Waxing

[thaiIand]

My car is 7months old now and for the past few weeks the white seems a little less white and the texture is now very grainy/salty. I wash it every 2weeks myself.

Does that mean the wax is off? i never had to worry about this back home with all the automatic car wash with wax.

if so, a 200baht wax bottle at tesco is fine? i dont have an imported 10million baht car so i dont need the best. Or should i go to a detailer and get it waxed(how much?)

[MoonRiverOasis]

Most wax jobs will only last somewhere between 1-4 weeks before they're entirely gone in Thailand - the best I've ever used got through to week 11 before it was obvious it's protective layer was too far gone.

So yes, your wax is gone, absolutely, for sure, 100%

However, based on your description a wax isn't going to do the job - it sounds like what you need is a clay bar job (to remove the roughness you can feel) and a proper chemical clean (to remove the rest of baked on diesel soot/grime) - you won't get it back to true white without these steps.

if you're not too concerned about having a concours finish, or you pay someone else to wash your car, or it's not a car you'll be keeping much more than half a decade, just leave it at that - waxing is really only for the more devout in TH - the clear coat on a new car will last and look decent for around 4-6 years without any extra protection.

If you do want to go the extra mile though and make it really 'pop', I'd suggest a synthetic sealant before any wax goes on - it'll make your wax last twice as long, and will improve reflectivity/gloss.

Don't waste your time with anything worth less than about 2,000 Baht/bottle though - a properly cleaned (clayed + chemical) clear coat will gain absolutely no visible improvement at all from a cheap wax.

[katabeachbum]

as I recall your Cruze is white, thats no protective clear coat on Chev Cruze.

To keep it white, you need to get it clean. Thats the hard job. Then wax.

Suggest C-Cube Meguire detailing center between Vachira and Bangkok Hospital. Dont go cheap on the clean job, approx 2k baht.

Get a bottle of Meguire 21 (approx 2k baht, lasts 15-20 wax jobs)for the wax, and leave it to them to wax every one to two months to keep it white and protected. Its 350 baht each time including interior cleaning.

Ques can be long after lunch, so when I want to wait for it (an hour) I go 9-10 in the morning

[thaiIand]

thanks for the info, i will go with the clay bar + chemical clean. Im kind of clueless about what you mean from chemical clean though..

Claybar i also need some detailer spray? this is what it says on youtube. They should have all of this at tesco? I really don't want to spend a fortune on this car, i just want it to keep at the bare minimum ok as i doubt thais will ever look deeper

[aussiebebe]

thanks for the info, i will go with the clay bar + chemical clean. Im kind of clueless about what you mean from chemical clean though..

Claybar i also need some detailer spray? this is what it says on youtube. They should have all of this at tesco? I really don't want to spend a fortune on this car, i just want it to keep at the bare minimum ok as i doubt thais will ever look deeper

There's a Meguiar's video on youtube showing how it's done http://http://youtu.be/yfEfLGL59GI - you can buy Meguiar's in large shopping malls like Seacon - even one replacement clay bar is ฿1200 though and the Ultimate past wax is ฿4500 a tin - you may find it cheaper to order from Meguiar'sdirect for a more reasonable $25 although I've never done this myself so I'm not sure what import duties are payable. Using a sealant like Meguiar's #21 is easiest and lasts the longest. The closest Tesco sells to this is Nu Finish at ฿1200+ a bottle; it's in a lurid orange bottle and is misleading labelled 'Once a year polish' with 'no rubbing or buffing' when in fact it's a synthetic sealant not a polish and of course you need to rub it on and buff it off.

[thaiIand]

so i guess paying 2k baht for this once every 6months makes more sense than going trough all this hassle.

Thanks

[culicine]

thanks for the info, i will go with the clay bar + chemical clean. Im kind of clueless about what you mean from chemical clean though..

Claybar i also need some detailer spray? this is what it says on youtube. They should have all of this at tesco? I really don't want to spend a fortune on this car, i just want it to keep at the bare minimum ok as i doubt thais will ever look deeper

There's a Meguiar's video on youtube showing how it's done http://http://youtu.be/yfEfLGL59GI - you can buy Meguiar's in large shopping malls like Seacon - even one replacement clay bar is ฿1200 though and the Ultimate past wax is ฿4500 a tin - you may find it cheaper to order from Meguiar'sdirect for a more reasonable $25 although I've never done this myself so I'm not sure what import duties are payable. Using a sealant like Meguiar's #21 is easiest and lasts the longest. The closest Tesco sells to this is Nu Finish at ฿1200+ a bottle; it's in a lurid orange bottle and is misleading labelled 'Once a year polish' with 'no rubbing or buffing' when in fact it's a synthetic sealant not a polish and of course you need to rub it on and buff it off.

I use Meguairs too, and found the cheapest place to actually be at the motor show. I usually get the nxt2.0 wax (about 800 baht), but have seen it for sale for 1200 and even 1700 at one place. The next show at Impact is in March I think so you can get it there to save a bit of money (if you are in bkk). I wax roughly once a month and is as shiny as when I got the car new 8 years ago. You do need to wax regularly in this climate.

[JAS21]

Well you need the surface to be smooth else you are wasting your time trying to get a really nice deep shine, so you need to clay it. That should sort most of the problems, if not then you need to use a gently cutting compound and then clay again. I have an old bottle of T-Cut Wax which I brought with me and that seems to work OK and removes stains and small scuffs.

I have only used T-Cut Wax once on my car just to remove the scuff that resulted from a motorbike running into the back of the car, it left just more than a tyre mark.

I have tried quite a few polishes, nxt2.0 seemed ok, I’ve even tried BMWs own polish and separate wax, OK but that’s all. I now use Wolf Gang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant ... after use the paintwork feels like silk, but only for a couple of washes though, then it just feels smooth.

I must admit that I wash the car quite often, I’m not too sure of this ‘thai thing’, wipe over with a damp cloth every morning, haven’t done it on mine but the maid does it on my wife’s car.

When claying I just use water as the lubricant, it is a good idea to put something clean on the floor, like a dust sheet, just in case you drop the clay! You really don’t have to clay very often if you wash often and polish reasonably frequently

.

As car cleaning products are so expensive over here I usually ask one of my friends to bring them over from the UK when they come. The Wolk Gang stuff is half the price in the UK.

If polishing the whole car all at once is too much of an effort or you don’t have the time then just do one panel now and again and work around the whole car. I do find that the flat surfaces need more attention. This climate is hard on car paintwork.

A tip to remove bird mess is to soak a piece of toilet tissue in water and then just place it over the stain and leave for a while. Works for me anyway.

[wandrinstar]

My Wifes white Accord looks to me if its been sprayed with a clear coat of something, polish doesn't make much difference. just gets the diesel haze off.She says its just out of the Dealer finish, if so its dam good. I've had mine Maguired in Supan , cant say that looked much better afterwards. My Wallet looked a LOT WORSE..!!!! . Solid Colours seem to benefit the most, the colour looks deeper afterwards..

[katabeachbum]

My Wifes white Accord looks to me if its been sprayed with a clear coat of something, polish doesn't make much difference. just gets the diesel haze off.She says its just out of the Dealer finish, if so its dam good. I've had mine Maguired in Supan , cant say that looked much better afterwards. My Wallet looked a LOT WORSE..!!!! . Solid Colours seem to benefit the most, the colour looks deeper afterwards..

white accord is white pearl with clear coat

wax it with meguire21 every 4-8 weeks and it remains white. if not yellow greyish, and a chemical clean needed

car paint has a tough time here with all the sun and sand/pollution in air

back home in snow and ice and salt, wax lasted longer

[MoonRiverOasis]

as I recall your Cruze is white, thats no protective clear coat on Chev Cruze.

You sure about that? If true, that's a pretty dam_n crappy paintjob - I thought everything got clearcoated these days..

thanks for the info, i will go with the clay bar + chemical clean. Im kind of clueless about what you mean from chemical clean though..

Claybar i also need some detailer spray? this is what it says on youtube. They should have all of this at tesco? I really don't want to spend a fortune on this car, i just want it to keep at the bare minimum ok as i doubt thais will ever look deeper

Here's what I mean by chemical cleaners:

You won't beleive the difference these will make to a white car in Thailand. It doesn't matter how frequently you wash, what soap you use, whether you clay every month, or if you're using $10000 wax every week, there's nothing else that will clean off the thin film of gray gunk Thailand leaves on cars like these products will, and they're non abrasive (unlike a cleaner wax or a cutting compound)...

If this hasn't been done for 6 months or more, you will see an immediate and easily noticeable difference..

Note that the Meg's one is getting hard to get these days, but the Wolfgang can be bought easy enough locally - try here for vendors/prices: http://www.thaiwashe....php?board=26.0

Edited January 7, 2012 by MoonRiverOasis

[thaiIand]

my old honda was still smooth as a baby's ass after more than a year so ya chevy is cutting corners on their paint jobs.

and thanks for the picture MRO now ill know what to get

Edited January 7, 2012 by thaiIand

[stefan2519]

I don't know if I'm allowed to post this, although I have removed the contact details.

Are these prices to good to be true?

FREE !!! DuPro Micro Fiber Towel ขนาด 40cmx40cm 1 ผืน เมื่อซื้อ Wax Meguiar's ครับ

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1. Meguiar's M2116 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 16 oz., Code : M-2116 ราคา 830 บาท Free!!! ผ้า MicroFiber 1 ผืน สูตรโพลิเมอร์สังเคราะห์แท้ๆ ด้วยความล้ำหน้าทางเทคโนโลยีจากเมกไกวส์สำหรับการดูแลและปกป้องผิวสีของคุณ พัฒนาสำหรับมืออาชีพโดยเฉพาะ ให้ผลงานโดดเด่น เงาล้ำลึกกว่า เม็ดสีเข้มชัดยิ่งขึ้น และสะท้อนความเงางามสมบูรณ์แบบ เพิ่มประสิทธิภาพการขจัดริ้วรอยขนแมวได้ดียิ่งขึ้น ใช้ง่าย เบาแรง และเช็ดออกได้ง่าย เรียบเนียนไร้ที่ติ

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3. Meguiar’s NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0, Code : G-12718 ราคา 800 บาทFree!!! ผ้า MicroFiber 1 ผืน เทคแว็กซ์ 2.0 ใหม่ ด้วยเทคโนโลยี Hydrophobic Polymer ทำให้ผิวสี ลื่น น้ำไม่เกาะ และยังปกป้องจากรังสี UV ผิวสีจะดูเข้มขึ้น ชุ่มฉ่ำ และเงาล้ำลึกสดใส เทคโนโลยีใหม่ ESP (Engineered Synthetic Polymers) โพลิเมอร์สังเคราะห์แท้ๆ สร้างแผ่นฟิล์มแกร่ง เกาะแน่นกับผิวสี คุ้มครองความเงางามได้นานที่สุด สารโพลิเมอร์สังเคราะห์สูตรพิเศษยังช่วยลดรอยขนแมวและรอยขีดข่วนบางๆ จริงๆแล้วขวดสีม่วงครับ แต่ถ่ายรูปออกมามันไม่ม่วงอ่ะครับ

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มีอะไรบ้างในกล่อง

1. Clay bars 80 grams 2 ก้อน

2. Quik Detailer 16 oz.

3. Ultimate Quik Wax 6 oz.

4. Meguiar’s Supreme Shine Microfiber Towel

7. Meguiar’s Supreme Shine Microfiber Towels Pack 3, Code: X-2020 ราคา 380 บาท (3ผืน ผ้าไมโครไฟเบอร์หนานุ่มของแม็กกวายสำหรับเช็ดเก็บงาน waxes และ detailers ต่างๆ)

8. Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze Dispenser Bottle 12 oz. (ขวดเปล่า สำหรับแบ่ง)ราคา80 บาท

9. Lake Country 6.5 Inch CCS Foam Pads : Red (หมดชั่วคราว), Blackราคา 400 บาท/อัน Pack คู่ 780 บาท

[MoonRiverOasis]

I don't know if I'm allowed to post this, although I have removed the contact details.

Are these prices to good to be true?

Not at all - they look par for course to me.

Plenty of reputable vendors posting here: http://www.thaiwashercarclub.com/forum/index.php?board=26.0

I've used several of the vendors advertising there, never had a problem - just make sure they appear to have been selling there for a while and you should be good. Note that all of them will speak English too, as they're all ordering from American suppliers.

[culicine]

I use the nxt wax and that price is as cheap as you will find it:) I usually pick mine up at the Motor Shows.

[thaiIand]

if its cheaper than at supercheap in phuket, then its a scam.

Best way to know. hard if you are not a phuketer though

[katabeachbum]

C-Cube Meguire Phuket again today. Less and less happy with the wax job they do. The large surfaces are fine by machine, the details lack attention, no proper handjob.

Considering to get my own air tool to do the machine waxing. Does anyone know the ideal rpm for a waxing machine, and will my 3hp air compressor be sufficient to run it?

[funcat]

C-Cube Meguire Phuket again today. Less and less happy with the wax job they do. The large surfaces are fine by machine, the details lack attention, no proper handjob.

Considering to get my own air tool to do the machine waxing. Does anyone know the ideal rpm for a waxing machine, and will my 3hp air compressor be sufficient to run it?

5HP will be probably the minimum,but nothing wrong with the electric variable speed Makita...slow speed to medium.Just for waxing the the orbital electric vibrator should be efficient enough...and do your own hand job .

[MoonRiverOasis]

C-Cube Meguire Phuket again today. Less and less happy with the wax job they do. The large surfaces are fine by machine, the details lack attention, no proper handjob.

Considering to get my own air tool to do the machine waxing. Does anyone know the ideal rpm for a waxing machine, and will my 3hp air compressor be sufficient to run it?

The speed range for detailing cars varies from a few hundred RPM up to maybe 6000 tops. Be very careful above 3000 rpm - it's easy to damage your paint with the kind heat those speeds generate..

[thunder30101]

Dont bother with an air powered polisher unless you have a two stage compressor. Its not the hp of the motor that matters its the cfm's produced by the compressor, thats why you find most shops will use an an electric polisher.

[aussiebebe]

I don't know if I'm allowed to post this, although I have removed the contact details.

Are these prices to good to be true?

Not at all - they look par for course to me.

Plenty of reputable vendors posting here: http://www.thaiwashe....php?board=26.0

I've used several of the vendors advertising there, never had a problem - just make sure they appear to have been selling there for a while and you should be good. Note that all of them will speak English too, as they're all ordering from American suppliers.

Hi, I'd just like to say a huge thank you for mentioning that forum, it's awesome! I never would have found it as I can't read Thai and for me even signing up was a challenge as google translate didn't help with the form. Once I joined though I could see what you mean, most of the sellers I phoned speak fluent English and they can just EMS the products direct.I've never seen prices that low, I've been getting so ripped off buying products like Meguiar's from department stores over the years and ordering from US-based ebay sellers is no cheaper. I used to buy Meguiar's clay bars for 900 a piece from the Meguiar's stand in Seacon Square, I just bought three for the same price from a seller on that forum, + 50b EMS and I paid online. Genius.

Thank you.

[lukasl]

This is my hobby when back in Canada - love detailing my cars and own a Porter Cable orbital polisher. Check out autopia dot org to learn how do do this properly. Their forums are awesome for a neophyte on this subject.

Btw, never clay with just water. Use a quick detailing spray to provide lubrication otherwise you will scratch the finish. Clay is abrasive and removes all the top dirt and grime off a paint finish. Polishing with an orbital buffer is your next step, so if you don't own one then give the job to someone that does as doing it properly by hand will cost you days and sweat and you still won't do it to the desired effect. I've restored 13 year old cars to like new finish by claying and then polishing with various grades of polishing compounds in the same job.

Sealant and/or Wax is your last step to protect the paint. Sealants last longer and waxes shorter.

What I use is Klasse All-in-one polish (after real polishing) to prep the paint for the next step Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze

However if you want to go the most basic and cheapest route, Klasse All-in-one polish by itself will already give you good results and help to clean your paint. The sealant will last you about a year on the car (although haven't tested in Thailand weather)

As a last step and to get a fresh wax job every so often I use P21S which is super easy to apply but doesn't last very long (3-4weeks), looks great and is more expensive.

Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845 also gives great results, lasts really long time (6 months and more - I'm not kidding, although periodic reapplication always gives your car or bike a new sparkle), is easy to apply as well and is really cheap.

All of the above waxes and seals don't stain your black plastics and I actually used them on plastics to renew the black color.

Last but not least, Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine is a miracle product that I use to wash and detail my car. Always use good microfiber cloth to dry your car.

Anyway, probably too much info for this forum on the subject. autogeek dot net is a place I would order from but not sure if they ship to Thailand.

Sorry, forum doesn't allow posting urls so you will need to copy and fix the above links.

[luwahn]

This is my hobby when back in Canada - love detailing my cars and own a Porter Cable orbital polisher. Check out autopia dot org to learn how do do this properly. Their forums are awesome for a neophyte on this subject.

Btw, never clay with just water. Use a quick detailing spray to provide lubrication otherwise you will scratch the finish. Clay is abrasive and removes all the top dirt and grime off a paint finish. Polishing with an orbital buffer is your next step, so if you don't own one then give the job to someone that does as doing it properly by hand will cost you days and sweat and you still won't do it to the desired effect. I've restored 13 year old cars to like new finish by claying and then polishing with various grades of polishing compounds in the same job.

Sealant and/or Wax is your last step to protect the paint. Sealants last longer and waxes shorter.

What I use is Klasse All-in-one polish (after real polishing) to prep the paint for the next step Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze

However if you want to go the most basic and cheapest route, Klasse All-in-one polish by itself will already give you good results and help to clean your paint. The sealant will last you about a year on the car (although haven't tested in Thailand weather)

As a last step and to get a fresh wax job every so often I use P21S which is super easy to apply but doesn't last very long (3-4weeks), looks great and is more expensive.

Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845 also gives great results, lasts really long time (6 months and more - I'm not kidding, although periodic reapplication always gives your car or bike a new sparkle), is easy to apply as well and is really cheap.

All of the above waxes and seals don't stain your black plastics and I actually used them on plastics to renew the black color.

Last but not least, Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine is a miracle product that I use to wash and detail my car. Always use good microfiber cloth to dry your car.

Anyway, probably too much info for this forum on the subject. autogeek dot net is a place I would order from but not sure if they ship to Thailand.

Sorry, forum doesn't allow posting urls so you will need to copy and fix the above links.

Thanks for this and all the other info guys!

I'll try out the Klasse though I've always favored Meguiars and have finished my cars with first its polymer sealant and then its Gold Class carnauba wax.

I've also always been a 'hands on' guy when it comes to car waxing but with the tips i this thread, I will also try my hand (pun intended) with an orbital buffer as soon as I can locate one.

[mogandave]

I like Mother's Pure Carnauba

[sparebox2]

I get free latex parking under my flowering mango tree.

Not sure how to remove it.

[MoonRiverOasis]

I get free latex parking under my flowering mango tree.

Not sure how to remove it.

if you get onto them quickly enough, the paint cleaners I've mentioned previously will do the job.

[hedonist44]

I like Mother's Pure Carnauba

+1

[BlackArtemis]

As mentioned, a clay bar is what you need.

Thats another thing I am going to have to pack. My luggage is going to look really odd full of protein powders, motorcycle gear, car waxes...