Polish/Wax By Hand

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NCSpeed3

New member
So wow, been reading and reading on here over the last week or so and I have learned quite a bit but it seems every time I find what I think is the right product for me, I click another thread and find something else that sounds better! lol



I currently have a True Red MazdaSpeed3 and am looking for a new polish/wax combo. I've been using NXT2.0 as my wax and it's fine but I think a good polish would go along ways to getting the look I want.



I'm going to be doing this by hand so I'm looking for a good polish/wax combo that goes on and comes off well obviously.



I've considered the Klasse polish, HD Uno/Proxy, Wolfgang, etc. etc. and they all sound good but given what you know now, which would you prefer (obviously not just from those few I listed)?



Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.
 
I "polished" my car with Klasse AIO by hand.



I purchased the Flex 2 weeks later.



..........nuff said.
 
I too have a red car. It's not as new as yours (2000) but the paint probably looks as good! I buffed the ENTIRE car out with ScratchX to remove oxidation and imperfections, sealed with Poorboys EXP, and waxed with a combo of Natty's Red and Autoglym HD.



I would highly suggest the ScratchX. It just worked so well, powering through the oxidation and imperfections from a long Nebraska salty winter.



Good luck!





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I can even think about how much time would be involved in polishing a car by hand. Do yourself a favor and buy or borrow a DA and some pads.
 
NCSpeed3- Welcome to Autopia.



OK, add me to the list....if you can *possibly* afford a polisher, buy one and do things that way. Seriously.



If that's simply not possible, you'll have to be careful as doing stuff by hand, both effectively and efficiently, is a tall order indeed!



The good news is that the paint on your car is supposedly fairly easy to work with.



KAIO isn't nearly aggressive enough for use as a "polish". It's more like a "synthetic cleaner-wax". If you think that's all you need (no real scratches/swirls/"marring" to correct), then I'd go with a slightly different product along those lines- either Zaino's All In One ("ZAIO"), which has a little mild abrasive polish added in or Autoglym Super Resin Polish ("SRP"), which is almost as functionally nonabrasive as the Klasse but does a *much* better job of concealing any little/shallow/mild marring you might have.



Either can be topped with the wax of your choice (I'd probably recommend Collinite) or even a sealant (I'd recommend FK1000P).



The Scratch-X would be good if you have more significant marring. OR...1Z brand Paint Polish ("1ZPP") might be a good choice if you plan to correct (i.e., remove marring from) the whole car by hand. But man, that'd be a workout! One nice thing about the 1Z PP leaves a little wax behind, so you can polish one day, and then not have to do the waxing until after the next wash. Don't try to use a sealant over top of 1Z PP, just use a wax (again, Collinite is good, and it lasts a LONG time).



So...decide if you can possibly afford a polisher. And/then decide how much correction you need to do. THEN you'll have a better idea what products to concentrate on.



If *I* were doing it by hand, I'd either use 1Z PP (if it's marred a bit) topped with Collinite or SRP (if no significant marring), probably also topped with Collinite.
 
LOL....I am definitely in the minority here. I actually *gulp*, like doing it by hand. Yes, I'm sweating like hades when I'm done and my arm is numb but its a nice stress relief! haha



I've ALWAYS taken care of any car I have had so doing it by hand has never been an issue, its just what I've been accustomed to. As far as the paint on my current car, it is in good shape I feel. It does look good (in terms of marring) and most people would probably be completely happy with it, but as with most of the people on this forum, you are always looking for something better or the best possible look for your car.



I'm going to wash her tomorrow and I'll get a picture and post up and let the "gurus" on here tell me what they think, maybe that will help.



Now about this DA polisher, part of me says, "Yes! Go buy it dummy and save yourself hours!" but the the other part is saying "Yeah, you can probably royally screw up your paint job with that, stick to doing it by hand.". So I'm torn. I could go buy one tonight no problem but I'm nervous getting around my baby with a machine as we've all seen the horrors of someone improperly using it as you are walking through a parking lot somewhere and you just shake your head. I don't want to be THAT person! haha



Make me feel like I can use one without screwing up my baby! haha
 
If you buy a Porter Cable or something like it you will not screw your paint up at all. That is unless you hold it on the corner of your car with as much pressure you can put on it and hold it for a few minutes like that. Seriously though you should have NO worries about doing any damage to your car, it is soo easy to use them. Believe me once you use it for the first time and see what it can do in 5 minutes that would take you an hour by hand you will feel bad about not getting one sooner.



So go out and get one... NOW!



-LI 85
 
Optimum Polish II, light polish and wont nut up on you while polishing.

Duragloss 105, great affordable sealant, EZ on and EZ off.

FK 425, for between washes.

Optimum SW, once monthly to maintain slickness.
 
Atlantic Euro said:
If you're anywhere near Cary, NC, I'd be willing to meet you sometime and let you borrow my 7424XP to try it out.
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Thanks for the offer, unfortunately I'm at the base of the mountains on the other side of the state from you. But, speaking of the 7424XP, is that the model I should consider? Newb friendly and the chances of me screwing it up slim? haha



Where can you purchase these? I read one review and it said they had purchased at Lowe's which would be great as I'm all into instant gratification (not having to order and wait!).
 
a.k.a. Patrick said:
Optimum Polish II, light polish and wont nut up on you while polishing..
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Patrick- is the OPII more, uhm...Accumulator-proof than the OPI v2.0 was? I still have an unopened new bottle of that stuff just gathering dust because I disliked the first bottle so much.



NCSpeed3 said:
But, speaking of the 7424XP, is that the model I should consider? Newb friendly and the chances of me screwing it up slim? haha..
Click to expand...



IMO the biggest risk is that you'll overestimate the power of a given polisher and buy something that's not as powerful as you really oughta. Seriously....



If you stick with mild/moderate stuff (pads, products, techniques), these machines are nothing more than "a fast hand that doesn't get tired and sloppy". I had my late father up to speed with a polisher within ~15 minutes and he was in his *eighties* at the time. Better example- I lent a polisher to a (female, not that I'm sexist) friend of mine with *zero* experience (and minimal real interest in this stuff; she's all about being an accountant)...I explained the basics but didn't do any demo/instruction/etc. She took it to her Lexus and got great results right off the bat. OK, she's *smart*, but it's not like you need to be a genius to do OK (though an above-room-temp IQ is probably helpful).



Doing "pretty good" work with these machines is *EASY* if you use the right stuff. Doing more serious work takes a little, uhm...consideration. Getting *really* serious calls for more thorough understanding and some caution.



Don't worry about messing up the car; worry about buying a weaker machine than you'd really be satisfied with. If you can afford it, buy something; you'll be saying "I can't believe I put this off..."
 
I agree that porter cables are the best (and most efficient) way to go.

But I dont have the funds for one. (still a university student). What types of pads can be used by hand for correction? Could a palm polisher like this one here Jobmate Car Palm Polisher, 6-in. | Canadian Tire



be any of any use? I know I wont reach perfection but i'm id like to get close!
 
Well stated, Accumulator: "a fast hand that doesn't get tired and sloppy".

That's the nice thing about a random orbital machine. You can have no experience when you start off, and almost can't screw up the paint as you could with a rotary. But if you are hell bent on hand application, clay it first, follow with something between Scratch-X and Klasse all in one, and follow with either Klasse sealant glaze or Collinite 845, IMHO.
 
I have the products (scratch X and swirl x) but any recommendations of tools/pads to use by hand? Something that might help to make it more effective?
 
NCSpeed3 said:
LOL....I am definitely in the minority here. I actually *gulp*, like doing it by hand. Yes, I'm sweating like hades when I'm done and my arm is numb but its a nice stress relief! haha
Click to expand...



Take it from someone who polished cars by hand professionally the first 10 years I was in business. There is no substitute for a good polisher. You simply cannot polish the paint as effectively or evenly by hand as you can with a quality DA polisher and good technique. Not to mention that newer paints are a lot harder than when I started detailing full time in the mid-90s.
 
iamfadi said:
I have the products (scratch X and swirl x) but any recommendations of tools/pads to use by hand? Something that might help to make it more effective?
Click to expand...



You might make hand polishing a *little* more effective by using terry cloth, but you'll also run the risk of inducing new marring from the terry.



In your case I'd just stick to using foam "wax applicator" pads for that as IMO the risk outweighs any benefit. You need to *know* that the terry in question is OK; induce some really nasty scratches and you'll be worse off than you were originally.



I'm almost *always* in favor of using a more aggressive *product* rather than a more aggressive *application medium*. If you need more cut, I'd get some Ultimate Compound.
 
Scottwax said:
Take it from someone who polished cars by hand professionally the first 10 years I was in business. There is no substitute for a good polisher. You simply cannot polish the paint as effectively or evenly by hand as you can with a quality DA polisher and good technique. Not to mention that newer paints are a lot harder than when I started detailing full time in the mid-90s.
Click to expand...



I don't doubt a DA polisher is way more effective than doing it by hand, I've always been more worried about messing up my paint using equipment than thinking I could do a better job. haha



I still need to upload a few photos of my finish right now and get some thoughts on that.



Now I need to convince the wife that I *need* a DA polisher! haha
 
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