New paint & protection

[woody]

The 160 escaped from hibernation last week with it's new paint still shining with ooodles of depth and free of blemishes. So as to look after my car and protect it's future value, I intend to purchase of, and apply to said 160, some sort of wax/glaze/chemical product to maintain the paint in said condition.

My knowledge of what to get in base at best; I currently have Meguire's Gold class wax, Meg. Clay, super resin polish and some mircofibere cloths. I looked on the chemical guy's website, but they have so many products listed it's not clear what would be best. Any pointers much appreciated; I know it will need clayed first, but from there what else....?

[mainsy]

all depends on how much you want to spend.
i am currently loving the dodo juice range just now. after clay depending on the condition of the paint, a hit or two of srp may be enough, to hide some swirls and marring. i personally like dodo juice lime prime lite as a glaze followed by two coats of dodo supernatural wax. i used to top this off with zaino z8 sealant but have started using dodo red mist sealant and the results are excellent.

as a cheaper alternative you could try auto glym hd wax. this is just as good as anything else i have tried. its durability is outstanding, my girlfriends car has had it on now for 4 months of winter driving and it is still beading well.

but tbh this is only just the start. to maintain the flawless finish you need to look at your wash technique so as not to inflict damage to the paint which is a science in itself

im sure some of the pro's will be along to give some better pointers

[DavieK]

The paint on our 160 is pretty bad but I've just started to get some stuff together for at least making it shiny if not pretty, hopefully i can fix some of the marks etc. later though.

If you want a place for geeks of the cleaning world try having a look around Detailing World have a good read there if you have a spare month or so!

I got some poorboys stuff along with others at christmas and from the little ive used them they seem to be pretty good.

[dezzy]

I mainly use Poorboy's products. Polish, EX-P Sealant and Carnuba wax. However, I'm about to give Menzerna Intensive Polish a go for removing swirls based on advice from Polished Bliss (and our very own Jason Liddell). That'll be followed by Autoglym SRP to fill in any remaining swirls (arguably the best product for masking/filling swirls).

You shouldn't need to do the intensive polishing if it's fresh paint. Just use a good sealant and a few coats of a good wax and it should be protected well.

Make sure you take car with washing though, as pointed out above.

The guys at Polished Bliss have given me so much fantastic advice over the years. If you drop them an email they will respond within a day or two. Just tell them the car, the paint colour, etc. and they'll recommend some products. Also have a look through their guides and new FAQs on their website. The contact email should also be on the website.

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/index.html

D

[woody]

The car has only been washed once since it was painted; there are as far as I can see no swirl marks on it. I took a few photos of the paint this morning, but I've lost the usb lead for the camera it appears, so they'll have to wait.

So basically I'll need a sealant then a wax after claying?

[dezzy]

If it's just painted, only been washed once and not been out on the road (and been stored in a garage or whatever) then you shouldn't need to clay. Run your fingertips gently over the paintwork and if it still feels smooth and there are no rough bits of tree sap/tar/etc then you shouldn't need to clay.

If that's the case, then just apply a sealant and then a wax. Stick on as many layers of wax as you can be bothered with.

D

[Paolo]

...you don't need a sealant and a wax mate - although plenty people do it it's often better to pick one or the other (as they effectively do the same job).

Sealants tend to offer more of a mirror-finish whereas wax a deeper, slicker finish. None of them really stops marks inflicted by washing your car with an old sponge from the garage floor, so it's a good idea to wash your car properly.

Also worth checking out http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

[Lazydonkey]

geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks

[RDH]

geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks

Get out and drive the it!

[woody]

geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks

Get out and drive the it!

I wish.


It does have a few swirls and tar spots, so will clay, SRP, wax and buy a glaze of some sort I think.

[Paolo]

geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks

Do I dress up in tight leathers???

[dezzy]