[i30manUK]

Just given the car its first waxing - and of course it rained!

However, this gave me the chance to take a photo of the beading. Here in the UK we can get a wax called Collinite 915. I've been using it for a couple of years now, and I tell you it's the best! It's not expensive, it goes on easily, it buffs up easily, it lasts for ages, it doesn't run down onto your window glass and it gives the most excellent deep shine.

When you're next in the market for a tin of wax I recommend that you give it a try...

[Dazzler]

Have to see if I can get my beady eyes on some...

[Shambles]

That's the effect I see quite often on mine. Too often, if you know what I mean  

I had the SupaGard paint treatment applied the day I picked her up. Hopefully I won't need to wax for a few years yet.

[EymaTeapot]

M preffered polish i Auto Glym Polish.
It is expensive but works well. It also seems to have a good reputation and is the wax of choise of a lot of the Show and Shine and summer nat entusiasts that i have spoken to.
I Polish my cars with it about every 2-3 months. It probabley does'nt need to be done so often but i enjoy keeping my car looking its best, so I tend to spoil it with lots of love.

[davet]

I concur - I also use auto-glym and it is great (was recommended to me by a Canberra body shop that specialises in Mercedes, Audis, BMWs etc).

Dave

[i30manUK]

Yeah, I use polish too (cleans most of the stubborn crap off the car) - I reckon Meguiars is good, but for a proper finish you need to apply a quality wax after the polish. Try some and you'll see what I mean.

[Hemmi]

I use Meguiars NXT Tech Wax on my car, it's great, easy to work and gives a deep darker wet shine  

[i30manUK]

I use Meguiars NTX Tech Wax on my car, it's great, easy to work and gives a deep darker wet shine  

Yeah, Meguiars NXT is good stuff.

[Lakes]

I like to wait as long as possible, b4 polishing a new car as they all use two pack paint these day's and the longer you leave it b4 polishing the better.
just keep them clean so the clear does not scratch.

[Hemmi]

WHAT’S THE BEST WAX FOR MY BRAND NEW CAR?

Any new car will require a non-abrasive wax that is safe for newer paints. Nxt Generation Tech Wax or Meguiar's Gold Class Clear Coat Liquid Wax are excellent products for new car finishes.

http://www.meguiars.com.au/Get_Schooled.htm

[tzwientjuh]

Does a car need to be waxed? Cuz I never did it with my car ...

[i30manUK]

Does a car need to be waxed? Cuz I never did it with my car ...

Yes it does - paint degenerates if left unprotected and exposed to the atmosphere. Anyway, even if it didn't, wax makes it look so nice  

[bikejockey]

Gulp! You've got to wax your car?

I don't even wash my current one - level 3 water restrictions are the best thing ever!  

[TheBunyip]

Hi All,

What follows will be Heresy to some. I respect your right to your opinion. As you know from my other posts I like to dig to form my opinions and am happy to swim up the waterfall of public opinion.

Maintaining that Showroom shine can become one of life's passions as we all know. Some simply want to maintain their transport in good condition. Others would prefer to forget it and only clean the thing when they have to. I've met several in Australia who seem to be using Drought Water Restrictions an an excuse to ignore it all.

There are forums for those who are obsessed with the perfect shine. Not for me!!

For products in the UK try http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/

In Australia try http://www.paintprotection.com.au/ They look to be importing something worth considering that is also available in the UK here http://www.glareuk.com/

I belong to the "I will do what I have to maintain the metal protection" group but never get obsessed with it all. So I looked for a paint protection system that would avoid the need to wax.

A couple of years ago I decided to give this one a whirl. http://www.5starshine.com/. The hype on the site nearly put me off but I decided that going over the top was just American and best ignored. It was a rather expensive Internet purchase from the USA for a lazy motorist who wanted to avoid waxing regularly but it DOES seems to be working.  After two years in the gentle rain that occasionally falls in the UK and driving in the salt spray of winter motorways all my ride needs is a quick wipe down with the Chamois to restore a very pleasing gleam.

Good luck with your choices.

[i30manUK]

No, I don't work for Collinite - I just woke up and looked out of the window to see the beautiful beading on the car (which was waxed nearly a month ago), so I thought I'd try to capture it in an image or two...







Despite what Bunyip says, a 20-minute waxing is well worth the effort!  . As for his '5-star' polymer sealant, bear in mind that it goes off in six months once the bottle is opened, so you can only use it once ...and if you subsequently wash the car with almost anything other than plain water you strip the stuff off anyway. It's not the technological breakthrough it's claimed to be and it's expensive for what it is. It's not bad stuff, but give me polish and wax anyday, for the warm deep shine you get.

ps - Zaino is the best, if you want to spend money and time.


edit - here are a couple of wax vs polymer links, if you're interested (the second one is a company trying to sell both, so don't expect any negativity!) - http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-4127.html
http://www.autogeek.net/qude101.html
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/detaili ... iew-s.html

[Lakes]

Gentlemen, all i use is pure clean clear cool water, i catch it from my clean roof it goes into a new clean water tank that has a pump, does not have any chemicals in it like our tap water. that Mag.... waterless wash is good too. i would not polish a new car till it is over one year old or more. my Ute is four years old has 200,000+ k's up and still shinny. i keep it in a garage wash it with water, if it gets tar on it i desolve the tar with kero ,then wash it with a good car wash detergent.
but i30manUK's car looks slippery so should help fuel economy
Cheers

[i30manUK]

Guess what the weather's like again today, Lakes...

[Lakes]

was a nice sunny weekend here, but forcast is for rain most of this week and next weekend, i don't want it to rain all week or on the weekend, as i'm entered to race next sunday and we can't race in the rain