*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***
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![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Thanks for the advice. Can you explain why you recommend the Menzerna?
What sort of results could I expect - my car has exceptionally good condition paintwork but its silver. I'd like it to be super shiney
If it the paint is in really good shape, you'll want Menzerna 85RE. It's easy to use with a long working time and it's perfect for use with a DA on BMW paint (rather than some componds where you'd be better off with a rotary)...hard clearcoat which the Menz excels at, leaves a really fantastic gloss ready for wax. I have a couple of bottles of 85RE and 203S (more cut with this so quicker to work with but less gloss), so if you are not a member of DW and want a sample gratis, just ask, rather than drop money on something you may not get on with.
To get the best results you'll need more than one product, especially if you have two cars with differing levels of correction needed. If the Z4 is ok as well, go for both the 203S and the 85RE to finish. The 203S will remove the swirls and leave it shiney, the 85RE will take it one step further and really bring it up. You'll just need some pads and you can have a go, the DA is harmless unless you go Mongo on it.
Jesus, whoosh.
I dont even clean my cars currently, i guess i should leave this to the pro's
Yea, I dont mind buying a couple of products 
Currently I use, by hand, Meguiars ScratchX, Autoglym Super Resin Polish and Meguiarsd NXT Tech Wax or some Collinite 476S.
Where do the new products fit into this process and which of my existing products will I no longer need?
How easy is all this to do, btw, and what level of risk is there? I intend to practice a few times on the rotting Mondeo.... How much of this stuff will I generally use to do a car? Ie - do I need a 250ml bottle or a 1 litre?
Currently I use, by hand, Meguiars ScratchX, Autoglym Super Resin Polish and Meguiarsd NXT Tech Wax or some Collinite 476S.
Where do the new products fit into this process and which of my existing products will I no longer need?
How easy is all this to do, btw, and what level of risk is there? I intend to practice a few times on the rotting Mondeo.... How much of this stuff will I generally use to do a car? Ie - do I need a 250ml bottle or a 1 litre?
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Keep the SRP? It's no problem to just buy some Menz if you think my results will be that much better. I'm just trying to understand where each product fits in - is the 85RE a replacement for the SRP?
Also what pads?
You can tell I've no real idea about this beyond the basics of hand polishing/waxing
Also what pads?
You can tell I've no real idea about this beyond the basics of hand polishing/waxing
Just try some Menz on half a panel (like I said, the offer is there, if you rather not have it from me, try and get a sample pot from someone on DW, you only need a tiny bit to try) and compare it with using SRP. SRP is great, especially by hand but Menz and others have really moved the game on with these polishes for DA use.
Pads are easy, Lake Country / Gloss It / Menzerna. You'll need a backing plate if you don't have one and a light cut (orange) and polishing (green if using Lake Country) pad to start with, two of each keeps things easy. 140mm.
If you want to go to town, get a smaller backing plate as well and get x2 100mm pads for tights spots or extra correction (smaller surface area, more pressure etc).
A lot of this is opinion and what works best for one person won't suit somebody else. What is hard to dispute though is the hardness of BMW and Audi clearcoats and why Menzerna suits them. A lot less hassle and time for a really stunning finish if you put the effort in. I use Menz for the cars after wasting a relatively silly amount on other polishes, they are worth a try.
Pads are easy, Lake Country / Gloss It / Menzerna. You'll need a backing plate if you don't have one and a light cut (orange) and polishing (green if using Lake Country) pad to start with, two of each keeps things easy. 140mm.
If you want to go to town, get a smaller backing plate as well and get x2 100mm pads for tights spots or extra correction (smaller surface area, more pressure etc).
A lot of this is opinion and what works best for one person won't suit somebody else. What is hard to dispute though is the hardness of BMW and Audi clearcoats and why Menzerna suits them. A lot less hassle and time for a really stunning finish if you put the effort in. I use Menz for the cars after wasting a relatively silly amount on other polishes, they are worth a try.
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[TW]Fox;15896745 said:
Just saw this bit. It's easy once you get the hang of it. Watch some youtube vids to get an idea of how many passes to make, how much pressure to apply and to learn when the polish has finished working. With a DA you'd have to fall on it and hold it in one place for ages before anything untoward would happen, they are retard-proof.
If you are doing two cars, I'd go for a litre, I use a lot less but I don't have bonnet struts on one of them. 250ml should do it easy but it's always nice to have far too much than too little.
Spend a bit of time on the Polished Bliss site. Some great guides there and info on polishes and pad choice. Rich is super easy to talk to and if you are new he will walk you through the products.
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Whilst we're on the subject I'd like to get a rotary this spring/summer. I have at least 4 cars that could do with a going over.
1999 green SAAB 9-5 estate - Not that bad overall, would benefit from a light cut I think.
2004 Black Honda Jazz - Lots of small marks, swirls and holograms - Soft Honda paint.
2004 silver Peugeot Partner - Few small areas of scouring pad.
1995 silver MX5 - lots of swirls, looks quite dull and some deep scratches (probably lost casues those).
Would a kit like this suffice for all those? http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polis...polisher-sonus-and-menzerna-kit/prod_525.html
I'm not that interested in getting them perfect. The Jazz and Partner are my parents. Just getting out some of the imperfections would be nice. I'd mianly like to focus on my MX-5 as that's quite dull. Any ideas without going broke?
1999 green SAAB 9-5 estate - Not that bad overall, would benefit from a light cut I think.
2004 Black Honda Jazz - Lots of small marks, swirls and holograms - Soft Honda paint.
2004 silver Peugeot Partner - Few small areas of scouring pad.
1995 silver MX5 - lots of swirls, looks quite dull and some deep scratches (probably lost casues those).
Would a kit like this suffice for all those? http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polis...polisher-sonus-and-menzerna-kit/prod_525.html
I'm not that interested in getting them perfect. The Jazz and Partner are my parents. Just getting out some of the imperfections would be nice. I'd mianly like to focus on my MX-5 as that's quite dull. Any ideas without going broke?
Meguiars 105 and 205 are what I'd go for, brilliant products. 2 polishes, 3 pads, all you need. I use a rotary though, and find diminishing abrasives annoying to use, I would imagine they work better on a DA.
FWIW, 20ml was used to do my whole car, so a litre is going to be plenty.
FWIW, 20ml was used to do my whole car, so a litre is going to be plenty.
[TW]Fox;15896612 said:Thanks for the advice. Can you explain why you recommend the Menzerna?
What sort of results could I expect - my car has exceptionally good condition paintwork but its silver. I'd like it to be super shiney
Does it really have exceptional paintwork? As in no swirl marks etc? If this is the case then you will merely have to polish extremely lightly with no cutting. To get a really glossy wet finish double tripple all the layers you do. Eg, 2 layers of glaze, 2 layers of sealant, 2-3 layers of wax and then top it off with something like CG wet mirror finish. That will really get you a slick smooth finish.
Menzerna is a German polish and is quite literally the best out there for the German stupidly hard clearcoats. If you have a DA polisher then Menzerna really is a must, if you have a Rotary then you can go to Meguiars or Poorboys, however I would still recommend Menzena, it really is the best for BMWs. Menzerna is quite literally the BMW of the polish world.
[TW]Fox;15896719 said:
Menzerna can be used on both those vehicles.
Ok then you will require to do some light cutting. The pads are labelled really simply, light cutting pad, heavy cutting pad , polish pad, finish pad etc etc
[TW]Fox;15896745 said:Yea, I dont mind buying a couple of products
Currently I use, by hand, Meguiars ScratchX, Autoglym Super Resin Polish and Meguiarsd NXT Tech Wax or some Collinite 476S.
Where do the new products fit into this process and which of my existing products will I no longer need?
How easy is all this to do, btw, and what level of risk is there? I intend to practice a few times on the rotting Mondeo.... How much of this stuff will I generally use to do a car? Ie - do I need a 250ml bottle or a 1 litre?
SRP is a filler and doesn't remove swirls. You will remove next to nothing by hand on the BMW clearcoat.
Personally I would purchase :
Menzerna sampler kit.
Country pads.
Some glaze and sealant.
CG wet mirror finish.
Then your steps would be :
1.2B method
2.Clay
3.Polish using lightest first eg finish pad with finish polish, if this doesnt work, finish pad with cutting polish, if that doesn;t work, cutting pad with finish polish etc etc build it up from weak to strong and find out which combination removes the defects you are after.
4. Few layers of glaze
5. Few layers of a sealant.
6. Few layers of a wax.
Your scratchx and SRP doesn't really come into it. ATM you're currently at a very n00b level, if you want to move onto DAS polishing then you have to take it all up a notch otherwise you won't get the results you're really after.
250ml will be enough to do a car and see if you're any good at this stuff. Operating the polisher is actually very simple. Practicing on the Mondeo is a very good idea, anyone who doesn't have a spare rotting car should purchase a bonnet panel to practice on for 5-10 pounds. Make sure you always keep your eye on what you're doing.
Yes that kit will be perfect, but please make sure you start with the WEAKEST COMBINATION FIRST. MX-5 has very very soft paint. Your menzerna will bring life into the MX-5. I would be tempted to get a dual action polisher in your case as you're working on very soft paint so it will be less risky and the rewards will be just as good.
Most of the paintwork is less than 3 years old and I like to think I look after it - the only 'issue' is light swirling visible in petrol station lighting etc.
The other two are not quite so good but are far from as bad as some of the cars you see on detailing world in the before shots!
Menzerna it is then
Great - thanks for the advice. Plan to have a week off in March to get it all done
The Z4 paint is pretty hard. I bought the Menz products - 3 polishes (can't remember which right now but can check later). The lightest one had absolutely no affect on swirl marks on my black Z4. Then winter came and I never got around to learning how to do it properly. As soon as the weather is clear one weekend Im goign to have a go at the whole car. I bought the cheaper Silverline rotary and Menz pads.
It will look great when I get the hang of it, Ive polished out a few scratches on my mums Scenic that I couldnt hide by hand.
Its not as easy as it looks, I still feel like the polisher has a mind of its own and wants to go off in any direction it feels like.
Just to add, rotarys are supposed to be much quicker than the other style polishers. That thought alone would put me off not going for a rotary because its hardly a quick process. I haven't been able to face the task yet in about 3 months yet I'll happily hand wax my car every 3 weeks.
It will look great when I get the hang of it, Ive polished out a few scratches on my mums Scenic that I couldnt hide by hand.
Its not as easy as it looks, I still feel like the polisher has a mind of its own and wants to go off in any direction it feels like.
Just to add, rotarys are supposed to be much quicker than the other style polishers. That thought alone would put me off not going for a rotary because its hardly a quick process. I haven't been able to face the task yet in about 3 months yet I'll happily hand wax my car every 3 weeks.
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i've only ever washed my car 2 or maybe 3 times in my 6 years of driving (normally wait for my annual valet car wash by the servicing people ).... and when i did wash it myself, i just used the basic and cheapest stuff you can find in halfords..
i didn't put much effort into washing my old car because it was a dark grey kinda colour.... but i got myself a white car 2 weeks ago and realised i will probably have to wash it every 1 month at least to stop it from looking grey
what are the basic products you would recommend me to buy? i am writing my list of things to buy from halfords and so far i have... sponge, chamois cloth... what else?
).... and when i did wash it myself, i just used the basic and cheapest stuff you can find in halfords..i didn't put much effort into washing my old car because it was a dark grey kinda colour.... but i got myself a white car 2 weeks ago and realised i will probably have to wash it every 1 month at least to stop it from looking grey
what are the basic products you would recommend me to buy? i am writing my list of things to buy from halfords and so far i have... sponge, chamois cloth... what else?
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