I spent a good 2 hours today putting on a coat of wax on my car after I washed it. But I am not happy with the results. The car looks clean, but small scratches which I thought would be gone are everywhere. I wonder if I did something wrong. Maybe it's because my car is black and the imperfections are more visible. I used Meguiar's Wax Cleaner and using one of their applicators, applied small amonts in a uniform motion. I did the hood, the roof, sides, and the rear separately, and waited about 5 minutes before using a soft towel to wipe things clean for each part.

How do you all wax your cars? Do you use an orbital buffer instead of hand polish for better results? And all you NBP owners, are scratches still everywhere no matter what you do?

 

always wash/wax in straight lines!! that cleaner wax in just that it cleans, not good for a lasting deep shine. try using mothers reflextions... goes on and comes off easy gives a deep shine. i'm sure others will recomend some they've tried. (for those of us who wash/wax there cars )


[Modified by ITR764, 8:35 PM 12/26/2001]

 

After you wash your car, but before you wax it, go over the entire car with a "polish" like Zymol HD-Cleanse or Meguiar's Swirl Remover #9. Either of these products will smooth down the edges of the hairline scratches and swirl marks. The Meguiar's is ever so slightly abrasive; use it if you've really got scratches or swirl marks that you want to remove, otherwise the Zymol is not abrasive and is probably a better bet.

You should only have to polish your car this way maybe once a year or so unless you find scratches re-appear before then.

 

ok, you're just getting started.

Get some Meguiar's Polish and Pure Carnuba Wax. They are labeled #2 and #3 and that is how you should apply them.

The polish is what will make your car look like new, it will take care of the small swirl marks and make the black really stand out.

Trust me on this one, as soon as you wipe the polish off you'll be happy.

 

First the cleaner wax is abrasive so don't use it on you car.

Get polish, and work it into the paint. Try to rub it until it rubs itself away. Do one panel at a time. Polish twice then use a sealer/glaze and apply it the same way as the polish. Use the sealer/glaze twice.
Next use Mother carnuba wax. The lines (scratches) will be gone!

 

Unlike the majority here, Meguiars products are the ONLY products that ever touch my beast's paint...

Was your car's surface cool to the touch when you started? If not, that's your problem right there. A warm paint surface being waxed will cause swirls/scratches to multiply. Make sure your surface is always cool.

I see that your R is a 2001, which means you should not have to use the 3 step detail system which includes the cleaner (#1), polish (#2), and wax (#3). (BTW, #3 is NOT pure carnuba, trust me.) Unless my R is EXTREMELY dirty or contaminated, I use Meguiars "Gold Class" only. I have waxed mine with the cleaner wax, which comes in a maroon-colored bottle 3 or 4 times. I hand apply, hand remove, then orbital buff to a shine using a sheepskin pad. No swirls, scratches, or imperfections. I've done Pat's (itr009) and Will's (willard) with both products as well. Both yielded awesome results. The cleaner wax/gold class combo really helped Will's as it was hosting a nice coat of brake dust

Hope this helps a little

Jason- who HATES Mothers products


[Modified by Darth VadeR, 7:18 AM 12/27/2001]

 

also when waxing i get the polish/wax residue left on the rubber trimming.
any advice on how to remove them or avoid them?

 

If it's a major problem avoiding them, simply use some clear tape to line them before waxing...

 

i use meguire's as well but last week for the heck of it, i went out and bought a bottle of 3M Swirl Mark Remover as well as a bottle of 3M Liquid Wax. This stuff works nicely. Swirls and light scratches are things I've come to terms with..with my fbp si.

 

how much $ do the orbital buffers go for?

 

I'm sure you can find them cheaper, but the one I swear by and use is here...
http://www.sears.com/sr/product/summ...id=00927098000

Jason- who loves Craftsman goodies

 

Looks like most people have already told you that you need to use a more aggressive product that was designed to minimize/reduce swirls rather than a cleaner wax. What I would do is this:

1. Wash car: Dont use a sponge, use a chenille (100% cotton) wash mitt and a quality car soap. Meguiar's gold class is VERY good stuff. Buy it by the gallon for $10 at Target. I dont personally use it anymore but have always had good results with it.
2. Clean the paint using a mild solvent such as Zymol HD-Cleanse or my favorite, Pinnacle Paint Cleansing Lotion. You can find Pinnacle products at http://www.properautocare.com.
3. If that does not remove the swirls, you need to step up to an abrasive product. 3M Swirl remover works great and is mild, as is Meguiars #9 2.0. Use a foam pad to apply this stuff and use back and forth motions (not circular), preferably in the direction that wind flows on the car. As soon as the product is dry, stop rubbing.
4. If this doesnt work, you need to go to something more agressive, such as 3M Finesse-It 2.
5. After you are happy with the way the car looks, protect it with a quality wax or sealant.
Note: I would only use a random orbital buffer for applying abrasives. I think it wastes far too much product to use for anything else. You definitely DO NOT NEED one, but it helps a bit.

For my mom's car (a badly swirled Acura 3.2TL), I simply washed the car, clayed it, then applied one coat of Zaino z1 and z5. Both of these products are non-abrasive and the z5 serves to hide the swirls for a few months rather than remove them. You can see the results here: http://www.geocities.com/yell00itr/TL3

 

www.carcareonline.com

 

I was a Meguiar's or 3M guy till I started using Zaino. It's not so noticeable on my ITR, but on my mom's black LS400 OMGarge! The car went from looking ok w/ lots of swirl marks to a deeeep, marble like black finish

yoshi - who waits for aoigsr to chime in heya

 

I have been using zaino for the past 2 months I think (a little less but who's counting?). I am on coat number 3 right now and will apply when I have time.

-Aoib0t, who didn't know pressing the clutch pedal will not burn the clutch

 

i picked the bottles up at Pepboys.

 

The sealer/galze is by 3m the rest is mothers.

 

For getting wax buildup off trim pieces I havent found anything yet that works better than Meguiars Trim Detailer. And its cheap to, like $3, works awesome.

I dont have too much trouble with swirl marks on my NBP, but Ive heard really good things about the Meguiars Scratch-X.

 

There some stuff calles 3M Finesse that works awesome. I'm really **** about my car's finish and especially with the black the swirls tend to show more. Just wax car as normal and then apply the finesse side to side one panel at a time an then wipe using the same side to side motion. Comes off real easily and leaves your finish looking awesome! Highly recomend it.

 

Actually, the finesse it will remove the wax (it is abrasive!) so you want to use it, remove any residue, then wax/seal.