wax/polish
New User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9
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From: Vail, AZ
in my experience, 3M products are awesome at cleaning deep-down dirt from light colors and removing swirl marks on dark colors. i would consider silver a dark color and use 3M #39006 to clean and shine it up. then after a month when it starts to wear off, apply Turtle Wax liquid for longer lasting protection. if ur really serious about protection, try boat wax. i've never used boat wax so if anyone has i'm curious how it worked.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 411
Likes: 0
My Forte!
Hello, alright so I can finally show that I know something on this forum. During summer break of college classes, on top of being a trim carpenter, I detail concourse car collections for side cash. That and the fact I get to drive some really really gorgeous "make you want to drool" 
cars for all of a mile. So I am going to share the prefessionals way of doing this. It is amazing how much different it looks afterwards. I usually do the entire process to my toy twice a year, and whenever else for a show or what not. Plus, this gives you time away from the girlfriend/wife/ etc... Not that we would ever want that 
. So I ask those of you reading this is you would like a detailed desciption of how to prepare your truck or vehicle for shows/daily driving/ of just pickin' up women. If so, just reply on here and I will gladly spill all my knowledge. Or feel free to ask general questions.
cars for all of a mile. So I am going to share the prefessionals way of doing this. It is amazing how much different it looks afterwards. I usually do the entire process to my toy twice a year, and whenever else for a show or what not. Plus, this gives you time away from the girlfriend/wife/ etc... Not that we would ever want that . So I ask those of you reading this is you would like a detailed desciption of how to prepare your truck or vehicle for shows/daily driving/ of just pickin' up women. If so, just reply on here and I will gladly spill all my knowledge. Or feel free to ask general questions.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,231
Likes: 0
From: Valley of the Sun AZ
I have a 99 silver and a 01 silver and I have used Meguires three stage in the past as well as The Wax Shops glaze. Wax Shop is very slick and very easy to use. Meguires give you a really deep polish. Take you time and learn to use an obrital buffer, because it makes the shine pop.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 411
Likes: 0
Detailing Bible
So hello to ya'll out there who responded and are wanting me to impart my so called wisdom. I hope this helps, you will be amazed at the difference you see, not only directly after, but in the fact that maintenance washes will still have that just waxed look without the effort. That is the real reason you use these products. Because they last, last well, and retain the just waxed look through many washings, or about 6months. I would first like to apologize for those of you just wanting a basic knowledge, as this will be a very long post.
Towels, NEVER SPONGES NOR SHAMOIS
I am sure most of you have heard that towels scratch paint and that is the cause of "swirl marks, fine scratches, or the spider web effect." The is completely false, cheap towels cause these lines by having a 100% cotton nap, but a Nylon towel. My advice is to have 5 towels. Use them for a year and throw them out. I prefer bath size towels because of the amount of area you have to work with. It is extremely important to make sure the towels you buy say 100% cotton nap, and 100%cotton towel. IT MUST SAY BOTH! Otherwise you are getting nylon. One more reason we use towels is because the nap of a towel, it cushions the dirt particles missed during washing and helps to PREVENT those particles from touching the paint. A sponge or shamois will simply smear the particle around the paint surface. OUCH!!! You are also to use these towels for drying. I find it best to use one for washing, one for drying and the other 3 will be discussed later. When you purchase your towels cut all traces of tread and edges off of the towel. that's right, all four sides need to be cut so there is no trim, thread, or deisgn patern in your towel. By the way, white towels are the best because you can see and large particles are you are washing and drying and remove them. To wash these towels. Always wash them seperately of anything, INCLUDING house towels. Do NOT use any fabric softener or bleach with these towels. Only use original tide, and make sure you do a second rinse after the washer is finished, before moving them to the dryer. Again, in the dryer DO NOT use and fabric sheets. These chemicals and perfumes are transfered from the towel, to the paint when the towel gets wet, and can cause uneven paint tones until all of the chemicals are removed.
Polish apposed to Wax
There are many folks who believe these are two of the same. This is very untrue. A polish works by re-conditioning a clear coat, it will not remove contaminents. A wax works by stripping away a layer of clear coat to bring a newer appearing surface. Waxing on a yearly basis is extremely hard on your clear coat. I personally never wax or buff, unless the paint is in an extremely dull condition. There is no need for it, if you follow my instructions.
Products
The only products I use be it on my personal truck or clients, are from a company called Zaino. They can only be found at www.zainostore.com. I used many of things over the years, and believe there is NOTHING that even comes close to the shine, durability, and shine retention that these products offer. I have things even far more expensive, but they still fall short. To answer those of you have don't believe me, I have tried your beloved Image 10, Zymol, Meguires, 3M Gold etc.... Try their products and you'll see why. Trust me, you will find many multi-million dollar vehicles with Zaino on them.
Surface Preparation
To begin with you need to remove old build-up of polishes before even washing the car and preparing it for new polish. This is accomplished by washing the vehicle with Dawn dishwashing liquid. To wash properly, on top panels, go left to right, and on vertical or side panels go up and down. NEVER all around!!! Please understand, you are NOT to do this every time you want to polish or wash. This is only done once a year, usually at the beginning of spring, to prepare for that beautiful summer shine. After washing, no need to dry, you will need to "clay" the car surface. What this acheives is the removal of, pitted dirt, tar, extra stuck bugs, overspray, and most importantly it removes industrial contaminents. The product you will be using for this is the Z-18 Clay bar. You will also need to use their Z-6 gloss enhancer to lubricate the clay so it is not to stick to the surface, use the Z-6 sparingly, usually one spray will lube a 2'x2' section. After you have completed the entire vehicle with this process you are ready to begin.
Step 1: Washing- Yes you are going to be washing it again, this is to remove the clay and contaminents picked up by the clay. Again, side to side on top panels and up and down on side panels. Wash top to bottom and after all the truck is washed you may then and only then, wash the remaining tar from the bottom of the side panels created by the tires, and wash the wheels as well. But you CAN NOT!!! use this towel again until it is washed. Product: Z-7 car soap. You are now going to want to wash this towel, and the towel you used with dawn per my washing instructions, a 7 minute wash is usually sufficient, just don't forget to double rinse.
Step 2: Drying- Ok, everyone hates this step, so do I, but the results are worth it. Again following the same panel direction go ahead and dry it, and I mean dry, don't just wipe off the running water and call it dry. Water spots aren't that big of an issue, but do the best you can. Now go ahead and move the towels from the washer to the dryer. Again, make sure they have been double rinsed.
Step 3: Polish Prep- Ok, here you will be wiping the vehicle down with Z-6. Yes, that is same product you used with the clay bar. The reason is because it acts as a bonding agent, and helps the polish lock onto the surface better. YOU MUST GET AT LEAST ONE COAT on the same day you strip and clay. Remember, there is nothing left but clear coat and paint after claying, but that is what give you the results you are looking for, without the harshness of waxing. Spray a squirt or two and rub with a clean towel until it is worked into the surface, and no liquid remains, you should feel the towel start to glide over the surface once it is worked into the paint, at least more so that the start of the day. Secondly, remember a little goes a good distance with this stuff, I usually find one squirt does about 12"x12" of this step. But you'll be able to tell. You are also getting rid of any water stops and debris you missed on the other steps.
Step 4: Polishing- You are finally here, one coat will last about 6 months, however there is a step in between applying more than one coat. You will not be using your towels here. You will be using a zaino polish applicator. The reason is again, nap. These applicators, unlike those of most other brands are not foam, they have a nap to cushion and dried polish or particle missed. Just be sure and trim any loose strings on the pad before using. Product: Z-5, and ZFX. Yes, that's right, it's a two part polish. The reason, ZFX is an activator, when you receive your products you will understand more. I like to use 9 DROPS of ZFX mixed with two onces of Z-5. The bottles provided with ZFX are already two onces. So just fill and add 9 drops of ZFX and shake vigorously for a minimum of 60 seconds. Make sure all traces of the blue ZFX are mixed in. I realize you are thinking what good 2 onces is going to do on a truck. But usually 3-5 onces of this polish will do an entire coat on a truck. Pretty cool huh? This polish is used sparingly, using the same side to side and up and down motion only. NO CIRCULAR MOTIONS!!!!! I like to apply the polish mix to the applicator before the paint, but everyone has their one preferences, just experiment.
Step 5: Wax Removal- Usually by time you have finished polishing, it is dry. Average drying is only about 20 minutes. This product doesn't haze much. It is actually formulated to haze the least amount possible. The reason being is dryed polish, IS ABBRASIVE!. To remove, use another clean towel, stay with the same side to side motion on top panels, and top to bottom motion on side panels. No other motions are permitted! Try to shake your towel after every panel as to remove as much drying polish as possible. Just another safety precaution. After you have removed your polish you need to Z-6 the vehicle one last time. This is just to be sure all polish has been removed. It is also necessary between coats. Another coat is up to you, on show vehicles 2 coats is standard, however even as a daily driver, the more coats you add, the depth you get. Depth is what sets winners and losers apart. To be able to look into a paint and see miles of reflections. That is what drives the ladies crazy!
Towels, NEVER SPONGES NOR SHAMOIS
I am sure most of you have heard that towels scratch paint and that is the cause of "swirl marks, fine scratches, or the spider web effect." The is completely false, cheap towels cause these lines by having a 100% cotton nap, but a Nylon towel. My advice is to have 5 towels. Use them for a year and throw them out. I prefer bath size towels because of the amount of area you have to work with. It is extremely important to make sure the towels you buy say 100% cotton nap, and 100%cotton towel. IT MUST SAY BOTH! Otherwise you are getting nylon. One more reason we use towels is because the nap of a towel, it cushions the dirt particles missed during washing and helps to PREVENT those particles from touching the paint. A sponge or shamois will simply smear the particle around the paint surface. OUCH!!! You are also to use these towels for drying. I find it best to use one for washing, one for drying and the other 3 will be discussed later. When you purchase your towels cut all traces of tread and edges off of the towel. that's right, all four sides need to be cut so there is no trim, thread, or deisgn patern in your towel. By the way, white towels are the best because you can see and large particles are you are washing and drying and remove them. To wash these towels. Always wash them seperately of anything, INCLUDING house towels. Do NOT use any fabric softener or bleach with these towels. Only use original tide, and make sure you do a second rinse after the washer is finished, before moving them to the dryer. Again, in the dryer DO NOT use and fabric sheets. These chemicals and perfumes are transfered from the towel, to the paint when the towel gets wet, and can cause uneven paint tones until all of the chemicals are removed.
Polish apposed to Wax
There are many folks who believe these are two of the same. This is very untrue. A polish works by re-conditioning a clear coat, it will not remove contaminents. A wax works by stripping away a layer of clear coat to bring a newer appearing surface. Waxing on a yearly basis is extremely hard on your clear coat. I personally never wax or buff, unless the paint is in an extremely dull condition. There is no need for it, if you follow my instructions.
Products
The only products I use be it on my personal truck or clients, are from a company called Zaino. They can only be found at www.zainostore.com. I used many of things over the years, and believe there is NOTHING that even comes close to the shine, durability, and shine retention that these products offer. I have things even far more expensive, but they still fall short. To answer those of you have don't believe me, I have tried your beloved Image 10, Zymol, Meguires, 3M Gold etc.... Try their products and you'll see why. Trust me, you will find many multi-million dollar vehicles with Zaino on them.
Surface Preparation
To begin with you need to remove old build-up of polishes before even washing the car and preparing it for new polish. This is accomplished by washing the vehicle with Dawn dishwashing liquid. To wash properly, on top panels, go left to right, and on vertical or side panels go up and down. NEVER all around!!! Please understand, you are NOT to do this every time you want to polish or wash. This is only done once a year, usually at the beginning of spring, to prepare for that beautiful summer shine. After washing, no need to dry, you will need to "clay" the car surface. What this acheives is the removal of, pitted dirt, tar, extra stuck bugs, overspray, and most importantly it removes industrial contaminents. The product you will be using for this is the Z-18 Clay bar. You will also need to use their Z-6 gloss enhancer to lubricate the clay so it is not to stick to the surface, use the Z-6 sparingly, usually one spray will lube a 2'x2' section. After you have completed the entire vehicle with this process you are ready to begin.
Step 1: Washing- Yes you are going to be washing it again, this is to remove the clay and contaminents picked up by the clay. Again, side to side on top panels and up and down on side panels. Wash top to bottom and after all the truck is washed you may then and only then, wash the remaining tar from the bottom of the side panels created by the tires, and wash the wheels as well. But you CAN NOT!!! use this towel again until it is washed. Product: Z-7 car soap. You are now going to want to wash this towel, and the towel you used with dawn per my washing instructions, a 7 minute wash is usually sufficient, just don't forget to double rinse.
Step 2: Drying- Ok, everyone hates this step, so do I, but the results are worth it. Again following the same panel direction go ahead and dry it, and I mean dry, don't just wipe off the running water and call it dry. Water spots aren't that big of an issue, but do the best you can. Now go ahead and move the towels from the washer to the dryer. Again, make sure they have been double rinsed.
Step 3: Polish Prep- Ok, here you will be wiping the vehicle down with Z-6. Yes, that is same product you used with the clay bar. The reason is because it acts as a bonding agent, and helps the polish lock onto the surface better. YOU MUST GET AT LEAST ONE COAT on the same day you strip and clay. Remember, there is nothing left but clear coat and paint after claying, but that is what give you the results you are looking for, without the harshness of waxing. Spray a squirt or two and rub with a clean towel until it is worked into the surface, and no liquid remains, you should feel the towel start to glide over the surface once it is worked into the paint, at least more so that the start of the day. Secondly, remember a little goes a good distance with this stuff, I usually find one squirt does about 12"x12" of this step. But you'll be able to tell. You are also getting rid of any water stops and debris you missed on the other steps.
Step 4: Polishing- You are finally here, one coat will last about 6 months, however there is a step in between applying more than one coat. You will not be using your towels here. You will be using a zaino polish applicator. The reason is again, nap. These applicators, unlike those of most other brands are not foam, they have a nap to cushion and dried polish or particle missed. Just be sure and trim any loose strings on the pad before using. Product: Z-5, and ZFX. Yes, that's right, it's a two part polish. The reason, ZFX is an activator, when you receive your products you will understand more. I like to use 9 DROPS of ZFX mixed with two onces of Z-5. The bottles provided with ZFX are already two onces. So just fill and add 9 drops of ZFX and shake vigorously for a minimum of 60 seconds. Make sure all traces of the blue ZFX are mixed in. I realize you are thinking what good 2 onces is going to do on a truck. But usually 3-5 onces of this polish will do an entire coat on a truck. Pretty cool huh? This polish is used sparingly, using the same side to side and up and down motion only. NO CIRCULAR MOTIONS!!!!! I like to apply the polish mix to the applicator before the paint, but everyone has their one preferences, just experiment.
Step 5: Wax Removal- Usually by time you have finished polishing, it is dry. Average drying is only about 20 minutes. This product doesn't haze much. It is actually formulated to haze the least amount possible. The reason being is dryed polish, IS ABBRASIVE!. To remove, use another clean towel, stay with the same side to side motion on top panels, and top to bottom motion on side panels. No other motions are permitted! Try to shake your towel after every panel as to remove as much drying polish as possible. Just another safety precaution. After you have removed your polish you need to Z-6 the vehicle one last time. This is just to be sure all polish has been removed. It is also necessary between coats. Another coat is up to you, on show vehicles 2 coats is standard, however even as a daily driver, the more coats you add, the depth you get. Depth is what sets winners and losers apart. To be able to look into a paint and see miles of reflections. That is what drives the ladies crazy!
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 411
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Help!!!
Ok so I was over the character limit, so I deleted part and pasted it, and now I'm trying to paste the rest I wrote, but it says IMG TAG, I'm assuming because I coppied it to word so i didn't have to write it over again, needs to be enabled by the administrator. SO PLEASE DO SOOO!!!! There is still 3 important and final steps left. Not to mention how long these bottles of products will last. For those of you that you like the rest. Please e-mail me and I will send the rest directly to you, until they have the prob fixed. Thanks and Sorry
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Senior User
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 385
Likes: 0
From: Flat Rock, Michigan
redfeathers,
Buy Mothers clay bar kit. Follow directions and clay-out your paint. Then get some meguires #6 cleaner/polish and apply with an orbital polisher, i personally use a PORTER CABLE RANDOM ORBITAL BUFFER 7424 and get better than showroom results when used on a speed setting of 3.
Just my opinion here....i would NEVER wash a vehicle with dish liquid soap because of the stripping and streaking action. It's just too harsh. The clay bar and detailer-lube combination willl more than do the job of removing any and all contaminates from the paint surface. The #6 meguires will remove swirl marks and haze from your clearcoat leaving your paint looking glass-like WET when finished.
-hooD
Buy Mothers clay bar kit. Follow directions and clay-out your paint. Then get some meguires #6 cleaner/polish and apply with an orbital polisher, i personally use a PORTER CABLE RANDOM ORBITAL BUFFER 7424 and get better than showroom results when used on a speed setting of 3.
Just my opinion here....i would NEVER wash a vehicle with dish liquid soap because of the stripping and streaking action. It's just too harsh. The clay bar and detailer-lube combination willl more than do the job of removing any and all contaminates from the paint surface. The #6 meguires will remove swirl marks and haze from your clearcoat leaving your paint looking glass-like WET when finished.
-hooD
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 411
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by PCS
I have heard of the clay bar,but have yet to seen one. Who carrys this ?
Thanks,
Thanks,