Hand polishing.

[bneville]

I was interested in seeing what may be the best procedure in cleaning my exterior paint & what you may feel is the best polish for hand waxing my car.  63 230sl. Light beige. Thank you,

[Jonny B]

Oh boy, lots of opinions here. A fair amount depends on the current condition of the paint. If in decent shape, try a fine hand polish (I use Griots, but there are quite a number out there, but use something pretty fine). Try it in an unseen section to gauge how it might affect the paint - ie. does the cloth come away in body color?? If the paint is in good condition, the very fine hand polishes (AutoGlym is another I have used) should do a very nice job. Just take that part slow and easy. My 280 SL has a couple of panels that were painted early in its life, and the paint there is a bit iffy, so I generally just use wax. The original panels are holding up well.

Then you can use clay to clean off the finish (this has been mentioned on the site - so the search function should yield some comments). It is amazing as to how much stuff the clay picks up from the finish. After using the clay (again, a number of manufacturers have this - I have used Griot's) the finish is as smooth as glass, and rubbing your hand over the parts you have not used the clay on is night/day.

Once done, use a good wax (again, your preference, here I have used Zymol products). And get out there and enjoy.

Generally I do the clay once a year, wax maybe twice.

[Iconic]

I strongly agree, clay is fantastic, but I believe the order should be:
Wash
Clay
Polish or Swirl Mark remover
Wax

Of course this is just MHO.
There are many variables, so I don't know if anyone can tell you what the best polish and wax is for your car, or any other car.
Pick a high quality product and try it.
Note: The product you buy at a discount store might not be the same as a product by the same manufacturer purchased at an auto-part or auto paint store.

[Jonny B]

Good clarification. Definitely wash the car first, or the clay will pick up LOTS of dirt and crud, you will be amazed. I have mostly switched over to the waterless car wash (Griots again - and no I don't get any kickback). Have fun, and this really is one of those times, when you can see the results quite quickly.

[thelews]

I just clay during the wash using the soapy water for lubricant.

[dseretakis]

I wash, clay, polish, wax.  For polish, I like Meguiars No.7 Show Car Glaze.

[thelews]

I wash, clay, polish, wax.  For polish, I like Meguiars No.7 Show Car Glaze.

Show Car Glaze is not polish.  Polish is an abrasive (of varying degree), glaze is a filler, much like wax.  Some folks glaze, others wax.  For a well cared for car that has been polished to the desired level, wash and wax/glaze alone should be enough.  For a car that's used more regularly, clay can do the job.  If the paint oxidizes, has scratches, signs of other abrasion, stains, etc. that mar the finish, then a polish, to abrade and smooth the surface is needed.

[49er]

In my car's early days I used Blue Coral, first the polish then the little jar that had the pure carnauba wax. Did a pretty good job and smelled good but was a lot of work. Later on I used NuFinish and now I have found Turtle  Wax "Ice" works fine. The car was always covered when parked at work, washed regularly, and spent it's life in a dry garage (covered as well) so the paint never oxidized and is still like new. I did "clay" it last year but didn't pick up much.

John

[dseretakis]

Show Car Glaze is not polish.  Polish is an abrasive (of varying degree), glaze is a filler, much like wax.  Some folks glaze, others wax.  For a well cared for car that has been polished to the desired level, wash and wax/glaze alone should be enough.  For a car that's used more regularly, clay can do the job.  If the paint oxidizes, has scratches, signs of other abrasion, stains, etc. that mar the finish, then a polish, to abrade and smooth the surface is needed.

Yes, I was wondering why it doesn't say polish on the packaging.  It does remove oxidation and smooth out the finish better than wax.  I've been waxing over the glaze now for many years with nice results.  Is this wrong procedure?  The glaze leaves any unbelievably nice shine.

[thelews]

Yes, I was wondering why it doesn't say polish on the packaging.  It does remove oxidation and smooth out the finish better than wax.  I've been waxing over the glaze now for many years with nice results.  Is this wrong procedure?  The glaze leaves any unbelievably nice shine.

The glaze probably has some chemicals in it that help remove oxidants and contamination.  The glaze is a "filler" like wax.  It fills in the microscopic depressions (scratches) in the finish.  It is a level finish that produces a beautiful shine.  Both glaze and wax will accomplish this.  As time goes by, through washes and weather, the filler wears off and the depressions, interrupting an unobstructed reflection, reappear, hence the need to rewax or reglaze.  Yes, I would say wax after glaze is redundant.  I have used Mequiars #7 glaze and it's nice stuff.  I prefer P21S carnauba wax for ease of use and quality of product.  I can wax a clean car in 15 min. with it.

[mdsalemi]

Meguiars makes so many products it is mind boggling.  Hard to believe they are all for washing, enhancing (catch all phrase here) and protecting paint.  Their professional catalog is over 40 pages...and they have a consumer product line, a marine product line, and goes on and on...

The #7 Glaze is in their professional product line and may not be available over the counter at an auto parts store, but rather would be available at an auto body supply house or online.

With #7, however, they state it offers "zero" protection and you do need to protect the surface with a wax.  Just choose one of the thousands available and you'll be OK!

A lot of your choice and selection has to do with the condition of your paint.  Mine still shines like the day it was applied; it isn't weathered or oxidized (visibly at least), and the clay bar and wax work fine.  The last wax I used was a Zymol "Carbon" because that's what I had.  I have others, including some Meguiars...

[Jkalplus1]

I use Victoria Wax Collector's wax because it was given to me as a gift.  It works really well, easy to use.  Fast, and great shine.  I agree with the others, and most of the products that are sold do a good job, and you can spend the extra 20$ a bottle and try really hard to notice a difference.  Perkier water beading perhaps?  I reckon the law of diminishing returns start on a steep curve once you are past the 20$ mark.

I would put the money in getting the pain coat as smooth and swirl mark-free as possible.  If you are working with great paint, the cheap wax will look better than professional, fair-trade, small-batch, single cask albino carnuba wax on a sub-par paint job.

[dseretakis]

So I've been doing it correctly afterall   BTW, #7 Show Car Glaze is now available at some Walmarts at a really nice price!

Meguiars makes so many products it is mind boggling.  Hard to believe they are all for washing, enhancing (catch all phrase here) and protecting paint.  Their professional catalog is over 40 pages...and they have a consumer product line, a marine product line, and goes on and on...

The #7 Glaze is in their professional product line and may not be available over the counter at an auto parts store, but rather would be available at an auto body supply house or online.

With #7, however, they state it offers "zero" protection and you do need to protect the surface with a wax.  Just choose one of the thousands available and you'll be OK!

A lot of your choice and selection has to do with the condition of your paint.  Mine still shines like the day it was applied; it isn't weathered or oxidized (visibly at least), and the clay bar and wax work fine.  The last wax I used was a Zymol "Carbon" because that's what I had.  I have others, including some Meguiars...

[thelews]

So I've been doing it correctly afterall  BTW, #7 Show Car Glaze is now available at some Walmarts at a really nice price!

I don't think it's a matter of right/wrong.  Attached is a picture of the instructions.  Wax can certainly be applied after glaze.  I was explaining what the various products do.  Vince, who previously owned my car for 37 years, only used #7 when he showed the car.  Said it looked great and then wore away after a few washes, which is what "fillers" do.  Wax is similar.  Wax certainly offers greater protection from bird poop, rain, sap, tree droppings, road grime, snow, salt, etc., that glaze will not.  BTW, the terms polish and glaze are used differently by different manufacturers and end users.  Can be very confusing and I see the label uses the word polish.  To me, glaze is a filler and polish is an abrader.  Also, keep in mind, manufacturers like to upsell their products on their labels.

In the end, it's personal preference.  I've never washed my 250 SL in the 5 years I've owned it.  Just used damp rags, detailer and wax.  I drive it about 1K miles per year.

[gerster]

Beautiful car.

Greetings
Ger.

[49er]

Nice lawn too:-) Rain expected here tonight (first since June) so things might green up a bit around here too. And I agree, a beautiful 250SL.

John