Second Wax Coating or Polish?

[alexw32]

Hi there, I'm new to car detailing and I'm currently faced with a dilemma created by my own fault. I'm weighing on the different options at this point. I just finished applying ULW to my newly bought 2019 KIA Forte (relatively cheap car but the red color I bought looks really nice and sporty).


I'll get right to it. After waxing, I entire inspected the car for scratches, to my delight, one of the only major scratch on the door (which I used UP on but didn't completely remove, maybe UC would work better, but I was in a hurry to wax so I let it stay) got filled up very nicely by the wax and is nearly impossible to see.

But to my horror, on half of the hood is littered with swirls, small ones of course, those that can be removed easily with UP by hand. I realize this must be caused by 1) my waxing motion should be straight and not circular to avoid swirls and 2) the applicator pad must have picked up some dirt somewhere, even though I did my utmost to wipe the entire car with 6 big microfiber drying towels... *sigh* I should have waxed the imported areas first and leave the insignificant areas to the last.

• I really want to know what are my options now, one question I have is why is it that the wax managed to fix bigger scratches but couldn't fill in micro swirls?
• If I apply a second coat ( I heard two coats are better than one ) over the swirls now, would it fix it temporarily?
• Or should I remove the wax and polish and rewax? What should I use to remove the wax in that case, there are so many paint cleaners/cleaner waxes out there I don't know which to pick.

I don't feel like claying the wax off because clay bars themselves are prone to creating new scratches, something I learned the hard way.

Really appreciate some immediate assistance, since right now the car is parked in the garage in clean state, but I have a trip to make this weekend.

Thanks!!

[Murr1525]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

But to my horror, on half of the hood is littered with swirls, small ones of course, those that can be removed easily with UP by hand. I realize this must be caused by 1) my waxing motion should be straight and not circular to avoid swirls and 2) the applicator pad must have picked up some dirt somewhere, even though I did my utmost to wipe the entire car with 6 big microfiber drying towels... *sigh* I should have waxed the imported areas first and leave the insignificant areas to the last.

If your product, applicator, and towels are not scratching the paint, direction wont matter. If they are, your swirls will just be in straight lines.

• I really want to know what are my options now, one question I have is why is it that the wax managed to fix bigger scratches but couldn't fill in micro swirls?
• If I apply a second coat ( I heard two coats are better than one ) over the swirls now, would it fix it temporarily?
• Or should I remove the wax and polish and rewax? What should I use to remove the wax in that case, there are so many paint cleaners/cleaner waxes out there I don't know which to pick.

Could be light, angle, depth....

As far as hiding them, I doubt two coats would do a lot more than the one.

UC and UP would be your main cleaner and polish, UC being the stronger as you noted. If you have time to redo those two areas, sure, give the UC, then UP, and wax on those two areas. If you dont have time, just wait a week till you do, not big deal for a daily driver. The rock chips will annoy you more...

[Blueline]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

If it were me, I would strip it all with clay and start over with UC, UP if necessary, and then wax. Filling swirls or small scratches with wax is not an answer. If you don't have the tools (a DA polisher) and you have the money, go get it professionally polished, and wax it yourself. I just bought a new car that had been sitting on the lot for months. Washed by the dealer many times I suspect. I did not want another black car ever again but I caved in and bought it because it was gorgeous. Under the light in my garage it was full of swirles. I worked on the trunk with that Meguiar's DA polisher on the end of a drill. What a horrible machine for trying to do full panels. (Great for spot work though). I finally got fed up and took it to a professional detailer who did a super job on getting every swirl and defect out of the car for less than a couple of hundred dollars. I will wax it myself. You might be able to get a good deal just to have all the swirls/scratches taken out.

[alexw32]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

Thanks guys for the prompt reply.

Besides claying the wax off, would a wax stripping soap be more gentle and easier? Either way, it wouldn't be wise to polish over the wax directly correct? I assume it will create a mess.

Another thing is I bought both the UW and GW, for the second coat which one should I go with, or is it up to personal preference? I heard the GW produces deeper hues but lasts shorter.

If I do decide to polish at a later time, can I go ahead and apply the second coat for the time being, or polish it now when wax is thin?

[Murr1525]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

UC would get through it and remove it. Esp since swirls could take a couple applications by hand anyway.

Your wax coat wont get extra thick, or too thick to clean off, so no worries there.

So yeah, just personal preference and timing, no big deal.


Maybe that Hybrid Ceramic would be tougher to remove, work through.. not sure.

[alexw32]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

Wait so you're saying polish or compound can be applied directly on wax... it just take some extra time to work through the wax layer first I'm guessing. I was under the impression that wax must be removed prior to polishing.

If that's the case, I feel that UP may be sufficient. I've been trying to get a shot of the marks, they can be seen only under the certain lighting, specifically the lights in my garage, it's cloudy today so I dunno how they'd look on a sunny day. I'll post them here just for you pros to have a look... is this tolerable to you or would you go through the fuss of polishing & waxing again.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JSiR6dbGTdMHiGDQ7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/R1EzQ8kFF6oNaCuU9

One thing I want to know, just how much time can a car like this be polished? 20-50 times? Assuming polishing by hand.

To me, I seek perfection in everything, but I have limited time... as for paying someone else... I got bad experiences at car mechanics, not so confident in my local body shops, but I might have a look.

Anyways I'm real glad Meguair has this online forum, I feel much more relaxed, as if some experienced detailer were by my side If only that was the case...

[Murr1525]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

Yeah.. a cleaner or cleaner/polish will remove wax... Super fresh wax, maybe the first application gets the wax, then other ones are down to the paint.

I dont know how well UP will remove swirls by hand.... the UC would remove the wax and swirls for sure, then UP after. But if you think the paint is soft, UP may do it....

Tolerable or not is more up to you and the skill level... I used to care a bit more, but now my car seems to get dirtier more often.. so cant worry too much.

Some people will use the Ult. Polish monthly, or every few months for years.... doing things that often, you wouldnt be working the product in as hard, and more wiping around of course. So I guess the idea is dont cause deep marks to fix over and over...

For what its worth, I often use something like the ColorX, or 3-in-1 Wax, then a coat of regular wax, to get things down to 2 steps when in a hurry.

[rapport25]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

If you are doing this by hand, I would be looking at UC, followed UP. But only in the areas you describe are swirled.

Very much the same as what the other guys have said :-).

I would simply divide the panel into sections with detailing tape & work at one area at a time until you are happy. Depending on area size & defect removal, could take a while.

Rappy.

[alexw32]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

Hey guys here are the results, was gonna post a finish show but was busy cleaning up.

I decided to polish the heavily swirled area using UP, since I don't have UC with me. Took some time to get the wax layer off, wax fortunate to remove fine swirls mostly, have a few long ones that are more stubborn, decided to let it stay till next time, as recommended I'll tackle them with UC for faster results.

Waxing in the sun today, I got a better view of the hood, the center is nearly swirl free, looks so awesome, but the edges near the front have swirls, wonder why that is. If my applicator/towel had fine dust, wouldn't it create swirls everywhere?

Anyways, a portion of the hood received the polishing, I rewaxed the entire car today, being the second layer of wax. The part that got polished looks the same to sections that have the existing wax. Maybe I'll rewax that area later, cause now I have a trip to make.

The UW makes water form drops, like advertised, and adds some gloss, but definitely the color didn't pop, it looks different from the car in the dealer show room. Would a third layer of Gold wax make a difference? I heard apply wax over sealant ( UW is a sealant according to my research ) can cause haze, more over, I'd need to get some masking tape to protect the plastics and rubber before using gold.

Btw, I got some wax on the chrome trims of the car, whipped them off later, will this adversely affect the chrome? Some say chrome should not be waxed...

I kind of feel bad about creating the swirls, the car should supposedly have been swirl free when it arrived covered in plastic ( or was it? Maybe they were there all along but I never bothered checking, though it seems unlikely that swirls were created in the factory ).


Last question, I was washing the car under body, specifically under the doors, what product should be used to protect these areas? After all old cars begin to rust from these areas first, I would assume something special should be used that protects against heavy dirt and grime. For now I dabbed some wax and didn't wipe it off, just to form a thicker layer, it's so near the ground no one can see it.

[Murr1525]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

If my applicator/towel had fine dust, wouldn't it create swirls everywhere?

Hard to say... could be working it differently, who knows...

The UW makes water form drops, like advertised, and adds some gloss, but definitely the color didn't pop, it looks different from the car in the dealer show room. Would a third layer of Gold wax make a difference? I heard apply wax over sealant ( UW is a sealant according to my research ) can cause haze, more over, I'd need to get some masking tape to protect the plastics and rubber before using gold.

Kind of up to you.. if you have it, can try a fender or something. And if you are thinking of UQW or HCW after future washes anyway, may not matter.

Btw, I got some wax on the chrome trims of the car, whipped them off later, will this adversely affect the chrome? Some say chrome should not be waxed...

Anything shiny/glossy will be ok. And can just wipe it off.

Last question, I was washing the car under body, specifically under the doors, what product should be used to protect these areas? After all old cars begin to rust from these areas first, I would assume something special should be used that protects against heavy dirt and grime. For now I dabbed some wax and didn't wipe it off, just to form a thicker layer, it's so near the ground no one can see it.

Pretty much some sort of wax or similar thing is the only option... and keeping it cleaned off. Of course I think mine is plastic, until you get back to the rails, but some folks do those oils sprays for that far under in the winter.

[alexw32]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

Thanks! Nice to know I didn't ruin the chrome trim. I'm pretty satisfied with the results now, might apply the gold wax for aesthetics if I get the time.

I found the best way to clean the under body is to place a towel on the ground and lay down, using garden hose in jet mode, then if necessary, use a wheel brush to scrub the area, careful not to scratch the paint.

One thing about my car, the higher trim level I bought has the gloss black trim, it looks like paint, but I've been reading online and found out it may just be shiny plastic. It clovers the front and back bumper. I used wax on it because I thought it was paint... looks great, no ill effects.

Only problem was I clayed some stubborn bonded stuff off and somehow scratched a small area slightly, I can see micro scratches with an inspection light. I've been very careful with claying now after learning the right technique ( lots of lub, minimal pressure ), but this still showed up. I know UP should get rid of them easily... if it's actually paint, but how can I tell if it's paint or plastic! It honestly looks like plastic with clear coat.

Again thanks for answering my question, really appreciate it.

[BillE]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

...
One thing about my car, the higher trim level I bought has the gloss black trim, it looks like paint, but I've been reading online and found out it may just be shiny plastic. It clovers the front and back bumper. I used wax on it because I thought it was paint... looks great, no ill effects. ...

Try using a magnet to determine if it's metal of 'piano black plastic'.

Just be sure to maybe put something 'tween the magnet and surface as to not potentially scratch the paint or ?.

Bill

[alexw32]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

I tried the magnet, no magnetism. Looks like I'm dealing with the soft piano black, which would explain why it marred so badly when I clayed it. I should have been wiser and used some other method to clean it.

Now, would it be okay to use UP on it? The mar shouldn't be too deep but since it's black it's quite obvious in direct sunlight...

Thanks!

[Murr1525]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

Only problem was I clayed some stubborn bonded stuff off and somehow scratched a small area slightly, I can see micro scratches with an inspection light. I've been very careful with claying now after learning the right technique ( lots of lub, minimal pressure ), but this still showed up. I know UP should get rid of them easily... if it's actually paint, but how can I tell if it's paint or plastic! It honestly looks like plastic with clear coat.

Yeah, Ult Polish would be ok to try.. can always do a small spot first.

You may also look at the IronX, TarX, and Meguiars new Paint Decon products for removing or helping with stubborn stuff... seems to lighten up the claying / cleaning for me.

[alexw32]

Re: Second Wax Coating or Polish?

Yeah, Ult Polish would be ok to try.. can always do a small spot first.

You may also look at the IronX, TarX, and Meguiars new Paint Decon products for removing or helping with stubborn stuff... seems to lighten up the claying / cleaning for me.

Ultimate Polish did the job, but it took some time, doing it by hand it took me 7 minutes!! It removed the fine swirls, making the spot shiny and black as the other places from a distance, still a few marks that are deeper but I reapplied wax over it and it covers it up fine.

Thanks for the advice, couldn't have mustered up the courage to try without some approval from experienced people.