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Its been about 7 or 8 years sinced I waxxed my car at it spends most of it life sitting on my lift. Today I got motivated and washed and clay balled the paint.
Car was painted about 15 years ago looking for thoughts on waxing / polishing. The paint is in really nice shape with some small very light scratchs from over the years and the car still shines really well. I do have an Eastwood buffer I bought a while back but its not the DA style. Looking for some suggestions on what products and process work best. If a DA polisher is the route would also consider buying one..
The only thing I am sure of....stay away from the peak/ridge on the quarter panels and hood ridges/etc. while using an electric buffer...you may wear off the paint before you know it even happened (don't ask how I know about that )
Also change out buffing pads before wax buildup forms on the pad.
Get a couple extra foam applicator pads because you'll want to rinse them out as they build up the waxing/polishing product. It's not like the high-speed polishers body shops use that can burn through paint so there's no worry on that front.
Last edited by barkingrats; Apr 19, 2020 at 01:29 AM.
I used Meguiars compound, polish then wax. I also put painters tape on the sharpe edges especially for compounding with a machine as it will cut through the sharpe edge as this is where the paint and clear are the thinnest. Looks great after finishing! Tape shown on fender
Was the paint originally polished by the shop?
The highest level of DUI (distinctiveness of image) by paint companies is freshly painted paint, not buffed. Buffing creates and leaves micro-scratches. But it also can remove "Orange Peel' texture from the painting process, if there is excessive amount. And that depends how well the paint laid out after being sprayed.
So, I would say, if it's never been buffed and polished (machine polished), and generally looks great, I would avoid polishing it, and just apply and remove wax by hand and a clean approved cloth. If it's been previously 'cut' and polished by a machine buffer at the bodyshop, then it wouldn't hurt to run a buffer over it with a soft foam pad and the right compound. C3's have sharp lines on the fenders. Be careful. An experienced buffer almost never buffs through paint. But a dufus on the end of the machine can do so quickly.
You don't really need to wax modern paints, but if you want to, wax it by hand.
I have never waxed my car since painting it eight years ago. 3M clean and shine and the car cover still will slip off as I struggle to get it on. Agreeing with Mark G above that the last thing I want to do is abrade the finish however microscopically.
Did you know there is a Car Care forum under General Corvette Topics. Lots of info there.
I can not say enough about not using a non Dual Action (DA) buffer. It is much easier to burn the paint. Spend the money <$200 to buy the proper DA equipment. If you are new to multi step (polish, glaze and wax) process, I would recommend watching the videos on Griot’s garage. They are well produced, concise and not the usual long winded YouTube stuff. if the clear coat is not scratched at all, you should skip the polish phase. Less is more with paint correction.
The more popular buffers are Griot’s and Porter. For polish, glaze and wax products, no two people will agree. Personal preference. After 45 years of detailing my cars, I prefer Meguair’s polish and 3M glaze and wax.
It sounds like your paint is in nice shape except for some light scratches. If you know there is plenty of clear coat then I would use a foam polishing pad to buff them out. Since you already have a buffer I would install a hook and loop backing pad and then a foam pad. 3M makes a number of pads. I like the one below as the pad has rounded edges so it is hard to damage the paint:
I would use the pad with some polishing compound. If the scratches are fine enough that you cannot feel them with your finger nail then the pad with some polishing compound should remove them. If you can feel the scratches I would water sand with some 2500 grit paper, removing the scratches and then polishing.
Once you remove the scratches I would hand wax the car. I see no reason to machine polish the entire car, since you already clay bared it.
If after polishing the scratches out, there are swirl marks, use a finer foam pad with some ultra fine polishing compound:
The above pad works well, except it does not have the rounded edges like the more coarse pad, so you could damage the paint if you tilt the buffer on a steep angle.
Last edited by mark79,80; Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47 PM.
For polish, glaze and wax products, no two people will agree. Personal preference. After 45 years of detailing my cars, I prefer Meguair’s polish and 3M glaze and wax.
I believe that to be a true statement. There are a few other buffing products I would add, but point well made. Technique is also important if not more important. People tend to focus on the products and equipment. IMO they're more or less all going to work. You want to stick with a 'system'. Some guys don't buff enough, or too long ..or use the wrong compound/polish with the incorrect pads ...or outright skip steps. Or do it in bad lighting where they can't fully see what's going on. I've seen guys who would consider themselves pros ..skip steps. They know they shouldn't but they do ..maybe they ran out of xyz product, or are too lazy to wash out their dirty pads. Or they drag the buffer chord through wet muddy stuff on the floor and see-saw it across the fender making marks in the clear. There are more points of failure on the human end than the equipment end IMO. It's not nearly as difficult as people make it seem.
But wasn't the OP asking if he should apply/remove the wax with a machine polisher? That's another situation.
Its been about 7 or 8 years sinced I waxxed my car at it spends most of it life sitting on my lift. Today I got motivated and washed and clay balled the paint.
Car was painted about 15 years ago looking for thoughts on waxing / polishing. The paint is in really nice shape with some small very light scratchs from over the years and the car still shines really well. I do have an Eastwood buffer I bought a while back but its not the DA style. Looking for some suggestions on what products and process work best. If a DA polisher is the route would also consider buying one..
I just finished responding to another 'wax/polish' thread, so I will add my two-cents worth here as well. In brief, I was sucked into the prevailing mentality that I needed some hi-priced product (such as Zaino) plus a Porter-Cable buffer, back when I had a C5 in 2004.
Discovered a product called NEW FINISH, which is incredibly simple to apply AND remove with just an ordinary applicator pad and a bunch of micro-fiber towels for removal. The resulting shine is spectacular and only needs a "little' touch up coat every 3 or 4 months......a quality detailing spray in between does wonders as well for maintaining the shine.
I tried most of the top of the line products.....3M, McGuires, etc etc and found nothing comes close to NEW FINISH, and at a fraction of the cost of some of those "high-priced spreads".
Just check it out...make up your own mind about it, is all I am really suggesting here. And NO, I have no 'business interests' in NEW FINISH...I am simply impressed with the product
For a synthetic wax Nu Finish is one of the longest lasting protectants, if you wash the car a lot. I used on my wife’s car for decades until I retired and went to carnuba products which in my experience have slightly better shine and depth, but only last half as long. YMMV. I have never used a buffer to apply wax, by the time the paint is polished and glazed, hand wax goes on and off amazingly easy.
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waxing and polishing
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