Bodywork and polishing advice

[djxib]

My '92 looks great from about 10 feet but when you get close there are a large number of small swirl marks, water marks etc. I polished the car a couple times when I first got it but I think I have managed to 'lock-in' some of the blemishes.

I have tried clay-bar and Maguires to try and remove the swirls but I have only been partially successful.

I want to remove the polish, clay-bar, then re-polish.

Any advice and guidance welcome!

Thanks,
Andy.

 

[WNH]

When I stripped my polish off, I washed it with Dawn dishwashing detergent, that took all the old polish & wax off.
Then I used a product called "Color X" made by Meguires. It takes any film or small scratches off, and restores the original color back. It worked well for me.
Then I did the clay bar, and wax/polish.

 

[Jeroenvgfn]

I am about to do the same job , thanks for the tip.

I will use a dishwashing detergent and then use the polish to take bad and worn paint off.

hopefully this works for my car, saves me a few bucks on a paint job and then it can wait for a few years.

 

[tomtom72]

Hi Guys, Check out the detailing section there is some good stuff on water spots and swirls. Also I found this site called Autopia.com they got an e-book that runs thru all this stuff. I know about the 10 foot rule also cause mine is black & it shows everything! Jez it seems if I look at it wrong... well ya know. Tom.

 

[djxib]

Hi Guys, Check out the detailing section there is some good stuff on water spots and swirls. Also I found this site called Autopia.com they got an e-book that runs thru all this stuff. I know about the 10 foot rule also cause mine is black & it shows everything! Jez it seems if I look at it wrong... well ya know. Tom.

Thanks Tom - I had no idea there is a detailing section. It is great!!

 

[tomtom72]

Thanks Tom - I had no idea there is a detailing section. It is great!!

 

[tnovot]

Wayne and Callaway -
Also in the detaling section is a thread relating to removing old wax. It states that althought Meguires recommends Dawn, that also strips the oils out of exterior rubber trim and components. Something else is recommend instead but I forget what. I'm sure if you do as search, you'll find it. The comment might have been made by DetailingDude.

 

[Aurora40]

It states that althought Meguires recommends Dawn, that also strips the oils out of exterior rubber trim and components.

I've used a lot of Meguiar's products and talked to a lot of people from Meguiar's. I don't believe they have ever recommended washing your car with Dawn. I suspect you are thinking of Zaino. In my experience Dawn doesn't remove a fresh coat of wax anyway.

There are better and easier ways to remove wax from your paint. For one, if you will be polishing the car, the polish will make short work of wax. Any type of paint cleaner like ColorX will also do this. Zaino suggests a 50/50 mix of water and isopropyl alcohol to remove their sealant. I suspect this would remove just about any protectant from the paint.