[wezzie]

Can any one recomend a decent car body and wheel wax, or a complete make over kit, car is dark grey,not that it should make any diference does it?.
Poor boys,colonite,maguires any one had any first hand dealings with these or may be some other products? thanks in advance.

[Kerr]

I had been using Autoglym HD wax for a while and was happy with it.

I switched over to G3 wax, the hard stuff not the liquid and I'm really impressed with it.

Not many people have anything bad to say about Autoglym super resin polish.

For dark colour cars poorboys blackhole is good for hiding minor swirls if you don't have a machine to polish them out.

You can go over to detailing world if you want to get completely baffled.

[quattrogmbh]

Rather than a wax, how about a sealant?

http://www.gtechniq.com make some of the best products available.

Check them out on http://www.detailingworld.com

[dxb335d]

Immac

[Triggster]

Black Glaze is a glaze, to be put on after polishing but before a sealant, which is then covered by a layer of wax.

I use R222 wax and FinishKare 1000P sealant. Might try Collinite 476 when my wax is gone although by then there will probably be something better at the rate Im going through it.

[B005T3D-G]

BLACKFIRE Midnight Sun Paste Wax is superb.

Not as durable as a sealant but Easy on, Easy off with good depth, wetness, flake pop and glossiness.

Results on a Black Car



As for wheels your better with a sealant for durability and I've never heard anything bad about the Gtechniq range. Also Wolfs chemicals 'Rim Shield' is superb stuff.

[NickP]

A pic of mine in SG with Polished Bliss's Project Awesome sealant applied, tbh alot of the work is down to the prep, you can make a really good wax/sealant look bad with a poorly prep'd & contaminated car, and equally you can make a run of the mill wax/sealant look really good with the right preparation work.
I hardly use any waxes any more - all sealants -the above plus Zaino, Werkstat, Wolfs, Gloss It etc..

[B005T3D-G]

Originally Posted by Triggster

Black Glaze is a glaze, to be put on after polishing but before a sealant, which is then covered by a layer of wax.

I use R222 wax and FinishKare 1000P sealant. Might try Collinite 476 when my wax is gone although by then there will probably be something better at the rate Im going through it.

OH GOOD SHOUT!!

I'd forgot about FK 1000P.

Excellent all rounder which can be layered over a glaze, durable and heat resistant making it perfect for wheels too. Definitely the way forward if your looking for a 'One tin does all'.

[Palmnuts]

Sorry but I have to disagree with the G-Techiq recommendation - I have very recent personal experience of this product and it does not deserve the reputation it seems to have earned itself over on Detailing World.

I had it professionally applied to my XKR by the guy who did the wet sending job on my M3 - to see this guys ability, see this thread on his work on my M3. The finish when he applied G-Techniq to my XKR was disappointing to say the least - the effect was milky and far from a deep shine, it didn't bead that well and the paint wasn't as smooth as with other products I've used. I was so disappointed that I've just had it removed and instead applied nice coat of Swissvax Shield (which is a PTFE coating giving a ridiculously smooth finish) followed by a coat of Swissvax Best of Show for a really deep shine....the finish is now lovely!

As for G-Techniq, it's not even the sealant (their C1 product) that I have a problem with - their rain repellants (G-series products) are equally as disappointing and, whilst no worse than other brands, it's harder to apply for no apparent benefit over say, a Halfords, Turtle Wax or Comma brand of rain repellant.

After trying a huge range of brands, both of the Swissvax products mentioned are in my opinion the very best coatings you can apply but with Best of Show costing £195/pot, you'd expect that (it's also remarkably easy to apply). Shield is more reasonably priced at less than half that price but still a good 8x the price of your average wax! If you can justify a pot of Shield, this is what I'd recommend but if that is too much then I would recommend Collinite 915 Marque d'Elegance which is hard wearing, gives a nice smooth finish and a deep shine. It's still not cheap at around £20/pot but it's practically a give away compared to the Swissvax stuff. It is not that easy to apply though - you need to do no more than one or two panels at a time to ensure it doesn't stay on the paintwork for too long otherwise you will be rubbing very hard and for very long to get it off!

On the subject of car care products (other than wax), I have to say that I am very impressed with BMW's own brand stuff. Yep....bet you'd never have thought that!

As an example, I have been using Valet Pro Bilberry and Wolfs Chemicals wheel cleaner recently (both of which were OK but IMO not as good as Autoglym Custom Wheel Cleaner)....that was until I ran out of the stuff at the weekend. The only thing I had 'in stock' was some BMW wheel cleaner 'gel' (which still sprayed on) that I got for free when I bought one of those pesky BMW's a few years ago (it clinched the deal on the 135i ) And WOW....it's probably the best wheel cleaner I've used - it sprays and sticks to the wheel and really cleans the dirt very well. In fact, it's better than the 135i was Also, I've been using BMW's own-brand car shampoo because I was led to believe that a lot of squeaking door seals on frameless windows are caused by additives in car wash products. The BMW stuff is apparently designed specifically not make seals squeak and not only does this appear to be true (no squeaky seals on my Jaguar) but it just seems to be a great car wash.

[fulcrum]

R222 CONCOURS LOOK CARNAUBA WAX for summer

Auto Finesse Spirit for long duration

[Palmnuts]

Well, as everyone is posting pics of their shiny-mobiles, I feel left out.....








Some are more recent than others, all are just straight after a Swissvax application.

[fulcrum]

I have been using Auto Finesse Mint rims as a wheel sealant - pretty good. A gentle wipe and all is clean again.
i would put some Wetglaze 2, AF Rejuvenate or Prima Amiga under the wax.

[B005T3D-G]

That is a lovely Jag mate

[Kerr]

This is the finish I got after using SRP and then the G3 hard wax.

It is very oily and goes on and off very easy leaving a very nice finish.

It is about £25 at Halfrauds but I got it as part of their buy one get one free offer recently.

[dobbo99]

if you have the space grey like me, then Id recommend some products from AutoFinesse, either tripple or preferably rejuvenate first, followed by toughcoat to seal it.
so easy to use the products, and they do seem to last. this will get you the dark and sharp finish that NickP has in his photo above.

if you want something quick and easy from Halfrauds, then something like the G3 stuff mentioned, or the Autoglym aqua wax will do you no harm.

[Dannyrado]

I have to admit that i've never bought into the whole expensive wax thing. I've won shows in the past with the cheaper alternatives, which can be brilliant. Poorboy's natty's paste wax, chemical guys hardcore paste wax, and the R222 carnuba.

Go for something with the highest % carnuba. I get my stuff from www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

It is ALL in the prep though, snow foam, a good wash (2 bucket method), Claying or autoglym SRP, then 2 layers of wax.

Since everyones posting picture's it would be rude not too:

[wezzie]

Originally Posted by wezzie

Can any one recomend a decent car body and wheel wax, or a complete make over kit, car is dark grey,not that it should make any diference does it?.
Poor boys,colonite,maguires any one had any first hand dealings with these or may be some other products? thanks in advance.

thanks for all your pics and advice.what is srp? and what would you suggest a really good start to finish proccess would be??

[fulcrum]

Originally Posted by wezzie

thanks for all your pics and advice.what is srp? and what would you suggest a really good start to finish proccess would be??

I would

rinse
pressure wash with APC
rinse
snow foam
rinse
remove decontamination (iron and tar) - try TRIX
rinse and or snow foam again
clay
rinse
polish
cleanse with IPA
wax glaze - 2 coats
use a sealant C1+ and C1.5 (two coats of the later)
wax - 2 coats.
seal alloys

Interior, glass and engine bay - yet more work.

What is Autoglym Super Resin Polish (SRP)?
SRP is probably one of the most popular products from Autoglym.
It is a lightly abbrasive polish with a lot of fillers and it also contains a light sealant.

[davyk31]

SRP = Autoglym Super Resin Polish

[335iLondon]

Collinite Marque de E for ME!

I used to use the crappy Simonz stuff but since trying this Collinite out I am converted.

As per Palmnuts warning, do not leave it on for more than a 3-4mins or the bloody stuff is rock hard. But its a display of how hard wearing it is.

I would also make sure you apply a few thin coats, i know it seems like more effort, but after many attempts i have found 2-3 cots kept the car looking fresh for a a good few weeks.

[seanblee]

Originally Posted by Palmnuts

Sorry but I have to disagree with the G-Techiq recommendation - I have very recent personal experience of this product and it does not deserve the reputation it seems to have earned itself over on Detailing World.

I had it professionally applied to my XKR by the guy who did the wet sending job on my M3 - to see this guys ability, see this thread on his work on my M3. The finish when he applied G-Techniq to my XKR was disappointing to say the least - the effect was milky and far from a deep shine, it didn't bead that well and the paint wasn't as smooth as with other products I've used. I was so disappointed that I've just had it removed and instead applied nice coat of Swissvax Shield (which is a PTFE coating giving a ridiculously smooth finish) followed by a coat of Swissvax Best of Show for a really deep shine....the finish is now lovely!

Interesting - I've applied C1+ to my car and haven't seen any of your issues. It doesn't feel as slick when it's first applied, but after a few days, it's like glass. It's also not designed to bead water - the product's set up to make water sheet and run off, taking dirt with it. The C1.5 silo seal on top makes it bead a bit more without taking away the self-cleaning properties, which do actually work. The other big benefit on my Monaco Blue is that it's much harder than the paint, so keeps swirls at bay even when I can't wash it properly thanks to the hosepipe ban.

[Reggie-g75]

Around the £50 mark, Naviwax ultimate, Raceglaze 55.... ??

Could go for a nice sealant - AF tough coat?

A nice spray sealant - zaino z8?

Remember it's all in the prep.......