Long Islander

I agree that "RejeX will stop bird droppings from staining your paint." Any good paint protectant will do that. But I disagree that "it also creates and incredible amount of shine."

Rejex's manufacturer specifically states that it has no paint cleaner or polish. It is merely a paint protectant, so your paint will only look as shiny after Rejex as it did before.

A lot of people on this board and other Porsche boards have been attributing incredible shine to Rejex, and frankly, the reason their cars look so good is that they spent a lot of time preparing their paint before applying Rejex.

I used Rejex on my BMW about six weeks ago, and it looked fantastic afterwards. But that was due to the fact that I spent 5 hours using clay bar, then Meguiar's paint cleaner, and then Meguiar's show car glaze before Rejex.

In terms of Rejex's paint protection abilities, I think it's a little better than the pure carnuaba waxes I've been using for a long time. After using Rejex, my BMW has been outside for 6 weeks before I washed it again. After washing, the water beaded up better than it would have with carnuaba wax. The difference in beading is noticeable, but not "day and night." The bottom line, Rejex is good, but it's no miracle product.

Paul Marangoni

Can you apply carnuba wax on TOP of rejex?

Long Islander

Paul, I don't know why you'd want to apply carnuaba wax over Rejex. If you want additional protection, your time would be better spent applying an additional layer of Rejex, which you can certainly do.

Paul Marangoni

I was only wondering because it seems like Rejex is a bit of a hassle to apply (12 hour cure time), so if the shine was fading, maybe waxing in between applications of Rejex would suffice.

Orient Express

a second coat of Rejex only takes 6-8 hours to cure.

You can put wax over Rejex, but the wax comes off pretty quick because stuff does not stick to the Rejex surface. I would agree that it is less effort to simply apply a second coat of Rejex rather than wax. It will last much longer.

Paul Marangoni

Okay, that makes sense. I'll give it a shot. Oggie, do you recommend using a glaze before applying Rejex?

Viken

Go here: https://rennlist.com/forums/forumdis...?s=&forumid=60 and look at the top left corner of the page where you see John D. listed as a moderator. Click on his name to contact him.

Long Islander

By glaze I assume you mean a polish that fills in scratches. I used Meguiar's Show Car Glaze after Meguiar's Premium Paint Cleaner, which followed clay bar.

Rejex actually recommends their product be used directly on the paint so that it bonds better, so that means you really shouldn't use any polish. The problem with that approach is that you won't have as brilliant a shine and may see minor surface scratches. I would still use the polish or glaze. And, definitely don't skip the clay bar unless your car feels super smooth to the touch after you've washed and dried it. If it doesn't, that indicates that there's stuff stuck to your paint surface that nothing else will remove. If you don't want to do the whole car, you can use clay bar on just the hood, roof and rear deck, as that's where the contaminants mostly tend to stick to.

bet

Menzerna polishes will not effect the bonding of Rejex or any type of synthetic sealant for that matter. Menzerna has no oils, wax or fillers to hide swirls and scratches. Instead it removes the imperfections with fine diminishing abrasives. There are essentially two different levels. Intensive Polish and Final Polish. Great product. Clay first then use the polishes. When applied with a PC and the appropriate pad the Menzerna polishes can leave a mirror like smooth and glossy surface. Protect with your favorite product.

Paul Marangoni

Menzerna? I've never heard of them. Where can I find them?

Orient Express

Oggie is right on all of the steps. I recommend a slightly different order. I also recommend that these steps be done indoors under florescent lighting. This type of light is unforgiving in exposing surface blemishes.

For a complete surface restoration:

1. Strip surface - using a mild dishwashing detergent such as Dawn works fine. BUT don't use dishwashing detergent as your normal car wash soap, only as a stripper.

2. Clay the surface - This will pull out the surface contamination.

3. Clean the surface - Use a fine cut rubbing compound such as Griots Machine Polish #2 or Meguires Fine Cut Cleaner #9

4. Glaze the surface -This will fill in minor scratches with a filler that will provide a smooth reflective surface.

5. Polish the surface - Use a Swirl Remover such as Griots Fine Hand Polish or Meguires Swirl Remover 2.0. This will further smooth the surface, fill microscratches, and remove any residue from 1, 2, 3 or 4. After this you will be amazed at the increased depth and mirror like qualities of the finish.

6. Wax or Seal the surface - Use Rejex to seal and provide a high release (i.e. slippery) surface. Or Use your favorite wax to provide a subset of the above. If you use rejex, remember to let it cure overnight before taking the car out.

7. Take a step back and admire your work

This is the method that I use on my current Porsche, and it looks like it works, as I have never scored less than 1st in any Concours that I have entered.

HBacura

I don't think there is anyone on this board who hates those bird droppings as much as I do. Every time I wash my car they ready...aim...and fire all over it. Every morning I find at two new found droppings. When will this madness end.

Paul Marangoni

How about a Porsche Bird Feeder that mounts on one of the windshields? It would contain a proprietary mix of bird seed and poison.

Okay, okay, that's a bit harsh....just venting here....

bet

Menzerna polishes can be purchased here:

http://autopia-carcare.com/dual-action-polishers.html

I have found florescent lighting to be difficult to notice all swirls on certain colors especially silver. What looks good under florescent lighting looks poor in sunlight. I think the high powered halogens work very well (the type on the portable stands). The more intense direct light seems to mimic direct sunlight and I am able to see swirling better. YMMV.

When using a two step polish like Intensive Polish (IP) then followed up with Final Polish (FP) I have never had to use any type of glaze or fine rubbing compound. The combination works very well by itself. Other combinations I have used and liked are Mequiar’s Dual Action Cleaner Polish (aka DACP on the detailing boards) and Final Polish. DACP is more aggressive than the IP and you will have to follow it with something like FP because it will leave a polishing haze. Currently my favorite products are Einszett’s Paint Polish and Metallic Polish then Glanz Wax (synthetic wax) for extra protection. This combo just seems brings a extra “pop” to the metallic flakes in the my artic silver finish better than any other product I have used. Extremely easy to use, however the polishes do contain some oils, waxes and filler that will interfere with the durability of Rejex or product like it.

Orient Express

Hi powered halogens are fine, but a little hot, and tend to light the surface a little too bright and gives it too much contrast. Silver is a good paint in that it is very forgiving with blemishes. Hiding boo-bbos on Silver is very easy, and does not take much to keep it looking attractive.

I will have to try Final Polish. That is a Meguires Product?

I learned about using fluorescent light for inspection from touring a factory paint shop like this one:



Bright Fluorescent is totally unforgiving to surface blemishes no matter what the color, especially darker ones.

This is a good discussion on different methods.