Best way to polish/wax car paintwork?

[earwig999]

I have noticed I am getting a lot of 'swirls' on my paintwork. I guess this is from visiting the car wash twice a month.

What is the best way to get rid of these and help rejuvinate the colour back into the paintwork.

I tried previously by hand but made such a mess of it I ended up taking it to the car wash anyway, lol!

Should I get an orbital buffer, what polish or wax should I use and how much pressure should I apply etc.?

Thanks.

 

[NoodlesJoe]

The Best And Only Way To Do It,
Is The Mr Miyagi Way lmao

 

[chrispeters]

I have noticed I am getting a lot of 'swirls' on my paintwork. I guess this is from visiting the car wash twice a month.

What is the best way to get rid of these and help rejuvinate the colour back into the paintwork.

I tried previously by hand but made such a mess of it I ended up taking it to the car wash anyway, lol!

Should I get an orbital buffer, what polish or wax should I use and how much pressure should I apply etc.?

Thanks.

Seriously .... go to maplin and buy a Buffer kit for your drill cost £10
then goto halfords and buy ... auto glyms super resin polish
attach buffer to drill , put drill at FULL SPEED and go for it
i do this maybe once every 2 month !!
it takes 1-2 hours , concentrate on small areas at a time .
Dont be scared of applying a little pressure cause the buffers from maplin are very thick !!

 

[Oily]

I wouldn't go at 'full speed' as this tends to build up heat which isn't a good thing.

Go for an orbital buffer but get yourself a claybar first http://www.performancemotorcare.com/acatalog/Clay_Bars2.html?kw=clay%20bar&fl=14161&ci=1214908290&network=s&gclid=CJ3exd6ey6ACFSaElAodcBQ9aQ
This will get rid off any paint contamination etc first before you polish it

 

[Rodbouy]

claybar it 1st mate but keep it lubbed up to prvent marring.

To learn I would rec o mend getting some german applicators and Autoglym SRP. Very Very easy to apply by hand. Its only a filler and wont remove swirls but after a few applications it will fill and mask them. Its really good stuff. I use it with the wax every 3 months.

Give it a good clean, ure MF sponge and MF cloths to reduce swirls.

After the polish get your self a good wax. I use FK1000p. Apply with some foam applicators. Again really easy to apply.


Also get some low tac masking tape, and tape up the edges and rubber trim as it can be a nightmare to remove.


But If your going to machine polish it, buy a kit from a detailing website with the proper pads and polish then get a sheet of scrap bodywork from a scrap yard a practice as its really easy to burn through the top layer and you dont want that.

 

[Joe1989]

Steps to get your paintwork amazing is:

wash thoughoully no dirt or anything like that
Then get a clay bar and clay the body work until its all smooth (This removes dirt that may cerate more swriles when trying to polish)


Once these two steps are done you will likeyly all ready see an improvment, However there is more you can do such as

Swirle remover
G3 with water
t-cut

Each of the three product above will "cut" the lacker and remove the swieral but you shouldnt use them all the time or go mental as you can damage the paint. You would probbley be better useing a little bit of g3 and water as its fairly strong. For best results you should look into getting a mop (about 40 quid) witch makes light work of all this with some mirofiber cloths, you can do it by hand as well but it takes forever.

Once you have done this stage you can then apply polish first then wax of you choice i use miguries 3 step as its amazing, and because i keep up on the wax i havnet had to g3 my bodywork since i first got the car.

Have a look here as there is loads of tips and here is the guide to miguires 3 step program witch gives you excellent results!:

A world for detailers...

and there is a guide to macguires 3 step but i cant find it the now will post it later for you!

Cheers

Joe.

 

[Manse]

another good tip, use 2 buckets to wash car.
One with shampoo one with just clean water, after using the sponge (woolen mit is lot better) rinse all the dirt out of it in clean water bucket to remove all grit etc then back into soapy bucket.
also look on fleabay for a silverline polisher, i got one of there with 3 heads, ok for beginers even if the mops aint the best, but go gently at first because some paint jobs are thinner then others,german cars are alot thicker then japanese cars.
another if you do buy the clay you can always mix hair condioner with water in a spray bottle to lube it and the car.

 

[D 8 RCS]

The absolute best way to polish and wax your car is to get your wife to do it !!!
If there are still streaks and swirls then you can blame her.
I am certain you won't get any better advice than this