Re: Wax Job Screw-Up

[Mike Klein <klein@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 16:13:34 -0600
> From: Steve Hodson <skhodson@domain.elided>
> Subject: Re: Wax Job Screw-Up
> 
> One added note: When I wax my car, I always take off the old wax
> first with a product called "Perfect Putty- Fallout & Over spray Remover".
> It is a glass impregnated chunk of grey clay that gets EVERYTHING off the
> car, short of the clear coat and paint. (must be used with a soapy fluid so
> it 'skims' over the surface.)

A big vote for this type of stuff on my end, too.  I have used Griot's Garage
paint cleaning clay, it's bright yellow.  Just fabulous stuff.  Followed by a
mild (*non-abrasive*) polish whose intent is mainly to restore the oils in the
paint, and a quality carnauba wax as the top protective coat, the result is
simply gorgeous.  All done by hand, and all *non-abrasive*.  Supposedly there
are significantly different styles of power buffers, some of which I've heard
are much gentler on finishes than others.  Since I don't do this enough to risk
doing something wrong (:-() I'm sticking to the by-hand approach.

Oh BTW, towels can also leave fine scratches.  100% cotton is a must, and not
all towels marked 100% cotton are; they may have polyester stitching, which
scratches the paint.  Even diapers probably have polyester stitching.  You can
buy special towels or try to cut off the parts with stitching.

A very good and generally unbiased reference for products and techniques is
Larry Reynolds' http://www.carcareonline.com .  Personally I used Griot's
Garage products and haven't had a single one I've been disappointed with, but
Meguiar's, at a lower price, has a strong following as well (as do a few other
lines).  BTW, Griot's Plastic Polish does incredibly good work on convertible
plastic windows.

		-Mike

'98 323iC (getting 1st full clay, polish and wax job this or next weekend)
'87 Carrera coupe, paint looks better than new

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