Polishes/wax

[000DNK]

FW1 racing formula...best by far, spray on wipe off leave car looking hell good. my dads panel shop uses it and i can see why

[4door_Sleeper]

FW1 racing formula...best by far, spray on wipe off leave car looking hell good. my dads panel shop uses it and i can see why

FW1 is just another waterless car polish, nothing that special.

It wont remove any blemishes, and being waterless I'd expect it to add fine swirl marks.

Save your money and use a bucket and soapy water.

[jenkies]

Try using Mequires Tech Wax! It gives you a deep glossy shine.

++++++ten

this stuff is awesome i also reccomend it!! used it before a show and shine and left ma beast gleaming

peace

[000DNK]

everyone to there own, i like it maily for the convienace. i mean with all tehse water retrictions to these days. a waterless wash seems the way to go.

Edited March 17, 2008 by 000DNK

[SS8_Gohan]

FW1 racing formula...best by far, spray on wipe off leave car looking hell good. my dads panel shop uses it and i can see why

YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :( :wacko: :wacko:

it what capacity is he using it in? as a wash? or as some sort of weird wax/protection at the end?

[4door_Sleeper]

everyone to there own, i like it maily for the convienace. i mean with all tehse water retrictions to these days. a waterless wash seems the way to go.

I understand why people are concerned about using too much water to wash a car (because you have swallowed the governments spin hook line and sinker - how can a planet with 2/3 of its surface covered in water have water shortages - really.)

I thought this thread is about maintaining/restoring the paint finish on your car and getting the best shine possible. I dont believe any top quality car detailer would touch waterless treatments. The reallity is that the water prevents further damage to the paint when it both acts as a lubricant (with additional ingredients added) and carries away the contaminants safely.

Some people like to wash their cars with dishwashing liquid or hair shampoo, I dont have a problem with this as long as they dont try to do it to mine.

[NoFX_Hardcore]

I used Meguiars NXT Tech Wax today...

Car came up absolutely great.

Even the carbon fibre bonnet looks amazing. Kinda brought out the damage in the photo I took so I won't post that up lol. Looks much better in real life though.

[Cpt. Rock]

Big thanks to all for the experiences.

I didn't really know where to start (other than the pure basics) and with so much product on the shelf these days claiming the "miracle" shine.

I finally got time to clean up the 1995 R33 since I got it a few weeks ago (Super Red). I was very happy with the following (but if I can do it smarter, please let me know)

Meg's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner

Meg's Quik Clay Detailing System

Meg's Color X

Meg's Deep Crystal Polish

Meg's NXT Generation Tech Wax Liquid

(I found using a terry towel or Enjo Mit worked very well in removing the wax without a complete arm workout)

Pollyglaze Invisible Glass

Rainx

and

Meg's Nxt Generation Speed Detailer between

When this runs out I'll try the AutoGlym range, just to have a look see.

[Marko R1]

yes there are many options out there - from what ive read on this thread my decision has come down to meguires OR autoglym

[Marko R1]

i just used tech wax and i found it was no better then autoglym and its hard to get off and leaves steaks took me ages to make it look decent

actually i think autoglym sounds better now i dont want to work my arms too much (the gym is enough for me)

[R31Heaven]

Just as reference This my commodore and it black I am now using the Mother Glaze & sealant and their California gold wax and are getting good results. I have being doing some research and will be giving a few other products a trail soon, some Poorboys and Zainos sealants any way here is a pics of the dunny door with 3 layers of Sealant an 1 of wax. I am happy with the result. Will post back when I try the poorboys gear

Edited April 27, 2008 by R31Heaven

[Piggaz]

Poorboys world

Brilliant

i use the "professional polish (bitch to get off), follwed by the EX sealant, then with the nattys paste wax"

[turbo_brian]

HAven't read much past the first page of the thread, because it wasn't really showing signs of promise.....

Anyway, I used to do on/off work for a company called Final Inspection, who where doing detailing for Mercedes at the 2006 Australian International Motorshow, the Melbourne International Motorshow, and Brisbane as well (I only did work for AIMS in Sydney).

This comapny is one of the best detailing companies in Australia, he specialises on not only the crazy priced high-end exotics, but also works on your every-day cars such as Nissan, Toyota, Mitsibishi, Suzuki, etc.

He not only details the cars, but sells a very promising range of product for detailing, and provides demostrations on how to make the most of the product.

His products are custom-blended to his specifications, and are some of the best you can get for a reasonable price in Australia.

I use P21s wax on my cars, it doesn't do much more than add a wet-look and decent protection to the car's finish, but then wax isn't designed to modify the look of a car, it's designed to protect the appearance and paintwork of the car.

My usual day of detailing goes something like:

- gently rinse car with watering can (water restrictions here in Syd)

- apply non-suds detergent with lamb's woll mit and use long straight sweeping action to wash off more stubburn dirt.

- Use watering can to rinse off soapy water and use a technique to also 'wash' the water off.

- Now that car is almost dry, I use a Waffle Weave style chamois to dry the rest of the car leaving it perfectly dry.

- Feel the paint gently to see if it's smooth or has imperfections.

- If imperfections are felt, I use Meguiars quick detail and a clay-bar to remove the imperfections in the paint and then Waffle weave to dry the car again.

- Now I use a Final Inspection polish and panel by panel use polish on, polish off to polish entire car and give it a lustful gleme.

- Now I use Nano clean and Nano seal to bring out the colour and shine of the paintwork, it's not a cheap product, but when used, it makes a MASSIVE difference on the paintwork, and it's also that secret step that brings a dull paintwork back to sparkling life.

- After Nano Seal, I use the P21s and apply again in a panel by panel wax on, wax off technique to apply over the entire car.

After doing the P21s, I allow it to sit overnight (usually dark at this point anyways) and the Wax gently bonds nicely with the paintwork while it sits.

Next Morning I go over the car with a duster or dusting brush to remove any dust that has fallen on the car fromt he night before, and I apply a 2nd coat of P21s wax to the car for a 2nd and longer lasting seal to the shine and paintwork.

The usual result is the car goes from having minor scratchs, possible swirl marks, and obviously dirty to having a mirror like shine, cleaming, and looking better than show-room condition.

Notes: Do NOT use polish (or any abrassives) on glass, as it finely scratches the glass, and then dirt gets trapped causing the windows to turn to shit over time. DO wax and otherwise treat the glass the same as the rest of the car.

Only polish the car when required, as polishing removes paintwork in very fine layers, eventually leaving no paintwork left to polish.

When polishing/waxing/Nano cleaning and Sealing, do it panel by panel, that way the chemicals are not exposed to the elements of the atmosphere and reacting with these elements instead of your paintwork like they are designed to do.

I am pushing to see if I can get Damian from Final Inspection to come up to Sydney for a week and do a detailing week where he details cars for members, but he may also be able to hold a detailing workshop, bring some product up and sell it, but otherwise you can look on his website for products, and he is more than happy to box and mail to you.

B.

[SS8_Gohan]

mate, for someone who supposedly use to work at FI, you've got some rather erroneous info there...

known Damian only for 2 years now (did a Stage 2 on my R34 in 06) but have read and tried to learn as much from him/D.A. since. Have you been to the new 'Tique?

I agree this thread was a little off when it started, but if you read some of my posts, i tried to set things right slightly.

Firstly, the wash technique.

- FI uses Aquatouch Micro Fibre wash mitts (same as what i use)

- Pre-rinse stage is very important, i agree, but this should be done in the following steps. 1) water rinse to wet the car, 2) application of diluting car shampoo solution to car (spray pack is handy for this), 3) rinse this off, this should remove most/all of the loose debris on the car.

- NOW you can start washing. A rinse bucket i've found is practically ESSENTIAL to give the best chance of leaving the clear/paintwork unmarked.

- You are correct with the washing motion described, no circular motions, no overlapping strokes.

- The Aquatouch MF mitts allow you to flip the mitt, so you can do a bit more of the cars panels without going back to rinse. I generally do the roof 1 side, bonnet 2nd side, rinse, boot lid 1 side, and then rinse again (flat panels done)

- Best for the rinse water to be warm as this allows the most dirt to be released from the MF fibres

- I apply the car shampoo via a spray pack/bottle of sorts, so i spray as i go along, on each panel. Avoid use of another bucket of water/shampoo

- Now rinse again

- And yep, now waffle weave drying towel (MF) to dry

Clay as necessary, i know described a 'detailing routine' but for those that might be a little confused, definitely no need to clay every wash.

FI sell clay magic blue claybars mostly, a recommends QEW as a lube solution (diluted). Clay magic make a red bar, but that's for some serious correction work, and will marre the paint.

Waffle weave after claying would not be recommended as the claybar/QD leaves a residue behind that can be detrimental to both the paint correction and wax stage. You should either wash the car again after cleaning, or use a 50:50 alcohol wipe solution to remove all clay residue.

AFAIK FI does not have it's own polishes. They sell Menzerna polishes which are the best you can get. Again, the polishes i use and what the boys at FI would use mostly. (Rarely, an Optimum polish product might be used)

95% the polish would be applied/worked via a machine. For enthusiasts this would predominantly be a Random Orbital (RO) or for the more serious people, and Rotex style maching like the Festool ones (beautiful but $$, multiple mode machine). Edge buffing pads are also used, some of the best pads there as well. Can be bought from FI.

Polishing is a WHOLE other section to describe.

AFTER POLISHING YOU MUST WASH THE CAR OR AT LEAST ALCOHOL WIPE DOWN!! You CANNOT jump straight to the LSP without the application process/results being compromised.

Prep is what brings a paintwork back from it's dull life, not sealants of LSP. Your claying and polishing should be 95% of that final look. The reason FI detailed cars look so fantastic is the amount of PREP that goes into them, even if they are applying a $18,000 wax, the vast majority of the final look is achieved via the prep. Prep is absolute key.

Agree, the Nano Twins are a good product. And perfect for those cars that live outdoors and take some punishment, but as a sealant only the look can be a little lacking, so doing what you did by layering P21s over the top is ideal for a look/protection combo.

Allowing a Carnauba based wax to cure in the sun is the best way to achieve greater depth and warmth. Not allows possible due to weather, but if it can be done, do it. Leave the car in the sun for a little while with the new wax layer. All waxes need time to cure, applying the next day is possibly a waste of time as may not have allowed enough hours for the first application to have cured. Curing time differs, not sure of the recommended time for P21s.

DUSTER/DUSTING BRUSH/CALIFORNIA DUSTER/PARAFFIN DUSTER ARE AN ABSOLUTE NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! These things are the work of the devil!! They WILL scratch your paintwork not matter how "soft" they may feel to your hand. NEVER EVER, i repeat, NEVER use one of these on your car.

If you're going to layer a wax, WASH the car first, THEN wax. But the best way to layer a wax is just do it at your weekly wash. That way, each layer has time to cure and set, before applying the next layer.

Polishing a window IS FINE! Damian recommends IP on Green, and that's what i do. clay the window, wash, IP on green, alcohol wipe down, wax. Look absolutely BRILLIANT afterwards.

Glass will not be scratched by a Menz IP polish on an Edge green pad. To remove scratches from glass is a VERY intensive process with some VERY harsh products. Use paint products on glass will increase clarity and shine, it won't remove imperfections. May help with water etchings, but not always.

Piggaz a polish broken down properly, and used correctlly, should not be hard to remove

/end essay

[fuzzy_scuz]

Tough seal

[turbo_brian]

known Damian only for 2 years now (did a Stage 2 on my R34 in 06) but have read and tried to learn as much from him/D.A. since. Have you been to the new 'Tique?

I have been a customer of Damian's for the last 5 yrs on and off with 3 different cars.

Depending on the product depends on the usage, but it's been that long since he held a sydney workshop that I do admit my details might be a touch sketchy!!

AFAIK FI does not have it's own polishes. They sell Menzerna polishes which are the best you can get. Again, the polishes i use and what the boys at FI would use mostly. (Rarely, an Optimum polish product might be used)

Below is a direct quote from the keyboard of Damian Angelucci Himself, make up your own mind on the products he uses from this quote:

To all the peple wondering why my work is 'so

expensive', well it isn't, I charge less than other high-end detailers in Australia.

But FI is the very best in the country and the services are world-class.

Not because we detail expensive cars, but because my 12 years exp in my specialised industry and the use of the best tools equipment, chemical (mostly manufactured exclusively to my spec)is quality.

To me, this says the products he uses are to HIS specifications, as I mentioned originaly

Detailing is something that takes care and an eye for the small things as well as the big things, it's amazing what a difference a detail can make when you do EVERYTHING, as opposed to only do most of the job. (imagine washing the entire car, and leaving the tires filthy, it just wouldn't work).

B.

Edited May 6, 2008 by turbo_brian

[SS8_Gohan]

coming soon are an FI developed sealant and QD booster (booster for LSP, not designed as a QD for claying)

And of course there are the shampoo products, the wheel cleaner and general purpose cleaner. These are indeed FI products, but Damian has never mentioned using a Menz polish that has been altered to his spec.

Menzerna make the best polishes in the world as they are the only ones to have uniform sized abrasives (1 micron) which is critical in achieving a good result. These days he pretty much exclusively uses Menz polishes, and i would highly doubt they custom make polishes, and he has never mentioned a custom Menz polish

He thinks they're the best, so he sticks with them. On the other hand, he does play around with some sealants, booster QD's etc, with a chemist.

The "quote" does not mention polishes at all

[turbo_brian]

The "quote" does not mention polishes at all

Correct, and I never said he custom blends polishes either.

What I said was "His products are custom-blended to his specifications"

I apologise for not being specific enough and saying his wheel cleaner, glass cleaner, QD, etc and I apologise for any confusion caused for this.

B.

[Wacky Dee]

tried that Mequire ScratchX today to try and take out some very fine scratches/swirls on a black r34 ... the stuff doesn't do shit.

[turbo_brian]

Try swirl remover, better than scratchX, but with a bit of elbow grease, and once you get through the wax left on the paintwork, you will get some difference from scratchX as well.

B.