hangbok

Hey guys,
I plan on detailing my car this weekend, and I have several questions... here goes..

1. I noticed that when wax dries on the black plastic parts of our car, it turns white, is there any solution out there that would get rid of the white residue?
2. I know that you buff the wax on, but do you also buff it off using a buffer?
3. Inbetween layers of wax, should i use a quick detailer to clean the dry wax flakes? What should i do to get rid of the flakes?
4. Currently i use megiuars leather cleaner/conditioner, is there anything that cleans better that i can buy at a local auto shop?
5. same goes for the dash cleaner? Whats a good product that i can purchase from the local auto shop?

Thanks, I know most of these questions were asked before, I looked through out the forum.. and i just oculdn't find it. I hope you guys can help me out.. thanks.

DarkWraith33

1. They sell "restorer" for that that I've seen for really bad places... But I've found that if you get the wax off right away it does not leave a lasting mark. Just a towel and a rub. I'm pretty careful about that but what little I have missed immediately has come off with 303/Vinylex.

2. I stick to hand application... I'll defer...

3. I've had the wax dust you mention as well, but I'm pretty sure it was from me applying too much wax. Gotta stretch it thin and the dust goes down significantly. A wipe with QD should be OK, use your blower, a wipe of a dry MF towel... WHatever works for you. Point being, you shouldn't have tons of "flakes" or dust.

4. I've used the Megs and have just switched to the Lexol leather conditioner... Very happy with it.

5. Search for "303 Aerospace Protectant"... It's THE BEST. Vinylex is my backup if I'm out of 303.

Anthony Orosco

1) Stop waxing the black parts of your car. Wax about an inch away from those parts and when you buff off the residue some wax will be pushed up around those areas....OR....use a wax that doesn't contain solvents and such and you won't have to worry about it. To remove some of the wax residue you may now have use some peanut butter with a soft toothbrush or towel, wipe in and remove then have a sandwhich.

2) Using a buffer to apply a paste wax is pointless in my humble opinion.

3) Why are you layering wax? It is counter productive, it does nothing for you or your paint. Companies claim you can layer paste and creme waxes because they want you to use more which means more sales for them. One coat is fine.

4) Go to SAMS CLUB or COSTCO and buy a large gallon size of Woolite handwashable laundry detergent and mix that 6 parts water to 1 part Woolite, keep it in a spray bottle and use that as your all around interior cleaner. To protect I have found nothing that beats Optimum Protectant Plus, which can't be bought at store but you can find it on-line at places like Top Of The Line, Autogeek and also the Optimum website.

5) For the dash and everything interior.....again the Woolite mixture

Anthony

joerockt

For #1, I've found that S100 will not leave any residue behind...

exceldetail

[QUOTE=hangbok]Hey guys,
I plan on detailing my car this weekend, and I have several questions... here goes..

1. I noticed that when wax dries on the black plastic parts of our car, it turns white, is there any solution out there that would get rid of the white residue? Stoners (Usually available at local auto parts store) makes a trim restorer, as well as Poorboys World. PB, as Anthoney has elayed to, will also remove (I just dont care for the PB smell around my car.
2. I know that you buff the wax on, but do you also buff it off using a buffer? Usually while polishing, you would apply additional pressure, but not during the waxing/sealing stage.
3. Inbetween layers of wax, should i use a quick detailer to clean the dry wax flakes? What should i do to get rid of the flakes? What flakes?? Wax isnt really layerable, it more or less floats on the surface. It does deteriorate rather rapidly though, so as opossed to layering, your just applying additional protection, in what is previously applied. The petroleum products that make your wax usable, will break down any wax on the surface, and just incorporate it into the fresh wax.
4. Currently i use megiuars leather cleaner/conditioner, is there anything that cleans better that i can buy at a local auto shop? You might want to go with adedicated leather cleaner, or as Anthony said, a mild deterent.
5. same goes for the dash cleaner? Whats a good product that i can purchase from the local auto shop? Use an APC, that has been properly diluted, usually 10/15:1.

hangbok

Thanks guys, That answered most of my questions. One more last question..=)...
I know that a couple of layers of polish is good (i'm thinking about 3).. then how many layers of wax should i use? Since I have a full bottle of Meguiars Liquid Wax, the part3 of the 3 stage products, i'll be using that. Thanks again for the quick replies.

Anthony Orosco

hangbok,

My comments here may get some disagreement from others but who told you that several layers or applications of polish is good?

If it is a polish with cleaning properties would it then not clean off the first application? Now if you are seeking to "correct" paint then I can see where one may want to view their results and if not satisfied they may re-apply the polish but unless you are using a machine polisher you won't be doing a whole lot of correcting by hand. So applying polish on top of polish is redundant.

Same with wax, as already explained now, the solvents used in waxes, paste and creme, will replace the first layer applied. It is an urban myth that multiple layers will some how build up protection, add tons of gloss, yadda yadda yadda. This is based on science and not subjective opinion. Every chemist I speak with that dabbles in car protection has told me this. Now if your car wax does not contain solvents or abrasives then it can be layered.

Anthony

DarkWraith33

That being said, and I agree, keep in mind that multiple coats of synthetic sealant (Zaino, BlackFire, etc...), as opposed to traditional carnuba wax, ARE good for some better protection, more even coverage and better looking results...

And as for polish, I've always been told to use the least abrasive polish to achieve the results you are looking for. As my car is newer, I've only used very mild polishes to not only remove the old wax, but to remove and dull down a few very minor swirl marks I had.

Anthony Orosco

Yeah....I agree BUT the other side to this claim is that synthetics are oils and oils can't be layered or layed down on top of another oil. One chemist said if I lay down oil on this table and apply more it doesn't build up but rather it.....(here he used some fancy word that I can't recall )

So I personally see "layering" as something I would do only to ensure complete coverage. One can also look at it like this - it's not going to hurt anything if you layer......other than your pocket book

Anthony

DarkWraith33

Tell the above to our friends with 10+ (some with 30+) coats of Zaino on their cars... Damn... They'd be torqued! I am quite sure layering sealants is 100% a productive endeavour.

I use Blackfire and will reaplly a single coat every 3-4 months... FWIW.

racer77

Guys,

Just thought to let you know that I have tried most waxes and believe it or not I have had good results with F21 wax made by turtlewax. Any of you had the same results?

Anthony Orosco

Turtle, schmurtle......that's fine. It's all in the prep of the paint. Do a great job at that and any wax will be OK.

A wax is just a sacrificial barrier between your polished paint and the elements.

Anthony

TOGWT

Layering:
Some specialty paint protection systems can be layered to increase protection and paint appearance, systems must cure or cross-link prior to application of subsequent coats. Depending on the product type, cure times vary from a few hours to days. By applying another product on top of one that has already cross-linked you can increase its density (up to a point) the thin film of product that's applied isn't really another layer. Two to four cross-linked (cured) applications are usually considered optimum

Wax- two coats to ensure even coverage, a wax cures (hardens when the solvents have vaporised ) usually takes 25-45 mins then you can apply the second coat (ensure that there are no solvents left by doing a smear test otherwise the solvents in the second coat will remove the first)

Polymers- also contain solvents and by the nature of this product they need to vaporise and then its needs to cross-link (this is time dependant and quite separate from the drying process)

While I will agree that you cannot layer oil; polymers do not contain oils (the reason you need to ensure that the surface you apply it to is cleaned and oil free (as the presence of oil or water inhibits the cross-linking process of a polymer or linking together of the chains (monomers or building blocks) to form a ‘structure’ by acting as a barrier and will compromise its strength, durability, cross-linking and adherence).
JonM

racer77

Anthony, I think you'r right, there is no point is spending loads of money of high-tech waxes, when turlewax works just as good, but cheaper. I definitly recommend F21.