Polishing takes wax off?

[Lynx131]

I was just curious, if i wax my car, then after a few weeks i polish it with Show car glaze does it make my wax less effective? Does it take wax off?

[Bri9801]

Since #7 Show Car Glaze contains no abrasives I don't believe it will remove your wax. If you were talking about a polish that does contain abrasives, #9, #82, #83 etc, those will remove your wax.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Lynx131,

You bring up a good question. While Meguiar's pure polishes, like the #7 Show Car Glaze are non-abrasive, if you want to get really deep into the things of detailing, then I think that while #7 SCG is non abrasive, just the act of applying it with some type of application material, be it foam or terry cloth could remove some of your wax coating. In this example, it's not the #7 removing the wax, its the act of pushing your application material over the surface that is doing the removing, with the terry cloth being more aggressive than the foam of course.

In the same way, when you wash your car, just the act of pushing a wash mitt over the surface tends to remove a little bit of your wax coating at a microscopic level. It's not the car wash, (if it's a premium quality, pH balanced, non-detergent wash), but the act of pushing the fibers, (that make up the mitt), rubbing against the wax on your finish that gently abrades the wax off of the surface.

Remember, wax is a sacrificial-barrier that protects your finish by sacrificing itself, (or giving up itself), so that your paint doesn't take the brunt of an attack. Wax is designed to be replaced because it is accepted that is will wear off over time.

For maximum protection, if you decide to polish your car's finish again, you should also apply a coat of wax afterwards.

If you car is a garage queen, and never, or rarely sees exposure to inclement weather, then you could probably skip waxing altogether and only apply polish.

Does that help?

Mike

[Lynx131]

yes that helps alot thank you very much

[Cam]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
While Meguiar's pure polishes, like the #7 Show Car Glaze are non-abrasive, if you want to get really deep into the things of detailing, then I think that while #7 SCG is non abrasive, just the act of applying it with some type of application material, be it foam or terry cloth could remove some of your wax coating.

I've recently done a 80/81/16 combo and I'm very happy with the results. I won't be using the #80 every time though, and I thought I would just use 81 and either 26 or 16 to finish.

I have the same question as the thread starter, but in my case I actually want the polish to pull the old wax off, so I don't need to resort to a Dawn-wash beforehand. Will hand-applying some #81 by terry do what I'm looking for?

[Lynx131]

When i was looking around at the Local Murrays, they have wax remover, ive never used it, nor had any experience with it. Just my .02 Also, im sure someone will correct me if im wrong but im pretty sure, Scratch X, and Meguiars Body Scrub takes wax off also

[Mike Phillips]

Meguiar's manufactures two types of polishes, Cleaner/Polishes, and Pure Polishes.

Meguiar's Cleaner/Polishes contain a diminishing abrasive to remove fine scratches and other surface imperfections. Meguiar's Pure Polishes are non-abrasive and are for creating brilliant high gloss finishes with deep, dark reflections.


You can read more about them here,

7. What's the difference between polish and wax? (Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle)


And for your ,convenience I have copied and pasted the portion on cleaner/polishes and pure polishes below,


Step 3 Polishing from the 5-Step Paint Care Cycle in Meguiar's new FAQ

Meguiar's offers two types of polishes, Cleaner Polishes and Pure Polishes. Cleaner Polishes are for removing very light or fine defects while restoring a crystal clear, smooth high gloss surface. Pure polishes are for finishes already in excellent condition and are for the purpose or creating brilliant high gloss with deep dark reflections.

If you look in Webster's Dictionary under the word polish, one of the definitions they include reads like this:

"A preparation that is used to produce gloss, and often color for the protection and decoration of a surface."

This definition best describes Meguiar's Pure Polishes. Meguiar's pure polishes are designed to create brilliant high gloss while preparing the surface for the application of a protective coating.

Meguiar's pure polishes accomplish this without the use of abrasives.

Another definition found in Webster's Dictionary for polish is,

"To make smooth and glossy by friction."

This definition best describes Meguiar's Cleaner/Polishes. Meguiar's cleaner polishes are formulated to very gently abrade the surface with Meguiar's Diminishing AbrasivesTM and Buffered AbrasiveTM technology to remove the finest defects and create a perfectly smooth, high gloss finish.

Depending on what type of paint you're working on, traditional paints like lacquers and enamels, or catalyzed clear coats, Meguiar's has the products specifically designed to work on both types of paints, not to mention many other surfaces such as plastics and polyester resins (Fiberglas Gel-coats).


Meguiar's Trade Secret Polishing Oils

The trade secret oils Meguiar's uses in both types of polishes are unique to the industry and to this day have never been surpassed for creating deep, dark reflections and brilliant high gloss by any of our competitors in over 100 years.

The oils Meguiar's uses are also important in maintaining the original condition of the paint by filling in the naturally occurring microscopic pores and surface imperfections thus preventing detrimental substances and elements as simple as water, or worse, acid-rain, from entering into these pores and microscopic surface imperfections thus causing oxidation and chemical etching. These oils act to replace the original resins as they wear away through natural processes.

When paint is new, it is the most impermeable it will ever be, this means it is a very smooth non-porous, continuous film. With age, exposure to the environment and micro-scratching caused by day-in, day-out wear and tear, your paint develops micro-fissures in the surface along with other defects. These micro-fissures and other defects act to make the continuous film or coating of paint more porous, or permeable. As this happens, your car's finish becomes more vulnerable to corrosive elements that will attack and degrade your finish.


Remember, waxes, synthetic or otherwise, are meant to be Sacrificial Barriers with the intended purpose sealing the surface, while blocking those things that would attack your paint, from coming into direct contact with the paint. Waxes protect your finish by sacrificing themselves so that your paint doesn't have to.

An analogy is your skin. In the same way you can clean, polish and protect your skin, you can clean, polish and protect your car's finish. Soap can be used to clean your skin and remove dirt from the pores. Skin lotions can be used to moisturize your skin, conditioning it and making it more clear and beautiful. Protection products like lotions used to protect hands from exposure to chemicals and UV protectants can be applied to help protect your skin from the things that would attack your skin if these harmful things could come into direct contact with your skin.

While human skin and automotive paint are very different, the analogy is very similar. With Meguiar's, you can:

* Wash your car's finish to remove unwanted and accumulated dirt contaminants.

* Clean your paint with our special paint cleaners and cleaner/polishes.

* Polish your paint with our pure polishes to create unequaled beauty.

* Protect your paint with our advanced paint protection products.


The unique thing about Meguiar's highly specialized trade secret oils is their ability to restore and maintain the Optical Clarity of both single-stage and clear coat paints in a way that polymers alone cannot match, the results of which can be demonstrated in a side-by-side comparison.

(End of Polishing section from the FAQ)



A Meguiar's Cleaner/Polish, (Like #83/#82/#9), or a Meguiar's Paint Cleaner, (Like ScratchX, Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner, Meguiar's Clear Coat Body Scrub, or Deep Crystal Step 1 Paint Cleaner), will all remove any layer of wax on the surface as they clean the paint.

A Meguiar's Pure Polish in and of itself will not remove any wax, (at least not through an abrading action), but used together with a piece of terry cloth, and potentially to some degree a foam wax applicator, (by hand), will remove some of your wax protection but it is the application material that is actually doing the removal, not the high lubricity pure polish. It's really simple physics in that anytime you touch the surface of your finish, the potential is present to either remove material, (abrade), or add material, (polish and wax). And depending on your application material and your procedure, you will determine what is happening on the surface.

Does that make sense?

Mike

[Cam]

Thanks Mike. So since #81 is a pure polish, the only wax removed by applying it will be removed because of my application materials & methods, not by the Hand Polish itself.

[Lynx131]

Thanks Mike. But one more quick question, since i don't want to have crazy wax build up on my car, but i like doing it so much, if i was to use a cleaner polish, or scratch X on a weekly or 2-week basis... am i gonig to wear off my clear coat?? My dad says if i use products like that often, im gonig to wear my paint down?

[Lynx131]

TTT