Wax or Polish?

dillosk8ter · Post by **dillosk8ter** » 09 Apr 2005, 17:01

Whats the difference in finish between waxing and polishing?
Also what is the best brand of car cleaning products?

Stuart McB · Post by **Stuart McB** » 09 Apr 2005, 17:34

Auto glym, I found are the best. They do all sorts of polish, waxes. Stay away from that wash 'n' wax as it leaves the windscreen all smery when you put the wiper on in the rain.

dillosk8ter · Post by **dillosk8ter** » 09 Apr 2005, 17:49

Yeah, I gave up on that years ago......wasn't the best a removing dirt either, especially bug splatter in the summer.

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 09 Apr 2005, 18:05

After washing the car I clean all the funny marks off (Damn ebay why was this one white too) with Auto Glym paint conditioner, then I waxed the thing with Mer car polish, that was before the winter and while the car has been very dirty a number of times the clag just doesnt stick to it, I wash it using car shampoo and rinse with a hose, I agree with Stuart about shampoo causing windows to smear and use Auto glym glass cleaner occasionally. Then I rub black handprints and smears of LHM all over it
Stewart[}:)]

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 09 Apr 2005, 18:23

Autoglym is good and I use it but once a year, the lower half of the car gets a good waxing with Simoniz Yellow wax. I don't polish it to a shine,
I just remove it in the spring.
Plastic trim? Armor all. Nothing to beat it.
Glass. Windolene and Rain-x

turbolag · Post by **turbolag** » 09 Apr 2005, 21:29

Wax and sealers provide a protective and shiny paint finish. Polishes usually provide a cutting action, usually mild but often coarse too, which sometimes also lay on a protective coat. that siad, the terms seem somewhat interchangeable these days so check carefully before buying.
Auto Glym products aren't my favourite, being expensive to buy and are famed for the dust they produce. That said, their upholstory cleaner is probably the best.
Megs is popular. not my fave due to the price but a wide range with seemingly a product for every body care job available.
Armor All wax is a popular budget choice and it's shine and water beading proerties are as good as some of the Megs stuff at 1/3 the price. Their tyre foam is the best bar none.
Swissol is excellent waxy but pricy (30 to 100 quid a tin, depending on the blend) as it was originally developed for the Bugatti Royale, but is high in carnauba and works well.
My current fave is Auto Balm wax/sealer from Bilt Hamber. 15 quid for 300 ml tin puts in in Megs price territory. No dust, excellent shine and swirl filling properties. Independant tests show it has the best anti corrosion properties of any of it's rivals so is probably worth it for that alone.
Don't lash out on expensive wax shampoos - Vauxhalls own brand is one of the best and very cheap and even the humble Turtle wax is actually pretty good. Megs etc all do them as well, but the performance in no way justifies the inflated prices.
Good luck.

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 09 Apr 2005, 21:48

Swissol was developed for the Bugatti Royale, was it?
Sounds like bXllshXt and having thought about it, would go as far as to say that that is not true at all.

turbolag · Post by **turbolag** » 09 Apr 2005, 22:01

"since 1930 the Anwander family of Switzerland has been creating magnificent wax formulations using the finest raw ingredients that contain no abrasives...Swissol wax 'Mystery', the company's founders own formula with 55% carnauba by volume of pure white carnauba, originally commisioned by the Bugatti concern for exclusive use on their range of motor cars"
That's from a 3 year old ad in Classic and Sportscar. OK, it doesn't say 'Royale' ( my memory playing games with me there) but I hardly think they'd make it all up for blatant circulation in a respected national publication, and at 290 quid for the 'Mystery' blend I would bl00dy well hope it was for some posh nobs paintwork.

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 09 Apr 2005, 22:25

£290 for a tin of polish! My compliments to the Emperor on his dress sense. (I'll bet that after fourteen days, it banishes all wrinkles.)

paranoid · Post by **paranoid** » 10 Apr 2005, 00:01

Old xant was very dull when I bought it so wore myself out polishing with mer which I have used for years, Then gave 2-3 coats of wax to protect the cut finish (about 2 weeks apart for each coat of wax)
The difference was amazing and it took weeks and weeks for it to get dirty again, got lots of compliments at work and off insurance assesor![V][V] then he wrote it off[V][V]
Went on lots of sites looking for waxes and settled on mequiers gold, its about £15 a tub but it looks like its going to last forever, apparently it's very big in the US Hot rod scene.
Several sites explain why polishing is a waste of effort unless you wax afterwards and now I can see why!!!!
They also go on about the combined Wax/polish as no good because a polish takes of the dead paint and wax seals the fresh finish.
Will find links to valeting sites.

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 10 Apr 2005, 00:26

Resin Glazes such as Autoglym don't seal paint as well as wax. A good lower body wax is made by heating slowly 1 ounce soap flakes,in 1 ounce water, an ounce of Turpentine and an ounce of beeswax. Whisk thoroughly and apply warmed. It is a swine to polish off and stays all winter, after which it is removed with white spirit.

turbolag · Post by **turbolag** » 10 Apr 2005, 01:24

Some guy was recently selling carnauba wax flakes on fleabay, so you could make you're own.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 10 Apr 2005, 02:01

Did Bugatti actually produce bodies - or was this contracted out to coachbuilders as was common practice then. (1st Rolls royce and Bently body built by them was the steel job introduced after WW11)
jeremy

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 10 Apr 2005, 02:07

Gangloff of Colmar about 20 miles away, was the house coachworks, bodying the "standard" Bugatti chassis.
And has anybody ever heard of Swissol before?
Werther's original springs to mind as a brand I didn't grow up with.
In the '60s, The undisputed polish of polishes was "Porzelack O"
which was used by Rolls-Royce. I'm sure that they would have used Swissol, had it been better (or even extant.)