Clubjazz - Honda Jazz & HR-V Forums
Diagnostics, Tuning, Modifications and Maintenance - all Hondas => Car Care & Detailing => Topic started by: guest5079 on February 25, 2018, 02:05:01 PM
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Gave the car a wash and was surprised how much shine there is. Used a bit of polish on a section that looked dull and hey presto.
What is the best polish? I have the usual stuff. I bought some with liquid canuba? wax and it separated in the cold and became useless, so I presume a paste type would be better.
Thanks
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I use Bilt Hamber Double Speed-Wax. I had been researching "Best Car Polish" and it was the second best (previous year's winner). However I was unable to get the winner so I tried the Bilt Hamber and it is brilliant. It is a paste, which you use very sparingly (so lasts ages) and is very easy to polish off. I polish the car at the start of spring and give it a less thorough polish just before the winter (so roughly every six months) and it keeps an amazing shine. Particularly for a car approaching 12 years of age.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TKBOE3Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TKBOE3Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
And, as far as I am aware, they are a British Company
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+1 for Bilt Hamber Double Speed wax.
Very easy to use and very durable compared to the old waxes of yore. It is just a wax though and if the paint is dull it won't do a great deal. For that you need something with a cleaner in it like Autoglym Super Resin Polish. This also protects as well but not for as long as a pure wax or sealant.
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I'm still using the Autoglym box of tricks that was supplied new with my old Subaru, as a after thought the car wash - green liquid - always get good responses from car owners when |I've finished - not this weather though.
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Yes, preperation is everything. I like to Clay the car for its springtime clean.
I see the Bilt Hamber Double Speed wax is now Auto Express' best Wax and Sealant for 2017 AND 2018 (best 2015, second 2016).
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/63776/best-car-wax-and-car-polish (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/63776/best-car-wax-and-car-polish)
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One thing I've often wondered is the difference, in the effect it has on the car's paint, between clay bars and, say, an all in one product like AG Super Resin Polish. The reason I say that is going right back to the days when I used Turtle Wax original - a product that contained cleaners and a protective element. Using a white cloth you would see clear evidence of dirt being removed on the applicator. Clearly the cleaners were removing contaminants.
Detailing clay is a relatively new concept. Going way back, my Dad used to use simonize polish and simonize wax. The polish did the cleaning bit, the wax the protection.
I think what I'm asking is this - do you really need to clay your car or isn't this just adding another step in the process? Not having a go at clay but we managed without it before and cars could still be got to a high state of shine.
Interested in arguments pro and con.
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I use clay and wax. Still just two processes.
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AutoGlym super resin polish seems to work well (although I only clean my cars once a year or less, and as peteo48 says if you use a clean cloth you can see it taking dirt and oxidation off paint) - it works really well on UPVC window frames though to remove discolouration caused by spider poo and general sun and weather, which is where most of it gets used at our house (oh and fairly regularly on clear plastic headlight covers to keep the dreaded discolouring of plastic at bay).
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Found this. Quite interesting.
The original inventor of the polymer detailing clay is Mister Tadao Kodate, a japanese scientist who was looking for a safe way to remove contaminants from bodywork without using harsh chemicals or polishing compounds. The original clay bar was introduced in America in the early 1990’s by Auto Wax Company. When Dennis Dehn – a Auto Wax Consultant – was hired by Auto Wax Company to demonstrate the AWC products in Japan. When showing the products in a detailing competition he used a compound to get the paintwork smooth and clean. When he look beside him, he saw the other competitor using some type of putty with a spray liquid, rubbing the paint.
The first company to patent the detailing clay was Auto Wax Company (later called: Auto Magic), who held the patent for detailing clay until 2014. 9 out of 10 clay bars sold were manufactured by Auto Magic under the brand name Clay Magic.
Clay bars are supposedly gentler on the modern paint and lacquer finishes. The old cellulose paint was much harder and could take chemical cleaning.
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Yes - I've seen some people go from clay straight to wax. Guess I've always been a bit nervous of it thinking I'll end up picking up crud in the clay and scratching the paint with it.
Interesting post Jocko - didn't know who had invented it (not the clay so much as its use for cleaning).
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Apparently you can use Blue tac!!!
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5323
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A block of Blu Tac, the size of a clay bar, would be about 10 times the price!
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Thanks for the help. Interesting that Auto Glym has slipped down the list. I am a great advocate of Auto Glym but the reason I asked for help is that the Auto Glym seemed not to be as good as it used to be. The polish I spoke of was a liquid with 'Canuba' wax which did work very well until I suppose the frost got to it. Our Jazz is painted in Alabaster Silver which doesn't give such a good result as the 'Blues' etc. I know it's optical. I have tried claying in the past but obviously didn't do it right. What is the secret?
Once again thanks
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A block of Blu Tac, the size of a clay bar, would be about 10 times the price!
Going round to see my granddaughter later. Might see if I can pinch some of her playdough ;D
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What is the secret?
Jazzway will keep you right on that, but I just use plenty water, keep reforming the block to keep the surface clean, and work small areas at a time. The detailers use a wash prior to claying, to remove iron particles from the paintwork (mainly from brake dust). Iron-X is oftern mentioned.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarPro-Iron-500ml-Retail-pack/dp/B008AV7V8K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1519640480&sr=8-5&keywords=iron-x (https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarPro-Iron-500ml-Retail-pack/dp/B008AV7V8K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1519640480&sr=8-5&keywords=iron-x)
The Bilt Hamber Double Speed-Wax uses Carnauba wax.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TKBOE3Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TKBOE3Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
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A longish video by the Forensic Detailing channel. The intro is the interesting bit. He says that claying is, amongst all detailing tasks, the most destructive to your clear coat. He's not saying don't clay, quite the opposite, but he has given me a very good reason not to! It is risky if not done properly.
I kind of instinctively felt that and I was always sceptical about the idea that it's an easy job. This guy agrees with me.
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A longish video by the Forensic Detailing channel. The intro is the interesting bit. He says that claying is, amongst all detailing tasks, the most destructive to your clear coat. He's not saying don't clay, quite the opposite, but he has given me a very good reason not to! It is risky if not done properly.
I kind of instinctively felt that and I was always sceptical about the idea that it's an easy job. This guy agrees with me.
Was that snake oil he was using as a clay lube ?
My wife nearly strangled me when she caught me using her dressmaking scissors to cut paper, because paper contains clay and clay takes the edge off steel scissors - I learned that lesson well.
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My wife nearly strangled me when she caught me using her dressmaking scissors to cut paper, because paper contains clay and clay tales the edge off steel scissors - I learned that lesson well.
Been there, done that, still got the marks to prove it!
Vic.
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It's evident from your photos Jazzway that you have the claying technique right. I'm still reluctant to try it.
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I see that Jazzway's car is painted in Storm Silver, which looking at the pic suggests it is slightly darker than Alabaster Silver. Certainly his Jazz is looking good. Mine after a good wash did come up very well, perhaps all is OK but when it gets warmer I will try the bonnet with a clay bar and the Bilt Hmaber then it can be compared with the wings.
Thanks for all the help.
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I must be honest, after claying the car I didn't notice a great deal of difference in the paintwork. It must have been cleaner, because the clay bar got dirty pretty quickly, but it didn't make an "Oh, wow!" difference.
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I see that Jazzway's car is painted in Storm Silver, which looking at the pic suggests it is slightly darker than Alabaster Silver. Certainly his Jazz is looking good. Mine after a good wash did come up very well, perhaps all is OK but when it gets warmer I will try the bonnet with a clay bar and the Bilt Hmaber then it can be compared with the wings.
Thanks for all the help.
Yes - if I did try clay, I might do it on a small section first.
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Attached are PDF photos of my wifes Jazz and my Civic (taken today) you can clearly see good reflections in both cars even though one is white pearl. Remember these cars never get cleaned and they never got anything like clay or wax near them until last summer when I used AuroGlym super resin polish on both once. Both cars had the 'diamond' treatment when we got them, My wifes cost a few hundred quid and mine was free because although I told dealer I did not want it, they did it anyway (Brindley Honda, top dealer). The photos have been reduced in definition due to compressing into a PDF, the shine is better on original photographs. Just proves that the 'diamond' and other coatings do work very well, and if I costed time that has been saved 'cleaning and polishing' the cars the coatings work out very cheap anyway. It has been 5 years sine we had the cars and the 'diamond' coating has not been touched up since, although they do give you a maintenance kit with it.
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That's pretty impressive! Why aren't they caked in mud and grime?
Interesting about the Diamondbrite treatment. For years I have rejected any offer of paint treatments. In my time I've been offered Lifeshine (it's autoglym I think), Diamondbrite and Supagard.
This time I decided I would try one of these treatments. The dealers wanted £299 for it but got it half price as part of the deal - (you can pick up the kits on Ebay for relatively little). In doing this I was aware that most detailers and car care enthusiasts despise these treatments and you are seen as a mug if you go for one.
But I am curious to see how they work, indeed if they work. The one offered was supagard. You get a kit of aftercare stuff as well (shampoo, bird wipes, wheel cleaner etc).
Obviously I won't be using clay on this car until or unless the treatment proves to be useless!
I'll let you know how I get on. I am just going to wash the car with the shampoo provided on a monthly basis. They've given me 10 sachets. Obviously polish is a no no with these treatments but I am not even going to use my aqua wax or bilt hamber stuff. I'll try and post up regular "beading" shots through the year.
If Culzean hadn't mentioned having it done on his cars I might not have fessed up to this :P
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I do know of one car care enthusiast who washes his car with Evian water! He thinks the hard water will ruin his paint. I like a clean car but there are limits.
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I've recently got a 30ml pot of '9H ceramic coating'. It's supposed to be a high shine hydrophobic hard coating that contains Polysiloxane and claims to make the surface more resistant to scratches. I plan to coat my nearside mirror cap with it as that has seen a few bushes/hedgerows over the years and now has many fine scratches. Not convinced to apply it to the main bodywork as it might be an awful streaky mess, but if it fills in a few scratches and helps prevent new ones then it might be worth the effort.
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TG
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Personally, I get a great deal of satisfaction washing and polishing my car.
With regard to detailers,
I was aware that most detailers and car care enthusiasts despise these treatments
I think the detailers that are referred to are the amateurs who work on their cars for shows and such. Professional detailers, who do it as a business, wouldn't go to the lengths the enthusiasts do and are happy to supply the treatments mentioned.
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I do know of one car care enthusiast who washes his car with Evian water! He thinks the hard water will ruin his paint. I like a clean car but there are limits.
You might mention to him that Evian is considered by the experts to be a relatively hard water.
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Fair comment Jocko. A lot of people do enjoy detailing and go to extraordinary lengths. As somebody who likes a clean car I've lurked on the edges of the detailing scene and have picked up one or two tips but have decided it's not quite for me. Interestingly my routine, for many years, was to wash with a shampoo/wax (like Triple Wax) having rinsed the car first with a watering can, I would then wash with a sponge, rinse off with several watering cans full and then dry with a chamois. I also had a routine with Turtle Wax Original Liquid Wax where I would do a quarter of the car once a month (except during the really bad weather which meant it got polished/waxed twice a year.
By a long way my routine was far more than most people did and people used to say how clean my car looked. If you described my routine to a detailing enthusiast they would get an attack of the vapours and tell me that I might as well clean my car with sandpaper!
The guy I knew who washed his car with Evian water lived fairly near me. He had a Porsche - a 911 Turbo - which was a few years old and his hobby car. The daily driver didn't get the Evian treatment. He showed me his garage once - it was like an operating theatre.
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I do know of one car care enthusiast who washes his car with Evian water! He thinks the hard water will ruin his paint. I like a clean car but there are limits.
You might mention to him that Evian is considered by the experts to be a relatively hard water.
LOL - I knew this chap when we lived over in Derbyshire. If I came across him again I'd be tempted to mention this ;D
Have to say his Porsche looked stunning - possibly because it rarely left his drive!
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my routine, for many years, was to wash with a shampoo/wax (like Triple Wax) having rinsed the car first with a watering can, I would then wash with a sponge, rinse off with several watering cans full and then dry with a chamois. I also had a routine with Turtle Wax Original Liquid Wax where I would do a quarter of the car once a month (except during the really bad weather which meant it got polished/waxed twice a year.
Pretty much what I have done with every car before the Jazz (Volvo got the Culzean treatment. Did give it a quick polish before I sold it). Current regime is not all that different other than using two buckets.
What's different about the Jazz? It is tiny and doesn't take long too do.
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My latest investment has been a Kent Microfibre drying towel. Got it from Amazon. Not sure when I'll get to use it as the Beast from the East seems to have taken up residence.
I think the main thing is to avoid scratching so I now use a mitt and a grit guard (don't do 2 buckets unless car really filthy). The Microfibre drying towel is the latest acquisition. Looking forward to seeing how the Supagard does, or does not, stack up.
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Do you use rinseless shampoo? I use Dodo Juice Low On Eau Rinseless Wash. I just wash the panel with the mitt then immediately dry it with the microfibre towel. Does a lovely quick job.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00STO168Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00STO168Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
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I haven't used it but I am interested in it. I have access to a hose but, in saying that, there are times when you don't want to squirt gallons of water all over the place.
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I haven't used it but I am interested in it. I have access to a hose but, in saying that, there are times when you don't want to squirt gallons of water all over the place.
I do have a hose with a soft brush that plugs into it and use it occasionally with shampoo sticks when too much dirt / salt gets onto the car - just plain Shropshire hard water from the tap. I use a water brush because it seems to be the best way to wash dirt away without scratching the paint, and it seems to work well enough. Otherwise if its going to rain I let the rain wash the dirt off.
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Otherwise if its going to rain I let the rain wash the dirt off.
I found that with my Volvo. I wasn't doing huge motorway miles and after a while it never got any dirtier. The rain kept it at a reasonable standard. Took it to the car wash before its MOT and that was that.
(https://i.imgur.com/5hEukVz.jpg)
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Sorry to pour fuel onto the question of do I or do I not wash my car.
Our previous car was a navy blue. A nice little sea gull did whoopsie on the bonnet. I being 'lazy' left it there.
When I came to wash the car, where the sea gull had performed was a nice hole in the paint. So now I try and keep the car clean and polished, especially as that nice kind Honda main dealer gave me such a good price for the car. What is it about sarcasm?
Another favourite paint eater is that good old cow sh*t. If you do not live or venture into the country it would not be a problem however seagulls seem to be kicking the pigeons out of towns and taking over where the pickings are easier.
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Sorry to pour fuel onto the question of do I or do I not wash my car.
Our previous car was a navy blue. A nice little sea gull did whoopsie on the bonnet. I being 'lazy' left it there.
When I came to wash the car, where the sea gull had performed was a nice hole in the paint. So now I try and keep the car clean and polished, especially as that nice kind Honda main dealer gave me such a good price for the car. What is it about sarcasm?
Another favourite paint eater is that good old cow sh*t. If you do not live or venture into the country it would not be a problem however seagulls seem to be kicking the pigeons out of towns and taking over where the pickings are easier.
Bird poo is lethal to paint, and seagull poo is like sulphuric acid and paint stripper mixed together. One of my habits is to wipe bird poo off the paint as soon as I see it (a pack of cheap hand wipes in the car is useful) and I have got my wife into the habit of doing the same. It's the enzymes in the poo that attack paint - don't know if older cellulose paints were better or worse than modern water based acrylics.
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Matt Neal doesn't seem to wash his Civic very often....
(http://i64.tinypic.com/nmysrd.jpg)
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TG
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I clean bird droppings off the moment I spot them. If nothing else to hand, wet wipes do the trick!
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Jazzway - interesting few snippets from my recent car change. I paid £9,500 for my 2013 Honda Jazz 1.4 EX Manual in January 2016. I follow a reasonably careful plan of bodywork maintenance washing with the 2 bucket method roughly every two weeks. In spring I use an all in one product like Autoglym Super Resin Polish and top that with Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection. Every other wash I have been using Autoglym Aqua Wax as a drying aid. Pre winter I just top up the protection. Having run out of Extra Gloss Protection last October I used Bilt Hamber Double Speed wax.
My car looks very shiny. I got a CAP valuation for the car before I thought of trading it in. You won't be familiar with this in Holland but it's basically a guide to trade in values. My car was valued at £6,250 to £6,700 (the higher price being for cars in exceptional condition). I was given £7,000 in part exchange and the dealers have my car on sale for £9,000 which is only £500 less than I paid for it over 2 years ago. I will admit the low mileage was a factor as well.
I think this shows that looking after the bodywork of your car can pay dividends so the effort put into looking after the car's paint job is not always wasted.
I'm beginning to wish I'd sold the car privately!
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Jazzway - interesting few snippets from my recent car change. I paid £9,500 for my 2013 Honda Jazz 1.4 EX Manual in January 2016. I follow a reasonably careful plan of bodywork maintenance washing with the 2 bucket method roughly every two weeks. In spring I use an all in one product like Autoglym Super Resin Polish and top that with Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection. Every other wash I have been using Autoglym Aqua Wax as a drying aid. Pre winter I just top up the protection. Having run out of Extra Gloss Protection last October I used Bilt Hamber Double Speed wax.
My car looks very shiny. I got a CAP valuation for the car before I thought of trading it in. You won't be familiar with this in Holland but it's basically a guide to trade in values. My car was valued at £6,250 to £6,700 (the higher price being for cars in exceptional condition). I was given £7,000 in part exchange and the dealers have my car on sale for £9,000 which is only £500 less than I paid for it over 2 years ago. I will admit the low mileage was a factor as well.
I think this shows that looking after the bodywork of your car can pay dividends so the effort put into looking after the car's paint job is not always wasted.
I'm beginning to wish I'd sold the car privately!
Could it be that there is still a good demand for GE Jazz because MK3 is not everybodies cup of tea ? Personally I went for the last of the 'old shape' Civics ( 2006 - 11) I could get because I did not like styling of replacement model, salesman said I could have had a new model for pretty much same price.
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I think there is a lot of demand for the Mk2 Jazz. I may have mentioned this some time ago but there are those who think the Mk3 was a backward step. That seems to be reflected in very strong prices for the Mk2.
I've gone automatic this time round and have no regrets about that but the Mk3, looked at in the round, is not a significant improvement. In some ways it has gone backwards - no passenger cupholders, no panoramic roof with the EX and confusing technology (user friendliness has gone out of the window but it's not just Honda here). The radio is much much harder to operate with the cursed "infotainment" screen but we know that these represent cost cutting and not progress.
But I still maintain that the, if I do say so myself, outstanding visual condition of my car had an effect.
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Certainly, when it was in for a service last week, the Honda dealer was very, very keen to buy my Mk2.
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So not just me then. I wonder if resistance to new tech is becoming an issue especially with an older demographic. The dealer I bought my Mk3 from actually has some very late 2015 Mk2s at higher prices than some early Mk3s (low spec admittedly).
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Over the last 4-5 years I have used Boora polish and sealer cannot fault the finish. I did use a clay mitt first before using the polish or sealer