What is the concensus of opinion in regard to car polish and the application thereof

3 coats of polish, is the number that is required.
2 is not enough, and 4 is too many. 5 is right out !
Also, one must use the holy polish of Antioch.

Can we get a mod to change his name to 'Brave Sir Robin' ?
 
Two words, ceramic coating. And you don’t have to spend a fortune either. A local detailer will offer a range of options that will be better than polish.
 
I use Meguiar's products, and they work well (Iron Remover, M122, Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish) ....

  1. Pre-wash / rinse – Foam cannon or hose to loosen dirt.
  2. Contact wash – Two-bucket method with quality shampoo.
  3. Decontamination
    • Iron remover (highly recommended).
    • Tar remover (if needed).
    • Clay bar / clay mitt with lubricant.
  4. Rinse & wash again – Clears clay residue and chemical decon.
  5. Thoroughly Dry – Microfiber drying towel or blower. Ensure Zed is out of the sun, in a covered area, and cool.
  6. Panel wipe (M122 Surface Prep or similar) – Removes oils, fillers, residues, ensures bare paint.
  7. Paint correction / polishing – multi-step (compound → polish). DA polisher recommended
  8. Final wipe down (M122) – To ensure no polish residue before protection.
  9. Protection – Ceramic coating.
 
Christopher72 said:
I use Meguiar's products, and they work well (Iron Remover, M122, Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish) ....

  1. Pre-wash / rinse – Foam cannon or hose to loosen dirt.
  2. Contact wash – Two-bucket method with quality shampoo.
  3. Decontamination
    • Iron remover (highly recommended).
    • Tar remover (if needed).
    • Clay bar / clay mitt with lubricant.
  4. Rinse & wash again – Clears clay residue and chemical decon.
  5. Thoroughly Dry – Microfiber drying towel or blower. Ensure Zed is out of the sun, in a covered area, and cool.
  6. Panel wipe (M122 Surface Prep or similar) – Removes oils, fillers, residues, ensures bare paint.
  7. Paint correction / polishing – multi-step (compound → polish). DA polisher recommended
  8. Final wipe down (M122) – To ensure no polish residue before protection.
  9. Protection – Ceramic coating.
Click to expand...
How long does this take you? I would estimate 6 hours on the low-side, or most of the day on the high side.
Or is your workflow to garage the car after step 6 and do the correction and ceramic coating the following day?

Also, does the M122 act like a stip-wash would act? I use Chemical Guys Clean Slate when i want to apply a protective coating.
 
Most of the time is spent on finishing work, depending on what you are starting with. If you already keep the car spotless, then no hard work. If this is the first wash after 2 months... definitely going to take you time to get it really clean. Clean is what ceramics bond to. Washing a Z4 and getting it clean, decontaminated, and clayed may take an hour or more... The rest is how fast you are comfortable in working and whether you are using a machine polisher or your hands... If you've paint corrected before, then you skip to the refining polish and prep for ceramics.

Any panel wipe prep is good.. I've used 3D's wipe, and a few others. You can even use a straight isopropyl, you just need to get any remaining residue off before expecting a ceramic to bond. I did my z4 two years ago and it's still looking great from an 8H ceramic. Going to do the same for a 2015 F30 that I picked up for my son yesterday.
 
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