Polish for black car

[3sum]

Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good Polish for my Black Cube.

It has some heavy swirls in the bonnet and light swirls on the back and side panels.
I would prefer an easy product to use that doesnt cut too much. I will be applying it by hand because I haven't got a machine.

I have been to the Final inspection website, but I have no idea what Im looking at because I have never had to polish a car.

Any input would be good.

thanks.

[seksyjinke]

by hand... hmmm i wouldnt recommend abrasive polish...

but if you must... a cheap one is the meguirs, again i wouldnt recommend it.. but i find that its the the mildest abrasive kind... so... it technically would be more suitable for hand... i think it comes in a red tin.

good luck

[3sum]

Just so that you guys have an idea of how bad the swirls are, I have already tried the P21S PCL. It did nothing for the bonnet, but did remove some swirls from the side panels and boot.

Because Nissan paint is notoriously soft, I dont want anything too abrasive.
All you have to do is look at this car and it gets swirls.

[seksyjinke]

have u had the car properly washed then clayed?

if ur answer is yes... then ur only way to make it better is machine

if ur answer is no... clay it.... you will make it look alot better, but will bring out more swirls :S...hope that makes some sort of sense.

If you really want to avoid machine polish, your best bet is filler or filler/abrasive polish..

it will buff off some slight marks and fill most of it in... remember to protect it with a nice wax and you will SMILE

good luck

[3sum]

I have clayed and waxed it using OCW.
Appart from the polish you have already mentioned, what other fillers/ polishers are there?

thanks seksjinke

[seksyjinke]

Do FI sell filler polishes? I dont think you can do much reallly if the extent of your swirls are that obvious....(as in using hand and not machine)

There is a way to make it less obvious..

U should try using non-sythetic wax.

i think OCW is either a sythetic or hybrid...

Sythetic will reveal your swirls/scratches more because it gives you a more shiny/plasticy look on dark colors...OCW imo works better on yellow/red. On a black car... you pretty much enhancing the marks, not by alot, but it becomes more obvious.

You should give carnaba wax a go, as it gives more of a color depth in dark colored cars... hence reducing the apperance of swirls (not by alot, but definately helps).. Deeps and makes black more wet look.

Downside: Decent Carnaba may cost more, takes longer to apply
Upside: Lasts longer per coat than spray/sythetic

e.g. on avg 1 decent coat of C can last 4weeks+, OCW may need 2-3coasts to last the same.


My experience::

Any wax is fine::

White
Silver
Grey
Aqua blue

Sytehtic (for more lively colors, brings out the shinniness)

Red
Yellow
Green


Carnaba (darker colors to bring our the richness/wetness/depth n texture)

Black
Gunmetal grey
Dark colors.
Blue
Radient ebony



MY spelling is crap... sorry

[3sum]

I have a tub of p21 that I always used on the mazda.

The only reason I use OCW is because its 100 times easier to apply and I dont have the risk of creating swirls with the applicator pad. It also makes the car feel smoother.
P21 makes the paint look deeper, but it never feels waxed and only lasts 2 washes.........max.

EDIT:
I must admit though, it does look a lot better than OCW.

[seksyjinke]

Try some more medium level Waxes....Around $50-$100

Application pads cost around $2 and since its medium level, they should last 3weeks+ maybe 5+ washes... so $2 per application, if you are too scared of causing swirls with drity pads..

lasting 2 washes is very very bad... lol

I use my hands to apply wax, its alot easier and i love rubbing my car.......lol.......but you need a decent type of wax... Mine costs $300 a tub...lolz......anywhoo thats another story for another day...

you seem to know how to make your car pretty good luck

[DJIntegr8]

Is it flat black or metallic? I hate black Nissan paint either way I reckon P21S will do a better job of filling in very swirls, and like seksyjinke said, try using a new applicator to avoid causing swirls.

I've never tried an OTC hand glaze, like Meguiar's #7, but they are meant to apparently fill in swirls and give you a nicer look. You'll need to wax over the top. I've tried the blue Zymol Royale which is halfway between a glaze and a wax - it helps fill in those little swirls that won't come out.

Brendan

[3sum]

I think its the same black paint thats on the 200sx. Remember that one we helped Damo detail at FI? The second you touch it......SWIRL!

So you guys think I should give the Megs polished a crack then?

Once I have polished it, can I still use my OCW, then layer it with P21 if the swirls are still visible?

thanks for the help.

[blink_me192]

I have a tub of p21 that I always used on the mazda.

The only reason I use OCW is because its 100 times easier to apply and I dont have the risk of creating swirls with the applicator pad. It also makes the car feel smoother.
P21 makes the paint look deeper, but it never feels waxed and only lasts 2 washes.........max.

EDIT:
I must admit though, it does look a lot better than OCW.

Hey if you've washed and clayed the car already, try using the Wolfgang Pre-Wax Polish Enhancer, and then applying some Carnauba wax over the top. Dad's got a mettalic burgundy cruiser and its got heaps of swirls on it. But after washing, claying, using that polish and then the wax, you can't really see much of the swirls anymore.

Apply the polish using a microfibre applicator pad, buff off with a microfibre cloth and then apply wax. i find applying the wax by hand rather than applicator pad works a lot better. I use the Wolfgang Fuzion wax, its pretty pricey, but its absolutely awesome. Really deep wet shine, and lasts ages.

[DJIntegr8]

I think its the same black paint thats on the 200sx. Remember that one we helped Damo detail at FI? The second you touch it......SWIRL!

So you guys think I should give the Megs polished a crack then?

Once I have polished it, can I still use my OCW, then layer it with P21 if the swirls are still visible?

thanks for the help.

Yeah, they're just as bad as black Hondas Give the Meg's a go, it's cheap if a little hard to apply. Hopefully it gives a good result without resorting to a machine.

Hey if you've washed and clayed the car already, try using the Wolfgang Pre-Wax Polish Enhancer, and then applying some Carnauba wax over the top. Dad's got a mettalic burgundy cruiser and its got heaps of swirls on it. But after washing, claying, using that polish and then the wax, you can't really see much of the swirls anymore.

Apply the polish using a microfibre applicator pad, buff off with a microfibre cloth and then apply wax. i find applying the wax by hand rather than applicator pad works a lot better. I use the Wolfgang Fuzion wax, its pretty pricey, but its absolutely awesome. Really deep wet shine, and lasts ages.

Applying by hand is a cool (or strange, depending on your neighbours) trick, but I found with my experiments on Swissvax Concorso you use heaps more wax by hand - for the same amount of coverage, using an applicator is more efficient, you'll get the same protection and same look.

Brendan

[seksyjinke]

Hand ftw....i love strawberry

[blink_me192]

Applying by hand is a cool (or strange, depending on your neighbours) trick, but I found with my experiments on Swissvax Concorso you use heaps more wax by hand - for the same amount of coverage, using an applicator is more efficient, you'll get the same protection and same look.

Brendan

My experience using Wolfgang Fuzion wax is the opposite. I find that i waste more wax using the applicator pad. A lot of wax gets left over in the pad, and also it applies an unnecessarily thick layer of wax on that only gets buffed off later. By hand polishing, apparently the heat from your hands activates the polymers in the wax making it adhere to the surfaces a lot better, or so i've heard.

[3sum]

I read lots of good things about the megs polish you recommended, but it looks like a nightmare to apply!

I might just have a browse at autobarn and let you guys know what I get.

[blake_jl]

If you want to "remove" the swirls nothing short of a machine polish will give results that are worthy and you'll be spending hours trying to get it right and probably wont.

Just use fillers if you want hand application. There's plenty of products out there. A polymer-based glaze is your best polish option as it wont effect wax bonding then wax over the top of it and will hide the swirls.

Here is a google search Google

[3sum]

Isnt that similar to the p21 paint cleanser I have been using. Because if it is, then that did nothing.

Im going to autobarn now to have a good look at what they have to offer.

A guy on the Cube forum used this polyglaze polish for black cars. He had it sitting in his garage for 5 years before he decided to use it on the cube. His bonnet is swirl free and looks a lot glossier than mine.
Problem is, polyglaze doesnt sell it anymore........or not that I can find.

He applied it by hand aswell.

[blake_jl]

No. P21S paint cleanser is a paint cleaner. Not a glaze. A glaze will fill, just like the polyglaze product would have.

[3sum]

I picked up some Megs 'Fine Cut Cleaner'. Its a cream bottle that says 'Mirror Glaze 2' on it.

Ill give this stuff a crack and let you all now how it went.

[3sum]

I finally got round to polishing it last night.

I used the fine cut cleaner, followed by p21s paint cleanser and OCW.

The paint looks a lot 'fresher' and has no-where near as many swirls. If you look at it in the sun you can still spot them, but they are very faint now.

I now I should have used p21s to wax it, but I was too afraid to use the applicator pad. This paint marks even if a butterfly lands on it.
I prefer the glossy feel and water beading the OCW has anyway.

I'll post pics one day in the my rides section.