Buffing, Polishing & Sealing.

[BrianS]

Junior,
I'm new to this forum but I was reading the past threads and saw you were looking for information on Buffing & Teflon coating. Are you still looking for Pro's & Cons regarding this?

Brian.

[Junior]

Yeah, theres one or two cars that I have at home that might be Ideal candidates for this ...

[BrianS]

Hi Junior,

In the hands of a pro, a high-speed buffer can do miracles for a car's paintwork. Using a lightly abrasive polish, a very fine top-layer of clearcoat is taken off the paint. (Basically, manufacturers spray the colour paint on first, then finish off with colourless polyurethane paint for protection - aka a clearcoat). This polishing should only be done if your paint has oxidized or if you have swirl-marks on the body. Waxes & polishes that you buy off the shelf only hide the problem.

Here's my tip of the day - wherever you see a product containing Teflon - forget about it. Its a marketing ploy. you see it on things like cookware, and its great there, but if you want to apply it, the surface has to be up over 360 degrees for a bonding to occur. Otherwise, it will eventually evaporate like all other car waxes (yes, wax actually evaporates). Anyway, if you can find anyone out there confident enough with a high-speed buffer, £200 is a very good price for the service.

Another tip of the day - if you want to check your paintwork, give the car a wash and then, with your hand in a plastic bag (a sandwich bag or cigarette pack wrapper) run your fingers over the surface. It makes it 100 times more sensitive to imperfections.

If you have any questions about interior or exterior car appearance or defects, just let me know. I'm here to help you keep your car beautiful!!

Take care out there.
Brian

PS I'm not in the Motor Industry yet(Software at the moment!) -I'm just knowledgeable about Auto appearance...

[Junior]

Ahh christ not another software geek gone wrong is it !!!

I was wondering about actually after getting a car proper buff, would there be any point in getting her *Teflon coated* as in sprayed with Teflon ??

[BrianS]

I'm not a software geek - trust me on that. I know a good bit about PC's but my true love is the car..... But in the wise words of me aul' granda "don't love anything that won't love you back" !!!

If you want to get a buffer, don't get one of those £40 quid jobs in Argos. That's speaking from experience. I destroyed my girlfriends Bonnet with one of those and it nearly cost me my life!! But it was just an Opel!!! :)

Forget about the Teflon. But hang for a few weeks - I'm going to try out a polymer sealant I'm having shipped in from the states. I'll let you know if its worth the few bob.

Take care out there
Brian.

[Phil]

I agree with BrianS

Be careful out there. A few years ago my brother ( who loves car more than me ) decided to wash and polish my car. So been the loving brother that I am, I let him go ahead.

Now I heard the washing part went well, but when it came to the polishing, well lets just say it looked like I had these lovely white scratches ( looked like whirlwinds ) on my bonnet.

I don't know what he used but I still chasing him!!! ;)

[Junior]

I have no intention of doing it myself. If I am getting it done I want a paid professional to do the jobs. I was just interested in finding had anyone done the Teflon Coating before, the Guy I read about got a layer stripped off the car, polished & buffed then resprayed with a Teflon Coat to prevent chipping and marking. It cost him about 250 quid sterling ...

[BrianS]

Hi Junior et al,

About 8 years ago car manufacturers changed polyurethane paint to be more flexible. When a flying chip hit your car (and not Borza Chip!) it used to take a chunk of paint at the impact. Now it will leave something more like a tiny dent in the paint (depends how bad the impact is, and the angle). Teflon won't really prevent this. It will only seal the paint to give protection against the cruel environment.

One of the worst "natural" things that happens to your paintwork is oxidation and waxing regularly will give a fair protection against it. The main culprit is exhaust fumes which leave carbon particles on the car surface. These are harmless on their own, but when it rains, you get acid. Bye Bye to that nice new look that you had for the first year. Teflon will seal the paint but for teflon to really work, it has to bond to the surface and that only happens at really high temperatures. Otherwise it will go disappear along with the application chemical its mixed with.

If you want protection against chipping, leave the car in driveway! Flying stones are a tough opponent and they can break your heart when you hear that whack. At the moment, I could only recommend a good polymer based polish. Give the car two coats of it when you have time - you'll have a deeper shine and as much protection as teflon from the elements.

I'mn sure you all know never to go to a Brush wash as there's a chance that dirt can be caught in the fabric. Might as well use sandpaper to clean the car as one of those things anyway. And the cheap money-saving detergents -yikes!!You'll always see queues for the automatic car-wash on sundays. Is that a religious thing, do you think? It should be a day of rest? God rest the paint-finish, I say!!

I'm waffling again! Better get back to work. Lunch finished 10 minutes ago.
Later guys,

Brian

[WhipLash]

Originally posted by BrianS
At the moment, I could only recommend a good polymer based polish. Give the car two coats of it when you have time - you'll have a deeper shine and as much protection as teflon from the elements.

Brian, I find this very intreging altogether! Can you recommend a good polymer based polish (eh, is that car wax??) that is widely available?

Now you have me itching to go wax my car over the weekend, doh!!!

[Phil]

How often should one wax their car?

Does it have to be done everytime you wash you car, or does it just have to be done once a month?

And like whippy, what product should I use?

[BrianS]

The best of the bad lot available in Ireland is the Autoglym Polish. I think its Super Polish or Super Resin - something like that. I'm fussy though, and I don't like the stuff from the company with four-legged shelled creature as a Logo. They are all appearance - and no substance, if you know what I mean.

Its Friday evening, and I've a heap of stuff to get through here before the weekend. Tune in on Monday and I'll give you the run-down on waxes and polymer polishes.

Have a good weekend folks,

Brian.

Whiplash - when the water beading doesn't appear everytime your car gets wet, you need to wax it. It usually lasts about 3 to 4 months. sometimes less though - depends on mileage, seasons, etc.

[Toad]

Auto-Glym Product are excellent.

[BrianS]

I agree, but the window polish isn't very user friendly. Put it on wrong and you're blinded on a sunny day.

Brian.

[Phil]

BrianS when you get a chance today, can you give us a list of materials to use to polish your car. You know yourself when you walk into these car shops, they will try and sell you any old crap.

[Toad]

I use Mer polish on my windows work a treat
Lighty applied though inside & out

[WhipLash]

Heh, I usually use Windowlene (sp?) myself :D - I mean, what exactly can a specific car window polish offer over a standard household window polish?

[BrianS]

Hi Folks,
Everyone have a good weekend? I was drunk as a skunk on Friday night!! Good fun though!

Autoglym sell a very good Shampoo Conditioner for your car. Its very gentle and gives good suds. You want a lot of suds to lift the dirt off your car while you wash. The best car shampoos should be coconut-oil based. The thing is, I sometimes buy a large bottle of hair shampoo and you basically have the same thing but at half the price. You get a nice mild detergent and as much suds as you need.
Having said that, 80% of the time I do use Autoglym or perhaps Simoniz - I'm not making any recommendations to use Human shampoo.

When you wash your car, if you're not stuck for time, go over it twice. Use a nice big sponge and keep dipping it to avoid dirt embedding in it. Use plenty of water as you go along as well. When you finish, you should dry off the car with terry towel. Get that old bath-towel out of the hot-press, its way better than a chamois. I'm not being cheap here. Use an old bath-towel because a newer one will leave lint behind as you wipe. Natural Chamois is expensive, but it contains a natural oil that will take off a layer of wax. Not that much wax though, but always found leather or synthetic chamois a pain in the behind to use. Towel is better but it must be clean.

Toad, I haven't tried Mer polish. The first thing I saw on the label was "As Advertised on TV" and I've seen the TV ad. Its one of those loud-mouthed high-pressure sales guys and I believe any company that has to advertise like that probably doesn't such a good quality range. I might give it the benefit of the doubt some day and give it a shot, but I usually prefer just to have a good clean window with nothing on it. I did try a good product once (can't remember the name) and it made rain stream off the windscreen. Great in really heavy downpours - it really improved visibility. But I found the windscreen was attracting dirt. It could be something for those April showers if you guys are on the road a lot.

Car window cleaners are all around the same quality. When I'm caught without one, I use a water-distilled vinegar mix (about 6/4). These cleaners should always be put on the cloth itself, rather than spraying onto the surface. You don't really want this stuff on your interior or exterior finish and I like to leave the window until last when I'm cleaning. But just wipe it off with a clean cloth if it happens. I use two things to wipe a window with.

If you have tar stuck to the lower quarters, you can use any of the cleaners out there. I think that the cleaners with citric extracts might be better. The trick is chemicals need a little time to work. Leave it on for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Alloy wheel cleaners are a touchy subject with me. Everything available here contains hydrofluoric acid to remove brake dust. It eventually has a stripping effect on the finish. With all the stuff that happens to wheels though - chips, scuffing kerbs (I'm a divil for it!), things like that, I put up with the cleaner that I use. I'd prefer not to contribute to damage though and I try to park a little better!

I've been through most of it now. Hand polishing is fine, but limited in the finish you get off the car. If you have a black car, keep an eye out for Carnauba polish or wax. Its fantastic for giving you a deep, deep shine. Carnauba comes from a tree grown in Brazil and the resin makes wax harder, thus giving the car a great shine. If you have black car, lads, try get your hands on this. I haven't seen it on the shelves for a while though, plus it only lasts half the time that other waxes or polishes do. Its good for special occasions though!! Hot dates !! I have a long term girlfriend, so I just go do my car for some peace & quiet!! I'm not out to impress anyone!!

I hope there is something here to help you. If you want to know anything in particular, just let me know.

Take care out there!
Brian

[BrianS]

Yeah Right Whiplash!! Your Missus has you out cleaning the windows and you decide its a good moment to do your beloved car as well!!! (heh heh, whipped indeed)

Well, I figure I can go along with the manufacturers. They make the cleaner with car glass in mind. I don't know the differences between them, but I don't usually have dead bee's from a 60 mph impact dried in to the window on my bedroom. I have a moth that hits the roof every now and then though......!!!

[Joe]

you do know your stuff Brian - I thought I was fussy :)

I have a question - you mentioned tar removal - I find tar to be the biggest pain of the lot, I seem to magnetically attract it, especially in crap weather.
Lately I started using WD-40 (I heard loads of people recommend it) around the wheel arches and it worked a treat...I was afraid it might damage the paint, but if anything it seems to give similar results to polish/wax.
Is it harmful do you reckon?

Also, getting off tar n'stuff is not so easy at all on the plastic bits - now they DO discolour if you are not careful. Any recommendations for those bits? Using stuff like Back To Black works wonders for shining the black trim, but I find it only lasts till the next shower of rain :(

[BrianS]

Joe, WD-40 will work. But afterwards, wash and wax the paint immediately. Its a harsh measure and can sometimes be a Sledgehammer - walnut situation. Try use the mildest option first, which is the tar remover you get in the local car shop. If it doesn't work, I would actually use a dab of petrol on a rag, rather than WD-40. Dab the petrol onto the spot until it becomes soft then remove it. Be careful not to scratch the paint. I agree this is the one of the most tedious jobs on a car. Its down low and awkward to work on.

The main culprit for losing your Black Trim to a grey bloom is Ultra-Violet rays. They ruin most black surfaces in a car - dash, rubber trim, tyres. Dressing is crap because it just hides the problem very temporarily. It won't repair it. To have it dyed at a body shop is very, very expensive. How much is worth to you. I just put up with it. I don't even bother with dressing because it frustrates me, (and I'm a very easy-going bloke!!) There's no UV blocker available for surfaces like this. I haven't seen one anyway.

Take Care out there,
Brian.

PS use your WD-40 on your aerial. It will keep it sliding very smoothly. But it contains Ether so don't breathe it in or you're out for the count!!