How to do you know the polish product is good ?

[stevenwu]

Hi all,

How do you know the polish products that you are using is GOOD as compared to others ? because there are so many in the market.

a) having waxy feel even after a couple of car washes ?

b) shine after weeks ?

c) able to withstand bird shit or tree/fruit juices ?

d) rain mark ?

Take the assumption that a polish is done only every 3 mths.

How to justify ?

need advice.

 

[four4s]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

in my humble opinion, sometimes it depends on what colour your car is... e.g. very difficult to see water spots/marks on titanium silver or any bright metallics unless under flourescent lighting. Other factors incl. how often you wash your car, whether you have a sheltered parking lot etc.

shine is also subjective.... personally i feel that most of the shine comes from good prep i.e. no swirls/overspray/embedded contaminants/holograms etc. and the glaze/paint cleanser, and not the wax/sealant...

if you have a dark coloured car... 3 months is a bit stretching it in my opinion... 1.5 - 2 months is probably a more realistic expectation for dark cars in our climate.

so to summise... personally, light coloured (white) and bright metallics, i'd go for looks cos of the colour's natural ability to surpress depth. Dark coloured cars, i'd go for protection against water spots/bird bombs and ease of releasing dirt during a wash (that's where a high end carnauba wax comes is in its element). I'd compromise on the looks, relying on occasional spot claying and careful washing (minimise the swirls) to maintain the shine.

I'm certain that there's a product out there that would be just right for your needs.

hope that helps,
cheers

 

[stevenwu]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

Hi Four4s,

So for the alpine white, which product you recommend ?

I am using organic car wash shampoo Zymol....have you try it ?

also, after several washes, the waxy has no longer on my car paint work BUT I can still see water droplets when I sprayed over with water.....good sign ?

pls advice

 

[milk15]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

I think tat's a question for terry......... one of the few experts on polishing, washing or waxing..............

***** paging.... paging...... terry..... :laughlik:

 

[four4s]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

zymol, the green one? yah, have tried that. It's a good OTC car shampoo, and smells of coconuts.

so you're saying that the slickness is gone but it still beads when you spray with water... slickness going after a few washes is not uncommon... you can maintain/prolong slickness with a good quick detailer or "wax booster" after a wash. I rather use beading as a yardstick of the amount of protection.

If you want to use beading as a yardstick of the amount of protection left on your car, then it is important to have a reference point.
My car will still bead rather loosely without any wax on it after i have just polished it (or "paint restored" it as some would say) and IPA-ed it.
So observe the amount of beading on your car without any wax/product on (you can strip most waxes with 50/50 mix of IPA/distilled water), and then observe the amount of beading after you have just waxed your car... you can even use ur handphone camera to record this down on a horizontal panel. After which, it's just a matter of keeping track of the size of the beads.
So to answer your question of whether if it is a good sign... i can't really say objectively.... furthermore, a clean car will bead better than a dirty car because of higher surface tension, and some products tend to sheet water off the car instead of bead them after a thunderstorm.

abt your request on products that i'd recommend, i'll pm you later.

 

[Terry]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

I think tat's a question for terry......... one of the few experts on polishing, washing or waxing..............

***** paging.... paging...... terry..... :laughlik:

no no no...i like to do..but not expert...bro four4s is the expert...he gave me very good advices... hahaha

actually slickness doesnt mean no protection... my paint dont feel slick anymore but still bead water very well..hehe

 

[adroit]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

Slickness comes from waxes, and protection is more from sealants.

Beading is the best way to determine if the protection is still there. Another way is to spray quik-detailer on your car, if it wipes off easily without streaks, you can rest easy, otherwise, need to spend $$ or efforts liao.

Most synthetic based car washes are 'stronger', thus they wash off the waxes very fast. Organic car washes like the Zymol ones, the Blue one or the CLEAR that R2D uses, are easier on the wax. Synthetic waxes like Yellow Tech Wax from Meguair's lasts longer, while natural waxes like Zymol or Swissvax are not as lasting, although results are more fantastic.

Good grooming products must be easy to apply, and more importantly, EASY TO WIPE OFF. Not only that you use less effort, u leave lesser hairlines on the paint whilst trying to wipe off the products.

How long do once? Hard to say, if i park my car under shelter all the time, 3-4months, otherwise 1-2 months need to do liao. To prolong the protection, do something similar to R2D's premium wash every 2 weeks.

For white cars, it is very difficult to get the shine and depth even after waxing, altough you gain the advantage of not having obvious swirls and scratches all the time even if you dun wash your car. Zymol will be able to 'brighten' the car well, otherwise, just a high gloss sealant should do the trick.

 

[four4s]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

no no no...i like to do..but not expert...bro four4s is the expert...he gave me very good advices... hahaha

actually slickness doesnt mean no protection... my paint dont feel slick anymore but still bead water very well..hehe

wah piang.... i would never admit to being an expert lah.. that would be using the word too loosely.. when i see people like gen2 who are so skilled with a rotary who can finish off a 2 step without any swirls and with only 1 machine, they are the real deal experts... he's a very nice guy too, willing to chat abt detailing when he has the time. R2D's work on sam's car also show off how good they are as well. All these pros are the experts lah.
anyhow, after seeing your car in person, it's probably the most shiny car in bmw-sg (that i've seen in person) in my opinion (combi of jet black plus cleaner fluid and concorso)... so i would probably be the one asking you for advice soon bro.

 

[Terry]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

haha... your car is also perfect la bro...

btw the wax sweating was a pain in the ass man.. haha..but its all good now..

its been 1 month since i waxed the car..i drive my car everyday...everywhere... rain or shine...

the wax is still holding good..water beading still amazing...

 

[dukes4]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

zymol, the green one? yah, have tried that. It's a good OTC car shampoo, and smells of coconuts.

so you're saying that the slickness is gone but it still beads when you spray with water... slickness going after a few washes is not uncommon... you can maintain/prolong slickness with a good quick detailer or "wax booster" after a wash. I rather use beading as a yardstick of the amount of protection.

If you want to use beading as a yardstick of the amount of protection left on your car, then it is important to have a reference point.
My car will still bead rather loosely without any wax on it after i have just polished it (or "paint restored" it as some would say) and IPA-ed it.
So observe the amount of beading on your car without any wax/product on (you can strip most waxes with 50/50 mix of IPA/distilled water), and then observe the amount of beading after you have just waxed your car... you can even use ur handphone camera to record this down on a horizontal panel. After which, it's just a matter of keeping track of the size of the beads.
So to answer your question of whether if it is a good sign... i can't really say objectively.... furthermore, a clean car will bead better than a dirty car because of higher surface tension, and some products tend to sheet water off the car instead of bead them after a thunderstorm.

abt your request on products that i'd recommend, i'll pm you later.

hi four4s, can pm me the info also thanks

 

[dukes4]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

im using autogym, is this product any good?

 

[four4s]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

There are many autoglym products, which one are you referring to? If i'm not wrong, I think mockngbrd uses some autoglym products so maybe he can chime in his opinion about it.

 

[motorknut]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

i've tried quite a few shampoos, Zymol too. That's pretty good, makes the car shine, and the skin on my hands didn't start peeling afterward like it did when I used NXT shampoo.

Anyone here used Optimum? I'm trying out their wax, regular car shampoo and No Rinse shampoo. Seems good so far, and water still beads so think the wax I applied is still intact after a number of washes.

A friend recently commented that my car shined like crazy after I used some No Rinse solution as detailer and went over the whole car. Their wax is good for lazy people like me, cos it's spray on. Plus it's carnauba polymer, so it's supposed to last (or so I've read).

 

[four4s]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

yah, i'm a huge optimum fan... i've been using the no-rinse wash for a few years now... it's my go to car wash.. takes a few times to get used to it and there's a slight learning curve to prevent marring/scratches. Their normal wash is fantastic as well, smells good and fantastic lubricity. I can't recommend it highly enuff. I find that their product for protecting the interior dash/plastics - Optimum protection plus - is the best in the market personally. It gives a fantastic OEM matt look.

 

[motorknut]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

Their normal wash is fantastic as well, smells good and fantastic lubricity. I can't recommend it highly enuff. I find that their product for protecting the interior dash/plastics - Optimum protection plus - is the best in the market personally. It gives a fantastic OEM matt look.

I totally agree on the fantastic smell. In fact, I mix 1-2 caps of the No rinse together with the regular shampoo and it smells amazing. Like lychees! Now when I wash the wheels, I just spray on some self made No Rinse detailer solution to prevent the brake dust from scratching too much. fantastic stuff.

I haven't tried the Protector Plus, but I got some for a friend and he says his black dash looks so dark now and he loves it. I read that it can be used on the rubber seals as well as leather seats. I might put some on the rubber trim and seals to get that UV protection. Four4s: have you tried the OPP on anything apart from the interior?

 

[kenntona]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

IMO, gotta split products into sealants versus waxes.....

Sealants: two schools - carnauba wax (example Swissol, now replaced by Swissvax) or polymer sealant (example Merzena). The former is natural. However, do note that carnauba needs to be blended with oils, petroleum distillates, or a solvent called naptha to be workable - hence the concerns over long-term protection. As for polymers, it bonds to the paint like a shell. It does not shine like the warm carnauba that seems to melt into the paint. They are glossy and slick, but carnauba users swear by the warmth and depth.

Polish/Waxes - gloss versus durability. I find Zaino's Z5 and Z8 to be highly glossy, but not durable. Water beading is perfect, though. MacGuire's NXT is more durable but application is more hectic than Zaino,

 

[four4s]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

I totally agree on the fantastic smell. In fact, I mix 1-2 caps of the No rinse together with the regular shampoo and it smells amazing. Like lychees! Now when I wash the wheels, I just spray on some self made No Rinse detailer solution to prevent the brake dust from scratching too much. fantastic stuff.

I haven't tried the Protector Plus, but I got some for a friend and he says his black dash looks so dark now and he loves it. I read that it can be used on the rubber seals as well as leather seats. I might put some on the rubber trim and seals to get that UV protection. Four4s: have you tried the OPP on anything apart from the interior?

yah, i use Protector plus on my wiper main arm to give them a flat black look again. works great for that. Don't really use it on leather cos i've got other products for leather. I love that it's a very economical product... don't need to use a lot to achieve results...

 

[centurion]

Re: How to do you know the polish product is good ?

IMO, gotta split products into sealants versus waxes.....

Sealants: two schools - carnauba wax (example Swissol, now replaced by Swissvax) or polymer sealant (example Merzena). The former is natural. However, do note that carnauba needs to be blended with oils, petroleum distillates, or a solvent called naptha to be workable - hence the concerns over long-term protection. As for polymers, it bonds to the paint like a shell. It does not shine like the warm carnauba that seems to melt into the paint. They are glossy and slick, but carnauba users swear by the warmth and depth.

Polish/Waxes - gloss versus durability. I find Zaino's Z5 and Z8 to be highly glossy, but not durable. Water beading is perfect, though. MacGuire's NXT is more durable but application is more hectic than Zaino,

kenn, just for discussion's sake ....

I think waxes are sealants, and polishes are another category altogether. From the classical school of exterior detailing, here are the steps.

Cleaning the paint:
1) Wash loose dirt - automotive shampoo
2) Strip old wax - Mama Lemon
3) Scrape away bonded contaminants - new fangled claybar

Conditioning the paint - adding back some oils back to your paint to re-activate the lustre:
1) Pure polish treatment - those polishes with abrasives are actually dual purpose chemicals, combining cleaning step 3 and conditioning.

Sealing the cleaned paint
1) Carnauba waxes or synthetic polymers.

How to tell whether the polish is good? Simple way: use your eyes. Simpler but expensive: get a gloss meter.

How to tell whether the waxes are good - see how long the water beads. And after you wash your car, run your finger through the paint - can you feel any bonded contaminants after your 3rd time washing?