Author Topic: Car waxing for beginners  (Read 2149 times)

Offline SRGTD

  • I live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,530
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #10 on: 22 September 2021, 07:27 »
I've had ceramic coatings done twice before. I won't be getting it done again. Maybe its just not for me, but I didn't think it was worth it. It wasn't crazy expensive then but it seems to be crazy money now, like everything else. I just didn't think it lived up to the hype. The car still suffered the same issues as any car with no protection. Bird crap marks, swirls, etc. In the end I bought a DA polisher and rectified a few annoying issues myself.

I’ve never had a car ceramic coated as I enjoy waxing a car. I have to admit that from pictures posted up by forum members just after having their cars professionally ceramic coated they do look good, but then for the cost involved, they should. I’ve read some claims that ceramic coatings will protect against stone chips - AFAIK no ceramic coating will provide that sort of protection; it’ll be necessary to invest in expensive PPF to protect against stone chips.

I’m assuming that in addition to the fairly sizeable initial cost, there are also some ongoing costs to consider with ceramic coatings applied by a professional. If the coating does become damaged or is removed (e.g. as a result of bodywork damage / bodywork repairs), then it will need to be reapplied to those affected parts of the car to maintain any warranty provided by the coating manufacturer or the company that applied it. There may also be a warranty requirement for annual maintenance checks which I’m assuming would incur a charge too?

Like you Joe, I also invested in a DA polisher a few years ago. As well as using it for polishing the whole car, it’s great for dealing with spot repairs such as bird poo etching, scratches that pass the finger nail test, and the inevitable swirl marks on the ‘soft’ piano black plastic trim that’s used on many cars these days. My DA has paid for itself many times over compared to what I would’ve paid to have my car professionally polished by a car detailer, and IMO there’s lots of satisfaction from seeing the result of your own efforts :smiley:.
2020 Polo GTI Plus; Pure White, DSG (because they all are)
Gone but not forgotten;
2016 Polo GTI; Blue Silk
2011 mk6 Golf GTD; Carbon Grey
2007 mk5 Golf GT (2.0 170bhp TDI version); Deep Black Pearl
2002  mk4 Golf GTI (the 150 bhp diesel version); Deep Black Pearl

Offline wizzywig27

  • Not said much yet
  • **
  • Posts: 77
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #11 on: 22 September 2021, 08:29 »
Only advice I can offer is 'wax on, wax off'  :grin:

Offline Foxy367

  • Here all the time
  • ****
  • Posts: 251
  • Here All Week
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #12 on: 22 September 2021, 08:37 »
In the past I’ve always polished my cars, typically with Autoglym Super Resin Polish.

After seeing Foxy367’s lovely looking Atlantic Blue GTI on the “what have you bought post”, I’ve been trying to research car wax as I’m thinking of switching to this for my CS 45, if it ever arrives :whistle:

A few questions:

-I’ve been looking at the Bilt Hamber website, what’s the procedure? Wash with auto-wash, apply Cleanser-Fluid, then wax?
-Is it advisable to wax the painted wheels? With what?
-How long do you have to leave a new car before the first wax?
-How often is waxing required?
-Do you need any other shampoo for washing off the old wax when redoing or is the auto-wash the correct stuff?

Looking forward to your advice.

Thanks!

A bit about my story with my cars, my previous car was ceramic coated with a 3yr coating, at first it looked fantastic, 12 months in it wasn't beading as much and whilst the paintwork was protected underneath I'd read that it would still need work to bring back to its former glory. When I bought my CS I couldn't stomach another £500ish to coat it so I started reading about wax's and QD sprays.

At first I'd use a decent car wash Autoglym UHD wash, dry it and finish with a QD spray which still looked great but reading up Bilt Hamber got the best write up for ease of use and longevity so I thought I'd give it a go.

Process wise,
  • I washed the car as normal with Autoglym
  • Rinsed it off and dried using a drying cloth and microfibre cloth then put the car away overnight to let it dry thoroughly
  • I went at it a panel at a time allowing the 5-10 minutes it recommended over a couple of evenings
  • Once buffed off I noticed on a couple of panels there was a slight haze which needed a second buff but apparently that is normal.

The finish as you saw from the photos was pretty good, I had a couple of swirls marks on the bonnet where I'd been a bit too vigourous with removal of a dead fly, managed to get rid of that with Autoglym Super Resin polish before coating it with the wax.

Going forwards a quick two bucket wash and then a spritz with a quick detailer should be good to get it through winter and we'll see how it lasts.

NB the Detailing pages on the main forum here are really good too for advice.  :wink:

Foxy
Current - Awaiting a milkfloat
Previously
2021 Mk8 GTI Clubsport - Atlantic Blue
2017 MK7.5 GTI Performance - Tornado Red
First steps into Golf ownership -
2003 Mk4 GtTdi PD150 Oceanic Green
2002 Mk4 GtTdi PD150 Reflex silver

Offline JoeGTI

  • I live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,208
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #13 on: 22 September 2021, 09:01 »
Like you Joe, I also invested in a DA polisher a few years ago. As well as using it for polishing the whole car, it’s great for dealing with spot repairs such as bird poo etching, scratches that pass the finger nail test, and the inevitable swirl marks on the ‘soft’ piano black plastic trim that’s used on many cars these days. My DA has paid for itself many times over compared to what I would’ve paid to have my car professionally polished by a car detailer, and IMO there’s lots of satisfaction from seeing the result of your own efforts :smiley:.

Completely agree on all fronts!
The DA polisher is a great tool to have, its simple to use and very very effective for the annoying little marks that you inevitably pick up - bird crap, small swirls (especially on gloss black trim). Very easy and instantly effective. A really satisfying tool to use!

And likewise, I think there's a lot of satisfaction and pride in doing a detailing job yourself. Paying someone else to do it is easy (assuming you have the wallet). But where's the fun in that.

As I mentioned earlier, I think careful prep and having some basic (and not expensive) products to hand is the key, i.e.
- good wash mitts
- ph neutral shampoo
- careful washing (2 buckets, etc)
- de-tar and de-iron.

Once you've all that done, applying your wax / sealant is the easy bit and the car will be easier to keep clean for longer.
« Last Edit: 22 September 2021, 09:04 by JoeGTI »
MK8 GTI Clubsport. Reflex silver, Estorils, and a few other bits.

Offline wizzywig27

  • Not said much yet
  • **
  • Posts: 77
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #14 on: 22 September 2021, 09:03 »
I generally use EZ Car Care stuff, its cheap and I find it quite good. I also love Chemical Guys stuff, some of which is amazing.

My process is as follows:

1) Snow foam and rinse
2) Wash with SI02 shampoo and rinse
3) Spray with Hydrophobic spray sealant
4) Apply wax, wax on, wax off
5) Apply a wax sealant
6) Apply a detailing spray

Some may say its quite a lot, but it works for me and offers freat protection

Offline SRGTD

  • I live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,530
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #15 on: 22 September 2021, 09:18 »
I had a couple of swirls marks on the bonnet where I'd been a bit too vigourous with removal of a dead fly, managed to get rid of that with Autoglym Super Resin polish before coating it with the wax.

Foxy

Foxy, from my experience Autoglym SRP is more of a filler polish rather than being renowned for its cutting abilities to remove paintwork imperfections, so you may find the swirls reappear after a few washes when the fillers have been washed away. You can always reapply some more SRP if / when this happens, topped off with some more wax for protection. 

I find a cheap and effective way to remove dead bugs with low risk of inflicting swirls is to soak them for a few minutes by laying a wet microfibre cloth on them to soften them. They (usually) then wipe away easily without needing to resort to hard rubbing. QD also works if the bugs are freshly splattered! :grin:.

I keep some QD and microfibre cloths in the car to deal with bird droppings if they happen while I’m away from home, rather than leave them to deal with later when they’re likely to have etched into the clear coat.
2020 Polo GTI Plus; Pure White, DSG (because they all are)
Gone but not forgotten;
2016 Polo GTI; Blue Silk
2011 mk6 Golf GTD; Carbon Grey
2007 mk5 Golf GT (2.0 170bhp TDI version); Deep Black Pearl
2002  mk4 Golf GTI (the 150 bhp diesel version); Deep Black Pearl

Offline Foxy367

  • Here all the time
  • ****
  • Posts: 251
  • Here All Week
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #16 on: 22 September 2021, 10:08 »
I had a couple of swirls marks on the bonnet where I'd been a bit too vigourous with removal of a dead fly, managed to get rid of that with Autoglym Super Resin polish before coating it with the wax.

Foxy

Foxy, from my experience Autoglym SRP is more of a filler polish rather than being renowned for its cutting abilities to remove paintwork imperfections, so you may find the swirls reappear after a few washes when the fillers have been washed away. You can always reapply some more SRP if / when this happens, topped off with some more wax for protection. 

I find a cheap and effective way to remove dead bugs with low risk of inflicting swirls is to soak them for a few minutes by laying a wet microfibre cloth on them to soften them. They (usually) then wipe away easily without needing to resort to hard rubbing. QD also works if the bugs are freshly splattered! :grin:.

I keep some QD and microfibre cloths in the car to deal with bird droppings if they happen while I’m away from home, rather than leave them to deal with later when they’re likely to have etched into the clear coat.


Ah I didn't know that, hopefully the wax will keep it in place, I assumed as it was the clear coat I wouldn't see anything it had 'cut' off so that makes sense.

Thanks for the tip on the bugs they get on my T1t5 at this time of year!!!
Current - Awaiting a milkfloat
Previously
2021 Mk8 GTI Clubsport - Atlantic Blue
2017 MK7.5 GTI Performance - Tornado Red
First steps into Golf ownership -
2003 Mk4 GtTdi PD150 Oceanic Green
2002 Mk4 GtTdi PD150 Reflex silver

Offline Carl_45

  • GTI forum regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 196
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #17 on: 22 September 2021, 11:24 »
Thanks everyone for your excellent advice.

I knew it was a hot topic but wow  :laugh:. Defo a lunch time read of all the above.

Unless I’ve missed it scanning through, how long do you leave new car paint to fully “cure”?

All being well, if (big if  :whistle:) I get the car in November as predicted, I was hoping to spend some time the week before Christmas on it as my missus and youngest are at work/nursery and there’s just me and the daughter off (she loves to help).
Current: Clubsport 45, Kings Red, DCC, HK, Winter Pack

Offline JoeGTI

  • I live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,208
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #18 on: 22 September 2021, 11:59 »
Thanks everyone for your excellent advice.

I knew it was a hot topic but wow  :laugh:. Defo a lunch time read of all the above.

Unless I’ve missed it scanning through, how long do you leave new car paint to fully “cure”?

All being well, if (big if  :whistle:) I get the car in November as predicted, I was hoping to spend some time the week before Christmas on it as my missus and youngest are at work/nursery and there’s just me and the daughter off (she loves to help).

I wouldn't worry about leaving new car to "cure". It's well cured by the time you get your hands on it. Besides, the fad these days for some is to drive it straight from the dealers to the pro detailers for the ceramic coating.

MK8 GTI Clubsport. Reflex silver, Estorils, and a few other bits.

Offline Brocky_

  • GTI forum regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 200
Re: Car waxing for beginners
« Reply #19 on: 22 September 2021, 14:46 »
As has been said, prep will determine 75% of the end result.  It matters not which LSP (Last Step Protection) you use if you've not put the proper effort in beforehand.

If you feel as though you're getting the bug for detailing or just want some good tips on keeping your paint looking tip-top, have a look in the Detailing section.  It's a bit dead and could do with some love but there's some cracking advice on techniques and products in there.  Maybe a modmin can move this thread over there?

Also, I would recommend looking up Pan The Organiser on YouTube.  There are plenty of good detailing channels but Pan is one of the better ones from a beginner's perspective, in my opinion.  I learned lots from watching his videos.
Mk.8 GTI ClubSport