Hey guys,

Looking forward to getting my L this week, just a question for cleaning with regard to waxing and polishing. Which one do I apply first, the wax or the polish and why?

 

Polish or glaze will condition the paint,fill in hairline scratches and swirls etc.Wax is only a protectant.Strip with dawn,clay bar or pre-cleaner,glaze then wax.

 

What Nozebleed said.

 

One Word ..... ZAINO !!!

I just finished the second coat of Z-2 and my truck
is absolutely AWESOME

 

www.zainobros.com

 

3 words "Cherry Wet Wax"

 

What do you folks think about 'breaking in' the clearcoat? i.e. using a cleaner wax for the first, say, dozen wax jobs, then switching over to a pure wax after that?

It's a sound idea WRT to the drivetrain, so why not the finish? It doesn't look like the factory paint is exactly show quality (can someone say "Sunkist?"), so I'd imagine polishing down the clearcoat to a more even surface should bring a more smooth finish.

No?


fwiw - I use the blue banana-smelling Zymol cleaner wax. Excellent results.

 

Zaino is good stuff.... Zymol isn't too shabby....

I prefer Meguiars Mirror Glaze products. They are professional grade products that can only be purchased at speciality stores (wax shops/detail shops). Meguiars has been on the market since 1901 and their products are tried and true. I've never had bad results with their stuff...

Also, their website is EXTREMELY helpful in choosing a wax, polish, or anything else to make your baby look it's best. There are even videos on there to show you how to use the product to achieve the best results....

BTW, I don't work for Meguiars nor am I a compensated announcer... I just like to tell people about something that I know is tried and true and works beyond excellent for someone who is a true stickler about his truck.

www.meguiars.com

Just my $0.02.

 

Why would you a dozen waxes with a cleaner wax? Doing it that many times is just wasting times and you won't have a "show car finish" after it. In a few hours a detailer can clay your truck, cleanse the paint, polish your truck with a rotary and then wax it to give it the best shine you have seen. No such thing as, breaking in the finish, only thing a finish can do is Cure and oxidize.

 

So you're saying all the orange peel I see in the factory paint doesn't print through to the clearcoat?

 

Intel...what do you think about this? Wash truck and take off most of the water with a water blade, then put polish on a damp sponge and wipe it around, don't have to cover everything. After the polish dries use a quik mist detailer to remove the polish. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds good.

 

If it's fresh paint that hasn't already been waxed, I'd say put on a few coats of Liquid Glass sealant first.

Then use the wax/polish you want. I hear Zaino is good stuff.

 

Your wanting to do this to get orange peel off? Hitting your truck a whole bunch of times with a cleaner wax isn't going to get orange peel off. I've hit my truck with a rotary and a compound and the orange peel is still there. The only way to get orange peel off is to colorsand your paint. If you want to get your truck colorsanded, then call a paintshop or a pro detailer.

 

Get a mist bottle with some water in it. You can mist that onto the surface as you polish to give you some more time to work the polish in. After the polish starts to get tacky, then you can just buff the residue off like you would wax. No need to use a quickdetailer. If you want, then you can polish your whole truck and then wash your truck to get the residue off.

 

Heheheh. Point taken. It was just an idea. Everyone is babying their trucks by using baby polar seal liver wax on their finishes, but nobody is concerned with the actual surface they are sealing. Since we all know the factory paint is mediocre at best, I thought maybe the use of micropolishes on the clearcoat might produce a more even surface which could produce a smoother waxed surface.

I guess my point is: I've been using both high quality cleaner polishes and premium 100% carnauba waxes for years. Most of the time I can't tell any difference. I think that by using a cleaner polish every few waxes I am getting a better overall wax job. YMMV.

Does it really make any difference? I dunno.