Applying Meguires #80 glaze/polsh and 476s wax by hand?

A

amorak

New member
Hey guys,



I am about to give the first-ever coat of polish/glaze and wax to my lady's '08 Mazda3 with metallic paint.



I am applying Meguire's #80 glaze/polish and then 476s as the wax, but I am applying it by hand using the Wolfgang German Polish'n'Wax applicator (here).



Can anyone give me some tips on how to apply the glaze and wax?



I was going to just apply the glaze by polishing in a circular motion, one panel at a time, then buffing off by hand with a MF towel.



Is there something I can read on how to apply these by hand for the best possible result?



I want to show my girl that spending $200 on all sorts of cleaning and detailing supplies was worth it :chuckle:



Thanks!
 
Hello!



Just to confirm glazes should not have any cleaners or abrasives. What you have for is non-pure polish from Meguiars and it includes abrasives.



Its important to be aware of the abrasives before you start other wise you will end up in a micro marring mess. 80 can be applied by hand and i would advise doing so in small areas. You should worth polish uintil it turns a clear colour, ONLY then will it have broken down, when it comes out to the bottle it should be beige.



Remove the dried product when you have polished each section, about 2ft by 2ft.



See how you get on with harder side of the german foam app. They quite aggressive, i recommend them but remember that you are forcing tiny beads of abrasives against the paintwork and you dont want to do more damage then you are taking out.



Working in a circular motion is a time wasting myth! All that will happen is that you will end up getting a very tied wrist very quickly and soon wish you had not bothered at all.



Work the product back and forth over the swirls, then work it left to right. You have to understand, what alot of people seem not to which is that the abrasives are going to run over the edges of the swirls and knock down the edges by hand. Then the surface will be refined too by the same action of abrasives passing over them. Dont go like crazy or push hard your you will drive the abrasives deep in to paintwork and get a mess!



You can get good results on Mazda paintwork by hand, also the metalic will help hide alot of minor imperfections. Its just going to take a while is all!



Enjoy!



Geoff
 
Geoff is exactly right. Make sure you work #80 until it clears out to fully break down the light abrasives it contains. Keep your hand flat on the applicator too, if you just use your fingertips, you will get marring due to the uneven pressure.
 
The wax your using goes on really easy and comes off easy. As with many waxes you don't need to go nuts with mass amounts when applying it. Just enough to cover the surface. Let it stand for around 5 minutes or so depending on the conditions. Then wipe off.



Collinite 476 is a very underrated wax by some. Its doesn't have the flashy tin or anything. Durablity is at or near the top of the food chain for waxes. It's not really marketed to be anti static or anything but I've notice it has some of the best dust repell I've ever seen. Also it can go weeks and weeks with leaving no water spots after it rains. It may not bring the most depth, color, or wet look to a car but it does everything very good and in the end an excellent choice for a daily driver vehicle.
 
yeah, it wont be long until you have a PC !!



476 is likely at the TOP of the chain for durability. #80 will add some depth.





get a PC, some 6 inch white and black pads, and your #80 + 476 combo should make that '08 paint looking great for along time !!







edit : actually if i had a new car, #80 and 476 is all i'd ever use (via pc !)
 
UPDATE



So I washed the Mazda with ONR yesterday, then proceeded to try polishing it by hand with the #80 and those Wolfgang hand applicators.





I polished small sections and went back and forth and side to side until the polish went clear. However, it wasn't really doing anything :sadpace:



I was hoping to get rid of some small swirl marks in the paint, but no matter how much elbow grease I put into it, they didn't seem to get any better :(





I gave up on the polish and applied the 476s wax, which gave the car some nice gloss and depth - nothing spectacular, but at least it is protected.



So my question is - what the heck can I do to get rid of these spiderwebs? Is there a video or tutorial somewhere on how to do it by hand, or do I need a PC?
 
Its pretty hard to do a whole car by hand and get results. Small surface scratch is one thing but a whole car is almost impossible by hand (for many reasons). You need a PC. If you don't want to get into all that (many don't) then just pay to have it professionally detailed and then just keep it up with the correct products. Depending on where you live and the car it maybe much cheaper then you think.
 
As mentioned by skylolow and others it is difficult to polish a whole car by hand. If you must use Megs M105 as it is much more aggressive than 80 and works faster by hand. With a MF applicator it finishes up nicely. Take a look at my process and some pictures here--

By hand-- - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online of my wife's 97 Escort that had never been polished, waxed or hand washed. I wish I had just done a panel a day until the car was complete instead of doing the entire car in the same weekend.
 
i do it all the time. just put the polish on furst and let it dri. after its dried use a beech towel to take it off. you shouldn't have't to rub hard unless you got to much on it. be sure to use a clean towel ot you'll get scratches. after polish you can put the glaze on it. this will make it shine a a new penny. just put it on like the polish and let it dri. use a different beech towel to remove the glaze. if you use the same towel it may mess it up. sometimes i forget what is the polish and what is the glaze. the glaze is youslly the one that tastes salty. and it is slick. slick like bananas.
 
Edwards944 said:
i do it all the time. just put the polish on furst and let it dri. after its dried use a beech towel to take it off. you shouldn't have't to rub hard unless you got to much on it. be sure to use a clean towel ot you'll get scratches. after polish you can put the glaze on it. this will make it shine a a new penny. just put it on like the polish and let it dri. use a different beech towel to remove the glaze. if you use the same towel it may mess it up. sometimes i forget what is the polish and what is the glaze. the glaze is youslly the one that tastes salty. and it is slick. slick like bananas.
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dude if you don't have anything to add to the site, then go away
 
Edwards944 said:
not sure i understand your comment. dude.
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I think what he's trying to say, is that it might be a good idea to hang around for a while before you start offering other people advice. I would tend to agree, as beach towels are best left at the beach. As well, polishes are not intended to "dry". They need to be worked into the paint (depending upon the product of course, because manufacturers can be careless with their words).



Have a look at this thread and see if it helps you: http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/108836-helpful-threads-newbies.html
 
Holden_C04 said:
I think what he's trying to say, is that it might be a good idea to hang around for a while before you start offering other people advice. I would tend to agree, as beach towels are best left at the beach. As well, polishes are not intended to "dry". They need to be worked into the paint (depending upon the product of course, because manufacturers can be careless with their words).



Have a look at this thread and see if it helps you: http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/108836-helpful-threads-newbies.html
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yes, thanks that is what i was trying to say

but I tend to shoot from the hip and and not always choose my works so wisely:doh
 
BigJimZ28 said:
dude if you don't have anything to add to the site, then go away
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BigTim. I'm still triing to figure out if you are triing to be rude to me. if you don't agre wif my expurence then ok. but you don't have't be rude.
 
Edwards944 said:
BigTim. I'm still triing to figure out if you are triing to be rude to me. if you don't agre wif my expurence then ok. but you don't have't be rude.
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very true and I am sorry:(

but to me it was looking like you were just here to make fun of the whole detailing process, and nobody likes a hater
 
OK..getting back on-topic....





amorak said:
UPDATE



So I washed the Mazda with ONR yesterday, then proceeded to try polishing it by hand with the #80 and those Wolfgang hand applicators.





I polished small sections and went back and forth and side to side until the polish went clear. However, it wasn't really doing anything ..I was hoping to get rid of some small swirl marks in the paint, but no matter how much elbow grease I put into it, they didn't seem to get any better ..
Click to expand...



#80 is pretty mild stuff on most paints and if your Mazda is anything like my MPV you need something stronger for the initial correction. *NOT* (just *IMO/IME*) something as aggressive as M105 though; Mazdas have very thin clear and it's better to live with some marring than to precipitate clearcoat failure. At this point on your personal learning curve, I'd steer clear of very aggressive products.



But note that working with sensible products, by hand/PC/etc., it can take literally hours to correct a single panel.



So my question is - what the heck can I do to get rid of these spiderwebs? Is there a video or tutorial somewhere on how to do it by hand, or do I need a PC?
Click to expand...



You really would do a lot better with a PC/UDM/etc. Working by hand I wouldn't expect to get anything near a perfect finish (note that even by machine getting things perfect is neither easy or necessarilly advisable).



But just how close to perfection do you need to get to be satisfied?



(Especially if you want to keep working by hand,) get something more aggressive. On the Mazda clear I'd probably not go more aggressive than Hi-Temp Extreme Cut. FWIW, I never needed anything more aggressive than that to correct my Mazda to the extent I thought sensible (that thin clear issue again...I won't take off too much; BTDT).



I guess here is where I always suggest the use of 1Z brand polishes, which are quite user-friendly, even by hand (well, to the extent that any polish can be by hand). By hand, I'd probably use 1Z Paint Polish twice, say "good enough" and then apply the 476S.



Oh, BTW, use a damp applicator with the 476S (in case you didn't read the label ;) )
 
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