Old fashioned 'hard wax'

[dawkinsrover]

I use Megs Deep Crystal Carnauba wax after polishing my Nightfire red 600. Have got a tin of old fashioned Simoniz hard wax. Just wondering if a top coat of this would preserve the finish for longer. I know the hard wax is harder work (would be doing by hand) but wonder if my efforts would be worthwhile. The car lives outside 24/7

[dawkinsrover]

Just tried the Simoniz on the boot lid and have to say the depth of shine etc is NO different. So it's down to longevity of finish and protection I guess. What do others think?

[empsburna]

I would agree that it might last a bit longer.

What percentage wax content is it? I suspect it is similar to collinite.

[MrBitsy]

Couple of things here.

1.. In what way did you find a hard wax difficult to apply?

My guess would be you are either applying it too thickly and/or leaving it too long to cure on the car.

Have you 'clayed' your car recently? If you run your fingers gently over the bonnet, is the finish rough to the touch? If it is, applying and removing the wax WILL be harder because of the friction. Last week, I used a hard wax on my car - it took around 1 hour to do the whole car (including curing time). It was easy to apply and remove. Claying the car is easy to do and I would say the most important step in a good paint finish - see http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_clean.html for an excelent guide to claying the car and why it is important.

I would disagree that hard waxes are 'old fashioned'! In my experience, the waxes in a bottle do not give as good a finish as the hard OR soft waxes available over the internet. Have a look at ...

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/dodo-juice/cat_59.html

... for an excellent range of 'modern' hard and soft waxes.


How did you prepare your paint for the wax?

[dawkinsrover]

Is claying really worthwile, I guess it is! I have used AG paint renovator (makes NO difference),Megs polish and then Megs wax. I am still left with all the white spots on the paintwork. (where the tree sap etc did the damage).
A lot of work for nothing! Will megs clay really remove all the s**t from my paintwork? I have a 600 in Nightfire red.

[MrBitsy]

Will megs clay really remove all the s**t from my paintwork? I have a 600 in Nightfire red.

100% yes.

A rough paint finish will make cleaning hard work. Polishing alone will not remove 'bonded' contaminants from your paintwork. Once clayed, your paint will be mirror smooth. You can then polish & apply a sealant and/or wax.

Here are two guides for you to have a look at ...


http://tinyurl.com/2f8lef
http://tinyurl.com/ykqecf

I can't stress enough how important this step is. After claying, polishing is easier, waxing is easier and so is washing and drying.