Hey guys I have a little question to throw out here, as I have a lot of time coming up in the near future I am beating around some ideas on what to keep me busy. Anyhow, my question is what brand of washes, waxes, polishes, etc... do you currently use on your cars?



Have you ever tried a "commercial" grad polish, like 3M or some of the other great polishes that most people wouldn't recognize the name of.



Thanks for your feedback, I need it!

zaino bros is the best

Good idea. My paint is fading like a mofo. Is there any way to ressurect faded vintage red, if only for a year or two?

Hey Phins,



3M products are great!! Their waxes and polishes are all I use. Except for Mothers plastic polish on the tail light lenses. Mothers is the BEST plastic polish I have found.

Simple Green for exterior cleaning ( don't use too much! )



OH! and Wheel Magic for the wheels and brake parts.



Tom

dont use dishwashing soap on the paint, unless you want it to peel in giant sections

the orignial paint seems to like mcguires (although its not a big difference)

ingnore this stuff if you get the zaino stuff, it works great, but multi step means you get to wax the car like 5 times, not for me



mike

I only use 3M products down the line, from sandpaper to compounds and glazes, and Mothers wax. I dont know if everything I use 3m can be had over the counter though.

My experience is the 3M products are hard to find at a decent price. I was thinking buying some mass quantities, busting it up into separates and kits. You know, you could have wash, swirl remover, wax (hand glaze), applicator, buffing clothes, the works.

Reselling it all with 10% markup or something, could easily come in well under most of the retail outlets and you wouldn't have to hunt the separate products, they would all be right there.

yeah 3m stuff is great



mike

Them and Mcguires rule hands down in the cleaning department.I love mcguires car waxes.Now thats a sweet shine.

Yes!! 3M!

I fell in love with them long ago!!

One of the local OEM guys carries 3M, I don't think it's badly priced. I use everything 3M!

Yea I think if I buy enough I can get the price down, what little 3m products are found on the shelf around here are way overpriced for what I can sell them for with minimal markup.

the amway line is nice too.....



mike

HA HA amway, yea I ain't touchin that LOL

p'cola.



if your paint is faded and worn looking use the 3m-'finesse it' and then follow up with the 3m-'finish-it'. that is the best combo that you can use. i have been using these products to detail show cars for 10+ years. TRUST me, they are not the most expensive. you will pay the same for a wax like zymol, or even the higher end meguiars products, which i might add, are a very close second place...

zymol, is pretend german. its made in texas



mike

well the guy at the parts store told me that meguiars is better than 3m. Meguiars is all i use. It all works really well, and it is about the cheapest you can buy. I use the soft gel car wash soap, the quik wax, and the hot rims wheel cleaner. it all smells really good too!

I've been using Meguiar's lately.... the stuff is great. :bigthumg:

Meguirs all the way.

Thanks a lot Louis. That's what I was looking for. Looks like I'm stopping by the parts store tommorrow.

Do you apply those with a buffer, or just some good ole' fashioned elbow grease?

Thanks a lot Louis. That's what I was looking for. Looks like I'm stopping by the parts store tommorrow.

Do you apply those with a buffer, or just some good ole' fashioned elbow grease?[/quote]

****, I use Finesse It III now, Finesse is old news man. I do paint/bodywork, and the old Finesse cant compare to the new stuff.

Have you no Finesse It III by you?

I am using Liquid Glass ($20 a can) it seems to be working awesome. I noticed the other day it is staying on the car a really long time. After a wash It seems easier to buff out to a shine too on my black TII.



I'll keep using the liquid glass for a while. Right now I think it is really good.

I use meguiars soft gel to wash, simple green on the tires and rims, meguiars cleaner wax, then turtle wax color match polish(black), and meguiars gold class wax to finish it all. It really seems to do the job. I don't recomend doing it by hand though. Three steps is a little too much for my elbow. Also I use black magic on the trim inside and meguiars tire shine on the tires. After about four hours my car looks brand new. Unfortunately it takes 4 hours. I wish I could find something a little quicker. Oh yeah I also use meguiars quick detailer during the week to keep it looking good after a dusting from my california duster.

i havent found anything really good for the tires yet. i was using black magic but it slings it all over the paint, i used eagle something but it didnt last but like 4 days. anyone got any suggestions?

try the meguiars. It's a gel and it's meant to last long periods of time.

I heard ATF on the tires works well.

Meguires is what I use as far as washing and waxing goes. I used to use some industrial stuff they sell at the Freightliner shops but it's expensive (truckers get pissy when their 500 dollar airbrush job gets screwed up)



3M makes a vinyl cleaner/protectant that is SO much better then anything else I've ever seen.



Mothers on aluminum or baking soda. I've used toothpaste to polish out some scuffs but use at your own risk.

Blackfire Rocks! Available at www.properautocare.com.



For detailing help go to www.autopia-carport.com



That is all you ever need to know!

Lucky for me with the type of paint thats on my car I only have to wax it once or twice a year, and its black. The car stays outside all the time too, no garage.

What type of paint is that?

DuPont Imron, not normally used on cars, mostly boats, trucks, aviation, industrial finishes.

Im bringing it to the meet up in PA NOV 3, ill throw a coat Mothers hand wax on it, which takes all of 25 minutes or so. Last time I waxed it was the BBQ, and before that was summer of 2001.

DuPont Imron, not normally used on cars, mostly boats, trucks, aviation, industrial finishes.[/quote]

my r100 was painted with that stuff in about 83. if i buffed it out it would look like it was just painted. its hard to work with i understand though



mike

It still UV fades

yeah, but it comes back with the wax



mike

DuPont Imron, not normally used on cars, mostly boats, trucks, aviation, industrial finishes.[/quote]

my r100 was painted with that stuff in about 83. if i buffed it out it would look like it was just painted. its hard to work with i understand though



mike[/quote]

It doesnt come out of the gun as nice as the automotive stuff, but now with everything being this low VOC ****, nothing looks like it did out of the gun anymore.

Your supposed to use a fresh air system with the Imron, and you will have a full day or more of wet sanding and polishing, but after that it will probably last longer then the car will.

I DIDNT use the Imron clear on my Lexus when I repainted it this summer only because I didnt want to sand and polish the fucker for 2 days, I used what Dupont considers to be thier flagship clear, the 72400 or something like that clear ( I dont normally use it so I dont remember ). I really dont care how the paint holds up on that car though, lol.

4 years and mine hasnt, my work van was painted with it 13 years ago, never waxed, never garaged, and its not faded either, I **** you not.

well if you look at the r100, its not the paint thats the problem, it has somesmall dings and stuff from sitting. so why get paint that will last 20 years when someone is going to hit your car with a dumpster?



mike

You don't let your car get hit with a dumpster!

I prefer PPG and HOK myself. GFH will be sprayed in PPG

I used PPG Global basecoat on my Lexus with the Dupont Clear, first time I sprayed a whole car in PPG base, normally if I go BC/CC Ill use DuPont ChromaBase, that PPG base was ******* horrible in my opinion, but maybe because Im not used to it I dont know, just never had the problems with that base like I did with the ChromaBase.

Diffeerent brands spray differently. I use a Lecroix HVLP turbine with a Devilbliss JGHV501 Gun

Damn you guys, stop talking about paint LOL I am talking paint care here! Well anyhow this is a few months out, but I think I might be able to make it happen.