well as most of you know i got my car painted a little while back, i talked to someone representing mothers in moultrie and she said wait 6 months to wax new paint. well its been 4 or 5 so that is plenty close, im dying to get some wax on this thing anyways. but there are small swirl marks in the paint from buffing, i would like to get rid of this and the fine scratches.i saw some stuff from mcquires called scratch X which looked like a good product, and also nu finish had some scratch fix stuff as well, ive used nu finish car polish and i was really impressed, im just trying to get some tips and opinions on you guys favorite products, im kinda new into the show quality detailing but i would like to know the good stuff to use since i now have a show car paint job.

First of all she looks really sweet.
I do a three step process - I like to start out using 3m glaze
then i'll use Mother's sealer/glaze and to top it off I use Mother's 100% carnuba wax. I feel with this combo you can't lose. This should give you a long lasting and deep shine. The 3m glaze should get the marks marks out of the paint if they are not to deep. Rick

thats basically the exact same thing i do, and its basically perfect. the 3m glaze is amazing.

My new favorite, for the past couple of years, is Adams.
Great stuff. The vtr and detail spray are the best I have ever used. The butter wax goes on and off easier than any I have tried, and he has a product called Brilliant Spray glaze that gives extra pop.
www.adamspolishes.com

Zaino

Still a Zaino geek here.

Also, not related to Zaino in anyway...

Are you looking into removing the swirls or just filling them in? If you want to do it the right way and remove them, your best bet (although expensive) is to get a Porter Cable 7424 and buff with a very light swirl remover such as SSR1. -> http://www.autogeek.net/pbsr.html

After you do that, if you really want have the best looking paint possbile, go over it with a glaze (on a buffer). Such as ClearKote Red Moose machine glaze. -> http://yhst-71875453333855.stores.ya...t/ck-1021.html

Then top it with a pure carnauba wax (by hand) to bring more wet/depth look into the paint with good protection. There are a TON of carnaubas, my favorites are:

http://www.autogeek.net/pinsouvwax.html

http://yhst-71875453333855.stores.ya...t/ck-1014.html

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/p21-127.html

http://www.autogeek.net/nattys-blue.html

Scratch-X is suppose to be used in small areas. It would be good if you wanted to go over a scratch with it. But do not go over the whole car with it.

where can i get zaino products at?

ive heard a bunch of people on the boards praising them but never used it or even seen it.

also i have never used a buffer b4 so i would like to start off just hand polishing and work my way up depending on the results, the color is already very vibrant and wet looking and there is no wax on it it has only been buffed. i just want a good product to remove the swirls and fine scratches and give the paint that deep look.

I can hook you up

The 7424 is not a rotary buffer. You cannot mess up your paint with it. You will never burn your paint or anything like that. Zaino is good, but it is not going to remove the swirls and fine scratches. It is just going to fill them in. Unless they make some kind of polish with an abrasive in it, and last I heard they did not.

It's up to you though. I'm sure you'd be happy with the Zaino.

Actually Zaino makes a swirl remover as well so you really can't go wrong with using it.

If he does not have a PC, I wouldn't even bother with that. Mine as well just use the products thare going to fill them in.

Ya, I will be kinda in the same boat so I hope you don't mind me budgeing in......is it 6 months? My car is in the shop now, and I know that you are suppossed to wait atleast 3 months before waxing.....what do you guys recommend on that as well?


And you guys say to glaze and then wax? What does glaze do, I have never used it.

well i talked to someone at moultrie supporting mothers and she told me not even to buy the product untill the next moultrie show, b/c they say you definitely should wait 6 months i really dont think its that big of a deal to wait the full six months so im going to start trying out products but i use black magic car wash so im thinking about trying their wax, but mothers looks like they have a nice line, can someone point me to some zaino stuff online?

Here you go

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

I would recommend getting the following:

Z-2-car show polish
Z-6-it will make 2 bottles 50/50 mixture
Z-18-clay bar.....you get 2 bars

If you want the best....Zymol

http://zymol.com/shop/sub-category.asp?CID=142

Man, 6 months. I bet you can't wait to put some on. My car should be back to me next week with freshpaint.....looks like I have 6 months ahead of me.

Has anybody used this? http://www.tsservices.com/cc.htm Transtech Services Clear Coat. I have been using this since 95 on every vehicle I've ever owned. It was formerly called Tech Shield. Its pretty expensive but this stuff kicks the cr@p out of any other wax that I have tried. Most of the paint on my 95 Silverado is stock and people still ask when it was repainted.

Brian

lol ya i cant wait to get some wax on there. i dont think its neccessary to wait six full months but thats what the guy said, i told em it was specifically a show car and i wanted the best prodect they had, and they recommended i get a buffer and do their three step process with the carnuaba wax as the third step, but they insisted i wait 6 months...

i stopped by a parts store last light and talked to them about some detailing products and the guy said he heard zymol was crap, i dont know if he was just trying to talk like he knew something or if he had really used it but thats what he said.

im going to get a 10" buffer and some mcquires swirl remover and maybe some of their mirror glaze stuff and then use some sort of a carnuaba wax last.

zymol is good stuff

i bought a 10" buffer/polisher today and ive been practicing on my bro's mustang, his car has old paint and its getting painted this summer. well i am using mcguires products ill post the names up later i cant remember lol but on the roof it is oxidized pretty bad what grit sand paper do you guys use to color sand? also my car has one small run in it what grit sand paper should i use for the run?

over all its turning out really good i got some mothers carnaubu wax instead of the mcquires b/c it just looked like a better product so ill let you guys know what i think.

Before you get into to much sanding (maybe not needed) try some 3m imperial machine glaze. You would be amazed how well this stuff works. I wish you lived around me I would let you borrow some. This stuff cost about $25 a qt but its well worth it. Rick

i'd take a razor blade to the run before i took sandpaper to it.

I agree about the razor blade, but you have to be careful. Is it the clear that has the run, or the base? if its the base dont touch it. Anywho if you want the best shine I preferr Pinnacle Souveran. You should ck out autogeek.net for some awesome products, and join there forum for some great tips.

I really like maguiars nxt generation tech wax. washed my moms car for her and used some on it...it had that nice wet look and made the paint look really deep...if that makes any sense.

I use the meguiars 3 step polish system you can pick it up at your local auto zone or whatever. If you do so skip the wax as its a little to heavy and wax buildup leads to those anoying hairline scatches that you get no matter how hard you try not to. I really like a wax made be "the wax shop" Its called Super glaze HD Its very easy to use and make touch up for shows etc. Very nice deep finish. Only problem is this stuff is getting harder and harder to find so i wish you luck and stock up. As far as how long to wait if you use this product i'll promise you your fine to do it now. Polish in the spring and fall touch up with the wax as needed! Hope you find something that works for you.

I use Zymol every quarter. Once a year I might do the Meguiar's 3 step (cleaner, polish, wax). When I do that I feel like I am worshipping an idol.

zaino all the way

Liquid Glass? use it once you will never go back Ken.

the zaino products work very good alot better than liquid glass

Different paint manufacturers recommend different "cure times" before applying wax. Wax seals the paint's pores, this is why you should wait & allow solvents to fully cure. When I worked in the body shop, we would apply a hand glaze (usually meguires) immediately after buffing. The glaze would remove any excess compound and fill any fine scratches. Also, glaze does not fill pores as wax does, so paint can breath and therefore cure properly. Hope my .02 is helpful.

ive actually used a pressure washer on my car before. WAIT, before you flame me let me elaborate......

when you turn down the nozzle enough it makes a sort of "high power mist". it is not hard on the paint at all (i tested it by putting my hand in front of it, its very gentle) and it literally lifts all of the dirt right off the car on the first rinse. its also nice because it doesnt trap water in the t-top seals and door jambs so you dont get a shower when you open the door. ive only done this a couple times but it has been extremely effective. its also nice for doing your wheels because you can turn it up to a jet stream and blast all of that brake dust right off. on the final rinse, turn it down to a mist again and it wont leave hardly any water spots.

this is not a very efficient way to wash your car but it does the job very well. usually when i wash my ride its a good 3-4 hour endeavor because i almost always hit it with a light coat of wax, tire shine, interior detailing...etc. nothing spells happiness like driving in a freshly detailed ride!

I've got to tell you my eyes almost popped out when I saw your IROC. It's absolutely beautiful!!! Is that the stock color that came out on the car? You've made me regret getting my color changed to a brighter red!

Anyways, I've been a big fan of Meguires NXT wax. You can use it by hand or with a buffer, and I've never been disappointed with the results.

thanks man i really appreciate it!

big thanks to everyone else that has put in their input! i am trying to stick with products i can find locally, i bought some mcquires swirl remover that im going to use with my buffer and im also going to use the 3m polisher after that. then im going to finish it off with a couple coats of mothers carnuaba wax. when i wash the car i use black magic car wash the best stuff out there!

I am a detailer at a body shop and use the 3M product line and McGuires waxes. If you have any question about buffing or wet sanding shoot me a PM.

Same here! Original paint that just keeps on going, and going . . .

Picked up some Smart Wax at the Los Angeles Auto Show back in November. Really good stuff. They are online at:

http://www.smartwax.com/

Oh yea, Mother's Window cleaner works better than windex or the other stuff. Stay away from the pre moistened wipes. They tend to streak.

On my black paint I've found nothing works better then Poorboys products. Their Spray and Wipe, and Spray and Gloss products are bar none the best quick detail products out IMO. And I love how deep their paste wax makes my black paint look. Not too mention the ease of use.

I used Zaino products for years and gave Poorboys a try on the recommendation of some GN owners, and have never looked back.