New 500 - to polish or not to polish

[Thumper]

Hi
Looking for help/advice please!

Taking delivery of a new 500 in two weeks.

I always use Autoglym products (and have just about everything). General advice on here seems to be washing followed by SRP then waxing.

However is this overkill on a brand new car. Can I get away with washing then just waxing (Autoglym HD Wax)? I don't really see much point in using Polish first. I live in a tree-lined road and any car ends up with tree sap all over it, so wanting to get in first with a protective coating.

It isn't just about saving time, have arthritis in my fingers so any effort saved will be a huge saving in pain! Claying is pretty much a no-no.

I know there probably won't be a consensus on what method is correct, but advice / guidance would be most welcome.

Many thanks.

 

[RD55 DUN]

Like most brand new cars it will have some defects on it that a polish would sort, and make the car look in better condition.

However it is up to yourself. If it was me I would be spending time prepping the car when new, i.e clay, polish and then a few coats of wax while its new. Saves doing it later when there is tree sap, tar spots etc on the car. However you might be able to skip the clay part if it causes too much pain.

I think the results would be worth the effort.

 

[Lloyd71]

If you wanted to minimise all scratches, your best bet would be to ask the dealer not to wash the car before you take delivery. They ruin the paintwork before you even get it.

A polish would not be necessary if it's not been badly washed!

 

[Advanced Driver]

If you wanted to minimise all scratches, your best bet would be to ask the dealer not to wash the car before you take delivery. They ruin the paintwork before you even get it.

A polish would not be necessary if it's not been badly washed!

I disagree. I think a light polish will always improve it. My Panda wasn't washed. It didn't need claying, but a very gentle polish improved the finish.

 

[Adrian Bravo]

If it was my new car I would definatly not let the dealer wash it. I would clay it then use Autoglym High Definition Wax which does not contain any abrasives.

EDIT: Why is clay a no no?

 

[SurreyAlan]

for the less keen amongst us I'd recommend the SRP followed by the Extra Gloss Protection with some of the bumper stuff to get the white marks off the trim. It might not give the perfect finish that some aspire to but the AG products are very easy to use and for everyone except the detailers are going to give good enough results. I was very happy with the result on the 1.2 Panda, it's coming up to 2 years old now and still looks brill with no swirls.

 

[jrkitching]

IMHO it is necessary to clay the car to remove any brake dust and other bonded contaminants which might have settled on the car in transit between the factory & the dealership. If not removed, they will rust under whatever coating you subsequently apply and eventually ruin the paint. The worst scenario is when a dealer slaps super/easy/permaguard over the car without first properly decontaminating it.

Tychy produced cars seem particularly bad for this. I bought a new panda last month & took it home straight off the transporter. It was absolutely covered in rusting metallic particles and took about four hours with the clay bar to sort it out. If you use a soft clay and plenty of the correct lubricant, you won't damage the paint. My own preference is for BiltHamber Soft Autoclay as you can do this with plain water.

If you rub your hand over your freshly-washed new car you can both hear and feel the slightly gritty surface - it will be as smooth as glass after claying, and then you can apply whatever your preferred chosen finish (personally I use a natural wax over a synthetic sealant).

 

[Lloyd71]

IMHO it is necessary to clay the car to remove any brake dust and other bonded contaminants which might have settled on the car in transit between the factory & the dealership. If not removed, they will rust under whatever coating you subsequently apply and eventually ruin the paint. The worst scenario is when a dealer slaps super/easy/permaguard over the car without first properly decontaminating it.

Tychy produced cars seem particularly bad for this. I bought a new panda last month & took it home straight off the transporter. It was absolutely covered in rusting metallic particles and took about four hours with the clay bar to sort it out. If you use a soft clay and plenty of the correct lubricant, you won't damage the paint. My own preference is for BiltHamber Soft Autoclay as you can do this with plain water.

If you rub your hand over your freshly-washed new car you can both hear and feel the slightly gritty surface - it will be as smooth as glass after claying, and then you can apply whatever your preferred chosen finish (personally I use a natural wax over a synthetic sealant).

That's what I'd normally recommend too but the OP said claying is a no-no due to his arthritis!

But as others have said, Autoglym Super Resin Polish is one of the best polishes to use by hand so if you're going to use one, use that. Then use whatever wax/sealant you prefer over the top. Ideally you need to clay the surface, but since that's not possible, a polish should get the best of the delivery crap off the car.

 

[jrkitching]

Sorry, I'd forgotten about that, but sadly I don't think I'd ever have shifted all the bonded contaminants off the panda with SRP. I'm sorry to hear about the OP's arthritis & extend my sympathy, but wonder if it'd be less effort overall to clay the car first. Warming the clay in hot water may help too, for which the BH clays are particularly well suited. Perhaps the OP can just do a panel at a time as his condition permits.

I used SRP after claying the car, and as the dealer hadn't been given the chance to pre-scratch it, that step took very little time or effort.

For the LSP, I find Colly 915 to be particularly easy to apply & buff off, which might help with the arthritis, but the downside is that it's not particularly long lasting.

 

[Thumper]

Hi all

many thanks for your feedback - most useful.

Claying is definately a no-no. As a guide, 15 mins at a keyboard knackers my fingers for at least a couple of hours so no way I am attempting to clay - even panel-by-panel would take a week! I've had the arthritis since I was 19 so know what my limits are and claying would have to involve getting a mug to do it for me. It must be a sign I'm getting old - I remember when claying didn't exist!

This will be my sixth new car, my Previous Punto arrived in pretty much perfect (to me) condition by my dealer and I've confidence they'll be doing the same level of care with the 500. Previous cars I've not bothered doing any work on when they were delivered but think the 500 deserves to be protected from the tree sap (and bird cr*p) from Day 1.

Sounds like SRP will be worth it first, then a couple of layers of HD Wax. The car will be replaced in three years - had I been keeping it longer it might have been worth getting someone to clay it aswell.

Thanks again for your input - was most useful!

 

[Lloyd71]

Sounds like SRP will be worth it first, then a couple of layers of HD Wax. The car will be replaced in three years - had I been keeping it longer it might have been worth getting someone to clay it aswell.

That set up should pretty much see you through the winter, then when the summer rolls around again you can repeat the whole process to maintain the looks.

Just out of curiosity though; how come you can't clay but polishing and waxing doesn't affect your arthritis as much? I'm genuinely interested since the techniques are very very similar!

 

[Thumper]

That set up should pretty much see you through the winter, then when the summer rolls around again you can repeat the whole process to maintain the looks.

Just out of curiosity though; how come you can't clay but polishing and waxing doesn't affect your arthritis as much? I'm genuinely interested since the techniques are very very similar!

If my hands were OK then there isn't much difference between claying and polishing. The closest way to understand how my fingers feel is to break every one at each joint and then try claying versus polishing/waxing - you will notice a big difference between the two then!

This might sound overdramatic but thats how they feel if I don't take steroids & painkillers (plus if feels like someone has scraped the bones inbetween with a carving knife).

I'm not saying polishing/waxing is pain-free....far from it, but its something I can live with - helped by the fact that less effort is required versus claying (particularly kneeding clay to make it/keep it malleable) and that you aren't just using your fingers but more the whole hand and with less pressure.

Hope this makes sense!

 

[jrkitching]

I'm not saying polishing/waxing is pain-free....far from it, but its something I can live with - helped by the fact that less effort is required versus claying (particularly kneeding clay to make it/keep it malleable) and that you aren't just using your fingers but more the whole hand and with less pressure.

Hope this makes sense!

Makes perfect sense to me. Kneading & folding clay is all finger work, whereas you could use polish & wax on a buffing pad with just the palm of your hand. To someone with your condition, I imagine that would make a great deal of difference.

Best wishes in getting your car looking the way you want without hurting yourself too much. Most of all, enjoy your new car!

John

 

[yoshismart]

Hello ther.
I new tho this site so hi to all. As you picking up a new car i wouldnt really consider polisinh the car as its almost new paint.
However i would think about claying the car. Its always a good starting point prior to waxing. Ther are more steps inbetween for cars that are older and have collected contaminates over the years.
Dont be fooled into thinking that polishing will remove this.

Clay is the way in my opinion.

 

[Adrian09]

After applyin hd wax give 24 hrs then wash/dry car then apply 2nd coat. This is so the wax can fully cure if this is to much then 1 coat has v.good durability also and then a qd or ag aqua wax to top up wax content inbetween washes?

 

[Lloyd71]

If my hands were OK then there isn't much difference between claying and polishing. The closest way to understand how my fingers feel is to break every one at each joint and then try claying versus polishing/waxing - you will notice a big difference between the two then!

This might sound overdramatic but thats how they feel if I don't take steroids & painkillers (plus if feels like someone has scraped the bones inbetween with a carving knife).

I'm not saying polishing/waxing is pain-free....far from it, but its something I can live with - helped by the fact that less effort is required versus claying (particularly kneeding clay to make it/keep it malleable) and that you aren't just using your fingers but more the whole hand and with less pressure.

Hope this makes sense!

It makes perfect sense, I can see why there would be a difference now! Thanks for explaining it, its always good to learn about cleaning and detailing from other peoples perspectives