What do you guys find to be the best polish for black paintwork as you can see smears, dust etc etc

I found Autoglym to be the best generally i think, ive tried Mequiars tech wax but never the gold stuff which i have been told is very good.

Try P21S it's good stuff! Think it's called R222 Carnauba Wax now, but it's the same stuff just a different name.

i was just about to start a similar thread to this, but ill post in this one instead.

i currently use (i say currently ive not washed the car since before xmas) the Carlack AIO and sealant glaze along with the P21s.

in the next few weeks and the cold starts to go away (hopefully) and the salt of the roads goes, i want to use a polish to strip off all the grime and get rid of the small surface scratches etc.

could anyone recommend a decent, but affordable one?

once ive done that im going to go down the claybar router, never done this before but always wanted to give it a go. then ill use my normal stuff as above.

I use Dodo Juice Lime Prime polish with a PC orbital, alternatively the Meguiars 3 step system is good.
Poorboys stuff is good too.

wow300, I've always advocated putting Autoglym where it belongs - in a bin. Buy some Megs Gold Class or the 3-step Deep Crystal system and you'll never ever go back to AG ever again. Just make sure you do proper paint prep - clay to remove the surface grime, polish to remove swirls and scratches and then wax to protect. Just remember my 6 P's: Proper Paint Preparation Prevent P**s Poor Product Performance

i use auto glym n meguairs depends which is on offer at the time! its no "show car" but does a good enough job for me and done properly doesnt leave smears. would say stick to a brand all thru tho coz they all work with each other. for instance AG shampoo AG super resin polish AG wax etc.

i use fairy liquid, then dry it of then polish it with an unbranded 'trade' polish i get from someone in the vw scene(nice and cheap)



it works for me!!

i then detail the trim, tyres and windows which i fing makes it all the better

Mat 8N - Fairy Liquid is a big no no because it contains much more salt than car shampoo. It's also quite abrasive. When you use it it will remove wax rather than keep the protective layer intact. I certainly wouldn't let it within a mile of my paint. Do you mean you're using polish or wax? They're very different??

god knows!

but it sparkles like a diamond!! i better get some new stuff to make it glint like a rappers front tooth then!!

Polish cleans paint, wax protects it. If it is a polish, no need to change if you're happy with it but get a wax to apply after the polish - just to keep dirt and contaminants off. I'd avoid Fairy though! Halfrauds Advanced Car Wash is dirt cheap and actually very good.

MEGUIRS Gold Class every time

W Coyote is SO right you should NEVER use any detergents they are abbrasive.

If you want to use Autoglym... then use the "ultra deep shine" verison, it's supposed to be formulated for dark colours..

I used it on mine, and it is much better than regular autoglym.


John

AIO has an in-built cleaner - will take everything applied before it off for you - so you don't need to polish it unless it's badly oxidized, or you have tar problems. My advice would be to apply the AIO with an orbital. 'cos it not abrasive you can really "work" it on the paint to make sure it "cleans" everything off...then let it cure and let it do it's thang!

PS - if ou don't have an orbital, then don't think you need to get an expnsive one. Just make sure you can get pads for it and it's "balanced" - else it'll give you RSI for the next few hours! Halfords own brand ones are not bad VFM.

I use Porter Cable orbital. Very good but a pain in the ***** to import!

cool
except its 8 P's

Cheers Jamboo, dont think i can justify splashing out on the poter obital effort. may look into the Halfrauds ones though if there cheapish

slightly off topic too, but does anybody clean there engine bay. I'd love to do it as mine is filthy. It looks mainly dirty rathe than greasy or anything like that.

Done a very quick search, but nothing obvious relating to it jumps out.

I dont have a steam cleaner but do have a pressure washer, however im sceptical of this incase i blast my engine to pieces ! anybody got any tips

Use "gunk" or "Jizer" to get rid of the old oil and grease, you can use the pressure washer, but stay clear of the electrics at the top of the engine... might cause missing for a while, although it will sort itself out in a short while when it dries..

John

best polish for black?

No such thing, i think you need to pop along to www.detailingworld.co.uk

Some hilarious replys on here

Jizer is great, but again - whilst in Halfords pick up their on branded engine cleaner. Just spray it on, use a paint brush (not one with paint on it) to work it in - then hose it off. That way you don't need a pressure washer and you'll get all the areas. You can top it all off with an engine lacquer which will make your radiator hose gleam !

Either way, start with a cold engine. You can put a plaggy bag over the electrical bits (as you would over a dsitributor cap) Spray the cleaner onto the enginy bits, brush it in. Then start the engine and hose it off. Leave the engine running to gently warm up and dry the engine bay out slowly.

3com do an Excellent engine cleaner. Not used it on this car yet, but it worked wonders on my old Peugeot after an 83000 mile life of grime

One word of warning about pressure washers - they can damage your hoses (or anything covered in rubber)

I use WD40 to get rid of TAR then polish then wax
.......
my steps as follows bellow

1.wash with Sonus

2.clay bar again.... ( sonus)

3.polish with sonus sfx swirl removing and gloss enchancing polish

4.use collinite double coat wax ...or P21`s

makes the car look like glass after....and the collinite wax keeps beading of for months after with or without washing..

Well spotted sir! I did of course mean 8!

EAGLE ONE WET LOOK ( Ithink its now known as Eagle One nano wax) I havn't bought another bottle since i bought a whole case of the stuff!.. Says and does what the name sugests!!! This stuff rocks!!! makes the paint shine and deeper... a respray in a bottle and a lot cheaper than detailing! with all the same results!

As Mr. Singh said people seem to be confused between polish and wax. Polish removes slight surface scrathes/marks and restores the surface finish by removing a layer of the paint/laquer. Wax protects the surface, it doesnt remove marks or scratches though it may hide them.

Autoglym super resin polish has "fillers" that help hide swirl marks - its not a great product but if you are doing everything by hand then go for it!

Important thing to remember is after you have polished the car then u need to wax it as the paint wil be "raw" and needs to be protected.

an alternative to the porter polisher is a dewalt and thats already 220/240v.

And that's what I use... DW443
http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/sp-2-10...ander-150mm.asp

although when I got mine from here... they had it at £78... one happy chappy !


John

i use the carlack system on mine.after each wash i rinse off then use a blade to remove most of the water.then use half carlack long life sealant and half distilled water in a spray bottle,spray on wipe off no smears,new car look after each wash.

That's an amazing idea...I must try that with my carlack too...

Roll on summer

its so much quicker than waxing,then after 6 months i machine polish with menzerna and pc then carlack sc then two coats carlack lls then spray and wipe after every wash.i no longer use wax the sealant on canterbury blue is unbeatable.