A pure polish Like Gtechniq P1 actually removes a small amount of paint/oxidation/contamination and polishes the paint surface…Makes it shine and reflective and removes/reduces imperfections
What you are thinking of is a Sealant or wax that is a last stage product to protect the polished surface
There are some polishes that claim to do both, but mask the light scratches and lay down a small amount of sealant …AutoGlym Super Resin Polish is one
Have a read:
I recommended this because its one of the easier polishes to use by hand AND by Machine Polisher
I agree with Chris P1 by hand is a decent polish. Just do not expect it to be as good as by machine as you really need to get some warmth in the clear to really correct it.
Over Swissvax they do good products, unfortunately in recent years I have lowered the amount I get from them as the amount of prices increases in the past 5 years has been excessive. An example is best of show when I started detailing it was £125 for the full pot where as now it is nearly double that!
I suppose I cannot say too much about expensive wax owning Vintage…but at least I get free refills for life.
Do not forget though Chris that some last stage products have a slight filling nature as well (Collonite for instance).
First of all thanks for every bodies help so far and encouragement. Stuff has started to arrive from various suppliers from the web and my next question now is: do I use the Bilt Hamber Snow Foam neat from the 5ltr bottle or do I need to dilute it before I put it in the lance bottle?
Chris, Thanks yet again, shame we seem to live at the opposite parts of the country as I’d gladly pay you to do my car with me watching so as to learn how to do it properly
I suppose from a dilution factor it would I have never been a great fan of using pressure sprayers personally.
I know there have been plenty of cases of people showing certain snow foams to be ineffective and not quite as good as promoted.
I also use snow foam to do my 2BM on as well as reduces the chances of inflicting defects. I notice many do not do this and is a tip I picked up from a regular pro I met up with I knew.
Shield is a good wax for Winter I would probably only buy the 50 ml pot though in honesty these days as they are so expensive.
The real question is do you really want to be running that in Winter and a wax?
Personally and against my better judgement I tend to run with Carpro Reload or Gtechniq C2 Version 3 or Optiseal in my early years?
Why these? Ease of maintenance during the colder months, it takes a lot of time to wax a car and more so in Winter. The one listed above are spray on and wipe off providing another layer of “fresh” protection. I know at this point some will say well you can add Dodo Juice Red Mist and similar products but then that defeats the object of having these very waxes in place! (I say red mist as I have previous history of disagreeing with the main reason for the product, I will also add Zaino Z6/Z8 to that list (and I own most of the Zaino protection range)).
For less than £300 you can buy a one-stage correction done by a proper Detailer. Swissvax is just a brand, it doesn’t make a swirled car less swirly, the brand that makes the final LSP is totally irrelevant, it’s all the work that comes before,
…Decontamination, claying, etc etc etc . It’s all in the know-how and believe me it’s a specialist job. You need someone that will PTG your car all over first and then find the optimum polish+pad combination so that they cut it just enough to
remove the swirls without removing too much clear coat…All car paint is different.
Then there is a question to ask…“Do you want maximum durability because you don’t intend to wax again for the life of the LSP”…Show waxes look great but typically only offer 2 to 3 months protection,
“What colour is the car?” White or silver/light colours are best suited to a a sealant as they can bring out the reflectivity better
Swissvax is a great product…Their Pre Wax is really good and MUST be used to give the wax a chance of bonding…or you’re wasting your time
But there are other great waxes out there…IMO…Swissvax was once worth paying more because it was head and shoulders better than most…Now its been caught up as LSP technology evolves
Nano and ceramic products are gradually becoming more common and easier to use…but there is something about the feel and smell of waxing a car IMO…
At the end of the day…If you want to buy Swissvax,… that’s your decision…Prepare the paint well but don’t dismiss other brands as being inferior…They are not
