Polish question

[PhantomMagician]

sorry to make a new thread since i can't edit my old thread to add a question i just remember

1 . Polish remove wax, so even pure polish like DCP step 2 can remove wax, so basicly every time we want to polish our car we have to re wax it because we remove our wax while polishing ? right or wrong ?

2. It said that polish like a skin lotion, the more you polish it the more depth it will be, so couple layer polish is good then ?

3. Do we need to remove our old wax before we rewax the whole car ? or if my car don't need paint correction i can just wash it and wax it without removing the old wax ?

4. I belive that swirlX is compound class with SMAT tech, so it will remove swirl not fill it...right ?

5. Do you think black mica is a dark or light colour car?

6. is there any way to know your paint is hard or soft before trying to apply product on it ? i think the answer is no ?

thanks thanks for answering...sorry , to much question...i read this forum for 3 to 4 hour a day and still have question

[Merlin]

Re: Polish question

1 . Polish remove wax, so even pure polish like DCP step 2 can remove wax, so basicly every time we want to polish our car we have to re wax it because we remove our wax while polishing ? right or wrong ?

I'm not usre what DCP step 2 is?
M105, M205 and Menz PO85 are a few polish products.
If you "polish" you need to wax or apply sealant to protect.

2. It said that polish like a skin lotion, the more you polish it the more depth it will be, so couple layer polish is good then ?

Layering Polish?
You use polish to do paint correction (remove paint)
Polish is applied for correction then removed.

3. Do we need to remove our old wax before we rewax the whole car ? or if my car don't need paint correction i can just wash it and wax it without removing the old wax ?

Yes, use a auto wash soap like Wolfgang Auto Bathe and it will not strip off your existing wax.

4. I belive that swirlX is compound class with SMAT tech, so it will remove swirl not fill it...right ?

Correct

5. Do you think black mica is a dark or light colour car?

Yes Black Mica is dark
White & silver are light

6. is there any way to know your paint is hard or soft before trying to apply product on it ? i think the answer is no ?

No. do a TEST spot!

----------------
Paint Correction:
Wash
Clay
Polish
Wax/sealant

Weekly Maintain:
Wash

Monthly Maintain:
Wash
clay (optional)
Wax/Sealant

[Merlin]

Re: Polish question

For someone just starting out I would suggest

Megs DA and the DA MF correction kit

The kit contains:
5" MF cutting discs
D300 Compound
5" MF Polishing discs
D301 Polish
5" backing plate
a Megs Detailing apron

[PhantomMagician]

Re: Polish question

hi merlin, thanks for answering...but couple things..

1 . DCP2 is deep crystal polish step 2, which is pure polish, so it have no cleaning ability, and IMHO m105 and m250 are at compound class instead of pure polish class...

so the thing is, someone said that pure polish did't have cleaning ability, so they claim that it can't remove wax, but some other said that even pure polish can remove wax, so just want to know which is true

2. i did't use polish to do paint correction, for it's compound job, or at least polishing compound job, i used polish to add gloss and deepness to my car.. what i asked here is pure polish, as megs state at iphone megs application and in MOL forum to thing polish like a skin lotion, the more you apply, you'll get better gloss, just don't apply to much at once, so i thinking about layering the polish...will it work ?

and 3 . the thing i ask is if i NEED to remove previeus wax from my car before i do total rewax, since i do not need to do any paint correction or clay. so maybe some previous wax still stick to my car, so NEED i remove it first, or just wax it ?

thanks

[Murr1525]

Re: Polish question

1. You will have some cleaning ability from using a liquid with a pad and rubbing it over the surface. As wax on the paint is a microscopic thin layer, it is safe to say rubbing a liquid over the surface has affected the wax somewhow.

2. However your skin absorbs things faster than paint. Even if the paint could use more polish, if it was very old/dried out, it would need spread out over some time.

3. If the wax is good enough to survive, it can stay. Just be sure to be re-waxing over a clean surface. I usually have a couple months between good details with a liquid/paste wax, so I do a cleaning step of some sort. But if you were to wax with a liquid/paste every week, shouldnt need all the cleaning/claying everytime unless something stubborn got on the car.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Polish question

1 . Polish remove wax, so even pure polish like DCP step 2 can remove wax, so basicly every time we want to polish our car we have to re wax it because we remove our wax while polishing ? right or wrong ?

Meguiar's has been using the term "polish" for 110 years to describe a product that does only one thing - add gloss. There are no abrasives in our polishes when talking about "pure polishes", ie, those with no abrasives and therefore no cleaning ability. Deep Crystal Polish falls into the category of "pure polish" so no, it will not remove existing wax. But as Mat points out, your applicator and pressure of application alone could be enough to remove at least some wax. It sort of depends on how fresh that coat of wax is, but the polish itself will not remove the wax. Another thing to keep in mind is how long it's been since you last waxed. Since wax is a sacrificial barrier it breaks down over time, so if it's been 3 months or more since you last waxed, there probably isn't much wax left anyway. If the car does not need to be clayed and/or it has no below surface defects that need to be addressed, go ahead and polish then wax.

2. It said that polish like a skin lotion, the more you polish it the more depth it will be, so couple layer polish is good then ?

With diminishing returns, yes. Single stage paint, dark colors, and especially dark single stage paints benefit more from this than do lighter colors or clear coat finishes. On old, dried out single stage you can do wonders with multiple applications of a pure polish to really bring the color back up. On a modern clear coat finish, however, two thin coats will most likely do about as much as a pure polish can do for the finish.

3. Do we need to remove our old wax before we rewax the whole car ? or if my car don't need paint correction i can just wash it and wax it without removing the old wax ?

Especially in cases where you're using the same wax as previously, there's no need to strip the existing wax first. Again though, if it's been several months since you last waxed there probably isn't much wax left anyway. The only times you really should take the paint down to a completely clean finish is if you want to test out a new wax and don't want any previous wax to impact your judgment of the new stuff, or if you're applying a wax/sealant that carries manufacturers directions stating that it must be applied to totally "clean" paint.

4. I belive that swirlX is compound class with SMAT tech, so it will remove swirl not fill it...right ?

SwirlX isn't really a compound, it's a paint cleaner - more specifically, it's a cleaner/polish which means it has some characteristics of both a paint cleaner and a polish. Yes, compounds and paint cleaners both contain abrasives, but SwirlX is very mild compared to the heavy cutting ability of a true compound. Since it does indeed contain abrasives it will, to some degree, remove swirls rather than just hide them. But since it's so mild it won't remove heavy or deeper swirl marks, especially from harder paints. On the flip side, since it does have some polishing oils in it, it does have the ability to hide some very fine swirls.

5. Do you think black mica is a dark or light colour car?

[/QUOTE]Absolutely. But the metallic particles in the paint add a sort of "background noise" that helps to conceal fine swirls. This is most noticeable when comparing a metallic black finish to a non metallic black finish.

6. is there any way to know your paint is hard or soft before trying to apply product on it ? i think the answer is no ?

Not really, no. You can research all week long on the topic and find similar cars to yours that others have worked on, but their experiences are no guarantee that you'll have the exact same experience. We've seen plenty of posts here and elsewhere talking about how hard BMW paint is, but in first hand experience we've encountered some very soft BMW factory paint and some extremely hard BMW factory paint. We can say the same about Mercedes, Toyota, Chrysler, etc. This is the primary reason we urge you to do a test spot first - find out for yourself what it's going to take to correct the paint on your car, using the methods and techniques you're going to use, to achieve the result you want.

[Merlin]

Re: Polish question

Meguiar's has been using the term "polish" for 110 years to describe a product that does only one thing - add gloss. There are no abrasives in our polishes when talking about "pure polishes", ie, those with no abrasives and therefore no cleaning ability. Deep Crystal Polish falls into the category of "pure polish"...

Sorry, I constantly get the detailing meaning and terminology for "polish" confused???

The term "polishing paint" to me means you are using a machine and cutting product.
Even if you're "jeweling" you are still using a micro/nano abrasive to add gloss to the paint.

Some products labeled polish have mild abrasives.
Some products labeled polish are a "pure polish" w/no abrasive
Some products labeled polish are actually a sealant.

#7 is a glaze, has no abrasives and it adds gloss. Glazes add gloss and they're not called a polish?

I'm not saying Megs but IMHO detailing product manufactures use this word for multiple meanings.

Don't get me started on the detailing worlds list of product acronyms...OMG!

Signed,
Confused

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Polish question

Sorry, I constantly get the detailing meaning and terminology for "polish" confused???

The term "polishing paint" to me means you are using a machine and cutting product.
Even if you're "jeweling" you are still using a micro/nano abrasive to add gloss to the paint.

Some products labeled polish have mild abrasives.
Some products labeled polish are a "pure polish" w/no abrasive
Some products labeled polish are actually a sealant.

#7 is a glaze, has no abrasives and it adds gloss. Glazes add gloss and they're not called a polish?

I'm not saying Megs but IMHO detailing product manufactures use this word for multiple meanings.

Don't get me started on the detailing worlds list of product acronyms...OMG!

Signed,
Confused

Dear Confused,

You are not alone!!!!!

Regards,

Meguiar's (the company that's been using the word "polish" in this way, consistently, for 110 years)


In all seriousness, terminology in this game can be confusing since none of the definitions are written in stone. It is often said that we use the word "polish" in a strange way, but like we said, we've been using it this way since before the founders of most of our competitors were even born. But while so many detailing forum members think of "polish" as being a product with at least some level of cut, in the UK they often refer to waxes as polishes. Some of our competitors even do this to some degree; Zaino comes to mind as they refer to their Z-2, Z-3 and Z-5 products as polishes, yet none have any abrasives and won't actually remove defects. That's not a dig on Zaino as it's very good stuff; it's just the way they choose to define polish.

We generally refer to a product with light to moderate abrasives that are used to remove light defects as "paint cleaners". Fine Cut, Medium Cut and Heavy Cut Cleaners are just that, paint cleaners with varying degrees of cut. Add some polishing oils to that type of product, again in varying degrees, and you get "cleaner-polishes" like M83, M80, M82, M205, SwirlX, ScratchX 2.0.

At the end of the day, however, what's most important to know is not so much what you should call a product (polish, cleaner, etc) but what that product is designed to accomplish, and how to use it properly.