Names for the car care cycle steps

[Mary S]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

I think you are just going way too far into it. Removing contaminants, swirls, scratches and so on will make the car shine. Ever seen a black car so contaminated with the above that they look gray, or even close to white under certain lighting conditions? If you took that car, and used say M105, a paint cleaner, the paint will look much clearer and shinier. Now, that step is simply going to be labeled with what you think you are actually doing to the paint to make it that way. Can it be called cleaning the paint? Sure, you are cleansing it of defects and contaminants. Can it be called polishing the paint? Sure, you are polishing the defects out (though, you have to "clean" it to get contaminants off).

As for the second coat of wax removing the first. It's not that there are abrasives in them. A cleaner/polish, whichever you'd like, can be a chemical one. That's what something like NXT has. It uses it to cleanse the paint to ensure the best bonding. Do I think two coats would be counterproductive? No. To some people, it is. It's their way of looking at it.

It's all semantics. If every word was used the same in some correct, exact way everytime by everyone, you wouldn't have a synonym for any word.

I sure hear what you are saying, and you get a community like MOL who is used to hearing these words used, and we probably won't get confused whether you call it cleaning or polishing or buffing or compounding.

And we are all pretty much on the same page about what detailing is, and what someone who calls himself a detailer does.

But I might have a problem if I call someone who does detailing in my region, and part of the challenge is I am looking for someone who does paint correction, and not everyone who calls himself a detailer does. So if I get too used to referring to the process as cleaning the paint on this forum, I had better use different terminology when interviewing an outside detailer, because he will say of course he cleans the paint and waxes it and really makes it shine.

And if I am a professional detailer and people are calling me and wants to know if I do paint correction, well I had better speak his language well enough to answer him without just talking about cleaning the paint.

So to really advance as a collective profession we ultimately need to have a common language so we are not always starting from square 1 when we try to talk to eachother or our customers, even something as fundamental as defining what a "detailer" is or does. And many times it is through professional organizations that that gets accomplished. We just aren't there yet.

[Mary S]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

What / How / Why
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Car shampoo / Wash / To clean paint of loose contaminants
2. Detailing Clay / Clay / Remove bonded above-surface contaminants
3. Rubbing Compound / Compound / Remove heavy below-surface imperfections
4. Polishing Compound / Polish / Remove light below-surface imperfections
5. Pure polish / Glaze / Bring out depth of shine on dark cars
6. Wax or sealant / Protect / Protect the clear coat from the elements
7. Quick Detailer or UQD / Maintain / Keep paint clean between washings

In these steps, in the case of Meguiar's, the following would be the rubbing compounds that use the SMAT technology:

95, 105, Ultimate Compound, ScratchX

The following would be the polishing compounds that use the SMAT technology: SwirlX, 205

There are others that use diminishing abrasive technology, but especially in the case of UC, ScratchX, and SwirlX, these are the products most likely used by customers on their own cars with today's products.

So to make this more Meguiar's specific:

What / How / Why
---------------------------------------------------------------
1. Car shampoo / Wash / To clean paint of loose contaminants
2. Detailing Clay / Clay / Remove bonded above-surface contaminants
3. 95, 105, UC, ScratchX / Compound / Remove heavy below-surface imperfections
4. 205, SwirlX / Polish / Remove swirls and light below-surface imperfections
5. Pure polish / Glaze / Bring out depth of shine on dark cars
6. Wax or sealant / Protect / Protect the clear coat from the elements
7. Quick Detailer or UQD / Maintain / Keep paint clean between washings

So the use of the word "cleaning" is confined to describing steps that clean, i.e., the "Wash" and "Maintain" steps.

We refer to the use of the UC and 105 as "compounding"

We refer to the use of SwirlX and 205 as "polishing"

We refer to the use of DC Polish, 07, and 05 as "glazing"

I think this pretty much covers everything. I think this will help design service menus for packages based on what they do and don't include. For example if you require "Compounding" and "Polishing" it will cost more than if you only require "Polishing." You can make estimates based on how many passes you think you will need of each.

[Mary S]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

Maybe this will help. From http://www.allstarcollision.com/glossary.htm

Rubbing compound:A specially formulated emulsion of materials designed to remove paint surface imperfections such as scratches,oxidation,stains,and acid rain etching.

Polish: A specially formulated blend of components designed to remove minor paint surface imperfections, such as fine scratches, light oxidation, water spots, and swirl marks left by the use of rubbing compounds.

Okay let's try to simplify this:

What / How / Why
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Car shampoo / Wash / To clean paint of loose contaminants
2. Detailing Clay / Clay / Remove bonded above-surface contaminants
3. Rubbing Compound / Compound / Remove heavy below-surface imperfections
4. Polishing Compound / Polish / Remove light below-surface imperfections
5. Pure polish / Glaze / Bring out depth of shine on dark cars
6. Wax or sealant / Protect / Protect the clear coat from the elements
7. Quick Detailer or UQD / Maintain / Keep paint clean between washings

Okay, for the steps we are listing not the what but the how, i.e., the verbs

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Compound
4. Polish
5. Glaze
6. Protect
7. Maintain

Step 5 is optional.

To line this up with Meguiar's 5-step cycle:

1. Wash
2. Clay/Compound/Polish
3. Glaze
4. Protect
5. Maintain.

I am up for a new word for step 5 if you don't like glaze, but "polish" is taken.

[Tuck91]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

[roushstage2]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

I think you are just going way too far into it. Removing contaminants, swirls, scratches and so on will make the car shine. Ever seen a black car so contaminated with the above that they look gray, or even close to white under certain lighting conditions? If you took that car, and used say M105, a paint cleaner, the paint will look much clearer and shinier. Now, that step is simply going to be labeled with what you think you are actually doing to the paint to make it that way. Can it be called cleaning the paint? Sure, you are cleansing it of defects and contaminants. Can it be called polishing the paint? Sure, you are polishing the defects out (though, you have to "clean" it to get contaminants off).

As for the second coat of wax removing the first. It's not that there are abrasives in them. A cleaner/polish, whichever you'd like, can be a chemical one. That's what something like NXT has. It uses it to cleanse the paint to ensure the best bonding. Do I think two coats would be counterproductive? No. To some people, it is. It's their way of looking at it.

It's all semantics. If every word was used the same in some correct, exact way everytime by everyone, you wouldn't have a synonym for any word.

[Mary S]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

OK, I gotcha. See, this is the problem when there is no industry standard for these terms - it becomes very confusing for the average Joe who cannot pick out the nuances between different terms and even the same term used in different ways. You and I understand the point being made, but what about the guy who's going into Wal-Mart looking for some products to make his car look better? Will he understand? I'm guessing probably not. When like terms are used interchangeably for different products and applications, it tends to create general confusion. But obviously, you can't nitpick about the nitty gritty.

The guy going to Wal-Mart would definitely be confused if he saw DC Cleaner Wax. He might think if he uses this he can skip the washing step.

The label details of DC Cleaner even implies that he can: "Meguiar's Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner safely removes road grime, surface contamination, light oxidation, swirls and light scratches to restore damaged and dull finishes."

There are some of the older Meguiars Mirror Glaze products, and definitely some rubbing compounds already out there, that don't bring up a shine but have to be followed by a polishing compound to do that.

So for everybody's sake, step 2 could be called (repair/correct/cut)/polish to take into account the traditional rubbing compound that acts as an abrasive to remove scratches or sanding marks. I am assuming, though, for the average consumer, this isn't something he routinely does.

So:
1. Wash/Clay
2. (Repair/correct/cut)/Polish
3. Glaze
4. Protect
5. Maintain

The dictionary definition for the verb "polish" as it relates to surfaces is to "make shine."

By dictionary definitions, as both a glaze and a wax/sealant will also add to shine, and while even washing the car will cause it to shine, steps 1 through 4 all "polish" the paint to some degree by dictionary definition, well I guess so does step 5. The step that truly brings out the car paint's shine, though, is step 2.

I think even on this forum there has been confusion about Gold Class and NXT sealants because the label says they contain "polishes."

So does that mean polish as in "pure polishes" or polishes as in abrasives, such as cleaner waxes?

I think the way I have seen it discussed here is that people think these products have light abrasives in them, and applying a second coat will remove the coat.

Again, like you said, too many uses for the word "clean" to mean different things, too many uses for the word "polish" to mean different things.

Someone could probably make a ton of money reselling the Meguiars products under less confusing labels.

[Mary S]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

But we most definitely do call it cleaning and refer to the products as paint cleaners.

Michael, maybe I misunderstood you. When you say you "call" it cleaning, maybe you meant this is what Meguiars employees use to communicate to eachother when you are talking about your products.

I am not referring to that, I am referring it to what you put on the label of the products. In that sense, you rarely "call" it cleaning.

[Mary S]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

But we most definitely do call it cleaning and refer to the products as paint cleaners.

Michael, your use of the word "cleaning" to refer to the use of step 2 products appears in a couple of isolated places, for instance, the word "cleaner wax" in your DC line.

As I have pointed out above, your use of that word has been far eclipsed by your use of the word "polish" when talking about paint correction. If you would go through all of the paint correction products one by one and look at the labels, you would not find the word "cleaner" on the vast majority of them. And most likely, you would find the word "polish" or a derivative of that word. Case in point, the Dual Action Polisher, not the Dual Action Cleaner. I have already enumerated these in my posts above, and there are many more examples.

And you use the word Cleaner in a huge array of your other detailing products, particular interior detailing, such as APC, leather cleaner, glass cleaner.

Please read this thread carefully, because I think the point I am making is important. I don't want to go through all of the examples again.

Meguiar's calls the 2nd step in the paint cycle "cleaning" and probably always will. I am not trying to change that.

But the detailing community that uses Meguiar's products does not need to suffer for the lack of a meaningful name for a process which is central to what we do for customers, i.e., correct their paint. We will not talk about cleaning to our customers. We talked about that the other day. You said no matter what we call it, we have to define it. I don't mind that, but I am not going to start out with the handicap of calling it "cleaning," a word that already means something else to the customer, and try to redefine it as a process that more resembles what we know as polishing and what Meguiars calls polishing in almost every case. It is the use of mild abrasives to level the paint to eliminate fine scratches.

What I don't understand is why you would even say that you use the word cleaning when you really don't, except in a few isolated places.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

You can do what Meguiar's did and call applying pure polish "polishing" and applying cleaner products "cleaning." Well nobody calls it "cleaning," even Meguiar's.

Actually, we do call it cleaning. Look at the 5 Step Paint Care Cycle and Step 2 is Cleaning. Now, this includes both claying and paint cleaning which, when combined, encompass all of the surface prep actions. But we most definitely do call it cleaning and refer to the products as paint cleaners. We also stress that polishing is an optional step, and for a couple of reasons:

• application of a pure polish doesn't return the same dramatic results on clear coat as it does on single stage paint

• application of a pure polish on a light color doesn't return the same dramatic results as it does on a dark color

• several of our products combine polish with another step

1. • cleaner polishes like M80, M83, SwirlX and others both clean and polish at the same time
   • polish/waxes like Gold Class Carnauba Plus and NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 contain both polish and protection in one step

[CieraSL]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

OK, I gotcha. See, this is the problem when there is no industry standard for these terms - it becomes very confusing for the average Joe who cannot pick out the nuances between different terms and even the same term used in different ways. You and I understand the point being made, but what about the guy who's going into Wal-Mart looking for some products to make his car look better? Will he understand? I'm guessing probably not. When like terms are used interchangeably for different products and applications, it tends to create general confusion. But obviously, you can't nitpick about the nitty gritty.

[Mary S]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

In order for that to work, one would have to assume that corrective products such as Ultimate Compound, Swirl X, M105, M205, etc. are polishes, but according to Meguiar's definitions, they are not. They are paint cleaners. Hence the term "Clean" to define step number two. So really, according to your labeling, step 3 in the cycle is being performed twice - polish and glaze (assuming you were employing the optional step). Think about the term "Cleaner Wax". You are cleaning the paint, getting rid of swirls, light scratches, water spots, mild fading, etc. There is no "polishing" involved. Does that make sense?

Ciera, unfortunately Meguiar's has overloaded the word polish. They are using it in multiple contexts, for both what they call the cleaning step and what they call applying a pure polish. As I pointed out earlier, they call the G110 a dual-action "polisher," not a dual action "cleaner." They call 205 an ultra finishing "polish" not an ultra finishing "cleaner." They simply call SwirlX a "swirl remover" but the word "cleaner" isn't on that label either. UC stands for "Ultimate Compound," not "Ultimate Cleaner." In fact, the only place I can find them using the term "cleaner" in their line of products is in their Deep Crystal line for "cleaner wax." But ColorX in the Gold Class line is called a "car polish and wax system."

So what do you do when it comes time to give a name to 2 distinct processes by which you apply "cleaning" products and by which you apply "pure polish" products?

You can do what Meguiar's did and call applying pure polish "polishing" and applying cleaner products "cleaning." Well nobody calls it "cleaning," even Meguiar's. And if they did, it would be taken ambiguously with washing the car or "all purpose cleaner" and so forth.

So Meguiar's has really made their choice. "Polish" is the right word to use for what you do in step 2.

So you can call your 5-step cycle:
1. Wash/clay
2. Polish
3. Pure polish
4. Protect
5. Maintain.

The 3rd step name is awkward as a verb. I am going to "pure polish" my car today.

So my feeling is, you have to give up the name "polish" for step 3 and call it something else. You can still call 05 and 07 and DC Polish "pure polishes" but you can't call what you do with them "polishing" if you don't want to confuse it with step 2.

So since Meguiar's named 05 and 07 with the term "Glaze," even though they say it is a pure polish, "glaze" works for me. "I am going to polish and glaze my car today." I can live with that.

Keep in mind, if you are detailing for customers, you need to be able to communicate with them about what you are doing. The word "clean" for step 2 would never, ever, ever, ever fly when communicating with customers or potential customers.

So that is where I am coming from. Step 2 needs a name, and it needs it way way more than step 3 needs a name, since that is such an optional step. It is not central to what we are doing for our customers, while step 2 is.

If someone else has a better name for step 3 than glaze, by all means let's give it a pop, but "Polish" is taken, at least for me.

[CieraSL]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

So the terminology for the steps is:
1. Wash/clay.
2. Polish
3. Glaze
4. Protect
5. Maintain

What is happening in these steps is the same as Meguiar's 5 step paint cycle called:

1. Wash/clay
2. Clean
3. Polish
4. Protect
5. Maintain

Only the names have changed.

In order for that to work, one would have to assume that corrective products such as Ultimate Compound, Swirl X, M105, M205, etc. are polishes, but according to Meguiar's definitions, they are not. They are paint cleaners. Hence the term "Clean" to define step number two. So really, according to your labeling, step 3 in the cycle is being performed twice - polish and glaze (assuming you were employing the optional step). Think about the term "Cleaner Wax". You are cleaning the paint, getting rid of swirls, light scratches, water spots, mild fading, etc. There is no "polishing" involved. Does that make sense?

[Mary S]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

There is no industry standard for the various detailing terms, such as the term "polish" (which is why you get confusing products such as TW ICE Liquid Polish). However, I believe that Meguiar's stance on this is to refer to the term polish as a product without abrasives designed to add gloss to the paint. Hence products like M07 and DC2 fall under the term polish (labeled as step 3 in the 5-Step Paint Care Cycle, and step 2 in your labeling). A polish is inappropriate for the second step as it will not actually clean or remove swirls and scratches. Personally, I think Meguiar's labeling is the correct labeling. A glaze may or may not contain fillers, and I do not believe that DC2 or M07 contain fillers. Please correct me if I am wrong. Just my two cents.

Okay, here is a revision to take into account the fact the Meguiars calls 05 and 07 "pure polishes." The name of the product and the process by which it is applied don't have to be the same. It is kind of nice if it does. Meguiars could in fact stop calling these "pure polishes" and call them "glazes," but we have no control over what Meguiar's does. So even though the item is called a "pure polish" by Meguiar's, we do not "polish" the paint with it. At least, for purposes of having a name for each of the 5 steps in the car care cycle, if step 2 is "polish," then that name is already taken, and we have to call step 3 something else, so I am going to call the verb "glaze."

1. Wash and clay using car shampoo and detailing clay as previously defined.
2. Polish with a finishing polish like 205 or SwirlX to level paint surface to permanently remove swirls and light defects from clear coat or single stage paint and to bring out the shine and reflectivity in the paint.
3. Glaze using a pure polish like 05 or 07 to add depth of shine, especially to darker colored cars.
4. Protect with paint protectants as previously defined.
5. Maintain as previously defined.

So the terminology for the steps is:
1. Wash/clay.
2. Polish
3. Glaze
4. Protect
5. Maintain

What is happening in these steps is the same as Meguiar's 5 step paint cycle called:

1. Wash/clay
2. Clean
3. Polish
4. Protect
5. Maintain

Only the names have changed.

[roushstage2]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

There is no industry standard for the various detailing terms, such as the term "polish" (which is why you get confusing products such as TW ICE Liquid Polish). However, I believe that Meguiar's stance on this is to refer to the term polish as a product without abrasives designed to add gloss to the paint. Hence products like M07 and DC2 fall under the term polish (labeled as step 3 in the 5-Step Paint Care Cycle, and step 2 in your labeling). A pure polish is inappropriate for the second step as it will not actually clean or remove swirls and scratches. Personally, I think Meguiar's labeling is the correct labeling. A glaze may or may not contain fillers, and I do not believe that DC2 or M07 contain fillers. Please correct me if I am wrong. Just my two cents.

There's my correction.

[BlackHawk]

Re: Names for the car care cycle steps

There is no industry standard for the various detailing terms, such as the term "polish" (which is why you get confusing products such as TW ICE Liquid Polish). However, I believe that Meguiar's stance on this is to refer to the term polish as a product without abrasives designed to add gloss to the paint. Hence products like M07 and DC2 fall under the term polish (labeled as step 3 in the 5-Step Paint Care Cycle, and step 2 in your labeling). A polish is inappropriate for the second step as it will not actually clean or remove swirls and scratches. Personally, I think Meguiar's labeling is the correct labeling. A glaze may or may not contain fillers, and I do not believe that DC2 or M07 contain fillers. Please correct me if I am wrong. Just my two cents.

The above is how I thought things were.