IHG Over Medallion?

[CharlesW]

In the past, I have used Meguiar`s Medallion as my primary wax and used 3M Imperial Hand Glaze over it to enhance the final appearance. From reading many posts in various areas of the forums, it seems that many people use IHG and then wax over it.

Have I been doing it backwards? Seems to work and looks good the way I have been doing it, but I`m certainly not adverse to change.



Charles.

[imported_BretFraz]

Sorry to say this but, yes, you`ve been doing this backwards.



IHG, like all glazes, is a very fine polish designed to maximize the gloss and shine of paint. It contains no protective qualities and will wear off in a day or two.



Medallion is touted by Meguiar`s as their longest lasting wax. It contains a mild chemical polish in it so it can be used as a one-step, although best results are obtained by first using the Medallion Paint Cleaner or comparable product.



The steps to detailing your paint are Clean, Polish, Protect. You`ve been doing Clean, Protect, Polish.



Try this: Skip the IHG altogether. Just use the Medallion once or twice and see how you like it. I used to use it by itself, applied via orbital buffer. I loved it and consider it one of the best one-step products available.



The final IHG step is probably removing a good portion of the protection from the Medallion. If you plan on sticking with Medallion try the paint cleaner from them or Pinnacle or P21S. You can also use a swirl mark remover to maximize gloss, like Meguiar`s #9 or 3M Swirl Mark Remover. If you want to keep the IHG and ditch the Medallion, use a pure carnauba wax with no cleaner in it, like Meguiar`s #26, P21S, One Grand Blitz, 3M Show Car paste wax, or Pinnacle Souveran if you want to go for broke.



Whatever you try, let us know how it works out for you.

[BradE]

The final IHG step is probably removing a good portion of the protection from the Medallion



Bingo. IHG is loaded with solvents that will slowly eat away at the layers under it over time.

[CharlesW]

Most interesting. The IHG will have to go, then. I really like the Medallion, partly because I don`t seem to get a buildup of wax that seems to smear and look like swirls. Some waxes I have used seemed to do that. It evidently has just enough cleaner in it to keep things looking good. I did start the process with Meguiar`s Body Scrub prior to the Medallion. As far as some of the products mentioned, I have a tough time convincing myself that I will spend $40 to $60 for a can of wax. I`m sure it is great, but it still seems like more than I can justify.

Thanks for the advice.



Charles

[imported_BretFraz]

There`s not a whole lot of solvent in IHG but I`m sure enough to affect the Medallion, which is supposed to do the protecting.



According to the MSDS, there is 5-10% volume of Stoddard Solvent in IHG. Stoddard solvent is used in many things like photocopier toner, dry cleaning fluid, and as a general cleaner/degreaser.



In terms of ingredients, IHG seems to be mostly water, Stoddard solvent, white mineral oil, some kind of ceramic material, glycerin, castor oil, and an acrylic emulsion. Nothing too scary.