soonercivic

Thought some of you may be interested in this. Sheds a little light on a somewhat debated topic of whether or not polshing is worth it. This is why I use Meguiars products only.

Why Meguiar's recommends polishing paint

Resins
The primary ingredient used in automotive paints to actually coat over, protect, and beautify your vehicle is called resin. Resins are made from different types of oils. These oils vary depending on the paint type, but they are oils just the same. Early resins were made from raw materials such as the oils from Soya Beans, Flax Seeds, China Tung Nuts, Safflower seeds, Cottonseeds, and even Sardines! These surfaces required replenishing the oils over time, e.g. such as a wood finish needs oils to maintain its shine and beauty.

Modern resins are typically derived from polyurethane and/or acrylic polymers, which are tougher and more resistant to harsh environmental damage. Even though modern resins are more durable, they will breakdown over time through deterioration.

Deterioration is usually caused by the forces of oxidation, or reduction. Primarily deterioration comes from exposure to outdoor environments such as inclement weather, or warm temperatures and direct sunlight. Washing with high alkaline detergent soaps accelerate this deterioration by stripping any wax protection off the surface and by attacking and drying out the resins. Think about it this way, if you have a brand new car or a brand new paint job and you store the car in a garage, (or say a museum), the finish never deteriorates. That's because it is never exposed to forces that attack and deteriorate the resins.

When the resins breakdown and are removed from the surface, they leave behind pockets of air or pores into which water and other unwanted substances can penetrate into. When water, high alkaline detergent soaps, acid rain, alkaline rain, harsh solvents or other unwanted substances get into these pores they act to accelerate the deterioration process, (oxidation or reduction).

When you apply a Meguiar's polish, the trade secret oils found in all Meguiar's polishes, (and even Meguiar's compounds, cleaner/polishes and even some waxes), penetrate into the paint and replace the original resins, (or oils), that have been broken-down, leached out and/or deteriorated. These trade secret oils then act to fill the empty microscopic pores, air pockets and surface imperfections thus preventing unwanted substances from entering into these areas.

For over 100 years, Meguiar's trade secret oils have been proven to beautify and maintain automotive paints.

Meguiar's Trade Secret Oils
The trade secret oils used in Meguiar's products for over 100 years benefit your paint in a number of different ways, here are two very important ones,

1) They add beauty, gloss and reflectivity
Meguiar?s trade secret oils add beauty by darkening medium to dark colors. Most people agree a deep, dark wet looking finish looks better than a dry, hazy, plasticy looking finish. They also increase gloss by filling in and smoothing out the surface creating a deep, wet-look shine that everyone admires.

2) They replace and replenish the oils/resins originally present in your car's paint
Meguiar's trade secret oils penetrate into and fill the empty microscopic pores, air pockets, and surface imperfections created in your car's paint by the effects of either oxidation or reduction. This prevents detrimental substances from getting into these microscopic areas and accelerating the deterioration of your car's finish.

Unlike most wax companies in the car care industry, Meguiar's has over 100 years of experience working with the companies that make the paint that is applied at the OEM level, (car manufactures), right on the assembly line, and also in the refinishing industry, (your local body shops and custom paint shops).

Meguiar's unique background and close relationships with giants in both the automotive paint industry and new car manufactures, (for about as long as these two industries have been around), should give you the confidence you need to enable you to place your trust in Meguiar?', the surface care experts. 100 years of making just about every surface coating look it's best and last it's longest is probably the best proof you can ask for when deciding for yourself whether or not you want to polish your car's finish with a Meguiar's polish.

The proof is in the pudding
More Best of Class winners and Best of Show winners use Meguiar's products each year at the Pebble Beach Concours De Elegance, (the most prestigious car show in the world), than any other car care products since records have been kept.

Meguiar's knows paint
If you choose to wash your car with a strong alkaline detergent soap, expect the paint finish to deteriorate prematurely. Meguiar's always recommends that you use a premium car wash specifically formulated for automotive paints and all of the other specialty materials commonly used to make the multitude of other components found on your vehicle.


Remember, paint is a delicate, thin coating, which is easily dulled and easily scratched. Once it has been dulled down, or inflicted with scratches, it takes the right products the right application process and the proper techniques to remove the defects and restore a clear, glossy defect-free finish. Choose carefully whose advice you listen to when it comes to taking care of your car's finish.

ojay

iTrader: (4)

yeah, polishing will aide in paint life and looks. and while we're at it:

polish IS NOT the same as wax!

there's some people out there who never used a polish in their lives, yet use a wax exclusively. you need to polish fools.

though meg's is a good company, there's some better products out there for different surfaces and colors IMO.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i do meguiar's show car glaze #7 once a year and it really makes the silver paint shine.

soonercivic

polish then wax. The polish fills the pores and the wax seals it all together. Polish provides no protection thats why you need to wax. Its like a scraficial layer on top of the paint. Its ok to use a polish on top of the wax occasionally just for shine, but being that there is wax on the surface you get no penetration into the paint, so its just for show.

hondaguy2582

Please make sure you dont confuse polish with glazes. Actual polishes vary from chemical cleaners, mild abrasives, rubbing compounds, and even wet sanding would be considered a polish.

A glaze is what others call a "polish" that just fills and makes the paint look pretty. Great to use on darker colors, doesn't make much difference on lighter colors. All #7, #81 are pure glazes, whereas #9 has some mild abrasives in it for swirls.

zen_master

iTrader: (6)

so........

what is the product for polish?

i remember we discussed about a product......comes in a steel boxy can..

it's a polish liquid.......something like that..

soonercivic

Well im refering to pure polishes like Meguiars #7 and #81. #9 is actually a swirl remover that breaks down into a polish after properly working it. While it appears to add more shine to darker paints, the chemicals and oils still are beneficial to the shine and life of all colors of paint.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

I thought #7 glaze = polish? It sure makes my silver look alot better.

soonercivic

#7 show car glaze is a polish. Polishes will make any color shine more. A polish will contain pure oils and no abrasives.

soonercivic

There is no difference between a polish and a glaze. They are exactly the same chemical make up. Anything other than a pure polish/glaze could never be considered a polish, especially wet sanding. Polish is strictly just oil, it does not remove any defects in the clear coat or paint surface therefore contains no abrasive qualities. Products like #9, #80, #83, etc are paint cleaners that, after properly working them and breaking them down, will turn into a polish in order to prevent over working any one area and provide proper shine. #80 contains quite a heavy amount of oils but still has abrasive qualities, like #9 but more aggresive. #83 has increases abrasive qualities with fewer polishing properties.

ojay

iTrader: (4)

i always interpreted it like this.

soonercivic

Glazes and polishes are still the same products. The are shine enhancing but also provide the important oils to your paint that keep it rich and wet looking for years to come. Some companies will try to pass a polish and swirl remover off as the same or similar products. When chosing a polish, you should never pick one with abrasives. The removal of swirls should be done prior to polishing. Applying an abrasive product over a polish just removes many of the oils that you have just applied. A typical swirl remover will contain polishing qualities because they are what lubricates the abrasives but is by no means a replacement for pure polishes.

ojay

iTrader: (4)

but in order to get rid of swirls, a swirl remover (or polish) will be abrasive. you step down the abrasiveness to get rid of hazing and such to sooner or later a non-abrasive pre-wax polish (or glaze).

i understand where your coming from, but companies will name it whatever... bottom line, you have to prepare the surface getting rid of swirls down to restoring oils, shine, and luster, protected by a sealant or wax.

Pitch_BlacK

Excellent forum to enlighten other car owners about how polishing is important. I polish my car but not with meguiar's I use a different brand from england. Its Autoglym, they got super resin polish and extra gloss protection. It really keeps my NHBP looks like it just got out of the dealership.

ojay

iTrader: (4)

i've tried a couple autoglym products, not bad of stuff at all

soonercivic

But what im saying is a swirl remover is not a polish. What we are talking about here are pure polishes. Yes, swirl removers need to be abrasive because they remove small amounts of the clear coat until the defects are gone, but a polish and swirl remover are totally different. Swirl removers contain polishing oils, but polishes contain no abrasives and are not intended to remove any paint defects. Im talking about what you refer to as a pre-wax polish. There is only one type of "polish" and that is a pure polish. The others, while they may have polishing properties, are not intended to replace a pure polish. As im sure you know, removing swirls and defects is totally different that polishing the paint. Sometimes "polish" is a generic term used for just shining a car. What im trying to do is clear up what a real polish is and the benefits of using it on your paint. Swirl remover and the like do not contain enough oils to be a polish, they are for use prior to using pure polishes and waxing.

ojay

iTrader: (4)

gotcha. but many detailing products will classify their swirl removers as polishes and whatever else. a true polish or whatever you were first posting will be of course, non-abrasive, a step between washing or clay and your LSP.

soonercivic

I think we are actually on the same page, just using different terminology.

And that is what im trying to clear up. Everyones paint could be so much better for so much longer if we all knew what we were buying. Basically, for everyone else,

Abrasive(ie. swill removers, scratch removers and so on) = not a polish and will never replace polishing since they do not contain or leave behind enough oils to do the job.

Polish/glaze = pure polishing oils intended to be used after abrasives and before your wax or sealant(lsp)

Hopefully this will clear some things up and everyone will be able to take much better care of their vehicles paint for years to come. Polishing is imperative to a paint jobs life and shine.

ojay

iTrader: (4)

we are, never used a product in which a company calls a "glaze" in my life. i was under the impression that a glaze wasn't necessary. besides it sounds better saying "i'm polishing my car" than "i'm glazing my car".

soonercivic

lol thats true, it does sound kinda stupid. I think alot of companies call them glazes because they often do describe abrasives as "polishes" to seperate them. So instead of using the correct terms they add another that just confuses everyone else. Meguiars calls #7 "Show Car Glaze" even though it contains the same basic mixture as #81 which they call "Body Shop Professional Hand Polish" but #7 is intended to be applied either by hand OR with a DA while #81 is made for hand application only and is easier to remove. At the same time they call #80 "Speed Glaze" and it is a great light abrasive for removing swirls with a DA. What you mainly need to know to differintiate between the two is what they contain. If it claims to be abrasive and remove swirls, it is not a pure polish. #7 even says "pure polish" on the front label.

ImPulse

iTrader: (32)

I' am confused

soonercivic

About what? Ill be happy to try and clear it up.

burke420

iTrader: (4)

use NuFinish

Echelon04

What about Zymol? My friend uses that stuff. So tell me if this sounds like a good plan. Gonna clay my car...polish, then wax. OK i need one definitive answer...exactly which polish and wax should i buy?

soonercivic

Zymol makes some good products. Like i said, i personally use meguiars only. I feel that they products they offer are affordable and superior in many ways. The #81 polish is great, i use #7 but #81 is similar but more user friendly and easier to remove. When it comes to wax, nothing beats 2 light coats of Meguiars NXT wax. It offers deep wet shine and is actually the best paint protectant they offer.

tony_buttons

iTrader: (3)

I just have to add my 2 cents about the polish. I hadn't polished my car since I bought it in '03, only waxed. I used NXT wax and it would always look OK, but There were more and more light swirls everytime I washed and waxed. About a month ago I picked up a bottle of F21 polish by turtle wax, because I thought it might be worth it for five bucks, and god damn if it isnt a huge difference! I applied with a terry pad and removed it with a diaper cloth. Most of those swirls I hate so much were gone and it stays shiney way longer. My car is black and I thought I just had to deal with the swirls. So... that's not the case, polish your car.

silverem2

iTrader: (4)

so how many times a year should we polish, once in spring and once before winter?

ojay

iTrader: (4)

^that should be good enough.

soonercivic

I agree with ojay. That should be plenty. The idea is to seal it in with wax. By doing it just twice a year your paint will last 50 times longer than it would otherwise.