| Author | Message | ||
     James Feller Prolific User Username: james_feller Post Number: 118 Registered: 5-2008 |
As most of you know I do keep my cars clean and immaculate. I have just discovered the dream polishes.... Autoglm.... wow the Big Blue B looks sensational and the 'high resin Polish' was a dream to apply and very much less intensive to remove than my Maguiers accoutrements... I will be switching to these products, I can confirm they are amazing!! Cheers J | ||
| Kevin Lagden Experienced User Username: kevin Post Number: 20 Registered: 7-2009 |
Agree James, I have used this product for 15 years, originally on a Porsche and the results were amazing. Now I use it on the Shadow with the same results. Kevin | ||
| Jan Forrest Prolific User Username: got_one Post Number: 113 Registered: 1-2008 |
Don't know much about Autoglym products as I use "Mer". It's one of the older type polishes as it leaves a white residue which has to be buffed off. Even so the finish is excellent and hard wearing. I've only done The Old Girl with it twice - the latest being about 5 months ago - yet her paintowrk still gleams even with several inches of snow on most of it! I may try some of the 'super resin' stuff when the current bottle of Mer runs out. | ||
| Andre Perry Experienced User Username: meandfi Post Number: 16 Registered: 11-2009 |
I agree, Ive been using them for 13 years on our old Shadow II and they are the best, no Rolls at the moment, but the Lexus looks good after a good Polish. | ||
| Paul Yorke Grand Master Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 521 Registered: 6-2006 |
Mer is probably as good Jan. I like the fact that you can add Mer to your wash water and it 'tops up' the wax. The super Resin leaves white wax as well. Both excellent products. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 2055 Registered: 4-2003 |
Although all these products are useless on modern two-pack finishes, for older vehicles or vehicles refinished in acrylics the only one I would consider is Porzelack Brilliant: http://www.porzelack.net.au/pages/brill.html Anything with silicone may be given a very wide berth, and paint companies have very negative views on almost all polishes and waxes. The people at both BASF-Glasurit and Standox advise that Porzelack is the only brand that they could vaguely endorse. However, with a two-pack finish, the surface is resilient to practically anything. On 2Ps, waxes do nothing other than smear the surface. RHT. | ||
| Martin Cutler Prolific User Username: martin_cutler Post Number: 147 Registered: 7-2007 |
The 2 pak on my MG Magnette is not resilient to bird poo. A coat of wax does help. If I don't notice the droppings for a couple of days, they can leave a nasty stain. Bentleys are in the shed, poor Monty is on the driveway, and I ride my pushbike to work. 2 Pak on the Bentleys comes up like new with a bit of spray can glass cleaner. In the shed under a dust cover they stay fairly clean. Cheers Marty | ||
| Brian Crump Frequent User Username: brian_crump Post Number: 68 Registered: 2-2007 |
The difference between a well-waxed and an un-waxed car is quite remarkable - even on two pack. I use Swissvax on mine and do not have an issue with smearing. Porzelack is quite good on older paints, especiually the 'duco' from the 1950s. Autoglym also make some very good products and I like their glass cleaner and tyre spray as it is not shiny or greasy. Regards, Brian | ||
| Clifford Donley Experienced User Username: flatus Post Number: 47 Registered: 12-2009 |
I did pick-up a RR/Bentley car care kit on eBay. It is from the late '80s and has window cleaner and pre-wax cleaner and carnauba wax along with a couple of more things all in a fancy carrying case. Everything appears to have been untouched. A web search doesn't show this, or similar, products being sold now by either company. If anyone has used this kit in years past, how did it work for you? How did it compare with waxes, etc., available today? Cliff | ||
| Jeffrey McCarthy Prolific User Username: jefmac2003 Post Number: 192 Registered: 5-2007 |
Clifford -does that contain the rubber conditioner as well? Incidentally what do people recommend for rubber? Vaseline? Obviously nothing containing silicone but I've been told that plain detergent is good for it. | ||
| Brian Crump Frequent User Username: brian_crump Post Number: 70 Registered: 2-2007 |
Clifford, Swissvax does an OEM kit for Rolls-Royce and it is available from any R-R show room. I think the kit you purchased may have been made by Swissvax (or Swissol as it was then called) and it should compare very favourably with today's waxes in that the canauba wax is still the most succeesful wax for cars. http://www.swissvax.com/ Mind you, in one way it would be a pity to use the kit; it is almost a collectable item!!  Regards, Brian Crump | ||
| Bill Payne Experienced User Username: wimpy Post Number: 40 Registered: 1-2007 |
Jeffrey: I shared shop space several years ago with a high-end restoration/crash shop. He used lacquer thinner to wipe the rubber which removed the outer weather deteriorated surface,then wiped it down with dish detergent, rinsed that, then thin coating of Armor All as a preservative. I would be interested in hearing of better solutions. | ||
| Jeffrey McCarthy Prolific User Username: jefmac2003 Post Number: 193 Registered: 5-2007 |
That's interesting Bill - I've heard that armorall is good - until you stop using it then the rubber quickly turns brown and disintegrates. Perhaps this is an urban myth? | ||
| Clifford Donley Experienced User Username: flatus Post Number: 48 Registered: 12-2009 |
Brian, yes, it appears to be their product. I just went to the Swissvax website and looked at the products and the prices. Goodness, I got the lot for $14.99! I think I shall have to put it in the vault.  Jeff, there was no rubber conditioner. Over the years I finally settled on using a mild spray window cleaner on the rubber parts. Seems to work well while causing no apparent harm. Nothing caustic of course. On many of the surfaces where other people use Armor-All, I simply use a damp towel. I'm pleased with the results. | ||
| Jeffrey McCarthy Prolific User Username: jefmac2003 Post Number: 194 Registered: 5-2007 |
Thanks Cliff - I'll stick to what I know does no harm at least. The rubber conditioner I was thinking of is in the Bentley kit sold by introcar: http://www.introcar.co.uk/acatalog/INTROCAR_BENTLEY_2445.html Bottom of the page. I wonder what's in it? | ||
| Bill Payne Experienced User Username: wimpy Post Number: 41 Registered: 1-2007 |
Jeff, my subconscious finally came up with the rest of the story. I knew there was something else kept around the shop...Glycerin will prevent embrittlement. This is what we used on older cars with Armor All used on newer vehicles. | ||
| StevenBrown Experienced User Username: stevenbrown Post Number: 48 Registered: 10-2008 |
Porsche in their owners manual does recommend Petroleum jelly for two things: 1.)For lubrication (after cleaning) of "Weatherstrips on Doors, Hood, Tailgate, Sun Roof". The publication states "...before applying a new coat of lubricant...". "Only acid-free lubricants may be used, for example: glycerine, Vaseline, tire mounting paste, etc. These lubricants should be rubbed in and excessive lubricant wiped off with a soft cloth." 2.)Anodized rims: "Every three months (after regular cleaning) the wheels should be coated with petroleum jelly.” So I do step 1 with all my vehicles. I'm wondering if newer models with Aluminium alloy wheels as they would be anodized as well, could benefit from use 2? I'm living in both Canada and the USA, so my Spur is 300 miles away with owners manual! Avoiding the 20% duty on the blue book price, when my Spur is not nearly worth what Canada states. So while in storage, I insured she has the best coat of wax protection. Have not seen Autoglm in Canada or the USA. Swissvax or Zymol is what I've been using. First though I wash with household dish soap because it has grease (fats) removing properties. Gets the old wax off the vehicle. Once I've dried the car--I'll use a Maguiers clay bar over the vehicle. Paints shops and good high end detail people use the bars. http://www.topoftheline.com/auto-detail-clay.html Then wax and if needed also have a polishing machine. I'm trying to keep my cars (not just Royce) factory paint near 100% perfect. | ||
| Jan Forrest Prolific User Username: got_one Post Number: 121 Registered: 1-2008 |
I know it may seem unlikely, but the regular or over use of even the mildest of abrasives on a car's paintwork can eventually erode all the way through all the coats to reveal the undercoat, primer or even bare metal - although I would expect anyone to stop and respray the car long before it gets to that stage. Your car(s) may be relatively modern, but some of us are driving cars that are several decades old and may prefer to keep the original paintwork as long as possible. That is why I use them very sparingly on all my cars. As long as you keep a good layer of quality wax on the paint then most things will wash off with it and any cutting compounds (even clay bars) can be kept for occasional or 'emergency' use only. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 2079 Registered: 4-2003 |
A note of advice on the matter of abrasives. Don’t use them regularly in service, if at all. Not even clay. Once the car has been finished, it should not need repolishing or waxing ever again. Only nitrocellulose lacquer needs periodic polishing, and with any luck no cars exist with nitro anymore. Early cars with metallic paints, clear-over-basecoat finishes, suffered very badly as the clearcoat was invariably applied too thickly. It would craze and flake off very quickly in that case, taking the colourcoat (basecoat with is). Witness early 1970s metallics on Mercedes, Volvo and Ford cars. They often lost all their finish that way within a season. M-B routinely refinished cars in Australia pre-delivery for a while in the 1970s, so poor was the paint life of CoB under the Australian sun. Of course, a metallic finish is matt until it has a clearcoat on top. Crewe mastered the art of the very thin clearcoat by 1970, prolonging the life of the metallic basecoat enormously. However, just the occasional polish with No. 2 polish was enough for the shine of a Crewe car of the era to be lost in a few years as the clearcoat polished away leaving the matt metallic. The metallic basecoat, further, has very little body and can soon rub through even without using a polish. This is especially true of modern waterborne basecoats: they rub through with a clean finger unless there is a clearcoat. They are best used in a 2K (=2 Komponenten, 2-component or 2-Pack) system, where the clearcoat is the 2K part. I did some waterborne/2K metallic refinishing work on my Turbo R and on both colours of my R-Type last weekend, and it is easier than using 1K acrylic (provided you have the correct OH&S kit when you apply the 2K clearcoat). I saw Crewe finishes turning matt all too often in the 1970s and 1980s. There was a one-year-old SSII in our office carpark in 1980, already matt. The owner’s valet polished it weekly, and the finish was ruined within months. Our 1972 T-Series had become decidedly matt in parts until I first stripped it and refinished it in 1984. At leat by then, even 1K clearcoats had become more durable when 1½ coats remained after buffing in the refinishing shop. The refinisher’s bugbear is always wax. Silicone wax is a nightmare, but the rest are not much better. They all penetrate through past the primer over time, often inducing corrosion as the pores open up. If you can still find one, ask a refinisher who still uses old-fashioned paints like acrylics or even ancient finishes like nitrocellulose. If wax is not used, the clearcoat may be cut back and resprayed quite cheaply and effectively without removing the glassware. Moreover, a 2K clearcoat is quite easy to apply over the original basecoat. However, once wax has been used, a proper finish requires a bare-metal strip-back. That is quite a big job. My opinion is that the best option is to use no wax at all. Rather keep the finish clean and shiny, limiting light polishing to once every five years or so if you must polish at all. RT. | ||
| Brian Crump Frequent User Username: brian_crump Post Number: 73 Registered: 2-2007 |
Richard, My 1933 PII still has nitrocellulose lacquer so yes, there are some cars around with it still. When I get around to re-painting the vehicle I will use the same again, if it is available, for the sake of authenticity and because the lacquer has an appropriate level of gloss and depth. Of course, it does require a far higher level of maintenance than modern finishes. However, I am going to disagree with you on the matter of polishing and waxing modern cars. If the paint work is washed and dried thoroughly before claying, then there is little chance of abrasion and damage. The advantage of claying is that dirt particles which can not be removed by washing alone are taken off the surface before they etch the clear coat - bird droppings, industrial fallout, tar etc come to mind here. Waxing protects the clear coat and yes, it does improve gloss and apparent depth of paintwork without damage. My 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SE is largely original and the paintwork responds to Swissvax clay/chemical clean and wax which I do every year. Note, I am not talking of abrasive compounds which should not be normally required unless correcting a problem. Even then, professionals have the appropriate gauge to measure paint depth so they can check how far they are going. So - is there a real (as opposed to imagined) difference after using a good wax? Yes, I use Swissvax Divine on some of my other cars and the difference is real. Perhaps the greatest benefit from waxing is that pollution marks wash off easily without having to resort to an abrasive polish. My view? Avoid abrasive polishes but wax and wash regularly. The paint will not wear out as a result of doing it correctly. Regards, Brian Crump | ||
| StevenBrown Frequent User Username: stevenbrown Post Number: 63 Registered: 10-2008 |
Abrasive compounds for times when you say: "sure borrow my car--just run it through a touch less car wash". Said last weekend by me in fact. Discovered that some places still have old fashioned brush car washes. Not good for black Porsche! Swirl marks is an understatement. One benefit of living in the U.S, some things are still available, like nitrocellulose lacquer. Its more work to get an excellent quality appearing paint work. This is time that most restoration shops don't really have. Body shops have even less time. I like the authentic, even if modern systems are as good. Like the depth and gloss better of old personally. Extra care and expense of quality products is worth it. Royce/Bentley if I clean, would never see even a touch less car wash. Chemicals they use are to abrasive. Lucky for my employee have beater Porsche pacific purpose of being a mechanical and even repaint learning machine. Before I tear apart current and future Crewe products. Looking at near show car looking SIII. Decided to drop the idea of Seraph or newer Spur. Get myself either an S or Cloud III, same money as the newer ones.But with chance of appreciation and even more so, if restored shinny condition. The one I looked at is top of list. She is black/sable paint, the latter bottom was bare metal repainted. Seller believes black top is original. If find another example, would try to go two tone repainting either top or bottom depending on what area needs repainting more. The original with detailing should come up to match the new paint. Save me some money versus repainting the whole thing. Brought up because one solution for those looking at repainting. Going two tone and only repainting top or bottom is possible. Top quality products can match the overall appearance, most will think you painted the whole car! | ||
| C Lungmuss Unregistered guest Posted From: 195.93.21.34 |
Hello All, Now I hope I am not putting my head into the lions mouth so to speak, but here goes!! I have about 4 old cars on the the road, amongst them a Bentley & RR Silver Spirit. I found some time ago that there was no way I could wash, apply polish and buff them all up to shine. Many years ago I was told that before wax polish's the chauffers would put a table spoonful of paraffin into hot water and after washing apply the fore mentioned liquid to the car by sponge or soft cloth. The surface goes cloudy but when wiped over with a wet chamois leather washed in clean warm water the result is a shiny surface. To further enhance the finish when dry buff, with a dry soft cloth. I have used this for several years with no noticible sign of damage to the paintwork, rubber seals etc. Has anyone else come across this method? Do enjoy all the comments apologies if this posting is not what you are looking for. Clive (UK) (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 942 Registered: 4-2003 |
Welcome Clive, it is great to see you visit our forum as well as your usual ones. For our Australian, US and Canadian members who are not aware - paraffin is the UK name for kerosene or stove oil. I have always used straight kerosene for removing tar spots from paint and bright work and for washing down paintwork to remove oil and diesel fuel residues from heavy traffic conditions before polishing - always under cover and never in sunlight. Never tried mixing it with water as I always wash the kerosene off with CT18 truckwash before polishing. As far as polishes go - I have a 4 litre container of "Yellow Wax" [Carnauba wax] I purchased in the USA many years ago and this always gives a deep, mirror-smooth "wet look" finish. A friend is an apiarist and adds beeswax to his [lower cost] wax polishes to achieve a similar result. Having recently become responsible for caring for a VW Eos, I have now become aware of a product DuPont Krytox GPL105 which is used as a seal lubricant and conditioner on the folding metal roof/window seals to prevent water leaks. Very expensive [currently around AUD90 for 50ml from a DuPont distributor] but is used very sparingly twice a year. This product is used in the aerospace and other essential industries and is also specified by GM. Use the following link for more details: http://www2.dupont.com/Products_and_Services/en_AU/products/safety_protection/krytox.html Usual disclaimers apply about using it on R-R/B vehicles without testing beforehand. Shadow door/boot seals come to mind as a possible beneficiary of using this product. | ||
| StevenBrown Frequent User Username: stevenbrown Post Number: 68 Registered: 10-2008 |
The type of wax product is much like engine oils. I like most Carnauba based wax products I've tried. Besides the depth of original factory materials. I'm also trying to avoid repainting because its very hard to find a shop that can do factory or better appearance. | ||
| C Lungmuss Unregistered guest Posted From: 195.93.21.34 |
Thank you David, I am a frequent visitor to this forum but often the technical side is a bit above what I can manage so paraffin/kerosene in warm water is the best I can do at the present. I forgot to put in my posting that I use the amount to fill an egg cup in a bucket of warm water. I was prompted to put this forward after the posting by RT on the abrasive qualities of various polishes. This method gives an accebtable shine and is non abrasive. All the best, Clive (Message approved by david_gore) |
