Waxing

J

Johnalexander

Member
Hi, I wanted to find out what you think of my waxing choices and product list for a black metallic z4

1) Wash with Dodo Juice ,born to be mild
2) dry with dodo juice soft touch drying towel
3)clay with Meguiars quick clay kit
4)Alloys treated with Muc-off wheel cleaner
5)Windows , dodo Juice Supernatural Glass polish
6)Wax with Poor boys natty's paste blue
7)finish with micro fibre finishing cloth

Would you change any of the products?Have I missed any stages?

Ive never been that interested in waxing until I had it professionally done to my car. It changes the look so I want to start doing it myself.

Thanks
 
You should paint correct after claying, scratches swirls etc if there are any then polish to get the most out of the paint then wax.

Waxes like carnuba are natural so need topping up they degrade over time so you should top it up every month or wash. To make it last longer use a man made wax which doesn't give as much shine but will protect the paint for longer from 4-6 months then give it a good couple of coats of carnuba to get the deep shine, and top it up to keep it looking good :thumbsup:

You should also use a quick detailer between polish and wax then after wax to get rid of residue and it also gives a nice finish thats water repellant.

Other than that sounds good :thumbsup:

products is down to preference I like maguires but poor boys is great stuff too.
 
I'd add either dodo juice lime prime or Poorboys black hole to that list. Lime prime is a wipe on / wipe off polish that cleans the paintwork and 'primes' it for waxing ; PB is also a polish but is loaded with fillers so masks fine swirls. I have used both on mine, as it gets older I use the PB more :oops: , as long as I have the time.

When you run out of nattys give dodo juice purple haze pro a shot - 2 coats of PB followed by 2 coats of purple haze and it positively glows 8)

Otherwise, great list :thumbsup:
 
Oh yeah, the car needs washed again after claying. One of the reasons I have only done it once, so far...
 
I don't bother drying the car after washing if I'm going to clay. Saves on needing to use excessive amounts of quick detailer on the car and works just as well.

After claying, I just rinse the car.

I second what Bing said about a polish with fillers prior to waxing. I've been meaning to try Black Hole for a while now but Halfords had their 3 for 2 offers and managed to bag some AG Dark Polish for a superb price and opted for that instead (after being a big fan of their Super Resin Polish).

With regards to a detailing spray, I wouldn't necessarily use it before waxing but rather after and in between washes (and when at shows).
 
QD sprayed on the car when it is wet whilst drying it helps with water spots and works really well at keeping it looking spiffy between full polish and waxing. Though it's not cheap stuff and I spotted this weekend that Halfrauds have upped the price on Megs Ultimate QD by a quid to £12.99 :x

As Neil says, no need to dry if you are claying as you use less QD for lube - some people even clay the car when it's all soaped up during washing, not sure I would though as there might still be dirt on there... Definitely needs washed after claying and before polishing though.
 
Firstly if you're using a good wax then you only need to apply every few months.

Anyway this is from experience and advice and knowing detailers how you wash your car
It takes patience so if you don't have the time you're better off not washing unless you have bird muc in which case remove safely.

I've added when you should clay since that's what some might want to do but on a normal wash just ignore that bit along with paint cleaner or tardis.
Remember tardis removes any wax, sealant or fillers etc as does paint cleaner.

Anyway so based on not snow foaming the car which is ideal..

Rinse car using left to right strokes so not to agitate any crap on the ground and splashing it onto paint

Clean your wheels.. Always your first step

When washing use a good MIT and two bucket method.
Dip the MIT into soap about 2 inches into bucket so not to agitate any dirt at bottom.

Move side to side never going over same bit twice and rinse MIT in clean water each time and ring before dipping back into soap.

Take your time and the reason for the above is that any dirt caught in your glove doesn't scratch your paint that you just cleaned.
Use minimal pressure and let the MIT do the work.

Once your done rinse again.

Then rinse with an open hose without pressure and the hose close to the car to aid in drying.

If you insist on claying then use some fairy liquid to lube and without pressure clay away.
Fairy liquid is fine just don't wash your car with it.
Obviously diluted.

Once clayed was the car again.
Use some tardis or paint cleaner if it's not too much of a state cleaning any residue one panel at a time.

Rinse car again and preferably wash albeit this is an easier process since the car is clean.
Again rinse with pressure then with open hose to aid drying.

To dry the car use your towel but folded and pat down.
Takes time but less risk of damaging paint.

Then apply your polish
Then a filler if you like such as black or white hole.
Wax
Then seal.

Now I must stress some products need to cure so let them as the product requires.

Again if your just washing the car then wash and dry and ignore the rest.

If you've waxed and treated your car then no need to wax every week.

Mine is on a seasonal schedule so different waxes for winter months so it protects and the fact it's too cold to wash every week.
Summer has more gloss.

So far it's been 2-3 months since the last winter wax and beeding is still occurring and shine is still shining and dirt barely sticking.

Anyway that's me, and hopefully I've explained myself well.

Again I was taught so this knowledge is from someone else and while there is more information and detail I've shortened accordingly.
Ultimately you want your hard work to be worth it and the key is doing it safely
 
Lol wait til summer we can do a mass wash at mine.
Although you do have a lance which is hugely helpful.
 
Yes - and paint correction / polish before black hole if you're going the whole hog... Which I have to confess I've not done often. The whole process described above can be supplemented by taking the wheels off and using Tardis and degreaser on the arch liners, then sealing with something like aerospace 303. Similar for the engine bay, though no Tardis. You can also use something like Iron-X on paintwork and wheels pre-claying to remove iron contamination.

If you do all of that though expect it to take pretty much all of two days, maybe into 3. It's hard work, especially if all the polishing and waxing is done by hand :cry:
 
Paint correction is the killer. Invest in a DA Polisher like the DAS-6 PRO if you want to do it right.

Take your time with all of this.

I can clean, detail, polish, seal and wax in a day if the weather is right and I have no distractions.

:)
 
Hi Jonny, I wouldn't QD before waxing.

You should generally build up layers with the longest lasting product at the bottom.

If you QD then wax on top, the QD will be removed within 3-4 weeks and take the wax with it.

Follow you normal routine for washing and then clay.

Once clayed I'd use, Autoglym Super Resin Polish, Poorboys Blackhole (filler), which is a great product for masking any swirls. If you want to protect for a longer period use a sealant before you wax (Chemical guys jet seal is a good one) as these last longer than waxes. However, waxes do offer more depth to the shine, so wax on top of the sealant.

Check out some of the Ammo NYC and Drive Clean videos on youtube. Larry is great at explaining the philosophies and reasoning behind layering.
 
Thanks for the advice

So my list of steps now look like

Alloys
Wash car
Rinse
Clay when wet, use spray if needed
Rinse
Dry
Da polish
Black hole
Wax
Da polish

....enjoy

Would you change any order or take any of the steps out?

Thanks guys
 
Bing said:
I'd add either dodo juice lime prime or Poorboys black hole to that list. Lime prime is a wipe on / wipe off polish that cleans the paintwork and 'primes' it for waxing ; PB is also a polish but is loaded with fillers so masks fine swirls. I have used both on mine, as it gets older I use the PB more :oops: , as long as I have the time.

When you run out of nattys give dodo juice purple haze pro a shot - 2 coats of PB followed by 2 coats of purple haze and it positively glows 8)

Otherwise, great list :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Poorboys Black hole is a glaze, used between polishing and waxing.
 
Johnalexander said:
Rather than going through the whole process every other week , can you top up with da polisher or are you better to start again?
Click to expand...

Realistically once you have polished once as long as you wash and dry correctly (two bucket wash mitt and towels) you should get any swirls so wont need to polish for a long time

I just wash nornally weekly
And monthly wash normally + pb black hole + wax all applied using da on the lowest speed with a waxing pad

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Waxing and trim care
Replies
4
Views
423
jhpgram
J
S
Washing between sealing/waxing
Replies
13
Views
2K
GAZA62
G
R
Waxing next time around question
Replies
2
Views
774
GAZA62
G
S
Waxing - The Emperor's New Clothes?
2 3 4
Replies
79
Views
8K
Z4M-2006
Z
T
first try at polishing and waxing
Replies
0
Views
464
trucker99
T
Back
Top Bottom