Tar removal

[PyschedelicArtistLSD]

Hi all,

I`m new to the detail boards and have been reading all your great info for a few weeks.

My question is what is the difference between polish and wax? I`ve been told (can`t remember where) that if you use a polish, you still should wax to protect the finish.

Also, someone here mentioned a brand of clay bar NOT to use (either Mother`s or Meguiars,) but I can`t find the post when I do a search. Any clues as to which one and why not?

I have 1600 miles and about 6 weeks on my new Inferno Red PT Cruiser, so I think I`m ready to get going on my first wax (or polish aaahh)

Thanks

Annette

Alpharetta GA

[Brad B]

Thats a real muddy area as the terminology is abused. But generally a polish contains cleaners and/or abrasives to help condition the surface. A wax would be a coating with no cleaners or abrasives. Ask about sealants and it gets even muddier. And there are exceptions to <strong class=`bbc`>all[/b] of these depending on who`s talking and who`s selling what.

Best bet...forget the terminology and learn what each product you are interested in does. Can`t go wrong that way.

Without seeing your cars paint makes a diagnosis a little more difficult, but here is one possible plan of attack:



Clay. It`s a long journey from Toluca, Mexico to your driveway in Alpharetta, Georgia. Your beloved automobile has mostlikely ridden on both a train and a truck. Clay will remove all the rail dust and other junk that has been stuck on the paint and will inevitably cause damage if not addressed.



Mothers is a perfectly fine clay; I heard that the Meguiar`s clay is a bit too soft and gets kinda sticky and difficult to use.



After the clay, I`d suggest a mild cleaner like Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion, P21S paint cleaner, or a glaze like One Grand Omega Glaze.



Or, what I use, Klasse All-In-One, which is a paint cleaner and an acrylic sealant (not unlike what they probably tried to sell you at the dealership for a few hundred dineros).



Georgia can be pretty darn hot (not like I need to tell you) so I think a sealant would be a good choice for you. Klasse only needs to be applied twice a year to protect your Cruiser.



After that, it`s all icing on the cake; many of us like to put on the Klasse Sealant Glaze; it gives added protection and added shine. Even more overkill (we like overkill, here) would be a layer of One Grand Blitz wax.



All up to you, naturally. Depends on your schedule, budget, and forearm strength;-)

[rmccall6]

In simple terms... polish=shine wax= protection. A great company to start detailing with is Mothers (www.mothers.com). They are a no-nonsence consumer company. They offer some of the best products at Pep Boys Auto zone ect. Thye have good info on their site too. Once you feel comfortable with the basics, you might want to step up to some higer end stuff like Klasse and One Grand (Blitx wax) The best thing you can do as a "newbie" is read everything you possibly can...on this site, this forum, books, company sites ect. Once you have the knoledge you will choose better produsts and get much better results. Good luck man. -Brad

[PyschedelicArtistLSD]

Ok, just in case you guys check this again.

Is there a problem with mixing brands? Say I want to use the Mother`s clay bar, the Klasse sealent etc, but have a bottle of Meguiars Instant Detail.

I guess my real question should be: Are there ingredients I need to make sure I don`t use on top of each other?

Thanks again for the input, I`m on my way to the detailing tips to start some more reading!



Annette

[imported_RIC]

Annette, are you a member of the PT Cruiser Club? This is a great place for you to share and get ideas for modifying and taking care of your PT Cruiser.

Here is the link: http://www.ptcruiserclub.org/cgi-local/ubb/Ultimate.cgi (`http://www.ptcruiserclub.org/cgi-local/ubb/Ultimate.cgi`)

[ALM]

Its depends on how much money you want to spend and how good want your car to look. I`ve said it before and I`ll say it again, you get what you pay for, bottom line. You buy a can of Mother`s wax @ Wal-Mart for $10 bucks don`t expect knock-out results. However if you put about $45 bucks into a Klasse Coucourse kit, you will get a shine that will blow any Mother`s wax out of the water any day of the week, to say nothing about the superior protection.



Sorry for the tangent, but i agree with what Brad B said previously, read the description of the product. But in basic terms, polish prepares your paint for a wax coating by removing oxidation, swirl marks, and other harmful impurites that may damage your finish.

[RustyBumper]

My wife`s car is covered in fine tar spots. I discovered the spots today while washing it. I`ve got some OTC TW Bug & Tar Remover that says it`s safe for CC`s, but I really don`t feel like taking a chance on using it on the paint. Medium grade clay works but it takes a little bit of effort and because it`s all over the car it will take a whole lot of time.

Does anyone have a safe, quick remedy for tar removal?

[imported_Luster]

I`ve been using Stoner Tarminator for several years. Never had a problem of any kind.

Spray on liberally... let dwell for 2-3 minutes, start wiping with a soft (old) cloth. Repeat as necessary.

When all tar has been removed, wash thoroughly with a sudsy car wash soap to remove the residue from the Tarminator. Make sure you wash it completely off... it`s very powerful stuff.:thumbup:

[supercharged]

tardis is the strongest tar remover I`ve tried up to date, much stronger then Stoners...I only use it when Tarminator fails...

[RustyBumper]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I bought a can of Tarminator today and it did the trick. However, I learned one valuable lesson....always watch which direction the wind is blowing. Some Tarminator wound up on the headlights (which were also covered with tar) and it wound up streaking them. Looks like I have to polish them again.

Tarminator worked great!! As soon as it made contact with the tar, you could see it begin to breakdown. The downside to this is that it also caused visible streaking, so that means that I`ll have to hit the car with M205 and reseal it. Darn, looks like I`ll have to detail her car again!! :hurray:

All in all, it`s a great product. It saved me a ton of time from having to clay it. BTW, has anyone used this on a windshield?

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu23/RustyBumper/headlights/IMG_0644.jpg