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Car polish - is it worth it?

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stevensfo
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Car polish - is it worth it?

#68312

Postby stevensfo » July 19th, 2017, 11:34 am

Last week I found a tin of car polish that my wife must have bought years ago and forgotten about. My car is black and shows the dust and usually I don't care but I thought I'd try this stuff. Yes, it makes the car a little bit shinier - I think - and the wax affects the way water runs over it, but I wonder if it's really worth the effort. After a few days, it looks as dusty as ever!

Are there any advantages to using this stuff or should I be spending my time on more worthwhile pursuits?

Steve

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#68313

Postby bungeejumper » July 19th, 2017, 11:49 am

It's a matter of preference, but I deep-polish our cars every two years or so, and that seems to keep them sound. One of the benefits of polishing is that you get to notice every little mark and every little paint bubble, so you can sort out any incipient problems before they become troublesome.

I think you're in Italy, is that right? Heat, UV levels, dust and weather will all be different from the UK, so local rules will presumably apply.

I've also been using something called Carnauba wax wash recently, and it's rather spiffy. (http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk ... -1l-755424) As used by car dealers all over the world. Very quick, and it gives a very high shine which leaves a wax finish after the wash. But you do have to get it off the windscreen afterwards because it will smear. Worth the effort, though. :P

BJ

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#68314

Postby Dod1010 » July 19th, 2017, 11:53 am

Your post takes me back a long way. Immediately post Second WW in fact when my father ran a rather old Austin which he lovingly polished on a regular basis. I guess in those days it probably did help protect the paintwork and helped against rust. Nowadays I do not think that is an issue, although a clean well polished car always looks good I think. I have a charcoal grey car (more black than grey)and I use a combined wash and wax when washing my car. That does the trick.

I suspect the effort you need to put in to applying wax independently is not worth the effort.

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#68315

Postby Itsallaguess » July 19th, 2017, 11:54 am

bungeejumper wrote:
I've also been using something called Carnauba wax wash recently, and it's rather spiffy. (http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk ... -1l-755424) As used by car dealers all over the world. Very quick, and it gives a very high shine which leaves a wax finish after the wash. But you do have to get it off the windscreen afterwards because it will smear. Worth the effort, though. :P


Currently on offer at Wilko for just £2 a bottle -

http://www.wilko.com/car-cleaning/simon ... vt/0344877

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

stevensfo
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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#68424

Postby stevensfo » July 19th, 2017, 5:15 pm

I think you're in Italy, is that right? Heat, UV levels, dust and weather will all be different from the UK, so local rules will presumably apply.


The main problem where I'm working are the humidity levels that seem to go very fast from 10% to 80% and back again, wreaking havoc on anything left unprotected.

Since I tried using this waxy polish stuff, I have the impression that the car is easier to keep clean, so maybe I'll continue for a while. I'm the only Brit where I work, so have to keep up appearances.

The stuff from Wilko sounds good so I'll probably get some when I'm over. If not, thank goodness for Amazon!

I like your expression 'deep polishing'. Sounds like a TV advert. :-)


Steve

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#68519

Postby DrFfybes » July 19th, 2017, 11:20 pm

stevensfo wrote:Last week I found a tin of car polish that my wife must have bought years ago and forgotten about. My car is black and shows the dust and usually I don't care but I thought I'd try this stuff. Yes, it makes the car a little bit shinier - I think - and the wax affects the way water runs over it, but I wonder if it's really worth the effort. After a few days, it looks as dusty as ever!

Are there any advantages to using this stuff or should I be spending my time on more worthwhile pursuits?

Steve


If you own the car and want to keep it, look after it. If it is on some sort of lease plan then perhaps not worth the effort.

A wax (rather than a polish) forms a protective film over the paint. This means any dirt is easier to remove, and any bird poo or sap takes longer to attack the paint, which means you have more chance to clean it off before any real damage occurs.

I give the cars a proper wash and wax each year, then simple washes after that.

Paul

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#68523

Postby Lootman » July 20th, 2017, 12:02 am

DrFfybes wrote:A wax (rather than a polish) forms a protective film over the paint

True, and generally you will do both. After washing, you polish and then you wax. The polish removes grime and dirt that simple washing will not remove, and then the wax will create a protective surface, which repels water better and keeps the bodywork looking shiny.

Note however that polish removes a very thin layer of the paint too, which is why your cloth will take on the colour of the paintwork. Not usually a problem unless you do it too much. Coarser polishes, like T-Cut and rubbing compound, will do a more aggressive job of cleaning off the top layer of paint, and can magically make small scratches vanish. But again, if overused, starts exposing primer.

Wash regularly but polish only occasionally.

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#68603

Postby bungeejumper » July 20th, 2017, 1:02 pm

stevensfo wrote:I like your expression 'deep polishing'. Sounds like a TV advert. :-)

LOL, years ago, there was a washing powder commercial that declared that it was designed to deal with (puts on dark, sinister voice) "The Understains...." It sounded so ominous and threatening that they obviously hoped the public would rush out and buy it, just so that they didn't have to put a name to the unspeakable things that lurked in their smalls.

Never underestimate the selling power of the id. Nowadays, though, I suspect that "The Understains" would make a suitable name for either a rock band or maybe a kids' cartoon film. Huh.

BJ

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#69325

Postby GJHarney » July 24th, 2017, 6:00 pm

Yes, a mild filler polish (anything harsher I would leave to the pro detailers) followed by a wax makes a very big difference. The key is prep (just like with decorating) but it needn't take up too long. Twice a year (spring and autumn) I clay the paintwork after an initial cleaning wash and use a clay mitt and soapy water (I find a clay mitt rather than a bar really easy and foolproof to use, and cheap too from Halfords) which lifts off all the stuck on grime and old wax. Then dry and use a filler polish (Autoglym SRP - super resin polish, or a similar product) which reduces/fills minor scratches and swirls, then either use a couple of layers of wax (a soft wipe on/wipe off wax is easier than a hard wax), or one of the newer 'nano' spray on sealants (lots out there, Power Maxed Winter Coat was incredibly easy to use, including on plastics and glass, and lasts longer than wax) to seal the polish filler, and you then have a good looking car that more easily shrugs off dirt (initially sometimes just a rinse is all you need to clean).

The biggest thing for me though is the windscreen in the winter, and a good clay, followed by a dedicated glass polish, followed by glass sealant (Rain X used to be popular but there are lots of better ones these days) and you have a very safe windscreen for visibility that doesn't smear and allows rain to bead and run off very quickly (over 40mph and even when it is raining a lot you barely need to use your wipers as if slides off itself on a sealed screen).

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#69328

Postby brightncheerful » July 24th, 2017, 6:26 pm

If you regard polish as akin to an undercoat then it can makes sense!

As GHJ says, the key is prep. Whether the paintwork requires claying I think depends upon the age of the vehicle, whether kept outside in all weathers and the nature of the original finish, and how regularly and well the bodywork has been maintained.

Having washed off the dirt from and thoroughly dried the bodywork, the polish is then applied to smooth off any roughness. After polishing, apply at least one preferably two coats of wax. Waxing provides a protective film over the polish and as a water repellant helps preserve the shine that polishing offers. The more layers of wax the harder it is for the impact of the weather etc to fade the underlying shine.

After that regular washing and finishing off using some sort of jet wax will keep a black colour car looking good as new.

When washing and cleaning, first hose the car in water to loosen the dirt. For washing, it's recommended to use two buckets of water: one for the soap, the other clean water for rinsing, but I don't. I use a hose and rinse the mitten as I go. I prefer a mitten, more control than a sponge and easier to use.Starting with the wheels and then the roof and then the side panels and then boot finishing with the bonnet, I wash off the dirt one panel at a time, using swirling motions. For drying, I use an autoblaster which avoids touching the paintwork as well as removing any droplets of water in hard to get into crevices such as radiator grill, wheels, etc, but I used to use a combination of a drying cloth (microfibre) and a drying blade for large areas such as the roof which was not as fun, and usually left water in the crevices.

I only use autoglym products on my black car so cannot comment on other brands. I prefer to use a hard wax and wax once or twice a year. Car is just over two years old now and looks better than new (showroom finish is ok but doesn't last long!)

Takes me about 5 hours entire job from wash to wax. And regular washing and jet wax finishing off about 2 hours including interior hoovering.

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#69846

Postby Leither » July 26th, 2017, 9:36 pm

stevensfo wrote:Last week I found a tin of car polish that my wife must have bought years ago and forgotten about. My car is black and shows the dust and usually I don't care but I thought I'd try this stuff. Yes, it makes the car a little bit shinier - I think - and the wax affects the way water runs over it, but I wonder if it's really worth the effort. After a few days, it looks as dusty as ever!

Are there any advantages to using this stuff or should I be spending my time on more worthwhile pursuits?

Steve


My car is about 12 years old, gets washed once a year when it's serviced and in between, only if really necessary, as when I collected it at Southampton after two weeks and it was covered in seagull mess. I can't imagine that you don't have better things to do than polish a car!!

Regards,

Leither.

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#70693

Postby 88V8 » July 30th, 2017, 10:04 am

I hate polishing cars, but after at least fifteen years unpolished and ten years outdoors, our white Pug 205 was beginning to look rather sad, much ingrained dirt. I cleaned it off not very thoroughly and polished with some Turtle Wax so old it's in a glass bottle.
Now it looks spiffy, and water and dirt just rolls off.
So yes, worthwhile.

Owned a black car once. Despite polishing, as soon as it rained, looked dirty. OK if one has a chauffeur to keep it clean, otherwise black cars just an exercise in self-flagellation imho.

V8

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#70695

Postby staffordian » July 30th, 2017, 10:09 am

88V8 wrote:Owned a black car once. Despite polishing, as soon as it rained, looked dirty. OK if one has a chauffeur to keep it clean, otherwise black cars just an exercise in self-flagellation imho.

V8


Yes, white cars always seem to be the least visibly affected by dirt and black the most affected, when logic might suggest the opposite to be true.

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#70731

Postby quelquod » July 30th, 2017, 1:27 pm

Takes me about 5 hours entire job from wash to wax. And regular washing and jet wax finishing off about 2 hours including interior hoovering.

I'm awed by the thought that someone would spend the equivalent of several working days every year doing nothing but cleaning their car! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

The only cleaning mine ever gets is if the windscreen wash/wipe fails to adequately remove some bird crap from the screen. It still starts and runs fine though.

Mind you, I do seem to remember cleaning my motorcycle fairly regularly with Gunk then polish. More than 50 years ago though and I was young. :lol:

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#70746

Postby Lootman » July 30th, 2017, 2:53 pm

quelquod wrote:
Takes me about 5 hours entire job from wash to wax. And regular washing and jet wax finishing off about 2 hours including interior hoovering.

I'm awed by the thought that someone would spend the equivalent of several working days every year doing nothing but cleaning their car! :mrgreen: :mrgreen

They have these wonderful car wash places in the US. It's a hand wash and wax, and they are typically staffed by a huge number of staff. It works on the principle that a thorough wash and wax, which might take hours if one person did it, can be done in 15-20 minutes if the vehicle is literally "swarmed" by cleaners. There might be a dozen people working on it at once, some inside, some cleaning inside the boot, some doing the wheels and so on. It's a wonder to behold.

My wife's family all live in LA and they never wash their cars themselves. Yet they are always spotless. Cost is between 30 and 70 quid a pop, depending on which option you choose. As far as I can tell, the staff at these places are all from "south of the border". They seem happy.

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#70769

Postby Slarti » July 30th, 2017, 5:15 pm

Lootman wrote:They have these wonderful car wash places in the US. It's a hand wash and wax, and they are typically staffed by a huge number of staff. It works on the principle that a thorough wash and wax, which might take hours if one person did it, can be done in 15-20 minutes if the vehicle is literally "swarmed" by cleaners. There might be a dozen people working on it at once, some inside, some cleaning inside the boot, some doing the wheels and so on. It's a wonder to behold.

My wife's family all live in LA and they never wash their cars themselves. Yet they are always spotless. Cost is between 30 and 70 quid a pop, depending on which option you choose. As far as I can tell, the staff at these places are all from "south of the border". They seem happy.


We have about 4 of them in Maldon, mostly staffed by Eastern Europeans.
Excellent job done in between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on if you have the car vacuumed and the insides of the windows done as well.
Cost between £5 and £12

Slarti

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#71031

Postby GJHarney » July 31st, 2017, 6:40 pm

Perhaps there are a few half-decent hand car wash outfits out there. Some even try and sell themselves as instant detailing services now I've noticed, but they tend to have the same problems that running your car through an automatic car was has. At first you barely notice, and if you have an old car to begin with you might never notice, but you will eventually understand that what at first appears a clean and shiny car is on closer inspection a mass of swirls. Just looking at the rags most of the hand wash minions use on car after car makes me shudder at the amount of grit that is likely to be in them when speed is the key and you don't have time to rinse and clean your cleaning cloths properly. I've even seen cloths go straight from cleaning filthy wheels to be used on the bodywork - pay for that type of nonsense if you really want to, or if you don't own the car and so care less about long-term damage, but even when I have little time I still wouldn't let them anywhere near my own!

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#71087

Postby Slarti » July 31st, 2017, 9:50 pm

GJHarney wrote:Perhaps there are a few half-decent hand car wash outfits out there. Some even try and sell themselves as instant detailing services now I've noticed, but they tend to have the same problems that running your car through an automatic car was has. At first you barely notice, and if you have an old car to begin with you might never notice, but you will eventually understand that what at first appears a clean and shiny car is on closer inspection a mass of swirls. Just looking at the rags most of the hand wash minions use on car after car makes me shudder at the amount of grit that is likely to be in them when speed is the key and you don't have time to rinse and clean your cleaning cloths properly. I've even seen cloths go straight from cleaning filthy wheels to be used on the bodywork - pay for that type of nonsense if you really want to, or if you don't own the car and so care less about long-term damage, but even when I have little time I still wouldn't let them anywhere near my own!


It obviously varied from place to place.

I've been using the same one for nearly 20 years and haven't had any damage to my cars (all 2 of mine and 2 of my wife's)
Any sign of any and I wouldn't go back.

And they use different tools for body and wheels.

But the bit I like is that they dry inside all door and boot edges, so no drips as you open them.

Slarti

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#327628

Postby AF62 » July 21st, 2020, 8:07 am

Slarti wrote:
We have about 4 of them in Maldon, mostly staffed by Eastern Europeans.
Excellent job done in between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on if you have the car vacuumed and the insides of the windows done as well.
Cost between £5 and £12

Slarti


It is incredible how they manage to keep the cost that low, despite meeting all the pay, tax, and environmental regulations.

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Re: Car polish - is it worth it?

#327630

Postby Arborbridge » July 21st, 2020, 8:33 am

I am pretty confident that with modern paint finishes, frequently cleaning and particularly waxing, is barely necessary.

My car has been suffering since Brexit. Before this, it was cleaned semi-regularly when we went shopping, for in the car park there was a delightful Polish family who did it at reasonable cost. Some weeks/months after Brexit the whole enterprise vanished and no one has replaced them. Not necessarily connected, but slightly a strange timing.
What I liked about them was their attitude - if you approached and asked, they would clean the car. They made a good job of it too. In other car parks we get people who are semi-aggressive in pursuing you while you are trying to park, waving cleaning cloths touting for business.
They don't need to: we know they are there! The Poles were sensible enough to realise that and just patiently waited.
During lockdown, the car didn't get cleaned at all, and now I find that the outfits are charging about twice what the Polish family did, so it's rather discouraging. Perhaps I'll have to get off my axxx and do it myself :roll:

Arb.


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