baby blue 78

Ok I am the proud owner of a new 2017 Corvette. It only has 300 miles on it and will be getting many more shortly. My question is It does not have a nice shine or smooth feel on the body. I'm sure it has been sitting out at the dealer for a while and I want to shine it up? I am certainly not going to wax it but after I was it what is the best product to put on to shine it up and put a smooth polished feel on it without really waxing it. I do not believe I should be waxing a brand new car?

Any info is greatly appreciated.

Splitter

If the paint is defect/swirl free, you don't need to use a polish. What I recommend is a 'glaze' that will fill any minor imperfections/swirls and provide a very glossy result. You can use a glaze basically anytime during the detailing process... before a wax/sealant, after a wax/sealant, and you can layer it without worrying about buildup (yes, you can wax a car too much!!) There are lots of products that will give you the shine you're looking for. Any brand will do, but I like Adams.

Foosh

Every time this question is asked on any car forum you'll get 9 different recommendations from 10 different posters. I've used dozens of different products, and any widely available product will produce great results.

The truth is any polish or wax will give you a nice shine. You should use either a wax or some protective sealant because polish provides no paint protection.

There are a lot of folks who will recommend incredibly expensive stuff, which is really no better than much less expensive products available at Walmart, Target, or your local auto parts store.

23/C8Z

Look into having the car ceramic coated. It's not a gimmick. I was skeptical at first but saw it with my own eyes and you get what you pay for. The cheaper products work not as great. The ceramic pro expensive products do work amazing.

I opticoated my cars myself. In hindsight I would have actually had xpel installed over almost the whole car. But definitely ceramic coating. You will love it.

you polish it for fun, not to "fix" anything. It just repels everything. Bird bombs included

Red C8 of Jax

To get a glass like smooth finish, clay bar, polish and wax or sealer. Many goods brands to use, I like Mothers and Meguiar's.

08Roadster

Been using C-Magic products on my Vettes since my first NCM delivery...I was shown that the NCM uses C-Magic on all the cars that are picked up at the Museum...have had great success with their stuff. Even tried it on my older Vettes and was amazed at the outcome.

dvilin

^^^^^
Wash
Clay bar
Wash
Polish
Wax or Seal

Splitter

You should not have to clay a car with 300 miles on it. You will simply scratch the paint to the point where you NEED to polish afterwards.

23/C8Z

Strongly disagree. Mine had 27 mi on it and it was like sand paper. Clay or nano skin wash the car first. Once done correcting any swirls you seal it. You can "wax" over it if you like, but some type of ceramic coating to seal the paint then play on top of that all you like. Worth the effort and cash.

Splitter

Yikes!

OP: if you move your finger over the paint of your car, and there is resistance (like 16/C7Z was describing) instead of your finger gliding effortlessly, then you probably need to have it clayed first before doing anything else! Applying any kind of product on a properly clayed vehicle makes the process much easier (applying and removing product).

dbaker

These are my favs.....and everyone has a favorite.

No matter what you choose,some will swear by it and some will swear at it.

I use Rejex on the front to make bug removal easier and Collinite on the rest of the car including glass.

Just my opinion.

\db2

SilverGhost

I tend to pay attention to where the money goes, and I watched a CCC where Wayne prepped his cars right before the auction runway with Pinnacle Crystal Detail Mist, stating it was the greatest thing since sliced bread for making a car sparkle. A posed paid-for shot? perhaps, but he was shown applying the Crystal Mist to an expensive antique going up on the runway during the show, not as an infomercial. Crystal Mist sez: "Black and red vehicles will have a particularly dramatic effect with the paint bathed in brilliant light and glossy reflections. " I like that.

Wanted to keep it that way, so happy to learn last week right on this forum about Meguiar's Ultimate Fast Finish, which protects the shine for 100+ car washes.

Both products: spray on, wipe off. I like that, no mr. miyagi for me. Don't want to be a beyatch to my car. I own it, it don't own me.

C6 MoneyPit

^^^ The older I get the more I feel the same way! It doesn't have to be difficult or take hours to get great results! I use Zaino Clear Seal
for that reason - just wipe it on after washing and leave it. When that runs out I want to try Blackfire Crystal Paint Sealant or Ultima Paint Guard Plus - I hear both are really great also.

99mike

Mine had 3 miles on it and the paint was like sandpaper.

1. Wash
2. Wash again using a Nanoskin Wash Mitt (easier than a clay bar)
3. Wash
4. Blackfire Polish and Seal(machine or hand)
5. Blackfire Crystal Seal(Wipe it on and walk away-20 minutes to do whole car)

Rebel Yell

Same here. I've bought all kinds of expensive waxes, and cleaners. Like Foosh says, a good brand name will do just as good at a much more reasonable price, ex. McGuires, Turtle, Mother's, etc.

BTW, I should know better by now, but I was just talked into buying another supposedly best there is super dooper wax (I don't want to name the brand). And once again it's no better than the ones I just named, just more expensive.

fnbrowning

Zaino
/thread

AaronZ51

My car's surfaces felt like sandpaper when picked up new also. First thing I did was clay bar it, which made it better but not the usual slick feel I'm used to. Turns out it had over spray on all the exterior. Polished the windows and had my shop machine polish all painted surfaces and NOW it feels like it should.

Trying to find a good place for a ceramic coating in the next week or so.

I've got a shelf of various waxes/coatings and, as Foosh said, it's really hard to tell the difference between them. I went back to using Liquid Glass and like the results but now I'm ready to try the ceramic coating but want it done professionally.

Z0Sick6

Honestly, I use baby oil. It keeps the car looking wet and lasts a while even in rain.

dvilin

Wrong. Place your hand in a sandwich bag and run it gently over the surface of the car. If it is smooth with no resistance than no need to clay bar. If it is rough than clay bar is needed. Has nothing to do with the mileage.

wgood

I use Mother's Brazilian Carnauba cleaner Wax on all my cars with a 10" orbital random buffer !!! I use it even on the windshield and back window and put it on with a wet soft cloth and the lower speed buffer doesn't fling the wax all over the place !!! I use Quik and brite 1st to clean any dust off !!! Wayne