Car polish

capt_slog

Many years ago, I used to have a bottle of car polish. I'm pretty sure it was made by Simoniz, but could be wrong.

This was one of the first polymer type polishes. It was a pale blue liquid in a 500ml plastic bottle, heavy on the hydrocarbons in smell. It was amazing stuff, because you needed very little of it, as once you'd applied it, you could just clean the paintwork and rebuff it. I suppose that's why they stopped making it

It survived three house moves!

I've 'looked' at a few, (people in shops must think I'm a glue sniffer) but not seen anything like it now.

What do people recommend/use these days?

photonic69

Autoglym Super Resin Polish. Works well. Easy to apply. Doesn't cost loads. Can be got at Halfords

https://www.autoglym.com/super-resin-polish-1

pblakeney

I use Autoglym too but that is mostly out of habit rather than extensive research.
If it ain't broke etc. PS - cheaper to buy by the litre.

andyrr

I’ve some Bilt Hammer Double Speed Wax which is nice, applied to really clean paint it buffs off really easy and seems to help maintain a good shine and water & dirt repellency. Also just seen this offer - not used any of the products but they seem to be highly rated.
https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/bogof-for-hybrid-pro-flex-1-and-done-or-to-the-max-wax-meaning-ps875-each-free-shipping-4080615

wavefront

As above super resin polish is really good if you’re not going down the proper paint correction route. But I got in too deep when I last properly cleaned my car - ended up shampooing. using clay bars, polishing, waxing etc etc. Took me a solid weekend to do a Mini. But it looked better than showroom when done. If you haven’t already, read up on clay bars. Amazing!

photonic69

wavefront said:

As above super resin polish is really good if you’re not going down the proper paint correction route. But I got in too deep when I last properly cleaned my car - ended up shampooing. using clay bars, polishing, waxing etc etc. Took me a solid weekend to do a Mini. But it looked better than showroom when done. If you haven’t already, read up on clay bars. Amazing!

ONLY a weekend? You obviously were just giving it a touch up then lol
I got seriously into car detailing before I had kids and had Golf GTi's instead. I used to use the range of Meguiars clay bar, polishes and waxes. They smell great too. Cleaning the BBS split rims took soooooo long to clean and polish.
I find life's too short for that stuff now especially with riding at the weekends

Defblade

Another vote for Meguiars, I find they've the best cost:performance ratio

carbonclem

I use Meguiars wherever possible. Often on some 3 for 2 deals at Halfords.

photonic69

carbonclem said:

I use Meguiars wherever possible. Often on some 3 for 2 deals at Halfords.

When I visited the States quite a few years back Meguiars stuff there was dirt cheap. I brought back a detailing kit containing the 3-Step system including the clay bar, Crystal Paint Cleaner, Crystal Polish and Crystal Carnauba Wax. The paintwork was so very smooth afterwards that I rested the carnauba wax bottle on top of a buffing cloth on top of the roof. A tiny puff of wind, no more than the gentlest of breezes sent the bottle and cloth gliding across the roof like it was on ice and onto the road where the bottle split open. I was well p!ssed off about that.

mudsucker

I have used Autoglym Super Resin for years. Easy to use and very good results.

pinno

My recommendations based on use on many many cars and periodic detailing jobs (about 8 to 10 a year for the past 5 years).
[Though, probably more information than you wanted/was needed but if somethings worth doing, it's worth over doing].

My top 3 for you:
Bilt Hamber double speed wax. Very easy to apply in all manner of ambient temps. But best left for paint work that's in super condition. 1 small tin goes on forever.
Bilt Hamber Cleanser polish for paint work for minor swirls.
Also very easy to apply. Smells other worldly. Tricky to use at first as it's quite runny liquid but you get the hang of it.
Auto glym super resin polish is good. Best results on impeccable paint jobs (and wheels!). Not as easy to apply as the BH but VFM and if you are used to resin polishes, then this will be a piece of cake.

Ideally, clay bar the whole car before application of any waxes/sealants.
I like clay bar(ring?). It's fun and livens up your paintwork like nothing else and makes the application of waxes x times easier.

The others:

Kiwami Fusso soft coat 99 (a bit of a mouthful I know) deep sheen or high gloss. It's a sealant ostensibly and will last for 4 to 6 months. You can wax on top but on it's own it's remarkable. Very easy to apply. Comes with it's own application sponge. Do one panel at a time and not in direct sunlight. I use it on my bike frames too.

Chemical guys extreme top coat. It's best used as a machine polish but you can easily use it by hand but very sparingly.
They do waxes for dark, medium and light paintwork. I do like the Chemical guys stuff especially on older paints.
You have to work at them but the results are excellent.

T Cut colour wax is under rated and does a good job on substandard paintwork.
As is the Sonax colour wax but don't go for the Sonax with Carnauba as it's hellishly difficult to use.
Use in cool conditions only or do 1 panel at a time thinly and go like the clappers as soon as it's bloomed.

If you want, take the plunge and clay bar the car with Bilt Hamber clay (the best clay bar I have ever used) and do an Auto glym rapid ceramic. It's really quite straightforward and nothing to be frightened of, Lasts 3 to 4 months. Makes the car sooo easy to clean and provides a semi-scratch resistant surface.
Slippery as hell. I have stopped waxing my car since using Rapid Ceramic. I'm going to go for the more permanent one now I have got the hang of it but I will wait till the weather is better.
Plus: use whatever cheap shampoo (with a mitt, not a sponge) once you have applied ceramic. All other times, I use the Autoglym shampoo and conditioner or foam wash for deeper cleaning.

Do not apply a Ceramic coating without cleaning the surface up with a clay bar first. The clay bar job will last 5+ years and won't need to be done again for that time period unless you park it regularly under a tree.

On that note: Maguires is about the most over-rated shyte one could buy. I guess in the US as photonic said, it's cheap and cheerful but it's not cheap and cheerful in the UK. The clay bar will not last a whole car. It falls to bits (I find I get best results from warm water in my scooshy bottle when using a clay bar and the Maguires doesn't like it).
The BH clay bar, well, you can half it, put the other half away and use half a bar for the whole job including wheels and glass (and headlights!). You can even use it dry. I haven't had the bollox to try it dry.
So, the Maguires might be cheaper but you get less than half the use out of one whole bar.
Their car wash, polishes and interior cleaners are sub standard IMHO. Maguires benefit from big marketing.
The resin polish is okay but it's only a resin polish. There's not a lot to resin polishes.
I only use Autoglym for interiors, mainly:
Leather care balm
Leather cleaner
Interior shampoo (Mrs P nicks it all the time for the house 'cos it's so good) and
Vinyl and rubber care, which is excellent.

BH double speed wax for you sir. So forgiving, so easy to use but only as good as the paintwork you use it on and best after a clay bar or use the Auto glym super resin polish.

froze

Defblade said:

Another vote for Meguiars, I find they've the best cost:performance ratio

I used to own several classic cars, which I sold the last one off about 3 years ago, but all I used on them was Meguiars ultimate liquid wax on them, the stuff was good enough for car shows, so I think it's more than good enough for the average car.

I would have my cars parked at shows, and there would always be some guy next to me who would go on and on about spending $100 for some fancy wax, and mine would look better?!

By the way, I used the same wax on my bikes, it's cheaper and lasts a lot longer than bike boutique waxes.

pinno

froze said:

...bike boutique waxes.

? This is new.

pblakeney

pinno said:

froze said:

...bike boutique waxes.

? This is new.

No doubt targeting those who buy jockey wheel ceramic bearings.

pinno

froze said:

Defblade said:

Another vote for Meguiars, I find they've the best cost:performance ratio

I used to own several classic cars, which I sold the last one off about 3 years ago, but all I used on them was Meguiars ultimate liquid wax on them, the stuff was good enough for car shows, so I think it's more than good enough for the average car.

I would have my cars parked at shows, and there would always be some guy next to me who would go on and on about spending $100 for some fancy wax, and mine would look better?!

By the way, I used the same wax on my bikes, it's cheaper and lasts a lot longer than bike boutique waxes.

If your paintwork is in good condition, a simple resin polish will look good.

BH double speed wax: £17 approx.
Fusso Soft coat: £30 roughly.
Chemical guys blacklight: £16.
Autoglym rapid ceramic: £20

Hardly 'boutique'.

Anyway, it appears you live in the US.

We're not talking show cars.
I live on the west coast of Scotland and sealants that are supposed to last 1 year last 4-6 months.
We also have tiny roads and tiny car parks and filthy roads for at least 5 months a year with salt and grit and gales and frosts and endless rain and a lot of greenery.

My mate has a concours Mini. It lives in a Carcoon inside a heated garage and only comes out once in a blue moon.
It's immaculate. It's always immaculate. It's so immaculate, one could argue you don't need to polish it with anything but Lidl's own multi surface.

But cars that are used every day pick up dinks and swirls and scratches and are exposed to kids and car parks and weather and use, well, they need a bit more TLC. They need a finish that is practical in terms of cleaning, staying clean, reconciling abrasion, protecting against the elements (and white knuckled wifies haring about with their shopping trolleys who open their doors and smack it against the car next to them and drive away having achieved their mission).

For female customers, I use a rapid ceramic because occasionally, they take their cars to the local jet wash and use the brush (which is filthy) and the car comes back to me 6 months later looking like it has been driven through Hawthorne hedges backwards, forwards, sideways.
For the poseur, I use a wax or a sealant that complements the paint colour/quality and then i'll top it off with say double speed wax. Stunning gloss. That's great for repeat custom because if I gave them a ceramic finish, I wouldn't see them for 6 months. I'd rather not see them*.

*I had intended to go full bore with the detailing but I got bored. Some guy locally has started up. He's a tw@t of the highest caliber. He has a VW Pi$$rat with 'The Punisher' (?) written on it with huge flowing decals all over it.

But he is good. His paint jobs are excellent and now I only have a few that come back to me regularly. Which is fine, happy days.

pinno

pblakeney said:

pinno said:

froze said:

...bike boutique waxes.

? This is new.

No doubt targeting those who buy jockey wheel ceramic bearings.

Eeek:

https://www.gtechniq.co.uk/shop/bike/ceramic-coatings-bike/bike-ceramic/?attribute_pa_size=15ml&utm_source=Google Shopping&utm_campaign=Main-Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=13723&gclid=CjwKCAiAjPyfBhBMEiwAB2CCIpW_D_1MmMwCOZoecYWPyqeRY5vI-9HXjotO8V37xdTvxpPPlXb_-xoCuQ4QAvD_BwE

carbonclem

I use that Muc-Off bike polish on mine. It helps keep them clean, is cheap and easy to apply. Probably the equivalent to Meguirs on my cars but, comprimises and all that.