Is polishing helpful ?

[RWD_V8]

I've been washing with Gold Class and waxing with Gold Class Carnuba Plus. I like the way my car (2009 Merc Grand Marquis medium dark blue paint) looks, and the surface is smooth to my touch.
The GC can reads " to remove above surface contaminants use clay" and "ro remove below surface defects use Scratch X or Ultimate Compound".

Where does "polish" fit in this process and what polish is best to use beneath Gold Class Carnuba Plus ? Are Scratch X and UC "polishes" different from Meg's products labeled polish, like Clear Coat Safe Polish or Depp Crystal Polish, or are all of these products doing essentially the same thing ? Opinions and advice welcome.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

Products like Ultimate Compound and SwirlX, classed as paint cleaners, are designed primarily to remove below surface defects like swirls, etchings, fine scratches, etc. Wax, as you know, is the final protective layer you apply to preserve the high gloss finish you've achieved through proper claying and paint cleaning. A pure polish like M07 Show Car Glaze or Deep Crystal Polish is an option step that would be done between the paint cleaning and waxing. Apply one of these products is done simply to enhance gloss - they offer no correcting ability and provide no protection.

We call it an optional for a few reasons:

• modern clear coat paints don't benefit from it quite as much as single stage paints do since clear coat is designed to be highly glossy on its own for long periods of time
• light colors, even single stage, don't show as dramatic a change with pure polishes as dark colors do
• most people aren't willing to put in the time to do this extra step on a daily driver - remember, it's called "Show Car Glaze", not "Daily Driver Glaze"
• many of our paint cleaners contain polish as well - these "cleaner polishes" like SwirlX, M80, M83 etc further lessen the need for a dedicated polish following the defect correction step
• some of our waxes contain polish - these "polish waxes" like Gold Class Carnauba Plus and NXT Tech Wax 2.0 also lessen the need for a dedicated polish beforehand

Having said all that, plenty of people love a pure polish even on a clear coated or light colored car. Depending on how picky and discerning you are it may very well be worth the extra time and effort.

[RWD_V8]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

Michael,
I appreciate your reply. You mention M07 and Deep Crystal as pure polishes. Is Meg's Clear Coat Safe Polish in that same category, or is it something different ?

Products like Ultimate Compound and SwirlX, classed as paint cleaners, are designed primarily to remove below surface defects like swirls, etchings, fine scratches, etc. Wax, as you know, is the final protective layer you apply to preserve the high gloss finish you've achieved through proper claying and paint cleaning. A pure polish like M07 Show Car Glaze or Deep Crystal Polish is an option step that would be done between the paint cleaning and waxing. Apply one of these products is done simply to enhance gloss - they offer no correcting ability and provide no protection.

We call it an optional for a few reasons:

• modern clear coat paints don't benefit from it quite as much as single stage paints do since clear coat is designed to be highly glossy on its own for long periods of time
• light colors, even single stage, don't show as dramatic a change with pure polishes as dark colors do
• most people aren't willing to put in the time to do this extra step on a daily driver - remember, it's called "Show Car Glaze", not "Daily Driver Glaze"
• many of our paint cleaners contain polish as well - these "cleaner polishes" like SwirlX, M80, M83 etc further lessen the need for a dedicated polish following the defect correction step
• some of our waxes contain polish - these "polish waxes" like Gold Class Carnauba Plus and NXT Tech Wax 2.0 also lessen the need for a dedicated polish beforehand

Having said all that, plenty of people love a pure polish even on a clear coated or light colored car. Depending on how picky and discerning you are it may very well be worth the extra time and effort.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

Do you mean Clear Coat Safe Polishing Compound? This product:



If so, then no, this is not a "pure polish", it's more of a "cleaner polish" as it makes use of a diminishing abrasive to refine a finish by hand after using its sister product, Clear Coat Safe Rubbing Compound, has done the heavy work.

If you mean a different product you'll have to clarify as nobody here can recall a product called "Clear Coat Safe Polish".

[RWD_V8]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

I was referring to CC Safe Polishing Compound, you got it.
If I read you correctly, it sounds like if I want to add a polishing product to my routine, it should be adding a layer of Deep Crystal in between GC wash and GC Carnuba Plus wax.

Do you mean Clear Coat Safe Polishing Compound? This product:



If so, then no, this is not a "pure polish", it's more of a "cleaner polish" as it makes use of a diminishing abrasive to refine a finish by hand after using its sister product, Clear Coat Safe Rubbing Compound, has done the heavy work.

If you mean a different product you'll have to clarify as nobody here can recall a product called "Clear Coat Safe Polish".

[kiwiatlarge]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

FWIW, I quite like the look that added 'polish' step gives my dark metallic blue daily driver.... even if common sense says that an AIO like Cleaner Wax is really all that is worth putting on my car, with maybe a wax coat on top.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

even if common sense says that an AIO like Cleaner Wax is really all that is worth putting on my car, with maybe a wax coat on top.

Wow, where did you hear that? Regardless of whether someone buys the least expensive car on the market, the most priceless collector car, or anything in between, what you do to achieve the finish you want is entirely up to you. If you see a difference by doing a multi step process instead of a simple AIO (and quite frankly we'd be amazed if you did NOT see a noticeable improvement!) then by all means go for it.

We all want something a bit different out of our cars so there's really no "right" or "wrong" here. But if you like your process and you like what you see on your own car, never let anyone tell you that "all you ever need on that car is a simple cleaner wax". On the flip side, if a simple cleaner wax does give you everything you want out of the finish, then that's fine too.

[PureEgo03]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

Having wore myself out this weekend doing a full clay, polish, and wax on my 6 month old truck, I feel like I could help answer this question.

To be honest, I was skeptical about the use of polish as well, for many of the reasons that Mr. Stoops has mentioned actually. However I went ahead and got myself a bottle of the # 7 show car glaze, got out my D/A for the first time, and went to work on the hood first. Now just to see test results I did half of the hood, and then cleaned off the polish to see the results, and I was extremely satisfied.

I bought the truck new 5 months ago, I have waxed it once prior to this, and maintained a regular schedule of washing, UQW, and UQD to keep it clean. Despite this, I could still clearly see how much clearer the reflections were on the polished side vs the side I had not touched yet. I showed it to the 3 different people just to make sure I wasn't imagining this. They were all pretty impressed too.

To further test this, and I went to the non polished side of the hood and waxed half of that section. I could see improvement there as well, but it was still pretty clear the polish was getting a little extra something done. So I went ahead and polished the entire truck, even though it did take up alot more time. It was allot of extra effort, but after the polish and two coats of wax, my truck hasn't looked this good since it was factory fresh

[FRS]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

IMO polish is unnecessary product in many instances/colors and I have completely abandoned it. Polish is hard to remove if dry and the end result is not worth the effort.
After using cleaner (UC) I go to sealant #21 and 2 layers of wax.
I've tested different paints/colors and this is my conclusion.

Cheers!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

IMO polish is unnecessary product in many instances/colors and I have completely abandoned it.

Which is exactly why we have always considered it to be an optional process.

Polish is hard to remove if dry and the end result is not worth the effort.

Well the key is, obviously, to not let it dry before removal. Paint cleaners and compounds are also hard to remove if you allow them to dry, but you haven't stopped using those, right?

After using cleaner (UC) I go to sealant #21 and 2 layers of wax.
I've tested different paints/colors and this is my conclusion.

Cheers!

If that's what works for you and you're happy with the results, then that's great. For the vast majority of people this is the process they're going to do too, or very similar.

We're all looking for different things out of our vehicles, and we're all willing to put in whatever time and effort we desire to achieve that. No doubt some people go to silly extremes - we've seen people list a dozen or more steps for use on a daily driver - and we do what we can to steer them in the right direction. But at the end of the day, if someone insists that they see a difference after following whatever process they've chosen, it's darn near impossible for us to tell them that they don't.

[BillyJack]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

My experiences have been just the opposite. I agree that on newer clearcoat paints, polish may not add enough to justify the effort of the additional step, but I've yet to find a situation where it adds absolutely nothing. On my El Camino (see avatar), with its old single-stage paint, #7 makes all the difference in the world. M07 gloss doesn't last long, so it's necessary to top it with a wax or sealer for durability, but none of the many products I've tried yet actually makes it shine better than just M07. The reason my supply shelves are filled with so many different waxes is that I'm still looking for a product that will enhance the level of gloss that I achieve with an good application of M07, rather than diminish the gloss I've obtained. I just bought a can of M16, so that's next on the list. There are a few polishes in the Meg's line, namely Deep Crystal polish and #5 New Car Glaze that are said to be easier to work with than the original M07, but I'm too stuck on the original #7 to change.

Bill

[SVT Lightning]

Re: Is polishing helpful ?

My experiences have been just the opposite. I agree that on newer clearcoat paints, polish may not add enough to justify the effort of the additional step, but I've yet to find a situation where it adds absolutely nothing. On my El Camino (see avatar), with its old single-stage paint, #7 makes all the difference in the world. M07 gloss doesn't last long, so it's necessary to top it with a wax or sealer for durability, but none of the many products I've tried yet actually makes it shine better than just M07. The reason my supply shelves are filled with so many different waxes is that I'm still looking for a product that will enhance the level of gloss that I achieve with an good application of M07, rather than diminish the gloss I've obtained. I just bought a can of M16, so that's next on the list. There are a few polishes in the Meg's line, namely Deep Crystal polish and #5 New Car Glaze that are said to be easier to work with than the original M07, but I'm too stuck on the original #7 to change.

Bill