aissupply

What brand of wax you guy use on your car ? where I can buy it

Thank you

Wagz

Pinnacle Souveran Carnauba Wax
good place to get it is autogeek.net
if you go to the detailing and care section of this forum/site, you will find a 15% discount code for the site good until tomorrow.

It's not cheap, but it's probably the last wax you will ever use.

lkirchner

Are you only considering wax? As far as a sealant is concerned the best that I have used is Blackfire Wet Diamond. Can be purchased at Autopia.org.

cal1

It is probably kind of low tech, but I just got done using Meguiars Smooth surface Clay Bar with a coat of their Tech wax 2.0 over the top.

I was surprised at how easy the clay bar work was. The paint was perfectly smooth afterward which made applying the wax very easy also. The surface of the car is so smooth now I can't quit running my fingers across it. The shine is brilliant and sets off the metallic flake in my Pewter paint beautifully.

Now I am wondering if I can put a sealant over it like lkirchner mentioned above to make even more brilliant.

320 dreamer

zaino with poor boys black hole

grane

Mothers Carnuba after a good wash, two buckets one with suds and one clean water to rinse the mitt, and the intermediate step of 3M Polish. You can find the 3M retailers online and many of the chains carry Mothers products. I've seen the 3m polish at PepBoys but I got mine at a professional auto parts store. No need to order overpriced web only stuff.

Body shops do not recommend silicone based products on paint.

allenjdmb

really isn't that simple. Are you sure "wax" is what you need? Is your surface ready for wax? Or do you need polish, or a combo cleaner wax, or a sealer, or just some gloss, or.....
If you really have the time and want to do it right, check out the detailer's section on this board, or go to detailers domain.com, or even Meguiars.com. For a consumer oriented brand, they have some excellent products.

Some guys here are only moderately crazy, some need serious therapy.

lkirchner

I very much resmble your second comment about the serious therapy.

bigben320e

Meguiar's Fine cut/swirl remover or the Meguair 105/205.
Next, Swissvax Saphir.

If you want to use a sealant, Pinnacle Souveran or Menzerna is great. I have done the technique of a Menzerna sealant, then top off with Swissvax Saphir.

seattlekleeman

Hot dawn dishwash soapy wash,hot water wash (wash #2), clay bar/speedshine and Griots One Step Paint Sealent.....
Check out www.griotsgarage.com

cal1

So for those of us that aren't in need of therapy just yet , what are the basic steps to keeping the surface looking good and well protected?

I am guessing a surface prep of some sort, wax, seal?

Vabene7

I was introduced to Einszett polish and wax. I've had great results with them.

http://www.1z-usa.com/einszett_glanz_car_wax.html

http://www.1z-usa.com/einszett_car_paint_polish.html

I purchase the products online through Detailer's Domain in NJ.
Phil is the owner and great with customer service.

http://www.detailersdomain.com/

lkirchner

While I'm on leave from therapy; the most important thing in detailing the car is the preparation of the surface. There are many good waxes/sealants on the market today but they can all look like crap if the prep is not done well. Start with the clay bar and then follow with a good polish to remove surface blemishes. I have been using the Menzerna line of polishes that are designed for the Ceramiclear clear coat on the MB's. There are varying degrees of cut to the different polishes from heavy to one that will finish down to for the final wax/sealant. I am using the Flex dual action buffer for application of the polishes and it works great. All of this is for naught if the car is not washed properly since this is where the majority of swirls and scratches are introduced into the finish. Go to www.autopia.org for some great detailing advice. The majority of the members are truly in need of serious therapy.

CakeDaddy

Lots of bad info being spread here!

1. Always never use dish washing liquid to wash your car
2. Do not add wax directly after a clay bar

Lou K aka lkirchner is absolutely correct when he said, "the most important thing in detailing the car is the preparation of the surface"

Here is right way:
Wash (with dedicated car soap..Not dawn!)
Clay
Polish (Meguiars 105 then Meguiars 205 and a final polish (3M Ultra FinaSE part no.06068 or Menzerna 85RD)
Glaze (optional) With a good polish there is no need to glaze.
Sealant
Wax (Meguiars Yellow #26 or PoorBoys Paste) Souveran is too expen$ive and over rated in my opinion.

Do not attempt this by hand! I suggest you purchase the Flex3401, especially if you car is 2005 or newer. The newer Benz cars have the ceramiclear finish that is very tough to polish, but the flex3401 will do the trick.



http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/

cal1

Thanks for the great info. So it sounds like I had the prep part right, but omitted the polish step. My metallic surface may not show it as bad as black, but I am sure I have plenty of swirls and blemishes.

By the way, maybe we should convince a therapist to become a sponsor. He would need to specialize in obsessive compulsive type behavior and also good at treating torque addiction. I am sure his business would flourish!!!

bigben320e

Method that I use, and works wonders. (On washing gotta use the two buckets!) I have people on a regular that ask me to do their cars. I use the PC for machine polishing.

CakeDaddy

I have the PC7424 as well. Its very nice and easy to use but not very effective when polish out scratches on this Mercedes ceramiclear coat.

lkirchner

I used to use a Porter cable machine but you are correct it is fairly ineffective on the Ceramiclear paint. It does not oscillate fast enough to generate the heat that is needed to break down the polishes.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

Adams Buttery Wax

bigben320e

I have been pretty satisfied with my my PC handles the job on my MB's quite well, however the Flex3401 seems to be pretty awesome from the reviews I read. Might be my next purchase!

Morlee

As mentioned above, autopia-carcare web site. Great source of info on products and how to use them. They also feature products for polishing the Ceramiclear finish.

I use Menzerna products with the corresponding foam pad and a PC7424. Awesome results and was very impressed with the polymer sealant the first time I used it.

PDC

I have used just about every product out there from the very generic to the very esoteric. Through pure trial and error and a couple of trips to the body shop to re-spray a bumper cover ot two, IMHO, I have developed the ability to detail paint with the very best of them. I have a Porter Cable, a straight rotary and a FLEX polisher and the FLEX is the best thing I have ever used. The PC just doesn't have the grunt to correct flaws in hard paint surfaces like the Ceramic CC on a Benz. The Rotary sure does, but it is the culprit behind the re-sprayed bumpers in my path of destruction. (I now can use the rotary pretty darn well, but it took ALOT of practice.) The FLEX is a true random pattern polisher, so it presents less chance of burning or swirling the paint than a straught rotary. But is uses a true connect between the drive and the pad - the PC is just a glorified 'jiggler.' Dawn will not harm a ceramic clear coat if used once a year to remove old sealants and waxes. Griot's sells a 'paint prep' that is essentially straight detergent with no dye or purfume. Just know that it will take EVERYTHING off the paint and the paint will have no protection against the elements after using it. So, to get the paint 'right' I use Dawn or paint prep, claybar, and 3M light compound, swirl remover, and ultrafina with the white, gray, and baby blue color coded 3M pads in that order. Use 50/50 distilled water and rubbimg alcohol inbetween grits of polish to get any remnants off the paint. Plan on spending the whole weekend. My back and shoulders no longer hold up to knock out all steps in a single day - especially on an SUV. I have had great luck with Zaino and Menzerna Powerlock as a sealant. If I am using real wax, I really like Blackfire paste. Once the paint passes my inspection, I have not needed to use the light cut compound ever again - just the swirl remover and ultrafina in the spring and fall brings the 'pop' back. ALso - different sealants seem to lay differently on different paint. ZAINO looks like a second clear coat on my wifes ML550, but seemed to look 'oily' or 'smeary' on my E55. Menzerna Powerlock looks like glass on the 55, but doesn't seem to lay as clean on the ML - go figure? Like I said, all personal opinion and all trial and error.

cal1

^ nice write up.

So for those of us (me) using products like Meguiars, are we damaging the finish or just not getting the maximum luster out of the finish?

PDC

I don't think Over the Counter or 'generic' products are going to do any harm to a modern (post 2005) ceramic clear coat on a benz. The common denominator in this thread is that the ceramic clear is just so darned hard (durable??) that conventional polishes and a Porter Cable just don't have any effect on it. That tells me its pretty tough stuff and not likely to be damaged in any way by (insert air quotes here) "inferior" products.

As far as Meguiars goes - laugh all you guys want - I bought their (relatively) new Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Paste Wax last month at the auto parts store after reading lots of positive feedback online. The Ultimate Compound is advertised to cut like a compound but finish like a polish and with a medium/soft polish pad and my Flex, that's exactly what it did. The Ultimate Polish is awfully fine, but it did add a noticable 'wetness' that the compound did not quite achieve.

On to the Ultimate Wax - shocked at how impressed I am with this stuff. Easy on, easy off, unbelievably slippery, and has stood up surprisingly well to more than a few car washes.

bigben320e

I wouldn't say the PC has no effect, as I have used it on all my MB's and it has worked rather well. From what I see in regards to the flexit appears to be more effective.now I do use the professional line of Meguiars products and Menzerna, so of course that and the pads you use make a huge difference in results I agree.