I'm looking into buying a whole new linup for my car (polish, orbiter, wax, etc). I want to get the paint back in great condition.

I'm looking for what wax is the best out there? I'm really wanting the opinions of those detailer who do it for a living or on the side. Those who have used many different waxes.

I have used Zaino but not sure if it is the best.

BTW car color is VSM (Vogue Silver Metalic).

Thanks guys!!!!

 

meguair's nature wax is a good wax to use, they don't last as long as the syn. wax now-a-day but they carry a better shine to it.

wax is actually not as important if you did all the previous steps like wetsand, polish, clay, etc(which depends on the current state of your car)

 

Waxing is pretty important in terms of longevity, especially if the car is exposed to sunlight most of the time.

 

megs waxes are crap. zaino range is mainly a polish/sealant in tems of what it does.

dont misunderstand me the zaino is a top bit of kit.

your best bet would be:

wash
clay
polish to remove swirls with a decent polish + rotary or random (like a PC)
decent polishes are menzerna po85rd, very light cut and damn does it leave a sweet gloss. megs 83 dual action has a harder cut for more stubborn swirls and 82 gives a very similar cut to the menz. you need to be very carefull with honda paint, compared to VAG (bmw/merc) the paint is like butter and you can easely remove to much paint, enough to compromise the finish and have paint/clearcoat failure. if you can find a detailer near you whom has a paint depth gauge, he can tell you if there are any thin paint areas which will require extra care.

if you want zaino your going to need to get some IPA wipes (alcahol etc) to remvoe all the glazing oils all 3 products leave behind or the zaino wont bond (you need their acellarator stuff to for the first coat to)

on top of that you wax, my personal fave is DODO juice, its a uk brand and rrp's over here for £32.50 a pot, and its damn good, great durability,. fantastic wet look shine! its on par with the £150-£250 zymol stuff. really whats going to limit you is how much your going to have left over to spend on a wax. zymol stuff starts at £30 for the crap stuff, it peaks at around seven grand for the top of the range stuff (plent inbetween waxes that rrp for around the 100-800 bux mark lol)

 

lol damn, well I'm planning on buying at PC and the menzerna (your the second to recommend it). I don't know anyone locally that can do the paint check for me, I guess I will just have to be careful.

As far as wax I used the zaino and really didn't do much for me. I might just try this epic wax by prima and see what happens. A few reviews I have read gave it good results. If it sucks, Ill try something else. My main goal right now is to try to get the cob web scratches out.

Anyone ever seen this dvd (http://autodetailingsolutions.com/new_detailing_dvd.htm) I thought about purchasing it as well??

 

I recommend you use a paint sealant instead of a wax for two reasons.

1) Paint sealants make a light coloured car look more wet than on a dark coloured car.
2) Paint sealant lasts much longer than a wax.

If you're going to use Menzerna polishes and compounds, be aware that they contain a lot of lubricating oils. As such, you have to do an IPA wipedown before applying your LSP (your last step product...either a wax or sealant...if you choose to do both, put the sealant on first, let it cure for about an hour or even overnight if you wish, and then put the wax on). The IPA wipedown will remove any oils, and this does two things for you:

1) allows you to make sure that you have indeed removed the defects and are not fooled by them being hidden by the oils.
2) creates a clean surface for the sealant to bond to the paint.


I personally use a Meguiar's wax called Hi-Tech Yellow Wax (among some other ones). The durability of this wax is absolutely fantastic, and you can purchase it over the counter from most stores (even Wal-Mart I believe). It is part of their professional lineup and has the number "26" on the bottle. If you're interested in finding out more reviews on a particular wax, check out autopia.org.

I would consider buying a UDM over a PC as it is a more powerful machine. UDM = Ultimate detailing machine.

Best of luck with your project.

 

Whats the best method for doing a final wipedown? By hand or machine?

Is there any reason why I have not heard as much as the UDM? It appears they are the same price.

Again I want to thank you all for the help!!! It is really appreciated!!! lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kv_sir &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

If you're going to use Menzerna polishes and compounds, be aware that they contain a lot of lubricating oils.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

i have heard otherwise

 

all menz, megs 82/83 all contain lube oils. its what keeps the heat generated from the friction form drying the product out (i use a propper rotary so its much more effectiave than a random in terms of speed and cut, though you need to be a hell of alot more carefull or byebye paint lol)

all those polishes above have demishing compounds ie: you get big ***** that cut into the paint, as they are worked via machine they break down and wear into smaller *****, so by the end you have nothing left but the oils. (and a great mirror/glossy like finish!)

menz is a fantastic polish, though over here in the uk if its to cold or to humid outside it will play up by clotting on the pannel or pad, megs is great in that respect as i have used it when its been 4 deg C outside and it never argues back :D

there is no reason why you cant apply a decent wax by hand over a polymer based synthetic/sealant product like zaino etc. you get the best of both worlds, a great crisp finish and loads of gloss and wetness :D

post on autopia and ask if anyone locally yo you has a paint depth gauge and see if they dont mind taking some readings. this is also a great site:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk

check the pro section for their 50/50 shots of what results to expect form using a demishing compound on a pannel filled with cobwebs etc

 

here is some 50/50 shots of an SLK I did a while back with only a PC...

HOOD





TRUNK

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by redsolturbo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">all menz, megs 82/83 all contain lube oils. its what keeps the heat generated from the friction form drying the product out (i use a propper rotary so its much more effectiave than a random in terms of speed and cut, though you need to be a hell of alot more carefull or byebye paint lol)

all those polishes above have demishing compounds ie: you get big ***** that cut into the paint, as they are worked via machine they break down and wear into smaller *****, so by the end you have nothing left but the oils. (and a great mirror/glossy like finish!)

menz is a fantastic polish, though over here in the uk if its to cold or to humid outside it will play up by clotting on the pannel or pad, megs is great in that respect as i have used it when its been 4 deg C outside and it never argues back :D

there is no reason why you cant apply a decent wax by hand over a polymer based synthetic/sealant product like zaino etc. you get the best of both worlds, a great crisp finish and loads of gloss and wetness :D

post on autopia and ask if anyone locally yo you has a paint depth gauge and see if they dont mind taking some readings. this is also a great site:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk

check the pro section for their 50/50 shots of what results to expect form using a demishing compound on a pannel filled with cobwebs etc</TD></TR></TABLE>

well, I was talking moreso about fillers which menzerna doesnt have much of opposed to Megs 82/83 etc etc.

keep in mind you shouldnt wax over sealant right away.

for 90% of cars, OHC will get the job done, it does howeevr take a while to break down but its sun friendly and literally has an infinite work life.

 

What does OHC stand for?

I'm still not sure on what to use as far as wax. The car is not daily driven so I'm not so worried about how long it will alst. I was looking at the P21S?

Im going to invest alot more time into this project, I just feel like there are 100 billion different ways to go haha.

Also Im still nto sure on whether to get the UDM or a PC? I have been studying up on the UDM and it seems like alot of people are having problems with them dying on them? I heard they are suppose to have another version coming out in march but I was planning on doing a detail on this car over the winter (thank god for my insulated garage).

 

megs 82 and 83 do not contain any fillers at all, much like the menz ranges

megs 80 does, it contains lots (not as much as the hand polish, but alot)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by redsolturbo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">megs 82 and 83 do not contain any fillers at all, much like the menz ranges

megs 80 does, it contains lots (not as much as the hand polish, but alot)</TD></TR></TABLE>

82 and 83 definately contain fillers, unless i am using a different formula than you lol

 

Here is some pics of my civic. The scratches are hard to see so Im thinking I dont need to intense of a polish. Im hoping just a ROB and that menzerna IP can take them out, along with the clear coat polish...what you all think about the p21s?







Can't really see scratches in this pic...camera couldnt pick them up I guess


This one either...




For ***** and giggles

 

IP will take that out with ease

 

I think SIP would do a better job with that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kv_sir &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think SIP would do a better job with that. </TD></TR></TABLE>

SIP for minor at best swirling, on a silver car?

 

judging by the pics, those swirls at certain sections look a bit deep. That's why I think SIP would be better suited. Plus, he can easily downstep the aggressiveness by using a different pad instead of buying another product. Not trying to argue with you here...whatever product works best for the user (Y)

 

Is SIP, super intensive polish? Sorry Im not up on the acronyms completely yet (noob still).

Do you all have any opinions on the p21s wax? I have read people saying that wax is all the same pretty much, but other detailer say the p21s is some of the best as far as depth and wetness.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kv_sir &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">judging by the pics, those swirls at certain sections look a bit deep. That's why I think SIP would be better suited. Plus, he can easily downstep the aggressiveness by using a different pad instead of buying another product. Not trying to argue with you here...whatever product works best for the user (Y)</TD></TR></TABLE>
well yea, the silver paint could be making them seem less severe. SIP and an orange pad would work fine too.

 

So I should get the SIP instead of the IP, and the 106ff clear coat finisher as well. And also make sure to get a variety of pads inorder to "weaken" the SIP if its to strong?

This is all making my head hurt lol.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Civicman86 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So I should get the SIP instead of the IP, and the 106ff clear coat finisher as well. And also make sure to get a variety of pads inorder to "weaken" the SIP if its to strong?

This is all making my head hurt lol. </TD></TR></TABLE>

get SIP, 106FF, a yellow, orange, white, and blue or black pad.

 

Hey E-Rok, long time no see.
I am just going to go ahead and throw my 2 cents in here as well.

It has always been my experience that Honda paint is on the EXTREMELY soft side. Usually what I would do for Honda paint is start out with a fairly aggressive polish and a medium cut pad. Say PB SSR 2.5 or OC. Usually with a Megs red pad or a LC orange. The PC has never let me down with honda paint.
Usually the combo of more aggressive pad and compound will leave a slight amount of hazing.
THEN I will usually follow up with OP (my favorite) and the megs Yellow pad. This combo has almost NEVER let me down, and never has with honda paint.

The prep is what really is going to make your paint insanely beautiful. The LSPs will make it look super nice but if your prep sucks then you arent going to get the results you are looking for.
As far as sealants and waxes, I agree with whoever said that they prefer sealants on silver.
I would go with Zaino Z2 layered 3-4 times with Z8 wipedowns between.

Edit: OP that is a clean looking civic, nice car


Modified by LastDetail at 9:59 PM 11/28/2007

 

Hey thanks for the comment.

Im thinking of using the Jeffs Acrylic, and maybe topping it with the p21s? That way I get the sealant a hopefully the depth of the p21s wax. Does that sounds like a good plan maybe? It seems like alot of people do the sealant then a wax on top.

I might try your zaino process too, I have used their wax in the past and liked it. I just want to get my feet wet in other brands as well.

I just bought a PC last night, looking to get some pads here in the next week or so. Then hopefully my wax/sealant/polish. Then plan on doing some more reading/studying, then its game time