Recently acquired my MK 3.5 of which the paintwork is in excellent condition, i have done the usual…washed it (properly) then applied super resin and finally Auto Glym gold. Under my garage lights i have noticed one or two small tar spots and other bits of contamination that i would normally just T cut out and polish, however the world seems to have changed since the 80’s when i was last polishing my “Hot hatches”…yes the MX5 is a mid life crisis and enjoying every minute of it !!
So back on topic, my super resin has run out and i need to get either a clay bar or some sort of gentle cutting polish but there seems to be millions of them now!!..G3, dodo juice, Meguires, Auto Glym, Poor boys…the list goes on.
Question is what do others use without spending days and days on it analysing paint depth ETC ?, (anyone used the Auto Glym UHD wax ?)… im guessing this will bring various replies based around personal experience but it just seems there is a minefield of various polishes out there all claiming to be the best !!
Got my MX5 a month or so ago used G3 just because we sell it at work with a DA polisher came up really good then used poor boys wax/sealeant once again because we sell it at work…
I just use Autoglym Super Resin on mine - seems to do everything I need. I’ve been using that on my cars since about 1992 though so I guess that the range of polishes available has moved on since then - while I probably haven’t!
Decontamination of the paintwork is really quite straight forward. You will need:
Tar Off ( I use Power Maxed) There are many out there.
Iron Out…commonly used on alloy wheels but it will remove bonded brake dust fron your paintwork too (Again, I use Power Maxed) There are many others
Clay Bar used after 1 and 2 …Lots of soapy water and Bilt Hamber ‘Regular’ Bar. Best out there
You will then need to polish the car.
I recommend AutoFinesse Tripple applied by hand and a Micro Fibre foam applicator
Finally a wax or sealant of your choice as a protection barrier…Millions to choose from. Sealants are generally more durable and waxes less so …unless youre prepared to spend a lot!
Microfibre for cloths and drying towels. If you need to know the name of a good company then PM me. I do work for them freelance but they supply many valeting suppliers.
Niel… I think you are confusing polishes with LSPs.
Polishes correct surfaces by way of tiny particles in them which vary in size and quantities. Autoglym SRP is an ultra low cut polish. It would take much effort and time to remove even light swirling with SRP …
Menzerna PO 85 is an awesome polish and ideal for Japanese paint. Jap paint is typically very soft so light cut polishes are best and safe.
One polished Collinite 476S is a brilliant long lasting wax with high durability. It will last 6 months if your wash technique is good.
Stokinette is counter productive. It can and will inflict swirls.
Use soft microfibre cloths. Remove the labels and wash before use.
A good way of checking how good a cloth is is the CD test… Take your microfibre cloth and wipe it over the face of a blank CD. If it marks it the cloth is not suitable for use especially on soft Japanese car paint
Err not so… All polishes may cut but not all are lightly abrasive. Far from it. Some of the heavy cutting compounds can inflict huge damage to the surface if its not used correctly and very fast …
We that machine polish regularly must choose our polish and pad combination very carefully to avoid breaching the lacquer and striking through to the colour/base coat.
Your SRP is a very low cut polish so very safe but its of little use for paint correction for two reasons. Firstly its cut is extremely low so removing scratches or swirling is going to take ages. Add to this SRP contains fillers which hide swirling and its hopeless. It may appear you’ve removed swirling but you more than likely haven’t.
The rule of thumb for those new to machine polishing is to start with a soft pad and low cut polish and move up a grade if nothing is getting corrected. Its the safe way.
The other complications to consider are.
How hard or soft is the surface… Japanese paint is ultra soft so real care must be taken. German paint on the other hand is extremely hard !! A pad and polish combination that cuts easily on a Toyota or Mazda wont hack it on a BMW or Audi.
Paint thickness. Japanese cars have Extremely thin paint. My MX has an average of 4 to 5 microns. My DeFelsko PTG {Paint Thickness Gauge} tells me 60% of this is lacquer the remainder is base/colour coat. So this also spells out that Extreme care must be taken when selecting pads and polishes…
Paint is inherently softer still on plastics like bumpers and so on. So never get stuck into those with the same combinations as you have or may have used on the panels steel or aluminium.
Then there are the massive multitude of polishes. Some are single grade some are AIO which means All In One. AOIs are best left for the experts as when applied to the pad they offer medium to heavy cut but the polish breaks down as its worked and the cut becomes less. This means the cutting rate is constantly changing. All polishes need to be broken down and all will but only AIO ones constantly change which can confuse the operator and fool them into mistakes… Farecla G3 is an AIO polish and catches a quite a few folk out.