Today I did some detailing...

SRP on its own has relatively no cutting ability. It's not a polish in the true sense. It has more filling ability than polishing. So applied by hand it won't do a whole lot.

However applying by machine you introduce mechanical cut from the pad. As proven it will do an enhancement job for you, but if you are wanting to do correction work, you'd be better off with dedicated machine polishes, and save the SRP for the quick jobs people will no doubt ask you to do when they see your car done!

I'd heard some great things about Autoglym's HD wax lately so I splashed out on a tub over the weekend and gave it a try today. I am massively impressed. The car already had a ceramic sealant on it since new but I think the wax gives it a brilliant gloss! It's giving some nice beading too after it rained since...

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Looks great Joe! Beware thought that the wax will reduce the immediate effectiveness of the ceramic sealant that was applied as it builds up in the molecular structure of the sealant. Curran might add some technical info on the subject.

Yeah I was aware of that and I did ask about it before... But tbh I've become a little bit sceptical about the alleged longevity/durability of the sealant, and that's not a slight on the man who did the job, who is a total pro imo!

But I thought my efforts today made a very noticeable difference and the rain water seems to be beading much better. We'll see what it's like after a few days / weeks though...

Tbh if I was doing it all over again with a new car I probably wouldn't bother with the ceramic sealant. For the significant expense involved, i am beginning to think it would be much better value and wiser to wait until the car is a few years old when it needs a little bit of tlc by a pro with machine polishers - and not a brand new car. I think the expense of going the pro route would be more worthwhile then.

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

The whole point of a ceramic sealant is to keep the paint in top notch condition therefore negating the cost of having to get it detailed and ceramic sealed down the line

Yeah there's that too
I can't see how adding a layer of wax over the sealant can do any harm anyway. Sure, it might reduce its water / dirt repealing ability for a while but the trade off is that the wax gives it a deeper gloss. And it seems to be pretty effective at repelling water in itself! Isn't it common enough practice to apply wax after sealant?


There's also a bit more satisfaction in doing the job yourself too

The durability of the ceramic coating you speak of, will be that of what the pro recommended. Often the issue is that the maintenance products aren't used to keep the ceramic coating in its optimum condition. The use of traditional shampoos, for example, are not suited to the molecular structure of the ceramic coating; they clog the links in the structure and thus the coating seems like its degrading. In reality, its not, but rather than the coating being the surface, the shampoo has clogged the coating and it now has become the surface...thus reducing beading, dirt repelling ability, and perhaps even appearance.

Applying the wax on top of the coating, is no harm to the coating. It is still there, and still doing the job it should be, but now the AG HD Wax is your new top layer. Thus returning the beading and shine.
So if you look at it this way...and Im not saying that this is what happened in your case, just an example of what might have happened...
- Ceramic coating applied; car looks great
- Over time, using the wrong shampoo clogs the links; car doesn't look so good, the beading is reducing, doesn't repel dirt as well
- Applied wax, covers coating and clogged links; get the benefit of the wax; appearance enhanced, beading returns, dirt repelling returns
- Over time; the wax starts to deteriorate and previous issues return, you can apply wax again to re-enhance

As said the ceramic coating is still there, but just not being allowed to perform in the way it should. There should be products available to return the coating to its best. If for example your coating was CarPro CQUK, then Reset would be the right shampoo to use with it. Reload is there gloss boosting / finish enhancing product. Eraser would be their wipedown/inspection product, but diluted, it would help clean out the coating links if Reset hadnt been used to wash it previously.

In terms of applying wax over a sealant. Yes, it is often done. Its not necessary. Some people like knowing they have something more durable applied under a wax, so when the wax deteriorates, it's still protected. Sealants tend to give a glassy appearance versus that deep wet look that waxes give, and people sometimes apply both for this reason. However sealants in this case are different to the ceramic coating you have applied.

As ever, when choosing a Last Stage Protection / Product, there are many different factors that need to be considered, and with most, there is a trade off - perhaps you are feeling a bit underwhelmed by the appearance; missing that deep glossy, wet look, that a car with that colour should look like?
Unfortunately, the trade off for high durability, scratch resistance, hydrophobic (dirt repellency), ease of washing; is in your case, the glass appearance, and had you applied it yourself, not as easy to apply as traditional waxes and sealants, more preparation work required.

Im not sure what product you have applied, at a guess Polish Angel (and Im not familiar with their range), if it was detailed by who I think it may have been detailed by...either way, it would be best to speak to whoever did the work, on how to return the coating....and sure there's no need to do that until the AG HD Wax is show signs of needing to be re-applied.

Great day today for washing. Managed to get a foam,2BM wash and a coat of collinite in. Though a de tar is in order too but time didn't permit. Unfortunately the hydro2 is on its last legs hence the collinite. No photos as the before and afters would look very similar ( the joys of being able to wash the car twice a week!!).

A set of mud flaps would really help keep most of the dirt of the sides and rear.

Many thanks again to @JAMES VTI S (MX Valeting) for his stellar work on enhancing the paintwork on the Mondeo

Yeah I hadnt washed in two weeks and was starting to look miserable but according to James, it was cleaner than most cars that are brought to him

Delighted with his work today.

Looking good...nice depth and clarity.

Any tips for cleaning chrome exhausts? Or should I say any chrome exhaust tips? Boom boom

Gave them a scrub today but still not right

Meguiars NXT Metal Polysh is decent too.

Extausts should all be made with stainless steel as then you can use fine grade wire wool and a close to chrome finish is achievable. It's hard to do anything with chrome tips given the thin finish and the abuse they've to put up with.

Cheers fellas. This stuff is well caked on the inner pipes

Sorry I Didn't mean inner as the inside of the actual pipes. There are 4 pipes on the car and the 2 nearest the middle get dirtiest first while the outside 2 stay relatively clean. The outside 2 deal with less exhaust gas as they are often closed by a valve depending on different variables. BIt like the one below