Paint/clear coat in good condition: do I need to polish??

[TheTeacher]

Hi all, this is my first post on this board so please be gentle :D



I have a silver 2002 Nissan Altima. My paint and clear coat are in good condition and I want to keep it that way. I am confused as to what I should do in terms of polishing, waxing or both.



I have read several viewpoints on which action I should take in order to maintain the luster of the paint and the durability of the clear coat.



What should I do? Use a polish then wax? Polish only? Wax only? Im confused......



I don`t consider myself a "newbie" per say in terms of waxing a car. But this is my first new car and I dont want to mess it up or do anything unnecessary or damaging.



Any help would be greatly appreciated!



TheTeacher

[jlynntc]

Welcome aboard.



This is a trick I use to see if it needs to have a clay bar used on it or not.



Take a Kleenex and run it over some of the exterior. If you feel bumps or if the Kleenex grabs you need the clay bar. This will eliminate the bumps or speckles that you feel. Then you can start on the fun stuff of polish, wax, swirl remover and so on. don`t follow that order it`s just a comment.



Also search around here for more suggestions, everyone has one and most are pretty good if not excellent. I always listen to the guys and girls around here because their advice and wit is priceless.



Good luck with your Altima and when you`re finished lets see some pics.



The Beer Man:o :D :cool:

[maecrispy]

:welcome



Clay or no clay?

If the car`s 2 yrs. old and you`ve never clayed, almost certainly it should be clayed. To confirm, take a ziploc plastic bag and put your hand in it. Now, move your hand lightly on the paint`s surface. You`ll feel bumpiness. The plastic bag enhances your sense of touch so you`ll feel the contaminants in your paint even if you don`t feel it with just your bare fingers.



Polish?

Really just depends on the condition of your clear/paint. It sounds like yours is in good condition. You could use a polish/glaze that has primarily chemial cleaning action that will clean up your paint without the use of abrasives. Ones I`ve used before include Klasse AIO, VM, WG pre-seal polish, and PB`s SSR1 (although I think SSR1 has very light abrasives.) They`ll make your paint glossy and smooth at which point it`s ready for your choice of sealant/carnauba.



Have fun!

[kartoon]

Hi, I`m also new here. I have done a lot of reading and have a general understanding of the process. I was wondering if it`s safe/recommended to use a product such as AIO or WG PWPE on a 1-month old car.

I believe these are considered mild cleaners/polishes so I know they won`t do much harm (if any) but not sure if they are necessary.

[maecrispy]

Originally posted by kartoon

I was wondering if it`s safe/recommended to use a product such as AIO or WG PWPE on a 1-month old car.



Absolutely. Even at 1 month, your car will pick up contaminants. The products you mention above will clean your paint but will not harm the clearcoat in any way.



Also, most on this forum will tell you to clay the car even if it`s new since it can pick up contaminants even on the delivery trip (especially if the car traveled by rail.)

[kartoon]

Thanks maecrispy. I`ve already clayed the car and currently have Zaino on it.

My problem is i like to experiment until I settle on something (although I am happy with Zaino). Also, when I get into any activity I get very serious about it.

Looks like it`s going to be one expensive hobby ... :p

[TheTeacher]

I used the plastic bag trick...and WOW! I couldnt believe how rough it felt ...yet I felt nothing with my bare fingers. Thanks for the tip Maecrispy.



2 more questions?



Can you recommend a good clay to use?



Will polish harm my clear coat?





thanks again,



TheTeacher

[maecrispy]

Originally posted by TheTeacher

Can you recommend a good clay to use?



I`ve only used a few different clays.



Two that are avilable locally in many places are Meg`s Quik Clay and Mother`s CA Gold. I didn`t care for the Meg`s clay (too soft and seemed to disintegrate) but that was the first I ever used and I think it was mentioned on this forum that it may have been updated and is much nicer now.



Mother CA Gold was pretty good but fairly expensive (about $17.) The bar was quite small too. However, they do include a bottle of QD as lube and some cleaner wax (which I`ve never used.)



My two favorites right now (which you can only find online) are WG`s Poly Clay and Zaino`s clay bar. Both are fairly firm but won`t turn to mush and both give you ample amounts to do several car`s worth.



As far as polish harming your clear coat, that`s probably too general a question to answer concisely. In general, no, polishes won`t hurt your clear coat if used correctly.



Abrasive polishes do remove some of your clear coat out of necessity. You use these when you have scratches and swirls you want to remove.

[UtahX]

ClayMagic works well. 1Z Metallic Polish Wax is pretty mild, and should do you well.