Polishing, Waxing, Sealing oh my?

[thatryan]

Utter noob here.

 

Several products I see, but have no idea what to use, if I need it, or if their purposes overlap. Is there a primer read somewhere? Or could someone break it down?

 

My ride, daily driver is a 2013 BMW, with (beautiful) Estoril Blue paint. 

 

I want to keep it safe and shiny. 

 

I see products like paint correction, paint finishing, polishing, sealing and waxing... as well as glaze, butter wax, paste wax.  

 

Confusion!

 

Do I need to, or should I even bother? 

 

What does paint correction/finishing do?

Where does polishing come in?

Can wax and sealant be applied with the cyclo tool? If I bought one, could a noob damage anything?

 

I appreciate any tips and insight, thank you!

[hockeybawler]

A great place to start is watching the videos that they provide.  It will give you a nice breakdown of what each thing does, a little info on how to use it, a demonstration of the product being used, ect.

 

Paint correcting and finishing polish is used with a machine polisher(flex, porter cable, ect) and polishing pads(foam or microfiber) and is used to remove any swirls in your paint.  The way to tell if your bmw has any is to look at the paint in the light and most likely you will see little scratches that are in a circle.

 

Polishing comes after you wash and claybar your entire car.  Claybar should be used before because your paint will have contaminants on it that you will most likely not be able to visibly see but can feel if you do the baggy test. (Put a plastic thin zip lock bag on your hand and rub your paint, you will be able to feel how rough it is)

 

As far as the cyclo, you will not hurt your paint using it ever(someone can correct me if I am wrong) and yes the liquid paint sealant and the buttery wax can be applied with the cyclo if you get the gray sealant and waxing pad.  I would suggest you get a seperate pad for each product though.

 

If I am wrong on any of this info then someone please feel free to correct me!  I am by no means a expert and just repeating what I have picked up from countless hours on this thread 

[Timmy8784]

Hello Ryan!

 

First off, welcome to the world of detailing! These forums are great places to get information from other users and the amazing employees at Adams.

 

Here is a link where you can download an Adam's quick guide that will give you a lot of information.

 

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175005

 

Let me try to break it down for you....

 

Polishing is the process of removing swirl marks caused by improper washing or other fine scratches introduced to your clear coat. You will see these swirl marks when your car is in direct sunlight. If you are looking to remove these swirl marks/scratches, you will need a polishing system (cyclo polisher, backing plates, orange and white 4" pads, paint correcting polish and paint finishing polish. If you decide to do this, I strongly suggest watching the Adam's guide to machine polishing on their YouTube channel for instructions.

 

After you have the car fully polished and swirl marks removed, you need to decide how to protect your fresh clear coat. If you are in a harsher climate or using your car as a daily driver, you would probably want to use the liquid sealant. This can be done by hand or you can pick up the grey 4" sealant/waxing pad which will reduce your time significantly.

 

If you car is mainly just sitting in your garage, you can choose to get by with using a wax (buttery for quicker, or Americana for longevity and greater shine). This can also be done by hand or by machine with the sealant/waxing pads. Personally,I did the sealant, then went over with the buttery wax for ultimate protection as my camaro is a daily driver and I live in AZ.

 

If you want to enhance the shine even more, you can put on the brilliant glaze before the wax.

 

With the cyclo tool, it's almost impossible (even for a noob) to damage your paint. Since the cyclo is a dual action polisher, it does not allow you to burn the paint. Using a rotary buffer is what you need to be very careful about burning your paint. Cyclo is totally safe since it is not rotary.

 

Well hope this helps to get you started! Good luck! It's totally worth the time and effort when you see the results!

[hockeybawler]

Oh and the steps should be:

 

2 bucket wash

claybar

polish

seal

glaze

wax

 

After polishing, to protect your paint, you will use either sealant or wax to protect your paint.  You could use just one of them or you can use both(sealing first and then waxing after).. Sealant will last longer then wax will and glazing is just used to give your paint a little more "pop".  I hope this makes sense and if not either myself or someone else can try and explain it better.  Nice car by the way, love the color

[Timmy8784]

Well Mike, you beat me to it! But great information! We both are completely on the same page!

 

Ryan,

 

I just polished my camaro on Sunday. Here are some before and after pictures of my hood to show you what polishing can do.

 

Edited March 12, 2014 by Timmy8784

[mc2hill]

Excellent information guys!

 

 

What does paint correction/finishing do?

Where does polishing come in?

 

Think of the pads and polishes like sandpaper.  The low numbers remove the 'big' stuff and the high numbers make it baby's butt smooth.  In the Adam's lineup the PCP and Cutting pads are used do the 'big stuff' part of the paint correction.  This will remove the swirls and scratches, but will leave micro-abrasions in the surface.  The Finishing polish and pads remove those and leave it smooth and clear.   

[Adam]

Great input, you guys are hired!

 

I'd just add that not all steps are always needed.  If the paint needs correcting, correct it!  If not, skip it!

[Ricky Bobby]

On a brand new 2013 Estoril BMW, I would imagine you would need only claying, finishing polish to get out the swirls and fine scratches, and lock it all in with a sealant and you should be good to go.

 

Unless you go through auto car washes every week, in that case you might need some correcting.

[Adam]

Or if the car sat on a dealer lot for 2 months, was 'washed' daily, then dried with an old ratty chamois!  (Washing at a typical dealership = high pressure rinse, let dry, then dry VERY quickly, dragging a chamois on the ground half of the time.)

 

Certain dealerships are great, however, most wash as I've described above.  Most new cars need to be clayed, corrected, and waxed or sealed.

[thatryan]

Ok, looks like I have got my weekend cut out for me lol

 

So long as my latest Adam's order gets here quickly

 

I have quick sealant, so will have to go with that this time, but I would like to do a full polish, sealant, glaze and wax at some point soon

[Ricky Bobby]

Or if the car sat on a dealer lot for 2 months, was 'washed' daily, then dried with an old ratty chamois!  (Washing at a typical dealership = high pressure rinse, let dry, then dry VERY quickly, dragging a chamois on the ground half of the time.)

 

Certain dealerships are great, however, most wash as I've described above.  Most new cars need to be clayed, corrected, and waxed or sealed.

 

Quoted for truth from the man himself thank you Adam!  I should have clarified, my "decon then polish before LSP" comment was directed towards someone who ordered a vehicle new, took delivery etc, and probably only saw the horrible dealer washing system once or twice at most.

 

For Ryan, being that Estoril is a rarer color I get the feeling he might have ordered it, but I could be wrong.  Regardless, if you picked up the car from normal dealer stock, please follow Adam's instructions and clay/correct it before polishing and sealing/waxing!

[thatryan]

Quoted for truth from the man himself thank you Adam!  I should have clarified, my "decon then polish before LSP" comment was directed towards someone who ordered a vehicle new, took delivery etc, and probably only saw the horrible dealer washing system once or twice at most.

 

For Ryan, being that Estoril is a rarer color I get the feeling he might have ordered it, but I could be wrong.  Regardless, if you picked up the car from normal dealer stock, please follow Adam's instructions and clay/correct it before polishing and sealing/waxing!

 

Indeed, I did have to order it. So she came over on the boat to LA port, had some performance parts installed, trucked up north to Concord, and I drove home a day later.

 

I did put my hand in the baggie and it felt very odd, almost porous. 

[Ricky Bobby]

Contaminants from the trip from Ze Germans, no doubt.  A good wash and claying session will take care of that man!

[Z06Seal]

Good thread. I'm planning on having my Stingray as a garage queen for a long time. probably couple thousand miles a year. I think once I polish it, I won't need it again. I can most likely skip sealant too and go right to glaze and wax.

 

Might practice on my leased volt before it touches the stingray. lol

[hockeybawler]

Sealant is just another way to protect your paint like wax, the only difference is that sealant lasts about twice as long as wax does.  So really you're not skipping the sealant step, you are just choosing not to use it

[KBsToy]

Well Mike, you beat me to it! But great information! We both are completely on the same page!

 

Ryan,

 

I just polished my camaro on Sunday. Here are some before and after pictures of my hood to show you what polishing can do.

 

Did you use micro-fiber or foam ???

 

I have a Camaro and getting ready to detail and want to make sure which pads work better

 

thank You

 

image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

[mtnbiker326]

Or if the car sat on a dealer lot for 2 months, was 'washed' daily, then dried with an old ratty chamois!  (Washing at a typical dealership = high pressure rinse, let dry, then dry VERY quickly, dragging a chamois on the ground half of the time.)

 

Certain dealerships are great, however, most wash as I've described above.  Most new cars need to be clayed, corrected, and waxed or sealed.

 

 

I will back that statement.  

 

My buddy Redaztec, when he bought his brand new 2014 mustang, he picked it up the next day after it had been on the truck for delivery.  It was horrifying how many swirls were in the paint from just ONE wash job (it rained on the pickup day so they washed it and we picked it up the next day).  

[Methodical]

Good thread. I'm planning on having my Stingray as a garage queen for a long time. probably couple thousand miles a year. I think once I polish it, I won't need it again. I can most likely skip sealant too and go right to glaze and wax.

 

Might practice on my leased volt before it touches the stingray. lol

 

If it were me, I'd seal, glaze and wax, especially since it you have a garage and it will be garage kept.  But, keep in mind what Adam said about how the dealer treats cars on the lot, so you must inspect.

 

Just One Man's Opinion.

Edited March 23, 2014 by Methodical