Wash & Wax Time . . . . . . But Which One And How?

[dubber36]

I tackled something similar to that on a car my lad had a few weeks ago.

My first stage was to use Brasso with the DA. As this product doesn't break down as you use it like polishing compounds, I didn't buff it off. Instead I went over it with polishes with a diminishing level of cut until it was worked out. This completely got rid of the scratches and left it ready for the protection layer.

Autoglym Super Resin is good for a quick fix, but eventually the fillers will wash out.

 

[Ayjay]

@spooks007 @dubber36. Cheers for the tips - I actually thought I had an old bottle of the Autoglym stuff in the shed but I must have binned it. I'm going to give a quick rub with T Cut, some polish and finish off with a coat Turtle Wax ceramic and see how it looks. If scratches are still obvious at more than about 30cm, I might buy some more Autoglym and start again.

 

[dubber36]

Like Brasso, Tcut doesn't break down, so if you buff it, it will still be cutting. It's best to leave it on and work your polish of choice into it, then buff.

 

[Ayjay]

I had another go with the cutting compound and it looks even better now. I think I might pick up some Autoglym Surper Resin Polish later this week and top that off with Turtlewax Ceramic Spray Coating. Unless you get in close, I'm hoping that will be job done but we will see how it looks in a different light and from different angles once finished.
As an aside, I noticed that the tube of Halfords Cutting Compound that I used dated from 2007 but it hadn't dried up and still seems to be doing the job and I doubt if a new one would do much better.

 

[mellow yellow]

I went out and cleaned bird lime off my windscreen and surround areas as it was a huge dollop splattered from on high.

That cleaned off ok with me up a step ladder, but noticed the roof is rough, Matt feeling and obviously hasn't been cleaned or waxed etc. But even standing on the tyres, I couldn't safely clean or even attempt at polishing the roof.

What do you guys do, to clean the roof and wax it etc?

I also noticed my drivers window sticking as it goes up and down. That had bird poo on it but I cleaned that all off, is it just a hot weather thing and heat on the glass...or something to be worried about...cheers

 

[Sasquatch]

Dry lube in the window channels, sorted.

 

[mellow yellow]

Dry lube in the window channels, sorted.

Thank you Sasquatch

 

[JumpShip]

I use a tall caravan step but google 'hop up' work platforms .....depends obviously how tall you are .

 

[Sasquatch]

Im rather tall and still use stepladders to clean up top.

 

[mellow yellow]

Im rather tall and still use stepladders to clean up top.

Im 5ft8 and used a step ladder, but found it a bit hairy, leaning over/on the top of the roof rails on the van and then the ladder wanting to go the other way, leaving me hanging

 

[DaveD]

Easy!

 

[Ayjay]

I had another go with the cutting compound and it looks even better now. I think I might pick up some Autoglym Surper Resin Polish later this week and top that off with Turtlewax Ceramic Spray Coating. Unless you get in close, I'm hoping that will be job done but we will see how it looks in a different light and from different angles once finished.
As an aside, I noticed that the tube of Halfords Cutting Compound that I used dated from 2007 but it hadn't dried up and still seems to be doing the job and I doubt if a new one would do much better.

I didn't do anything else until yesterday but after buying a bottle of Autoglym Super Resin Polish at the Malvern show on Friday, I gave the door a wash followed by a couple of coats (if that's the word) with that and then finished with a couple more goes with the the Turtlewax Ceramic. TBH, I'm well chuffed with the result - you've got to get up close to see the minor scratches that are still there and, even then, the angle's got to be right. Indeed, there's nothing to see in a new photo other than a shiny door! Considering I originally thought that I might be looking at an expensive respray, I'm calling it a big win.

 

[ChestnutBrown]

AG Super Resin Polish is not a pure Polish as contains fillers, so any remaining marks or scratches will get filled in and be less visible. You may find that some of the scratches get revealed again over time, if they were not fully polished out by the product and merely filled. Kind of academic if you were to use the same product in the future, but don’t be surprised if they do show.

 

[DaveD]

This is fairly typical of how my van looks at this time of year;



I often just snow foam it and pressure wash it as it's only going to get filthy again soon.
Every couple of months I give it a good clean and wax it or use a sealant.
Car shampoo isn't primarily formulated to get your vehicle clean, it's formulated to lubricate your wash mit and to not remove wax or sealants, so it's a bit sub optimal at cleaning.
So today I decided to give this stuff a go after a normal snow foam / pressure wash to get the worst off;



All I can say is it's fantastic! The colour of the van seems more vibrant. It's probably removed lots of old manky wax and sealant that doesn't get removed by normal car wash shampoo.
The small print says it decontaminates the paint, it certainly gets tar spots off and it worked a treat, perfect for a follow up wax or sealant.



Once I'd dried it I then used Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer, which is more a sealant than a detailer. It's extremely water repellent and water beads off it in big blobs.
When I've previously used it it lasted months.

 

[spooks007]

SONAX BSD is a brute of a product

 

[JumpShip]

SONAX BSD is a brute of a product

runs off to google that

 

[spooks007]

runs off to google that

It a great winter product and water just beads off the panel. Can be bit grabby when applied but the benefits farvout weigh it. A staple for me during winter.

 

[JumpShip]

I don't really 'do' winter but I do like something that beads nicely .
I used to like Ronnie Doyles bead maker for that .

 

[spooks007]

I don't really 'do' winter but I do like something that beads nicely .
I used to like Ronnie Doyles bead maker for that .

It very similar to Beadmaker tbh just more durable.

Have you added a drop of dream maker into bead maker? Makes the application even better

 

[DaveD]

It very similar to Beadmaker tbh just more durable.

Have you added a drop of dream maker into bead maker? Makes the application even better

What is it, detailer's cocktail hour?