Best Polish to use on your paintwork?

[Ford Owners' Club]

As we are in lockdown and trying to find things to occupy our time, polishing the car seems quite popular with the majority of us.

So, what do you think is the best Polish to use on your paintwork?

[zain611]

Just last week I machine polished dad's car. I used Koch chemie H8.02 compound then sealed it in. 

@TomsFocus had to get my Koch out again 😂

[Lenny]

1 hour ago, zain611 said:

Just last week I machine polished dad's car. I used Koch chemie H8.02 compound then sealed it in. 

@TomsFocus had to get my Koch out again 😂

 

 

Rock out with your Koch out 😂

[Tiptronic10]

I chose  Autoglym  as someone gave me some for Christmas & it did the job....I must admit over the past 50 yrs I've used all sorts ,,,they are all much the same , some are just a bit harder work than others ..  I've even  washed with Fairy liquid & polished with Pound Shop stuff ,,,,perfect.

[plasticpat]

I voted Autoglym , been using their Wax and Extra Gloss for 25yrs or so and have added some more of their products to my kit . I've never been disapponted . Have heard good things about Meguiars and Mer but the price of Meguiars here in Ireland spoils it for me to change over . 

[Luke4efc]

Brands mean nothing. A compound (a "coarse") is just a coarse polish and a fine polish is a fine polish regardless of what brand you chose. I'm not including the £2 special stuff from the bargain isle at Aldi here either...

It's all about choosing the right grade for you.c Compound if you want a quick job with decent results. Compound (aka coarse) then fine polish after for even better results.

Then of course there's different machine polishers, dozens of different buffing pads that give you varying results etc. I really cba getting into that debate aha.

[Ian Lanc]

I voted 'Other'

I've been using Zymol cleaner polish since 1986 this came about after spending 6 hours blitzing my old RS2000 and an old chap walked by and said it shines well, but not enough, felt grumpy after that! Then a few minutes later the old chap comes back to me and puts a 1 gallon big steel tin on our wall, looked like the old style oil can with the steel handle on top, he said try this stuff instead, it was a pale blue colour and smelt amazing, as I did one panel and buffed it up, the shine & depth of colour was unreal, he then asked if I've got a pop bottle & funnel! The old chap gave me several litres of this Zymol, that has long gone, but still buy it.

I asked the old guy where he got the wax from, out his shed he replied 😜 He'd got 10 gallons in his shed!! Zymol has been around since the late 1940's and was the only cleaner/wax/polish used by Aston Martin and he was the chief inspector/polisher.... all nicked I presume 😁 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

19 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

I've been using Zymol cleaner polish

Yes, I've had good results with Zymol products also. Found their wax gives a good long-lasting shine if applied as directed, which takes a while, and seems to work particularly well on dark metallics. Bl**dy expensive though, but a little does seem to go a long way!😀

[Ben_L]

Does that Zymol still smell like Bananas? This was really amazing stuff! They did a good Shampoo aswell. 
 

I voted for Autoglym aswell as I always seem to fall back to their SRP polish and also their Interior products aswell. I think its a good balance between quality and price.  
 

Not a polish, but Bilt Hambers Double Speed Wax is pretty awesome for a finish aswell. It gives some wicked beading too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ian Lanc]

10 minutes ago, Ben_L said:

Does that Zymol still smell like Bananas? This was really amazing stuff! They did a good Shampoo aswell. 

Bananas & Coconut all mingled into one, the smell makes me want to wax the car now! The shampoo is still available and that leaves a lovely smear free shine, that shampoo is a bit too dear for my liking though. 

[Ben_L]

16 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

Bananas & Coconut all mingled into one, the smell makes me want to wax the car now! The shampoo is still available and that leaves a lovely smear free shine, that shampoo is a bit too dear for my liking though. 

Yeah it is pricey that why I always fall back to Autoglym. 
 

I might have to buy some Zymol wax now 😂

[Frembrit]

For regular hand polishing it's a vote for Autoglym SRP for me...not that I use it anymore, but before I knew about machine polishing it kept the paint looking good on my cars for the last 25+ years...lots of dust though which was slightly annoying. I still have a bottle though and might use it on small marks maybe, otherwise I only ever wax it now or apply a sealant (since it was machine polished in 2015).

[Ian Lanc]

2 minutes ago, Frembrit said:

lots of dust though which was slightly annoying. 

It does annoy loads of people with the dust but you don't worry about dust, after fully waxing the car and looks mint....Just wash the car again and give it a good rinsing down, they dry off.

[Jim H]

When you say, polishing the car, do you mean waxing/protecting the car, there is a difference?

Pure Polish/compound removes scratches and swirl marks by abrasion of the clear coat. There are Glazes, which basically fill the scratches, to smooth the paintwork out. However, neither will protect the paintwork, from UV, rain, (not hydrophobic),etc. Glazes, will be removed after a few washes.

Waxes and sealants do not remove scratches, put a protective layer on the pain, which is hydrophobic, and enhances the shine. Waxes contain natural ingredients, (Carnuba Wax), Sealants are Synthetic waxes, (PTFE etc).

However on the market, there are plenty of all in one products, which do all 3 things.

There is, then Coatings, which are a very hard layer on the paint, which protects it, can only be remover, by sanding!, however most have to be applied by a professional detailer.

[iantt]

Autoglm again for me, srp been using for as long as I can remember. Then a coating of bilt hamber double speed wax. That tin of wax has lasted me at least 4 years. 

Recently though I've become lazy and used the autoglym extra gloss protection as it's easier to apply and wipe off. Doesn't last as long as the double speed wax. 

I've got all sorts of wax , polishes I've accumulated over the years that I've tried. Some are 20+ years old 

[Jim H]

When I first started washing cars, I always used MER polish, which did an OK job of things. Used it for many, many years with no probs. Used to wash cars with a hose brush and soap sticks. I now use a wash mitt with 2 buckets, occasionally using snow foam and pressure washer as pre-wash.

I then bought a Meguiars kit "Paint Restoration Kit", which contained shampoo, clay + QD, Ultimate compound, and ultimate wax. Always amazed how well clay does, plus Ultimate Compound did wonders for my old scratched black car.

Last year, I bought my Red Fiesta, and had ran out of Megs waxes (Ultimate Wax and Cleaner Wax before that), so decided to buy a tub of Soft 99 Fuso coat, after lots of recommendations.  Only done it once, but being quite new, didn't polish it, just clayed and waxed it.

[zain611]

On 4/4/2020 at 10:49 AM, iantt said:

Autoglm again for me, srp been using for as long as I can remember. Then a coating of bilt hamber double speed wax. That tin of wax has lasted me at least 4 years. 

Recently though I've become lazy and used the autoglym extra gloss protection as it's easier to apply and wipe off. Doesn't last as long as the double speed wax. 

I've got all sorts of wax , polishes I've accumulated over the years that I've tried. Some are 20+ years old 

I've got a bottle of unused srp and the gloss protection if you want it. Bought them a few years ago before finding out about the detailing shop near my Halfords and the better products 

[iantt]

29 minutes ago, zain611 said:

I've got a bottle of unused srp and the gloss protection if you want it. Bought them a few years ago before finding out about the detailing shop near my Halfords and the better products 

Thanks for the offer but I think I've got enough for at least another couple of years as daughter bought me a gift set for Xmas with it all in that I haven't started yet. But if the lockdown continues I may use more through boredom. Done the Mondeo and fiesta now. Just got the Peugeot to clean and polish next. Then start all over again. 😂😂😂

[zain611]

8 minutes ago, iantt said:

Thanks for the offer but I think I've got enough for at least another couple of years as daughter bought me a gift set for Xmas with it all in that I haven't started yet. But if the lockdown continues I may use more through boredom. Done the Mondeo and fiesta now. Just got the Peugeot to clean and polish next. Then start all over again. 😂😂😂

Hope your keeping yourself busy also. Dad has been getting out of bed late. He has made himself busy installing parking sensors on his car. Really look flush against the bumper. Will send some pictures when he gets the bumper on the car

[iantt]

I used to fit flush fitting X vision sensors all the time on the fords when I worked at a proper garage. 

Has special cutters that recessed the edge of the holes . They were better looking than the OEM sensors at the time. But newer fords now come with better flush fit ones. 

[mitch84]

I plan to wash, clay, polish with DA and seal my Fiesta sometime in the week ahead.

I purchased a Das6 pro last month, I have tested it out on an older car first before I attempt it on my new car.

I was hoping to do it this weekend but I need one product that I haven't got (IPA prep solution) for after polishing.

I'm going to be using Scholl S20 black 1 step polish and then Gyeon can coat ceramic coating.

There is no way I can do all this in 1 day personally, so will do it over 2 days, so need to check the weather forecast.

 

Can't wait to see the results as I have never polished a car before.

 

[zain611]

2 hours ago, mitch84 said:

I plan to wash, clay, polish with DA and seal my Fiesta sometime in the week ahead.

I purchased a Das6 pro last month, I have tested it out on an older car first before I attempt it on my new car.

I was hoping to do it this weekend but I need one product that I haven't got (IPA prep solution) for after polishing.

I'm going to be using Scholl S20 black 1 step polish and then Gyeon can coat ceramic coating.

There is no way I can do all this in 1 day personally, so will do it over 2 days, so need to check the weather forecast.

 

Can't wait to see the results as I have never polished a car before.

 

I haven't used IPA myself just a lint free soft microfiber cloth to wipe up the residue. On my fiesta it took me 4 whole days to machine compound, finish polish and seal and wax it in. I have the same machine polisher and it's good. 

[mitch84]

3 hours ago, zain611 said:

I haven't used IPA myself just a lint free soft microfiber cloth to wipe up the residue. On my fiesta it took me 4 whole days to machine compound, finish polish and seal and wax it in. I have the same machine polisher and it's good. 

The Scholl S20 I’m using is supposed to be quite oily so that’s why I’m going to use an IPA before the sealant.

It will likely take me just as long, was it easy doing it in stages over 4 days, I’m hoping to start with the roof then onto the bonnet and front and hopefully a side in 1 day, the other side and back the next day. Outside as well so will need a good spell of weather.

[zain611]

35 minutes ago, mitch84 said:

The Scholl S20 I’m using is supposed to be quite oily so that’s why I’m going to use an IPA before the sealant.

It will likely take me just as long, was it easy doing it in stages over 4 days, I’m hoping to start with the roof then onto the bonnet and front and hopefully a side in 1 day, the other side and back the next day. Outside as well so will need a good spell of weather.

It probably won't take long to do one area with that compound. Ford's generally have soft paint which makes it easier to cut. I think with me it took me a day to do just over half a car with one product. I used Koch chemie H8.02 compound then britemax blackmax for a finishing polish then sealed and waxed it in. 

Make sure also you wipe an area down as it might get dust if your outside 

[RAIDER32]

I think Turtle Wax are doing good things these days with their new Hybrid Solutions line,
I've spent far too long watching YouTube videos about them and the reviews are excellent.

Bought my 2015 ST back in August, straight away I've been wanting to do a proper detail on it,
But sods-law it's rained from collecting it to the corona virus, now it's constantly sunny and I can't get out lol.

So I've been pondering ordering their new Hybrid stuff for months, then they announce a Black series so I've been waiting longer for that.
Kept checking their site and got in a Pre-Order for their kit the other day for £50, with a 15% Discount Code I got from a YouTube video I got it for £42.50.
The next day they put the price up to £60!!, that is pretty steep now even with a Discount Code that's still £51.