Waxing and Polishing ?

[cobain]

Ok this might sound dumb. What are the differences between waxing a car and polishing. I know that wax is protectant but it gets the car shiny. Then what does the polish do? the same thing? Are you supposed to polish then wax or what?

[The Sandman]

Wax doesn't last as long, or give UV protection. Some do give a great shine. It is also a PITA to 'wax' a car.

A polish, such as Zaino, has great UV protection, gives the best shine (IMO :D ),lasts a LONG time, goes on extremely thin so it is much easier to apply.

If you need anymore info Email or IM me (wcfoutsiders@aol.com)

[GregWS6'01]

Polish specifically removes swirls, light scratches, and minor clear coat inperfections. and helps do what it says, "Polish the Paint" POlishing helps create a higher shine by removing oxidation (restoring gloss). Wax will remove oxidation, but not to the extent of Polish. Wax will remove some, then end up sealing it on. Polish itself won't protect, that's what the wax is for.

[LadyWS6]

Lots of great info guys!! I would also like to add that a polish is very NON abasive whereas a wax will be harsher on the paint.

Great info but I would have to say this, Greg a good polish will protect the paint. I've been using Zaino for almost 2 years and the protection and durability is wonderful. My car sits out all day in the FL sun and is prone to all the elements of the weather and when I wash the car up and put a little of the Zaino polish on, the shine of the paint is incredible.

[img]smile.gif[/img]

[The Sandman]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by GregWS6'01:
Polish specifically removes swirls, light scratches, and minor clear coat inperfections. and helps do what it says, "Polish the Paint" POlishing helps create a higher shine by removing oxidation (restoring gloss). Wax will remove oxidation, but not to the extent of Polish. Wax will remove some, then end up sealing it on. Polish itself won't protect, that's what the wax is for.<hr></blockquote>

I agree with everything but that last sentence. [img]smile.gif[/img] Jen nailed it :D

[ April 17, 2002: Message edited by: The Sandman ]</p>

[GregWS6'01]

The reason new Polishes, ie. Zaino do protect, is because it's synthetic and has UV protection. Polishing is more abrasive because it removes more Oxidation, therefore clearing up the paint better.(You can get polish in different compounds) Wax comes in paste, liquid, or spray. Wax just puts a coat of oil on top of the paint so nothing else sticks to the paint. (Ie. Carnuba from a Braziliam Palm.) If a wax was more abrasive, then you would get better results from just waxing, but that's not the case. A good polish will give you better results. But you need wax to finish the deal. How do you polish diamonds? With an abrasive Carbon powder. It makes sense. Even though the product itself may not seem abrasive, it is more abrasive than a wax. I agree with Zaino. I use it and i love it. Nothing better.
:D

[The Sandman]

Zaino is non abrasive, I don't know who you're getting your information from.

Wax is indeed a layer of oil, but it does not keep things from getting on your paint, it attracts them! It's because the wax has a static buildup that dust and dirt is attracted to.

The last time I'm going to say this &gt; you do not need a wax to "finish" the job.

[GregWS6'01]

Yes, Wax will attract more dirt etc.....but the dirt will not get to the paint with a good coat of wax. It will dust right off.

I use Zaino, I know if it's non-abrasive or not,
my statement above said nothing about Zaino being abrasive. I stated that Zaino is synthetic. Different compounds of Polishes are more abrasive than others. I love Zaino, and to tell you the truth, I see no difference in using their Z5 or Z2. Both products get the same results on my black car.

You wanted to know where I was getting my information:
1. Personal Experience
2. HP Books by Don Taylor "Automotive Detailing" 1998 by The Berkley Publishing Group
Here's the ISBN # if you want to go to the Library of Congress and check it out.
ISBN#1-55788-288-6

[cobain]

well thanks everyone. I use maguires gold class wax, so do you think i would get better results if i bought some maguires polish and used that first? I don't need resposes that say buy Zaino. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[GregWS6'01]

since u are using Meguiars, use all their other products too....keeping the same line of products usually yields better results. Each product is formulated to act upon the other

[ April 17, 2002: Message edited by: GregWS6'01 ]</p>

[V6Bob]

Everyone is right and everyone is wrong :D

The problem is the words are used by different manufacturers to mean different things. This always was a problem, now things are nuts.

It used to be that "polish" meant a mild abrasive used to clean, smooth, and shine paint. "Cleaner" was more abrasive than "polish" and "glaze" was less abrasive than "polish". Wax was a nonabrasive product used to protect a polished surface. Meguiars still uses these words this way.

Now, some guys like Zaino use the word polish to mean a hi-tech substitute for wax, because they want to distinguish their product from wax. This makes for a lot of confusion.

If you shine up your paint with an abrasive product you do need a nonabrasive product to protect it with a top layer of stuff. But the words "polish" and "wax" don't tell you which is which anymore.

[Brian Dieckman]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by V6Bob:
Everyone is right and everyone is wrong :D

The problem is the words are used by different manufacturers to mean different things. This always was a problem, now things are nuts...<hr></blockquote>

I wondered when someone was going to clear this up. I couldn't think of a way to explain it without coming off as a d*ck.

Good job! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I won't use anything but Meguiars on dark cars. I've tried Zaino but don't really like it.

-Brian

[cobain]

so once again, if i polished my car, then waxed it, i would get the best results. And how abrasive is polish?

[V6Bob]

Meguirs has several polishes of varying degrees of abrasiveness. Abrasive polish is not better than just nonabrasive wax, unless you actually need it. If you really want to polish it with abrasive I'd try the Number 7 "glaze" first, which is pretty low in abrasive. I use it once/year on my motorcycles (I've used Zaino on the car since it was new, I see no need to use abrasive polish on it.)

The one thing that hasn't come up is claybar, which is an excellent way of really cleaning the paint. If you've never done that, I highly recommend it. Wash the car with dishwashing soap first. You want a clean car and no wax residue before you claybar. Follow the claybar instructions carefully and don't drop it on the ground (BTDT). If you then have a clean smooth finish with no visible scratches I'd skip the abrasives.

[Night Rider]

Extremely interesting topic guys. Great info. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] &lt;--- this should be archieved in the encyclopedia or tech pages.


After doing some research i found this site, w/ some interesting FAQ's:

http://waxdepot.safeshopper.com/faq.htm

[ April 20, 2002: Message edited by: Night Rider ]</p>