onto the bodywork but having used it on that car and gone through the usual Mer, Autoglym, Meguires etc. I can thoroughly recommend it. However a tub of Zymol and the necessary cleaner will be worth more than the Z!

Be aware that there is Autoglym and Autoglym. I've seen it being made! The Super Resin Polish which has been around for donkey's years doesn't have the contents that you are looking for. They produce stuff that does which is priced accordingly and it may not be as readily available.

In truth anything with loads of Carnuba in it should be capable of the depth of shine you are looking for with some experimentation in application technique.
eddie1
Joined: Sat 24 May, 2014 07:41
Posts: 136

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Scunthorpe

Re: Car Polish

Post by eddie1 »

The cars in on the 1st for a 3 phase professional polish, also having the wheels refurbished and a little rust sorted on the bottom of the wheel arches. should be done for the 4th, friday, so should be looking good for Donny. Definitely going to get a polisher and some quality products for later care and cleaning. Nothing better than looking back at your car and knowing she looks great!
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Car Polish

Post by Southernboy »

Everyone on the forum should read this.........
http://www.zymol.com/images/press/wax-polish.pdf
"Normal is overrated"
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gookah
Z Register member
Joined: Thu 07 Aug, 2008 09:51
Posts: 2737

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Car Polish

Post by gookah »

Doesn't wax depend solely,...... on how random the name of the product is?

I always try and buy one that no one has ever heard of, I hear 'Poor Collin's Chemical Moose-Hole 57 Juice', is particularly good

also buy as many buckets as you can, the more buckets you have the better, one for each panel preferably..... :D

I bought Pete's 53 wax last year for my Carbon Black Z4M , but I'm 54 now and don't know if I am still allowed to use it.

Seriously though, Pete's 53 Black Pearl wax is great for dark cars, (It's from Chemical Guy's)... :thumb:

Pete
Last edited by gookah on Sat 28 Jun, 2014 19:47, edited 1 time in total.
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Z3 1.9 Sport Progress Journal (Wifey's)

I have an element of 'M-styling' on my car, If that's a good enough reason for the manufacturers to adorn a 320 with the M badge, then its certainly a good enough reason for me..
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Car Polish

Post by Del »

gookah wrote: 'Poor Collin's Chemical Moose-Hole 57 Juice'
That could be a name for a real ale :D :lol:
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Car Polish

Post by Southernboy »

..... Zymol has been around a long time... in fact if you look back in this forum's posts a few years, it was touted the holy wax grail.... but it is a wax, not a polish.... so what's the best polish vs what's the best wax are two different questions.
"Normal is overrated"
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Davejue1
Joined: Sun 22 Sep, 2013 07:25
Posts: 1249

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Mansfield

Re: Car Polish

Post by Davejue1 »

Interesting link Barry. I am a bit over kill to say the least with valeting my Zed. Knew nothing of the damage polish can do and more so if used excessively.
Obviously the zymol write up is a sales tact but that said there's some valid information in there.
I've just been on Chemical Guys website to see which wax to replace my polish with! :head:
Thanks for the knees up Barry. :)

Cheers
Dave
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"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional!"
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Woody1000
Joined: Sat 30 Mar, 2013 09:38
Posts: 224

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Chelmsford

Re: Car Polish

Post by Woody1000 »

I have a Cosmos black car and I use Poorboys black hole polish then zymol carbon wax. Comes up a treat. Used many other products but the polish is the important part and prepping the car before you apply the wax.
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t-tony
Joined: Sun 21 Feb, 2010 23:17
Posts: 353

  Z3 roadster 2.0
Location: torksey lock

Re: Car Polish

Post by t-tony »

Having read all the above posts no one has mentioned the conditions in which they use/apply these products. My father-in-law always used to get his car indoors in a commercial workshop after cleaning to let the bodywork cool before applying any polishes. Often some products "bake" if left in too hot conditions making it so much harder to polish off. Also most say do one panel at a time, so as not to make life difficult for yourself.
"Knowledge and experience are not always the same"
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Davejue1
Joined: Sun 22 Sep, 2013 07:25
Posts: 1249

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Mansfield

Re: Car Polish

Post by Davejue1 »

You make a valid point Tony. I did mine last weekend in Mer Ultimate. I did do the whole car but it was done undercover so bodywork was cool and it Mer was a complete sod to get off! It was harder work than T-Cut! Looking at the chemical Guys website last night I think I'm going to opt for there 50/50 wax. Not cheap but I've invested £1800 recently in painting the car so another £50 will be worth it to protect the paint and if it gives a superb finish it'll be worth the extra cost. :)

Cheers
Dave
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"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional!"
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Car Polish

Post by Southernboy »

I watched a short vid of a guy applying Zymol to his motorbike.... by hand... small ammount in the palm, rubbed his hands vigourously together to warm it up and then started caressing his bike all over... :D
What appeals to me is the claim that it doesn't show up the millions of micro scratches which on a black car looks like it's covered in a spiderweb from hell... :wink:
"Normal is overrated"
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bazza1966
Joined: Thu 21 Nov, 2013 10:09
Posts: 92

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Car Polish

Post by bazza1966 »

Mick
just looked on Maguire's web site have a look at brilliant solutions 2013 interesting reading, they claim all their products are clear coat friendly so that shots Zymol claims out of the water?


Bazza
Bazza (East Dorset)
bazza1966
Joined: Thu 21 Nov, 2013 10:09
Posts: 92

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Car Polish

Post by bazza1966 »

http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a62 ... 1452a4.jpg

Mick have a look at Zelda? I'm in love
Bazza (East Dorset)
gookah
Z Register member
Joined: Thu 07 Aug, 2008 09:51
Posts: 2737

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Car Polish

Post by gookah »

That's pretty 'scary' stuff from Zymol, however I have never yet 'polished a car by hand through to bare metal'.

Even using a DA its hard enough to get scratches off BMW paint which is easy enough to scratch but then hard enough to not easily polish, how does that work?
My Carbon Black Z4 just needed a look in the wrong way to get a mark on, it but it was a pig to remove it afterwards.

I like the way their product removes all evils including badly oxidised paint, but knows not to harm the good stuff, thats clever polish.
Surely something that removes a layer will also remove a good layer.
The Zymol statement is just marketing bumpf, let down by a few howlers of ridiculous claims that just then make me disregard the rest, and on a very professional word document by a guy called Chuck, say no more :D

Polish removes a layer. wax adds a coating, thats all that is required,
Polish it to begin with, then keep it waxed, wash it carefully and you very rarely will need to polish again.
I use Meguiars polishes with my DA with good effect to initially clean, then I just keep it waxed.
Mind you Zymol also sell £30,000 wax to people with Ferrari's, who are clever enough to see the difference, Emperor's Clothes spring to mind... :roflmao:
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Z3 2.8 Progress Journal (Mine)
Z3 1.9 Sport Progress Journal (Wifey's)

I have an element of 'M-styling' on my car, If that's a good enough reason for the manufacturers to adorn a 320 with the M badge, then its certainly a good enough reason for me..
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Car Polish

Post by Del »

Old chauffer tip I picked up years ago - just a quick wash/rinse with plain water every day - keeps the paint looking like new. :)
eddie1
Joined: Sat 24 May, 2014 07:41
Posts: 136

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Scunthorpe

Re: Car Polish

Post by eddie1 »

I'm going to try Chemical Guy's Pete's 53, with the eco-smart detailer. Seen some good views on it, plus it'll get me into waxing. Something I haven't done since my Motorbike days. Always confused of the difference between wax and polish, now I know I'll give it a go. As the cars going in for a pro' shine I'll wax it up when I get it back on the Friday prior to Donny car show on the 6th. Hope the weathers good, as all my hard work will go to waste!

Eddie.
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Not ready yet
Joined: Mon 07 Apr, 2014 22:11
Posts: 60

  Z3 roadster 1.8

Re: Car Polish

Post by Not ready yet »

I have hijacked this post from a detailing site, very interesting, has anyone tried formulating their own polish ?

I been reading with great interest all of the excellent detailing guides and awesome product reviews. As the guides have inspired me to correct and/or improve my auto detailing procedures, the product reviews have instigated a more cautious look at what I am buying and really how good are they. Meguiar's, Mothers, Zymöl, Menzerna, P21S, AutoGlym, Collinte, Pinnacle, Klasse, 3M, TurtleWax, etc. just to name a few... I'm under the impression that you could make a blind guess at any of these and be happy, as they are all good brand name.

Of course, a products final results are inherently dependent on the user. However, taking the user out of the equation, and simply judging a product for the quality of ingredients used is what I am after. Unfortunately, most car wax brands don't label their products with "ingredients", specifically, what percent of carnauba wax (the active ingredient) is used, as well as other ingredients.

For-example


Mothers CALIFORNIA GOLD® PURE CARNAUBA WAX – STEP 3, sells at our local auto store, along with other brands, all at different prices, but which one has the most active ingredient?

"PURE CARNAUBA WAX" doesn't mean 100% PURE CARNAUBA WAX by volume, rather it has a unspecified percentage of "PURE CARNAUBA WAX" by volume. If carnauba wax is the active ingredient then logic dictates that smart buying would lead me to the product with the highest percentage of carnauba wax by volume at the lowest price, taking into consideration quality of carnauba used. Searching through the forum and various threads trying to find an answer, I keep reading about specific brands that people like and researched specifications/ingredients and pricing for these (some are NOT cheap), then I stumble across, Zymöl Royale Glaze.

Product Description
Zymöl Royale Glaze (50oz.) It was originally formulated to protect the finish of the Bugatti Royale, a rare late 1920's ultra-luxury car (only about half a dozen were built) so meticulously crafted and exquisitely engineered that today it is considered a work of art. Suitable for all paint types and colors. Royale Glaze contains 70% Brazilian No.1 White Carnauba by volume, which is the absolute highest quality available anywhere! Ingredients: Contains white carnauba sap, Montan Evergreen Oil, Sunflower Oil, Cantaloupe Oil, Coconut Oil, Honeydew extract, Strawberry extract, Propolis (derived from bees) and pure glycerin. Royale Glaze contains 70% Brazilian No.1 White Carnauba by volume.

Zymöl Royale Glaze, with 70% carnauba wax by volume for approx. $7000 USD is the highest % by volume of any product on the market, it's also outrageously over priced, or maybe just expensive. I can only imagine how much carnauba wax by volume is in the $20 - $50 USD brands, a good guess would be less than 5%. So, what makes up the rest of the wax? (i.e. Mothers CALIFORNIA GOLD® PURE CARNAUBA WAX – STEP 3 which sells for $25 USD) What are you really paying for? Filler? Is 5% carnauba wax enough for a good wax job, or is 70% carnauba wax a better wax job? I will give credit where credit is due, Zymöl is the only company/site I found that details carnauba wax content by volume for all their products. This impressed me!!

http://www.zymol.com/carnauba.htm
scroll to the bottom of the page for the list. Otherwise, I have enclosed it below, although there is good reading to found there.

How Much Carnauba Is In Zymöl Wax?

Typical waxes contain 3 to 5% Carnauba (not necessarily Brazilian No. 1 Carnauba) by volume. The greater the concentration of Carnauba the greater the level of protection and the higher the level of shine. Zymöl's content of Brazilian No. 1 Yellow (and/or White) Carnauba in Zymöl standard waxes is:

Creame™ 33% Yellow Carnauba
Carbon™ 37% Yellow Carnauba
Japon™ 37% Yellow Carnauba
Saab™ 37% Yellow Carnauba
Volvo™ 37% Yellow Carnauba
Concours™ 47% Yellow & White Carnauba
Ital™ 35% Yellow & White Carnauba
Titanium™ 51% Yellow & White Carnauba
Destiny™ 51% White Carnauba
Atlantique™ 60% White Carnauba
Vintage™ 61% White Carnauba
Detail™ 38% White Carnauba
Royale™ 68%-70% White Carnauba

Also, please note, that further research in understanding the difference between White Carnauba and Yellow Carnauba Wax, will reveal that white is actually a pale yellow-whitish wax, and the yellow wax is actually a brown, or blackish wax - this is the cheapest stuff.

Now equipped with an ingredients list from Zymöl Royale Glaze...I then wondered how hard it would be to make my own premium car wax (70% carnauba wax by volume), based on ingredients by Zymöl Royale Glaze and focus on purchasing quality active ingredients. BTW, I'm not at all interested in reselling or manufacturing for monetary gain, that's not my goal. I simply want to get the best possible product(s) for the best price. After looking at the ingredients list for Zymöl Royale Glaze, it shouldn't be too hard to get this stuff and brew/cook your own? eBay sells pure carnauba wax powder/flakes, and a quick search on google tells you what you need to make your own car wax.

Google Results:

Formula for Making Your Own Car Wax
You will need:
1/2 cup melted carnauba wax
2 tbsp melted yellow beeswax
2 cups turpentine
1 tbsp pine oil
In a double boiler, heat the carnauba wax and beeswax. Stir, then allow to cool just until the mixture starts to harden. Stir in the turpentine and pine oil. To use, apply with a rag: polish with a soft cloth.

Using the above formula as a base, and modifying with ingredients from Zymöl Royale Glaze, would it not be reasonable to say that you would have a better Carnauba Car Wax, than what is available at the local auto store for $25-$50, and at least you know what you put into it? One point that freaks me out is the turpentine - I thought you use this to clean paint brushes, not sure if I want that strong solvent on my paint.

Finally, has anybody here tried to make/cook their own car wax? Is this at all reasonable, since it doesn't seem too complicated to make? Or just cough up the big bucks for high end products and put faith where faith is due.

Cheers
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