Waxing eloquent

[TMein@aol.com]

Audi car finish..From a very AR car guy, some advice. First off, the red
paint on my '86 Coupe was beautiful. Though it oxidized quickly, the shine
you could put back into it was fantastic. In the earlier days, paint was far
more toxic and far more lusterous. Now, there are non CFC compounds that
don't shine quite as well. Look at old Mercedes, Volvos and some BMW's. They
have the same great paint. 

Anycase, for a non-clearcoated car, Meguirers is the way to go. Zymol, esp.
in the bottle, doesn't last that long, and, according to a body shop near me,
is "crap". Meguires fine cut cleaner is your first step (after wash/dry).
Hand or orbit it on, buff off. Then go for the Meg #22, I believe, Carnuba
wax. If you can get it in the bottle, use that. The paste is hard to work
with. Regardless, the shine and depth is outstanding. There is also Meg #20,
a polymer compound that works well but isn't as shiny.

3M makes essentially the same cleaner as Meguires. 3M cost more and it is
what the shops use. Megs is just fine!

For a clearcoated car (like my pearl 200QTW), I am still not sure what is
best. It is hard to make it "more lustorous". So I use Meguires combo
cleaner/wax. It is a lot cheaper and puts on a good coat. Plus, you only have
to do it once. A friend used it on a non-clearcoated volvo ('74) and it
looked outstanding. 

Other waxes/products: (Yes, I've tried them all).
1. NuFinish. Great for cars that have paint damage or lousy paint. My
girlfriend has a black Jeep cherokee. NuFinish goes on easy and wipes off
leaving a shine. It is all the effort I want to put into it. Plus, it is ok
to put on in direct sunlight.

2. "Color Magic" as seen on tv. "As seen on TV" is a euphemism for "DON'T
BUY". It is godawful dye. THe black stains your hands and application cloths.
It does work sort of on worst case scenarios but it doesn't last.

3. Fomblin A-this was also on TV brought to you by Dennis Weaver. It works
ok. The car wash product is really nice, though. You can use the car wash
only, rub dry and it has a shining effect. I wonder how safe it is to use as
a wax, however. 

4. Blue Coral "fire proof". This is the crap they have on TV where they light
the car on fire. It is this liguid resin. You apply it on almost like glue. I
don't trust it. Never put it on a car you care about. However, if your car is
beat and faded, it can make it look slightly better.

5. Wheel Cleaners. There is a new (STP?) citrus cleaner that works GREAT for
wheels and engines, too. THough biodegradable, it isn't good for skin
contact. Eagle One makes decent cleaner, too, but it isn't as good. Meguires
falls short here. Their wheel cleaner doesn't do anything. 

Windows: there is a new liquid glass polish (avail at your local Pep boys)
that goes on like a wax. Then just wipe it off. Wonderful product; no
streaking, no old newspaper. Off course, finish off your exterior glass with
Rain-X, the miracle water beader.

Car Mats: An easy way to clean them-stick them in the washing machine, GENTLE
cycle. Use a little detergent then air dry. Seems like the only way to get
out all that dirt.

Remember: the more often you wash, the less you'll have to do later.