Wax vs Polish - The Difference

[FOR VW FORA]

Hi Buller_Scott

Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate the time you took.

I have taken your suggestions on board and hence the list has grown to 9 items (so is the $$$ as you already mentioned)
I think you are right I will get the clay kit also to "do it once do it right"

Driving diesel is a big difference for me and I guess i will get used to it.
It does have a fair bit of grunt but I am still babying the car I guess.
I do like the interior and little features that go a long way plus it is very quiet compared to VX & VY SVZ I had.
The only thing that irks me is around 1200/1400 rpm doing 55-60 Kms it feels like engine is lugging (hope it is the right term)
I usually switch to manual mode and shift down. I was told that this is normal for diesel and will eventually go away once I reach 10000 Kms (currently at 6000ish). With big 6's 1200-1500 rpm was never a problem.

thanks again mate!

[Buller_Scott]

hey FOR VW FORA, nice work!

just be prepared for sore arms/ shoulders/ back, detailing can quickly become a bit of an obsession - i will admit i dont wash my car EVERY week, and that the products i use i bought more to protect the car rather than have it looking concours ready every day, but when i do give it the full monty it's always a 6 hour affair that sees me aching long after i've kicked off my flip flops and poured myself a beer.

let us know what your kit ends up containing!

[kaotickelly]

Just want to share my experience of diy paint protection with the Duragloss Paint protection pack and a clay bar on my 3 week old White Tiguan.

1. Started with a high pressure wash at the local diy car wash, first with soap spray and then high pressure rinse.
2. Went home and washed with Armorall's wax and wash and a mitten glove.
3. Clay bar panel by panel with plenty of lube (I didn't think the brand of lube mattered). It did remove alot of small specks of dirt/crap, but it didn't remove all the sap. Some came off, but there were some stubborn ones on the roof that didn't come off (any suggestions? I've seen car wash joints clean it off before, but don't know what they used). Instead of wiping off the lube with microfiber, I hosed it off. Took about 1:15 hr. Used about 2/3 of a bar.
4. Dried car with Shamwow and then microfiber, probably not the best idea.
5. Applied the Duragloss 601 bonding agent, followed by the 105 polish/wax after about 5 min. Both applied with the foam applicator that came with the pack.
6. Buffed off polish/wax with included premium microfiber cloth. Time taken 1:45.

So how does 4.5 hours of work look and feel?

Look:
To be honest, it didn't look a whole lot shinier than the brand new paint job, and I wasn't expecting so. If the car was a year old with only 5 or 6 washes then it would have made a much bigger difference.

Feel:
SMOOOOOOTH, to the point that no matter where I put the 601 bottle on the roof it started sliding down... LOL. It was just so smooth everywhere. The smoothness was already there after the 601 bonding agent was applied, but was just that little bit more so after the 105 polish was applied and buffed off. Now it rained about 2 hours after I did the whole job (of course), and the smoothness was only slightly lost after I dried it off with a light drag of the shamwow.

So would I recommend the protection pack to anyone? YES, the smooth feeling after the polish is addictive LOL.

Would I recommend the clay bar to anyone? Maybe, and you should do a intense wash first before using it, and don't expect miracles.

It's a waiting game to see if sap/dirt/crap sticks to the new skin, I'll report back in a few weeks.

Happy to hear anyone's thoughts on what I've done, and welcome any suggestions!

[Rannerz]

I polished my other car today (1984 Mazda 323 Panel Van, in bright solid yellow). The car was faded as all hell and needed a good cut.
Heres the steps I took.
-masked up all rubbers and plastic I didn't want polish on
-Started to cut the car, panel by panel starting with the roof. Cut each panel twice.
-once whole car was cut, wipe off excess polish with micro fibre rag
-buff car with machine glaze
-wash the car, chamois, wipe dash, vacuum
-hand wax the car

Car looks as though it just rolled off the mazda showroom floor.
The polishes I used are different to the ones recommended on here, and they are also harder to get and are rather expensive.
-3M Perfect-It Extra Cut (old formula) with a white foam pad. 3M released a new formula in a purple bottle, not as good as old formula which I used.
-3M Machine Glaze 2 with a grey foam pad
-Auto Glaze Super Resin Polish. Wiped on by hand, and wipe off. Not the best out there, but decent and in my shed. I would recommend it for budget. Still lasts a while

Also with clay blocks. A lot of people use them on their cars for a better clean. A clay block is designed for the removal of rail dust, paint overspray, and industrial fallout. There are plenty of chemicals and other cleaning products out there that can remove other contaminants just as well and may be cheaper and easier.
My 2000 GTI is in need to good clay blocking, as the original owner lived near and industrial area of Adelaide. So the entire car is covered in fallout. Easy process, but a very time consuming one too.

[Transporter]

Did you mean -Autoglym?
I know the 3M stuff is good.

[Rannerz]

yeah autoglym i meant sorry.

I find the 3M products to be the best, except the new 3m Extra cut.
Juice Q-Cut is a great extra cut product.
I use these products on a daily basis at work. I have tried other products from off the shelf, but I have always found 3M and Juice to be the best

[Wolfgang]

Also with clay blocks. A lot of people use them on their cars for a better clean. A clay block is designed for the removal of rail dust, paint overspray, and industrial fallout. There are plenty of chemicals and other cleaning products out there that can remove other contaminants just as well and may be cheaper and easier.
My 2000 GTI is in need to good clay blocking, as the original owner lived near and industrial area of Adelaide. So the entire car is covered in fallout. Easy process, but a very time consuming one too.

To cut down your claying tme use a decontamination gel like Wolfs Decon Gel (avaliable from CCP) before you clay. It will dissolve any ferrous material bonded to the paint. Great for cleaning wheels too.

[Rannerz]

it took me an hour and a half to clay block my car today. only the smallest bit i missed on the front windshield and sunroof. But i used a razor blade and window cleaner to get that off. Car still needs a polish, but ill do that at a later time.

[Njay]

my bmw is covered in tiny light scratches not sure where from, whats the best product to help remove them

[Wolfgang]

it took me an hour and a half to clay block my car today. only the smallest bit i missed on the front windshield and sunroof. But i used a razor blade and window cleaner to get that off. Car still needs a polish, but ill do that at a later time.

Call me strange but I kinda like claying a car.

my bmw is covered in tiny light scratches not sure where from, whats the best product to help remove them

Light scratches are more than likely from washing the car, unavoidalble if you want a clean car.

You have a few options, not worry about them, machine polish the car (or get a pro detailer to), use a glaze that will fill and conceal the scratches for a few months.