Jeff

I'm about to wax my Porsche for the first time. Any recommendations on what kind of wax to use and how often in general should you wax a "garage queen" would be very helpful. Thanks

Jay H

Jeff:

I've been very pleased with the results I have gotten from 3M Hand Glaze followed up with Blitz Wax.

Jay
90 964

RobC

It will depend on a number of factors, one of the first being the color of the car.

Here are some general rules I would follow:

1. Degreasing - I am assuming you recently purchased the car being that it is your first wax job. This means you don't really know what the previous owner used, and there may be layers and layers of old dirty wax on there. The first step would be to use a degreaser to remove all of the old wax from the car. I have recently started using Simple Green Cleaner/Degreaser (not to be confused Simple Green General Purpose Cleaner). It works well and doesn't smell bad like other degreasers. You want to make sure you clean all of the old wax is off, so repeat degreasing util you are 100% satisfied (surface will be evenly rough with NO streaks). Wash the degreaser off completely with normal car wash detergent and water.

2. Polishing - Next you will want to smooth out the paint. This is done by using an abrasive polishing compound to flatten the almost microscopic pits and valleys in the paints surface. The abrasiveness of the polishing compound will depend on how weathered the paint is. I would recommend doing this by hand as opposed to using a power buffer. You can easily burn the paint with a buffer if you are not careful. There is nothing a buffer can do that can't be done by hand, it just takes longer.

3. Glaze - A Glaze is basically a very very fine polish that also include resins and other "nutrients" for your paint. This is the most important step. 3M Hand Glaze is the undisputed world champion of Glazes. Use of a hand glaze is what will give you that deep deep wet look shine. Solid colors like black and guards red really respond well to this process. After glazing you should notice how smooth the the surface is, as if you had already waxed it.

4. Finally, you now want protect your finish (waxing is for protection NOT shine, proper polishing and glazing give the deep shine). As far as which wax to use you will probably just want to try a few. A lot of people swear by Zymol but that is not always the best for every car.

You mention you car is a garage queen, so I assume it is not your daily driver. This is good, because you have probably figured out that the above process can take a while. Use the above process to do ONE PANEL AT A TIME. It can take about an hour per panel or longer, but don't get impatient. If you find yourself getting impatient then stop and come back to it on another day. IT IS WORTH IT!!! You probably won't need to repeat this process more than once every year or two. Just wash and wax offen to keep the paint protected.

I have a white car ('91 C2) and use Zymol. I find that the blue color of wax actually makes the car look whiter (adding a little blue does intensify the brightness of white, this is also why most laundry detergents are blue). People that saw my car before polishing are absolutely amazed at the difference. Most assume that it was repainted.

I hope this helps.

MelissaM

There've been some great suggestions so far.

Here's a website that gives lots of information about detailing cars, Porsches in particular. It also compares the different products on the market.
http://www.carcareonline.com

-- Melissa

PS I have no affiliation with Larry Reynolds or Car Care Online other than being a satisfied customer.

Jeff Curtis

I am going to try the wax/polisher offered by the Griot's Garage catalogue...seems as if it may be decent - either that or a buddy and I plan to go in on a Zymol kit.

Ho hum, maybe I'll bring myself to try some of the products in my $200 Techquipment detail briefcase package I won at a PCA event?? Assuming it can be replaced separately...anyway, will get back w/my "opinion".

Drew_K

3M Imperial Hand Glaze followed by Blitz wax is a good basic combo. The wax seems to last a few months at the most, especially during summer. If you want to take the next step up, Zaino and Klasse are generally considered to be the two premium car care brands, and the difference is noticeable, especially on dark colored paint. I use Klasse. Once applied, Klasse lasts more than six months, but it does take a while to apply.

JBH

Just a little clarification on what has already been said...
I think the correct order for exterior care would be:
(1) degrease
(2) glaze
(3) polish
(4) wax

Polishes are generally less abrasive than the glaze.

The Imperial Glaze is an excellent product for removal of light surface scratches and swirls. If your finish does not have those scratches or swirls, you can use a polish to get a deep gloss.

Unless you are well experienced with the use of power waxer/buffer, do not use them. The finish you can achieve by hand is just as good if not better. Any scratches produced by circular motion will be apparent from all angles.

I really like all the P21S products - from the wash to the wax. Just my thoughts.

Greg Fishman

I got the polisher from another online retailer for much less than Griot's but I bought and used the Griot's polishes and wax. Results were good but a lot of work. I have found something new and the buffer and assorted polishes are in the tool drawer to stay. Go to this web site and order their products. Much cheaper and easier to use. If you are still wanting an orbital buffer and polish, I will sell you mine.
Greg

zaino

Drew_K

And for even further clarification:

I think that one company's polish is another company's glaze. For example, the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze is less abrasive than a typical polish, and I'm not even sure if it has any abrasives at all. It just fills in the swirls, which it does a pretty good job at. Rather than the name of the product (i.e., glaze or polish), I would recommend reading/researching what the product actually does.

So if you're using the 3M glaze and a polish with some 'cutting' power, then the 3M glaze should be used after the polish. If you reverse this, the polish will remove the 3M glaze.

If you want to go all the way to remove swirls, use 3M Finesse It II to help remove swirls (this has mild abrasives and will smooth out the swirls), then follow with 3M Swirl Mark Remover (a milder 'polish'). From this point, you have to decide whether you want to use wax or a product like Klasse.

If you decide to use wax, then the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze would be the next step, followed by wax.

I'm rather fanatical about the appearance of my car, in case you didn't notice

Drew
92 C2

Drew_K

If you want the Griot's polisher, go to Coastaltool.com and look for the Portercable 7424. Same thing and it's only $110 as opposed to $200. You will still need the assortment of pads however, which you can find at www.autopia-carcare.com.[LIST]

John Miles

Anyone know where you can get the 3M products in the UK?
John

JBH

The 3M website may help you locate a dealer, but I would go visit your local body shop - I imagine they could help you locate or sell you some.

Bob D.

OK, I have to be the lone dissenting voice here....;-)

I have NOT been impressed with 3M Imperial glaze, and the zaino stuff seems to work better on new Corvettes rather than older German paints.

In my experience, if you have original factory paint without any serious swirl issues or the like, the best products are made by Zymol--HD Cleanse to feed/prep the paint, and carbon wax to protect it. My Guards Red 964 just "glows" after using this stuff, and when it comes to black cars, I have turned many a frog into a prince.

I also think if you check with the entrants at the next concours you attend, you'll find zymol an extremely popular choice there as well.

Hope this helps.

porsche964

I find that Zymol twice a year, late fall and late spring, works great.