Polishing new car

[ss--ss]

Soon to pickup our new Kluger but was wonering if there's any point in polishing a new car?

Can there be any improvment to the new car paint ?

[Kesawi]

Soon to pickup our new Kluger but was wonering if there's any point in polishing a new car?

Can there be any improvment to the new car paint ?

Definitely. The car could have been sitting outside in a holding yard for some time and will most likely have accumulated surface contaminates, which will need to be removed by claying. At a minimum you should clay and wax the car. The following video on YouTube shows just how much dirt can be on a brand new car:

You will probably also have swirls installed by your dealer when they "detail" it before delivery. I would recommend that you ask the dealer not to wash or detail the car prior to delivery and that you do it yourself. Usually all they do is just give it a wash.

Another trick the dealer uses is to hand over the car inside the show room where the lighting is pretty poor. This happened to me and I missed a number of defects that were very obvious once the vehicle was outside in brighter light. Insist that the vehicle be moved to somewhere brighter. Direct sunlight should be avoided as the glare from the sun reflecting off the paint can make it hard to see any defects. I would recommend bringing your own bright light (such as a torch) and going over every bit of the finish to make sure there are no swirls or scratches. If you find any, get the dealer to fix it properly to your satisfaction. Don't be fobbed off by them saying "it will buff out". They put the defect there, make them get rid of it.

A good place for further information or questions is the Detailing - Shown & Shine forum here on TOCAU.

[Pete W]

Hi there,

Certainly some great information in the link there.

A quick question: Would it be evil of me to use a gurnie (the cheap $100 Bunnings Karcher variant) on a Crystal Pearl Kluger? Specifically, would it do any damage to the paint?

Thanks,

Pete.

[Kesawi]

Hi there,

Certainly some great information in the link there.

A quick question: Would it be evil of me to use a gurnie (the cheap $100 Bunnings Karcher variant) on a Crystal Pearl Kluger? Specifically, would it do any damage to the paint?

Thanks,

Pete.

I've been using a cheap Karcher to wash and rinse on my metallic silver kluger and so far haven't noticed any damage. I suggets you read the following links which discuss pressure washers and damage.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10816

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showt...hp?t=10102&

Make sure you also follow the excellent tips from DaveXR8 in the topic Car Detailing Tips when washing.

[ss--ss]

Thanks Kesawi ,, great links..

I will be getting same colour as you ' metallic silver'.. My previous car was black & I used mequiars new tech wax which was fantasic.

Hope the silver comes up just as good..

[Kesawi]

Thanks Kesawi ,, great links..

I will be getting same colour as you ' metallic silver'.. My previous car was black & I used mequiars new tech wax which was fantasic.

Hope the silver comes up just as good..

Glad to be of assistance. This is how a metallic silver looks with Meguiar's NXT Wax 2.0. Still need to get a DA polisher and remove all the minor swirls, but silver is good like that.

More images in my gallery

[jaenschw]

Thanks Kesawi ,, great links..

I will be getting same colour as you ' metallic silver'.. My previous car was black & I used mequiars new tech wax which was fantasic.

Hope the silver comes up just as good..

Glad to be of assistance. This is how a metallic silver looks with Meguiar's NXT Wax 2.0. Still need to get a DA polisher and remove all the minor swirls, but silver is good like that.

Hi Kesawi,

Your car looks fantastic after applying the wax! You have inspired me to purchase wax for my KX-S which is silver as well. Looks like Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 is the way to go!

Can I ask if you clayed your car or polished it prior to waxing? Or did you wash then apply the wax straight away?

[Kesawi]

Process was:

1. Clean wheels with Meguiar's Hot Rims Non-Acid Wheel Cleaner.

2. Wash with Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner.

3. Clay using Meguiar's Quik Clay Detailing System.

4. Touch up visible scratches and swirls using Meguiar's Scratch X (Unfortunately with direct bright sunlight, and no swirl finding light I was limited as to what I could see under those conditions).

5. Apply Meguiar's #7 show car glaze. This step was not really critical.

6. Finish with Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 Liquid.

7. Polish Nudge Bar with Meguiar's NXT Generation All Metal Polysh.

8. Apply Meguiar's Gold Class Dash & Trim Foam Protectant to external plastic trim (unfortunately I couldn't find the external trim products anywhere).

Each of the main steps took 30 - 45 minutes as the Kluger is a big car.

If you haven't clayed your car before, then will definitely need to do it the first time you apply a wax.

How often you need to clay afterwards depends on what conditions your car is exposed to, which is different for each individual vehicle. A rule of thumb I've seen is after you've washed and dried your car, place your hand inside a plastic bag and then run it lightly across the paint work. If it feels rough then it is time to clay. From my experience with the kluger, the horizontal surfaces seem to pick up the most contamination.

Polishing is really up to your own personal preference. I used ScratchX just to remove some really visible scratches. There were still some minor swirls present, but I couldn't be bothered putting in the time and effort to remove them by hand. I'll save that for when I get a DA polisher. Not polishing won't affect the performance of the wax to protect your car's finish. The car still came up quite reasonable, although not show car finish, without the polish.

I must say it was rather satisfying to run my fingers over the car and have it feel like glass afterwards. One of my friends was so impressed that he made his wife feel the smoothness of the paint.

[Pete W]

Many thanks for all the great info Kesawi. Although I must say you make me feel awfully guilty!!

Cheers,

Pete.

Edited June 25, 2009 by Pete W

[Kesawi]

Many thanks for all the great info Kesawi. Although I must say you make me feel awfully guilty!!

Cheers,

Pete.

Glad to be of assistance

[ss--ss]

Well today I tried this using the quik clay kit & tech wax 2.0 on my 8 year old black SS commodore.. Came up fantastic & has never looked so good.

Took about 4 hours all up but worth it.. All the Meguiars stuff I've ever used is top quality & worked a treat, the only thing that never produced any results has been that scratchX product which never seems to get rid of scatches or swirls for me ..

Anyway when I get pickup the Kluger next week will wait about a month then do the same on it...

[Kesawi]

Well today I tried this using the quik clay kit & tech wax 2.0 on my 8 year old black SS commodore.. Came up fantastic & has never looked so good.

Took about 4 hours all up but worth it.. All the Meguiars stuff I've ever used is top quality & worked a treat, the only thing that never produced any results has been that scratchX product which never seems to get rid of scatches or swirls for me ..

Anyway when I get pickup the Kluger next week will wait about a month then do the same on it...

ScratchX takes a little bit of work, often 3 applications to get rid of some scratches and swirls (See this link).

ScratchX is also not very aggressive and there are other Meguiar's products which would probably be better at removing swirls from an 8 year old commodore (see Aggressiveness Order for New Consumer Products). I suggest that you try Mirror Glaze #205, failing that a combo of Mirror Glaze #105, then #205. These seems to be the most recommended combination on the Meguiar's Online Forum. The other products aren't available in Australia, and I've only been able to find #105 & #205 at Zen Automotive Suppliers Car Care. If you post some pictures of the swirls on the Meguiar's Forum someone should be able to give you a good recommendation. Best bet is to try a different products on one spot to see if it makes a difference before doing the whole car.

Why wait a month to do the Kluger? Wash it, clay it and wax it straight away so that the finish is clean and protected right from the start.

[Matty P]

I'm a big fan of the Meguiars products too! They are the only thing I will use on my cars.

Brought up my 18 year old GT4 like this:

[ss--ss]

Got the new car last week & 1st thing was to use the quick Clay & tech 2.0 .. Now the paint is like glass.

I was supprised how much contaminents where on a brand new car.

What do you guys use for the Dash & interior...

[PC XT]

Nice advert for Meguiars....I use it too some times

[Kesawi]

Got the new car last week & 1st thing was to use the quick Clay & tech 2.0 .. Now the paint is like glass.

I was supprised how much contaminents where on a brand new car.

What do you guys use for the Dash & interior...

For the leather treatmen I use Meguiars Gold Class Rich eather Cleaner/Conditioner. I generally apply this every 1-2 months.

For cleaning minor marks on leather between treatment, I use Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather Wipes . I keep them in the car to use these whenever the kids get marks on the leather. They do a really good job.

For the trim I use Meguiars Gold Class Dash & Trim Foam Protectant. I apply this generally every 1-2 months when I do the leather. I also keep it in the car along with some microfibre towels, which I use for spot cleaning as required. I find it stops the white marks appearig on the black interior plastic trim ever time you touch it. Meguiars do make some Quick Interior Detailer Wipes, but I haven't used them.

For the interior side of the windows I use RainX Anit-Fog Wipes with Glass Cleaner.

Yes I am a little bit of a Meguiar's nut, but found these products to be the most commonly recommended, and they do a good job for me.

[Matty P]

Gave the Kluger a once over this weekend.

Used the clay bar kit and then waxed with Meguiars Carnuba wax. Came up so shiny and much smoother (Graphite paint).

Will post an 'after' pic when I can.

edit: pic as promised. Doesn't really show the shine I'm afraid

Edited July 21, 2009 by Matty P

[Hado]

Just cleaned my new - two weeks old - kluger after going to Mt Buller last weekend.

1. Washed with Meguiar's Soft Wash.

2. Clayed using Meguiar's Quik Clay Detailing System. A fair bit of grime appeared on the new white clay.

(I'd never done this step before and was very impressed with how easy it was and the result.)

3. Touched up a visible scratch on the rear gate which the new car was delivered with using Meguiar's Scratch X.

4. Polished with Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 Liquid. (This step was much easier due to the smooth clayed surface to work with.)

5. Polished alloy rims with Meguiar's NXT Generation All Metal Polysh.

6. Sprayed Tyres with Meguiar's Nxt Generation Insane Shine Tyre Spray.

Then it rained <_<

[Kesawi]

Just cleaned my new - two weeks old - kluger after going to Mt Buller last weekend.

1. Washed with Meguiar's Soft Wash.

2. Clayed using Meguiar's Quik Clay Detailing System. A fair bit of grime appeared on the new white clay.

(I'd never done this step before and was very impressed with how easy it was and the result.)

3. Touched up a visible scratch on the rear gate which the new car was delivered with using Meguiar's Scratch X.

4. Polished with Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 Liquid. (This step was much easier due to the smooth clayed surface to work with.)

5. Polished alloy rims with Meguiar's NXT Generation All Metal Polysh.

6. Sprayed Tyres with Meguiar's Nxt Generation Insane Shine Tyre Spray.

Then it rained <_<

I'm sure raining after polishing is one of Murphy's Laws. At least the water would have beaded :)

[Dave L]

For anyone here that hasn't clayed their Kluger, get out there next weekend and do yourself a favour !

It is so easy to do and the difference afterwards is amazing.

I did so on my '03 Mazda SP20 a couple of weeks ago (after reading many suggestions on this and other forums) and was astounded by the result.

As mentioned in a previous topic, we picked our Kluger up last Friday afternoon and Saturday morning was spent claying, polishing and waxing (with Meguiars, of course !)...and it brought the paintwork to the same "glass-like" feel and shine as the expensive paint protection pack offered by the dealership.

It really does add another dimension when your car is so shiny and looking a million dollars (not to mention the benefits to the car's paintwork from the elements).

No photo can do it justice, but all the hard work is worth it when you see (and feel) the end result.

Suffice to say, I think I am now a clayaholic

[Kesawi]

Suffice to say, I think I am now a clayaholic

Time to join the thread Anyone addicted to Clay? :P

[dadonbike]

Just spent 4hrs yesterday giving my wife's 08 Rav4 Cruiser the clay treatment as per Kesawi's earlier post:

1. Wash with Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner.

2. Clay using Meguiar's Quik Clay Detailing System.

3. Apply Meguiar's #7 show car glaze.

4. Finish with Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 Liquid.

The finish is awesome. It is a smooth as a baby's bum. My 08 Kluger was given the paint protection treatment by the dealer when I bought it, and I'm starting to regret it. 12mths on the finish on the Kluger feels rough and I'm wondering if I should clay it too.

I'll wait and see how long the Rav4 keeps the new finish/feel for.

[Dave L]

The paint protection is a rip off.

It's the best $1000+ I never spent :)

[Kesawi]

The paint protection is a rip off.

It's the best $1000+ I never spent :)

I agree, $1000 got me a DA polisher, pads and enough microfibre towels and car care products to look after my baby for a long time, with some change to spare.

[Kesawi]

I'll wait and see how long the Rav4 keeps the new finish/feel for.

It depends on what your vehicle is exposed to. My car used to sit undercover all day at work and I was able to maintain the finish by just using a california car duster and some quick detailer for 10 minutes twice a week. Now it's parked outside by one of the busiest sections of motorway in Brisbane with a lot of construction activity nearby so the car is covered in dust and soot by the time I leave work.

Edited December 13, 2009 by Kesawi