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  1. #46

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    OK. I THINK I have attached car.jpg to this. If you view the photo (roof of my car) zoom in or expand the photo where you can very well see the white reflection of the garage eves of the garage next door to my driveway. You will see in the reflection how crappy the roof (the marks all over it) looks after my sorry efforts to make things look good. Sure wish I had applied the product on cool instead of hot metal. Today I polished some of the side of the car, and the areas I worked look fantastic. Better than new except for some nasty scratches. Maybe someday I will work on the scratches - but I doubt it. Ran out of daylight and ambition at the same time. Maybe will do more tomorrow. I did order that TW spray today - for use next time.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #47

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    cwr64- As best I can tell from the Pic, that`s exactly what I expected. Maybe not as bad as I thought it would be! That`s just what happens with basecoat/clearcoat paint is neglected and it can only be fixed with a repaint. I`d probably live with it...the damage on my beaters is at least that bad and nobody sees it..or cares...except for me (I`ll eventually have the Tahoe painted, but *NOT* the `93 Audi, I`ll live with it forever on that one. The roof of my wife`s `00 A8 got etched similarly from TN municipal water that ate right through the fresh coat of wax, but even she says "I`d rather have thick but etched clear, so don`t try to fix it").

    Repeating for emphasis: The polishing is an abrasive process like sanding a piece of wood. You can`t fix this damage by doing more of that because the damage is all the way through the paint; you`ll Polish.."sand"...right through the rest of the paint before you fix the flaws, so don`t try. The clear is already failing and thinning it more will accelerate the process. The job now is to keep it protected as that will slow that failure-process down.

    The sides look better because they`re not as exposed as the horizontal surfaces, which take the brunt of environmental contamination and UV exposure.

  3. #48

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    Thanks for all your advice and time. As I said, I`ve ordered the TW spray for use next time the car needs some shine. Hoping I don`t need to use the TW Ceramic polish in 2020. I am pleased you were able to see my photo of the Saturn roof. I do not know why the top of the trunk lid and the front hood of the car came out not-too-bad - they were almost as hot as the roof and both, of course, were in direct sunlight. I "emailed" TW telling them they need to update the directions on the bottle of TW Ceramic Polish & Wax to say that the product cannot be applied in direct sun - if that is a requirement for that product. The bottle DOES say to not apply to a hot surface (shame on me). OK - off now to polish another section of the car.

  4. #49

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    cwr64- Glad to help It`s funny how seemingly similar areas can age differently, but that`s just how it goes some times. I bet the "awful" areas are actually looking mighty good by Real World (as opposed to Autopian) standards. And they`re *protected* now! All good IMO.

    And good on you for taking the time to reach out to TW. If *you* did it, you can just bet that somebody else did too, and explicit caveats in the instructions sound like a good idea to me.

    Oh, and I`m glad you`re doing this kinda piecemeal; doing limited areas at a time make it less likely that fatigue/etc. will lead to mistakes.

  5. #50

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    This is the reply I got from Turtle Wax after almost three weeks:
    From: Ashley Kirsch <akirsch@turtlewax.com>
    Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2019 4:06 PM
    Subject: RE: Turtle Wax - Questions about a product
    Hello Charles,

    Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delay. I would suggest giving the car a good wash and prep the surface (clay bar, mild compound, etc.) to give yourself the longest lifespan of the products. Depending on the condition of the paint, I would start with either the Ceramic Polish & Wax or the Ceramic Spray Coating. If you have some blemishes you want to fix, use the Polish & Wax. If the paint is in good condition or you want a quicker application for protection, use the Spray Coating. These will both last you the entire year. From there, I would say to maintain with either the Ceramic Car Wash or the Ceramic Wet Wax or the Ceramic Detailer.



  6. #51

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    cwr64- Given that you contacted them regarding your concerns related to use in direct sun, that`s an unfortunately typical useless, blow-off response. At least it wasn`t rendered in broken english.

    For future reference, if that`s gonna be your ongoing working situation you should keep an eye peeled for products marketed specifically as "usable in direct sun". I have zero idea what those would be, but there are Autopians who work in the sun and the stuff they use must work OK. I`d try to figure out what those products are.

  7. #52

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    Just an FYI for what I bought for next time...
    Turtle Wax 53409 Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating-16 Fl Oz: Sealants ... Can be used in direct sunlight and on all exterior surfaces including glass

  8. #53

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    cwr64- Ah, that sounds just right for what you`re doing. Hope it works as expected.

  9. #54

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    One final email reply received from Turtle Wax:
    Ashley Kirsch <akirsch@turtlewax.com>
    Hello Charles,
    No, that is perfectly okay to use the Spray Coating in a couple of months when you want to add more protection! Since this is designed to last around 12 months on the car, this is why we suggest pairing the Spray Coating with the Detailer or Wet Wax or even our ICE Seal N Shine. A little bit of Spray Coating goes a long way, so you won’t need to apply every month like your typical spray waxes. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact me back directly.
    Thank you & Happy Holidays,
    Ashley Kirsch
    Product Compliance Coordinator-Consumer Affairs

  10. #55

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    cwr64- Well, at least that reply was better than the previous one. Although the second sentence has me scratching my head... Anyhow, as long as you use something every now and then I bet it`s gonna hold up (and look) fine. I bet you`ll really notice the diff next time it gets really dirty and you find the wash nonetheless going quick and easy

  11. #56

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    I live in Kyle, TX, and unfortunately the water here is from wells that yield very hard, alkaline water which mandates home water softening systems. I have a Culligan system which makes water OK for inside the house, and my 2 outdoor hose bibs are connected to that system. Trouble is, the system does not change the water enough to keep white water spots from forming on the black car as it drys from my hand washing, and I have to hand-dry the car any time I wash it. The local DIY car wash places do have a setting for "spot free rinse", but using it drives up the cost and it is slow.

  12. #57

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    Quote Originally Posted by cwr64 View Post
    I live in Kyle, TX, and unfortunately the water here is from wells that yield very hard, alkaline water which mandates home water softening systems. I have a Culligan system which makes water OK for inside the house, and my 2 outdoor hose bibs are connected to that system. Trouble is, the system does not change the water enough to keep white water spots from forming on the black car as it drys from my hand washing, and I have to hand-dry the car any time I wash it.
    Hm, have you discussed that with Culligan? Perhaps the problem is the tank isn`t big enough, or isn`t regenerating often enough.

  13. #58

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    Quote Originally Posted by cwr64 View Post
    I live in Kyle, TX, and unfortunately the water here is from wells that yield very hard, alkaline water which mandates home water softening systems. I have a Culligan system which makes water OK for inside the house, and my 2 outdoor hose bibs are connected to that system. Trouble is, the system does not change the water enough to keep white water spots from forming on the black car as it drys from my hand washing, and I have to hand-dry the car any time I wash it. The local DIY car wash places do have a setting for "spot free rinse", but using it drives up the cost and it is slow.
    EDIT: the following *assumes* (uh-oh.. ) that the Culligan system works like my softeners...)

    Softened water will still leave a residue, just not the *same* residue (because of the "ion exchange" nature of a softener), but rather stuff that`s generally a lot easier to deal with. How hard the water starts out will factor in; really hard water will leave more residue after softening since more exchange happens. (I hope the more knowledgeable will forgive my simplified explanation.)

    BUT the "spot-free" rinse at the carwash is probably DEIONIZED, with all those "other ions" removed.

    If I`m not gonna touch-dry, I use my CRS Deionizer (or distilled water through a sprayer). But the Home Touchless approach only works for me when the vehicle isn`t very dirty and I`m not aiming for an Autopian final result.

  14. #59

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    Softened water will still leave a residue, just not the *same* residue (because of the "ion exchange" nature of a softener), but rather stuff that`s generally a lot easier to deal with. How hard the water starts out will factor in; really hard water will leave more residue after softening since more exchange happens. (I hope the more knowledgeable will forgive my simplified explanation.)
    You caught me not thinking hard enough, I have the same experience you do, but as you point out, the harder the water coming in, the more sodium or potassium is exchanged into the processed water, perhaps resulting in a lot more residue than you and I get from our "normal" tap water, vs. the OP`s well water. So it may be that his softener is sized correctly and functioning perfectly, as opposed to my brain.

  15. #60

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    Re: 2008 Saturn - which polish?

    Setec Astronomy- Heh heh, I sure don`t catch you asleep at the wheel very often, and that wasn`t necessarily off-base anyhow.

    Not that I really know from Culligan...like, whether it`s just a name-branded type of softener or something, uhm...special.

 

 
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