another polishing Q

[shakes]

my GQ is lookin a lil tired paintwise unfortunatly funds dont stretch to a quick re-spray

so in the meantime I'm just seeing peoples recomendations on which polish / technique is best to use to get her lookin a lil bit more up to speed.

Cheers
Simon


(bring on the Tonka nazi's)

[blackmav]

That coloured polish=sh!t

[blkmav]

I wouldn't bother; as soon as you polish it you will scratch it again.

If that doesn't put you off here's the process -
1. Strip all wax and crap off car i.e. wash with Dawn dish washing liquid
2. Use a glaze to fill in scratches, do this in a circular motion, may need to apply several times to deep scratches
3. Apply wax, when applying and removing follow the line air would take over car

Make sure you use plenty of clean cloths otherwise you'll just be smearing product on product
If you really want to you can use a clay bar to smooth the paint before step 2
Wax is only a protective coating, all the shine and gloss is in the glaze
For amateur, hand finish is better the machine buff

I use Zymol on the Audi but its way too expensive to use on the Mav
http://www.zymol.com.au/

I just sold on eBay a heap of car cleaning stuff that I wasn’t using, would have been perfect for you

[81 rangie]

this works really well for me with those plastics that fade such as flares and snorlle. First u rub cut it back using jiff, it should then go shiny, then i use a shiny black shoe polish to stain it black agin. Thry and get a smooth application and don't rub with anything afterwards. Asfter a coulple of weeks the polish will be dry and then just buff it using a clean rag and maybe some armour all. The shiny black will last for a long time again

[Patroler]

give it a good wash to remove all the dirt, dry it, maguires paint cleaner, do it in the shade and make sure you use clean rags especially to buff the stuff off, work one panel at a time, then use the maquires wet look polish, same technique clean rags etc. Ive had good results with this, removes nasty oxidisation, changed the girlfriends car from powdery pinky red to deep shiny red!

[beebee]

Meguires Gold Class Carnubia Wax - it rocks. Basically my whole car has a spraycan paint job with this wax over the top and I still get a shine. Plus it is by far the easiest to apply that I've seen.

[beatle_bayly]

My recommendation for amateurs is Meguiare's Professional Medium Cut Cleaner #1, or go for a lighter version if you are scared. You MUST apply it by machine buffer. It comes in a tan coloured bottle.

This stuff breaks down as you use it so it's really, really difficult to burn the paint. I know 'cause I deliberately let the buffer linger on a roof ridge which was already showing the undercoat, and after a shine apeared the polish just turned to a water like liquid.

I'd never used a machine polish B4 but used this polish on my very badly weathered red FJ60 paint using a Mequiars foam buff in a drill, and the transformation was miraculous. If you want a showroom finish, go over it again with their Swirl Remover #1, using a new pad. I just went direct to a wax.

The Meguiars pads are expensive, but a paint shop can sell you different brands for a lot less.

Finish off with Yellow Wax #26 or their Cleaner Wax (smells delicious !).

I repeat just how foolproof this stuff is to use, but if you are concerned, just pay a paint shop to give your truck a buff.

Be aware that the strength of the products are not necessarily graded by number. #4 is more severe than #1, yet #9 is a very light polish. A humid day is the best to do the buffing, or else you can use a spray bottle to lightly lube the polish if it's particularly dry.