A common misunderstanding is the difference between a polish and wax, i hear a lot of people associate the two and believe they do the same thing. This is false, I cannot stress this enough, waxes and polishes are different and do different things, but the marketing people behind big car care brands don’t really care about definitions and will call a product anything that they think sounds good.

Polish
A polish usually contains micro abrasives, they may also contain lots of solvents which clean your paint work. A polish is used to remove light scratches, swirl marks, oxidized / faded paint and to restore and enhance the paint work back to a deep gloss. There are lots of polishes on the market from heavy cutting compounds to mild cleaner polishes, it is best to start with a mild polish first as cutting compounds can cause damage to the paint work if not used properly.

Wax
The purpose of a wax or paint sealant product is to coat your car with a protective layer to protect it from the environmental elements. Wax products contain a blend of waxes and oils. Waxes can be natural waxes and/or synthetic. Waxes and sealants generally last from 1 month to 12 months, be warned they don’t always do what they say on the label. Waxes are designed for slightly different purposes, some people like to wax their car every week and want the best shine they can get, other people want to put it on and forget it for a year.

All In One
There are plenty of products that are both a polish and wax in one. These combination products are very good and a perfect solution for most people, they are quick and easy to use an can give excellent results on paint work that is already in reasonable condition. These products usually contain a very mild abrasive and cleaners to restore the paint work whilst also adding a protective layer. Whilst these products will never give as good results as doing a proper polish and wax they are great for someone that is looking at a quick and easy solution instead of spending hours polishing your paint work then applying a wax.

Unfortunately for this Subaru Liberty it had seen better days, the paint work had heavy swirl marks, light scratches, was left looking dull from all the years of incorrect washing, taking it through automatic car washes and the lack of regular polishing and waxing.

The owner contacted us to perform a Stage 2 Paint Correction to restore the paint work to a flawless finish with a deep gloss, it took around 8 hours to transform the car from its poor scratched up state to a level where it looked better then the day it came out of the showroom.

The car was first given a thorough wash to remove all the built up grime from over the years, it was then clay barred to remove any contaminants that were embedded into the paint work leaving it with a smooth as glass feel, once this was complete we started the machine polishing process. This involved using a variation of different polishing compounds and machine polishing pad’s to achieve a flawless finish. Every vehicles paint work responds differently when polishing, this is why we carry a variety of polishing compounds and polishing pad’s to achieve the best results. Once we had achieved a flawless finish we then cleaned the car down again before applying a paint sealant to lock in that deep gloss shine and to protect the paint work from the environmental elements.

This Black Ford XR6 unfortunately suffered from overspray from a nearby factory and severe swirl marks from years of incorrect car washing. It once had a nice deep gloss but years of neglect had this car looking dull, lifeless and covered in swirl marks and scratches.

A Stage 2 Paint Correction was performed on this car over a total of 6 hours, an hour and a half was spent clay barring the car for overspray removal, clay bars are like play dough and are rubbed over the surface with a lubricant, clay barring removes any contamination embedded on the paint work to give it a smooth as glass feel before polishing the paint work.

After the clay barring was complete around 4.5hrs was spent machine polishing the paint work, this involves using a premium cutting polish and polishing pad to remove the heavier swirl marks and scratches, once the heavier swirls and scratches are removed a finer polish and finishing pad are used to restore a deep gloss to the paint work, the end result leaves the paint work looking flawless.

Did your paintwork once have a nice deep gloss to it but it now looks dull and lifeless?

This is because your car is painted with a single stage paint, which means it has no clear cloat to protect the actual colour coat like modern paint finishes. As a result the colour fades quickly and becomes oxidized. Fortunately this can be fixed by a professional car detailer, our Paint Correction packages will remove the oxidization on the paint and restore it to the deep gloss showroom shine it once had.

It is recommended that atleast a Stage 2 Paint Correction is performed for faded paintwork, this 2 stage process will remove the oxidized (dead paint) with a combination of different polishes which will restore it to a high gloss showroom shine, once we have restored the paint work it is then sealed with a paint sealant. It is very important to keep your paint work waxed or sealed with a paint sealant to ensure the paint work is protected from the enviromental elements to stop it from oxidizing again.

Cleaning the engine bay is something most people never bother to do to their car. It may be because it seems like a lot of hard work however it is very simple and only takes a few minutes. A clean engine bay can add to the value of your car when it comes to selling it, and undoubtedly makes it easier for mechanics to make repairs and carry out inspections to ensure there are no oil leaks.

Many people think you should not spray your engine with water, this is partly true. However, as long as you do not spray any of the electrics or air intake with water then you will have no problems, we have detailed thousands of engine bays with a high pressure washer and never had a single problem.

When it actually comes to the engine bay detailing, the first thing you should do is make sure your engine is cold – never try and clean a warm or hot engine. This is because products will dry too quickly and leave stains. The next thing you should do is cover the air intake and any electrics. The best material for covering these components is aluminium foil. This may seem like a strange choice, but it actually makes a lot of sense, as it is very easy to mould over awkward shaped parts, and it is 100% waterproof provided you don’t tear it.

Then spray the complete engine bay down with degreaser allowing it to break down all the dirt and grime. Degreasers are readily available at any automotive outlet, they have advanced from the days when they used to be potent formulas that were damaging; they are now quiet weak whilst still being able to break down the dirt and grime.

While the degreaser is breaking down all the dirt and grime – usually a couple of minutes grab a soapy car wash sponge and wash any areas that are very dirty, once you have done this give the engine bay a good rinse with the hose, however we suggest using a high pressure washer as this will blast off the dirt and grime a lot better and use minimal water which is a lot safer.

After quickly removing all of the foil coverings, the next thing you should do is wipe down the engine bay to remove all the water with a chamois, and then start your engine in order to dry all those areas and crevices you can’t reach with the chamois.

With the engine bay now clean and dry you will now be able to apply a dressing to any hoses and rubber areas to give them a nice finish.