Waxing your Car

[Leebroath]

Copying and pasting what I wrote across in the A7 thread


Hey Guys,

I'm wanting to do this properly with this car, previously I just washed the car and threw wax on and rubbed it out. I also don't have the time to wait for ceramic coatings being applied as I still have the school run to do and your meant to keep the car out of sunlight and rain.

So I'm wondering what type of Waxes do you guys use and what are your best methods, and good tips to protect a Metallic paint for around 4-5 months. Also can you recommend a buffer to use for putting the wax on then buffing it down?

So when I'm home I will be purchasing some shampoo, Wax, Hand Mitt and a buffer.

We were offered the £349 (((( Lasts a Lifetime)))) yawn special Autoglym but turned it down because I have read bad reports of Audi leaving swirl marks and...well not a very professional job.

 

[Jassyo06]

4 to 5 months of protection is going need to be a special wax indeed and they aint cheap.....do what a lot of them on here do, wash and dry and fire on some BSD mixes.....lol.........seriously go get someone to do it for £400 and it's wash n go for a year or so

 

[scotty76]

I'm afraid as an ocd detailer and father of 2 just pay for the pro detail. I don't have time for ceramics either so pay a pro to do it. Then maintain with regular washing and drink the beer/tea/water /other beverages are available.

 

[Leebroath]

But we just don’t have the time guys for a ceramic to be done, I was told you have to leave it 24hrs our of the sun and rain.

I did get some prices from2 places near me, first guy comes to your house and does it outside and the second is in Perth and give you a courtesy car

1. £260 - Thorough wash including deep clean wheels, tar removal, paint decontamination to remove bonded contamination, machine polish to remove light defects, wax/sealant, wheel wax...Paintwork left with high gloss finish and looks rejuvenated and is protected

2. £424 Gloss enhancement detail (ceramic coating)

• Exterior safe wash
• Tar Removel
• Iron Removel
• Clay bar
• Gloss enhancement to all paintwork (Removal of light swirls in paintwork)
• Exterior Glass polished
• Panel wiped
• Ceramic coated paintwork 1 year coating can coat.
• Face of Wheels ceramic coated
• Tyre dressing
• Chrome polished(including exhausts)
• Interior protected

£424inc vat.

Or the more expensive one from the same guy

Here is a Gtechniq package that’s the cheapest

• Package selected
  Large car + Single stage polish £340.00
  
  
• Paint protection
  EXO£150.00
  
  
• Additional protection
  TOTAL SURFACE PROTECTION BUNDLES - Faces only for rims£175
  
  
• TOTAL £665.00 (ex VAT)
  
  
• Total £798inc vat

This is a 3 day booking.

 

[Jassyo06]

But we just don’t have the time guys for a ceramic to be done, I was told you have to leave it 24hrs our of the sun and rain.

I did get some prices from2 places near me, first guy comes to your house and does it outside and the second is in Perth and give you a courtesy car

1. £260 - Thorough wash including deep clean wheels, tar removal, paint decontamination to remove bonded contamination, machine polish to remove light defects, wax/sealant, wheel wax...Paintwork left with high gloss finish and looks rejuvenated and is protected

2. £424 Gloss enhancement detail (ceramic coating)

• Exterior safe wash
• Tar Removel
• Iron Removel
• Clay bar
• Gloss enhancement to all paintwork (Removal of light swirls in paintwork)
• Exterior Glass polished
• Panel wiped
• Ceramic coated paintwork 1 year coating can coat.
• Face of Wheels ceramic coated
• Tyre dressing
• Chrome polished(including exhausts)
• Interior protected

£424inc vat.

Or the more expensive one from the same guy

Here is a Gtechniq package that’s the cheapest

• Package selected
  Large car + Single stage polish £340.00
  
  
• Paint protection
  EXO£150.00
  
  
• Additional protection
  TOTAL SURFACE PROTECTION BUNDLES - Faces only for rims£175
  
  
• TOTAL £665.00 (ex VAT)
  
  
• Total £798inc vat

This is a 3 day booking.

Where are you roughly located?

 

[scotty76]

OK. Got it. My car has always been away for 2 days due to ceramic coating so get that. Wax will be hard pushed to last as long as you want. How about a spray sealant? Quick to apply. Will last maybe a couple of months at most but really fast to reapply. I currently use Cure diluted with water 50:50 as a quick detailer post wash.

Options I've used:

Gyeon Cure
CarPro Reload
Gtechniq C2 V3

 

[Jassyo06]

By the way that list may seem a lot of work they are doing to your car, but in real world speak its a load of hype .. But they have to make a living mate it's not cheap

 

[Leebroath]

Live up in Dundee area mate

And yes I can see it’s a load of hype but it makes it sound a lot

 

[Jassyo06]

Live up in Dundee area mate

And yes I can see it’s a load of hype but it makes it sound a lot

I think yer stuck between a rock and a hard place to be honest, this Detailing malarkey can turn out expensive doing it yourself long term, getting someone to do it for is expensive short term, but long term far cheaper

 

[Leebroath]

I’m thinking of just biting the bullet and paying the 400 and getting the 1 year ceramic coating

 

[pxr5]

You'd get at least 6 months protection from Fusso Coat 12 on a properly prepped car. By prepped I mean fully decontaminated (deiron, detar, clay, cleanse). It costs about £20.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/sealants/fusso-coat-light-200g/prod_1731.html

 

[Audib5fan]

Live up in Dundee area mate

And yes I can see it’s a load of hype but it makes it sound a lot

Angelwax or soft 99 do some good waxes if you want a wax or could just use a sealant like reload and top it up every so often if You don’t want to do ceramic


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[Audib5fan]

I think yer stuck between a rock and a hard place to be honest, this Detailing malarkey can turn out expensive doing it yourself long term, getting someone to do it for is expensive short term, but long term far cheaper

Maybe for you but not everyone buys a new wax or ceramic coating every week


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[Jimbob76]

Bilt Hamber Double Speed Wax - easy on and off (as long as you apply sparingly - a little goes a very long way). Comes with a foam puck to apply and a decent quality microfibre to buff out. Water beading is astounding and for £15, what’s not to like! Reckon it’ll do 4+ months this time of year, maybe a bit less during winter

 

[Jassyo06]

Maybe for you but not everyone buys a new wax or ceramic coating every week


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Aye.... ....... it's a hard life ...... Eh

 

[malcolmrmcintyre]

I think what is missing from some of the posts is the fact that any car which isn’t brand new, could need a lot of paint correction before any ceramics coating.
My Q5 was only registered 3 weeks and with a few hundred miles on it, but the swirls and a few scratches were horrendous. Took me best part of six full days to polish them out with a DA machine.
Now, I’m not a pro, and was therefore going careful with the machine and compounds, but even so!

 

[NevMan]

I think what is missing from some of the posts is the fact that any car which isn’t brand new, could need a lot of paint correction before any ceramics coating.
My Q5 was only registered 3 weeks and with a few hundred miles on it, but the swirls and a few scratches were horrendous. Took me best part of six full days to polish them out with a DA machine.
Now, I’m not a pro, and was therefore going careful with the machine and compounds, but even so!

6 days! Commendable, but you are 100% correct, no point coating with loads of swirls and marrs. That is why I just paid a pro to do it for me in a day. I just don’t have the time or garage to dedicate to correcting and then coating at the moment. I am sure I will go down this route myself at some point as do really enjoy the whole process and sense of satisfaction when done. But for now I get to just maintain my two ceramic coated cars with easy maintenance washes

 

[Jassyo06]

I think what is missing from some of the posts is the fact that any car which isn’t brand new, could need a lot of paint correction before any ceramics coating.
My Q5 was only registered 3 weeks and with a few hundred miles on it, but the swirls and a few scratches were horrendous. Took me best part of six full days to polish them out with a DA machine.
Now, I’m not a pro, and was therefore going careful with the machine and compounds, but even so!

At least you got there in the end mate and l am sure when you machine polish a car again you'll do it a lot quicker than your first attempt

 

[Jassyo06]

6 days! Commendable, but you are 100% correct, no point coating with loads of swirls and marrs. That is why I just paid a pro to do it for me in a day. I just don’t have the time or garage to dedicate to correcting and then coating at the moment. I am sure I will go down this route myself at some point as do really enjoy the whole process and sense of satisfaction when done. But for now I get to just maintain my two ceramic coated cars with easy maintenance washes

So in about 11 months you'll start using a machine polisher lol
Anyone that's wanting to go down the dual action polisher/rotary route but is unsure, all they have to do is visit the local salvage yard and buy a bonnet off them and practise on this for awhile preferably one painted in a dark paint

 

[NevMan]

So in about 11 months you'll start using a machine polisher lol
Anyone that's wanting to go down the dual action polisher/rotary route but is unsure, all they have to do is visit the local salvage yard and buy a bonnet off them and practise on this for awhile preferably one painted in a dark paint

Haha, lets see, I am thinking 12 months and 1 day

That is a good shout the old bonnet, but I don’t have the ****** space for one! My son will be getting his 1st car in the coming months, so will be perfect to practice on

 

[Sippo]

In my opinion you won't get better than Collinite 476s then protected with Sonax BSD.

 

[NevMan]

In my opinion you won't get better than Collinite 476s then protected with Sonax BSD.

Oh no, you used the BSD word...I love the stuff but possibly not all <ahem>

 

[Radford212]

In my opinion you won't get better than Collinite 476s then protected with Sonax BSD.

What have you gone & done?! You’ll set @jassyo06 off again!

 

[Jassyo06]

Haha, lets see, I am thinking 12 months and 1 day

That is a good shout the old bonnet, but I don’t have the ****** space for one! My son will be getting his 1st car in the coming months, so will be perfect to practice on

Great give it a go you'll love machine polishing, when you get a chance that is, going to try out the Flex this weekend and the TAC System tyre gel

 

[Jassyo06]

What have you gone & done?! You’ll set @jassyo06 off again!

He's a new member mate so I'll cut em some slack lol

 

[NevMan]

He's a new member mate so I'll cut em some slack lol

at least for today hey @jassyo06

 

[NevMan]

Great give it a go you'll love machine polishing, when you get a chance that is, going to try out the Flex this weekend and the TAC System tyre gel

I know I will, and as you know, was close to going this route a few months back, even arranged neighbours garage for a few weeks in August...next time hey (in 12.01 months) lol.

Look forward to your thoughts on the Flex vs. your previous DAS 6 Pro. Did you tell @Tashfeen it keeps overheating...lol
Also the TAC systems tyre gel.

 

[scotty76]

 

[Supa Koopa]

But we just don’t have the time guys for a ceramic to be done, I was told you have to leave it 24hrs our of the sun and rain.

I did get some prices from2 places near me, first guy comes to your house and does it outside and the second is in Perth and give you a courtesy car

1. £260 - Thorough wash including deep clean wheels, tar removal, paint decontamination to remove bonded contamination, machine polish to remove light defects, wax/sealant, wheel wax...Paintwork left with high gloss finish and looks rejuvenated and is protected

2. £424 Gloss enhancement detail (ceramic coating)

• Exterior safe wash
• Tar Removel
• Iron Removel
• Clay bar
• Gloss enhancement to all paintwork (Removal of light swirls in paintwork)
• Exterior Glass polished
• Panel wiped
• Ceramic coated paintwork 1 year coating can coat.
• Face of Wheels ceramic coated
• Tyre dressing
• Chrome polished(including exhausts)
• Interior protected

£424inc vat.

Or the more expensive one from the same guy

Here is a Gtechniq package that’s the cheapest

• Package selected
  Large car + Single stage polish £340.00
  
  
• Paint protection
  EXO£150.00
  
  
• Additional protection
  TOTAL SURFACE PROTECTION BUNDLES - Faces only for rims£175
  
  
• TOTAL £665.00 (ex VAT)
  
  
• Total £798inc vat

This is a 3 day booking.

I know these guys have to make a living and it's down to hourly rates but this seems somewhat expensive.

1. Basically a decon wash and single stage polish (not sure what level or quality) with a coat of wax. It'll look nice and you might get 4-6 weeks of protection based on your wash routine.

2. A decon again, a light polish and a quick spray of Gyeon Can Coat. It'll look nice again and maybe 2-3 months of protection. I've never used Can Coat so I could be wrong but as far as I'm aware it's just a spray sealant so not a true ceramic coating that everyone thinks of.

3. The most expensive and basically a decon and single stage polish. Application of £40 (retail) Exo which you might if you are lucky get 6-9 months out of if you are very careful with your wash routine. This isn't a ceramic sealant either it's a top coat that normally goes over a sealant like Crystal Serum Light. Faces of the wheels for £175 oh my god that's expensive and then you need to add vat on to that lot.

If you have the cash and don't have the time or inclination then go for it. But you'd be better off getting a decent set of wash products, giving the car a good clean and then doing as Scotty76 said and just give it a coat of Cure, Reload or C2V3. Really quick to do, lasts a few weeks but as it's so simply you just keep topping it up. Fusso is another good shout and will last a while but can be a little trickier to get the application right (Well I found it trickier anyway). Don't bother with a buffer for putting wax on and off as getting it wrong could marr the paintwork and it's just not needed. You'd be better off spending the money on quality cloths.

This detailing lark is all about what you want out of it. My car is always clean and protected because I enjoy it and I spend a stupid amount of time on it. The wife's car is cleaned when I can be bothered and has a coat of BSD/V07 if I can really be bothered. Ask her about it and she thinks her car is always clean and looks brilliant.

 

[Supa Koopa]

View attachment 160949

Lol, I never even checked before replying either...!

 

[NevMan]

Well said @SupaKoopa and couldn't agree more! I had a quote from another "local" detailer, extract as follows:

Further to your visit I am pleased to confirm that we can indeed complete the CQuartz exterior protection detail for £675.00 as previously quoted. The interior protection being £140.00 for the leather seats and carpets.

If you would like to book this in, do please let me know. We are currently taking bookings from 6/7th June.

I just thought that was extortionate, and ended up getting full decon, wash etc, single stage correction, and ceramic coating on paint alloys, glass coated, and interior cleaned and protected for ALOT less than this.

@Leebroath you are better off asking on this forum of recommended detailers that would cover your area, as that is how I went about it.

 

[Jassyo06]

I know these guys have to make a living and it's down to hourly rates but this seems somewhat expensive.

1. Basically a decon wash and single stage polish (not sure what level or quality) with a coat of wax. It'll look nice and you might get 4-6 weeks of protection based on your wash routine.

2. A decon again, a light polish and a quick spray of Gyeon Can Coat. It'll look nice again and maybe 2-3 months of protection. I've never used Can Coat so I could be wrong but as far as I'm aware it's just a spray sealant so not a true ceramic coating that everyone thinks of.

3. The most expensive and basically a decon and single stage polish. Application of £40 (retail) Exo which you might if you are lucky get 6-9 months out of if you are very careful with your wash routine. This isn't a ceramic sealant either it's a top coat that normally goes over a sealant like Crystal Serum Light. Faces of the wheels for £175 oh my god that's expensive and then you need to add vat on to that lot.

If you have the cash and don't have the time or inclination then go for it. But you'd be better off getting a decent set of wash products, giving the car a good clean and then doing as Scotty76 said and just give it a coat of Cure, Reload or C2V3. Really quick to do, lasts a few weeks but as it's so simply you just keep topping it up. Fusso is another good shout and will last a while but can be a little trickier to get the application right (Well I found it trickier anyway). Don't bother with a buffer for putting wax on and off as getting it wrong could marr the paintwork and it's just not needed. You'd be better off spending the money on quality cloths.

This detailing lark is all about what you want out of it. My car is always clean and protected because I enjoy it and I spend a stupid amount of time on it. The wife's car is cleaned when I can be bothered and has a coat of BSD/V07 if I can really be bothered. Ask her about it and she thinks her car is always clean and looks brilliant.

**** me. .... the Bible is a shorter read than this post. . . Lol

 

[V6_Man]

your previous DAS 6 Pro. Did you tell @Tashfeen it keeps overheating...lol.

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[Supa Koopa]

**** me. .... the Bible is a shorter read than this post. . . Lol

And the lord said 'let there be light' and then there was light. Jassyo06 saw the virtues of BSD and there was much rejoicing. Praise the Lord...!

 

[Jassyo06]

And the lord said 'let there be light' and then there was light. Jassyo06 saw the virtues of BSD and there was much rejoicing. Praise the Lord...!

BSD ... The Work of beelzebub..... Lol

 

[NevMan]

**** me. .... the Bible is a shorter read than this post. . . Lol

I did actually laugh out loud at this ^^