Cleaning our Old Cars

[TAKerry]

Not much is mentioned on here on what guys do to keep their cars looking great. I am going to attempt one more trip around the sheet metal to get the old girl polished up a bit after a longs winter nap. I have been attempted to take it to a pro for 'paint correction' (its not that bad) and ceramic coat. Would rather save the $900 though. I have some waxing products I think I am happy with, but one thing that bothers me is white (on a black car) wax/buffing polish compound built up in the cracks and crevices. I just cant get that stuff off and it makes the difference between a car that really pops and one that is just ok. I need suggestions on what I can use that will take that stuff off! Most likely need something like a toothbrush to get into the cracks.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

I will say this Kerry, we spent a lot of time on benzworld discussing this in the past.  One consistent product that earned the nickname "cheap product you hate to love" is Turtlewax colored polish.  I have used black and red and it does a pretty nice job.

Maybe they should give it a fancy name and triple the price...

[TAKerry]

I have used that turtle wax. Also I think its Mcguiers black magic? Its pretty good, kinda fills in the fine scratches but I also just use a premium wax and really dont notice that much of a diff. My car doesnt have a lot of  swirl, and for being black it still looks really good after 6 years. Its all of that residue in the cracks that drives me crazy. I think I read somewhere to use lighter fluid to remove sticker residue. Didnt know if that would work. Looking for something that will clean the residue and not hurt the paint.

[Rusty_OToole]

There is an old trick, after polishing a car with rubbing compound go over it by hand with a cotton sock filled with cornstarch to remove residue. Don't know if this will work with your wax residue. Maybe a clay bar? This is a new problem to me as I don't wax my car that often.

[GARY F]

I use  Z-5 Pro on all my cars, even daily drivers. It is strictly a wax.

[TAKerry]

Thanks. A fellow TA enthusiast friend of mine gave me a bottle of waterless car wash. He swears by the stuff. I have heard about it and thought that something like that would never touch my car. I could only imagine wiping dirt and grit into the paint. My son (I now call him my collection manager, LOL) just got done a once over with it. Worked beautifully and he did the whole car in about 45 minutes. Hes out on a cruise now to get it dirty again.

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

You answered your own question. Use an old toothbrush to get the residue from the checks. Mike

[erichill]

Dang? We are supposed to wash and wax them?  

[Marty Roth]

1 hour ago, Mike "Hubbie" Stearns said:

You answered your own question. Use an old toothbrush to get the residue from the checks. Mike

I was about to ad the same thought.

I save my old toothbrushes for getting out wax residue in tight crevasses - but not all that often since all our cars are tour drivers and look "good enough" from 20 ft

[dl456]

Detail tools are readily available from good supply shops or online sources.

Various soft brushes or detail tools with different rubber tips will remove your wax and residue the easy way.

Check out Chemical guys or Autogeeks or the local parts store.

Dennis

[13Caddy2]

When I got my 22 studebaker Opera cpe out of the garage,  I washed real hard with soap & water--then I buffed it with Liquid Ebony--its a black polish--its made for removing swirl marks after using compound--worked great^{,  no PASTE WAX REMAINS--}

[rocketraider]

 

Used to buy several of these at every swap meet I found them. US-made, bristles stiff enough to remove wax and polish residue and soft enough not to scratch.

 

Another trick I learned many years ago is take a regular natural bristle paintbrush and wrap it with masking tape, leaving 1/4" or so of bristle exposed. This stiffens them to where they'll remove residue very effectively.

[Pfeil]

1 hour ago, rocketraider said:

 

Used to buy several of these at every swap meet I found them. US-made, bristles stiff enough to remove wax and polish residue and soft enough not to scratch.

 

Another trick I learned many years ago is take a regular natural bristle paintbrush and wrap it with masking tape, leaving 1/4" or so of bristle exposed. This stiffens them to where they'll remove residue very effectively.

Yes, and make it a Chinese bristle brush, which are designed for oil base paint. Some people will cut them down to make them stiffer, but taping them is better because you can control the stiffness by how you place the tape.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Mcguier's plastic cleaner & polish for clear convertible top plastic windows is also handy for other plastic surfaces as well as whatever finish MB uses to protect wood trim on the interior.  

If not overly dirty, going over door jamb and areas like inner trunk with a waxy rag keeps those areas looking peetty good.

Back in HIgh School I discovered you dont have to have the fastest or newest car to get lots of love for it if you keep it cleaner than most! 😊

[John Bloom]

13 hours ago, dl456 said:

Detail tools are readily available from good supply shops or online sources.

Various soft brushes or detail tools with different rubber tips will remove your wax and residue the easy way.

Check out Chemical guys or Autogeeks or the local parts store.

Dennis

 

13 hours ago, Marty Roth said:

I was about to ad the same thought.

I save my old toothbrushes for getting out wax residue in tight crevasses - but not all that often since all our cars are tour drivers and look "good enough" from 20 ft

I frequently save our dental tools if one end breaks or they’re no longer sharp. Lots of guys in my practice who are mechanical types, woodworking or auto motorcycle type of guys. I’ll put a rubber band around them and hand them 10 or 20 at a time when They come in. I have a patient in my practice who builds large scale models of old naval vessels. The kind you see at a museum  that are under glass and 8 foot long. He spends a few years on one model and he is a frequent recipient of some of our castaway dental tools.

Marty, you don’t need to use your old toothbrushes, use your current ones! A little bit of wax or clay residue and that toothbrush will  polish those teeth up just perfectly!

 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

A couple years ago a neighbor of my dad's gave him a toolbox the was his late father's rc airplane building kit.  A small treasure trove of small specialty tools, all in duplicate or more.  Handy for detail work all around.  

 

John, nice of you to do for your patients, I am sure they love it!

[John Bloom]

23 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

A couple years ago a neighbor of my dad's gave him a toolbox the was his late father's rc airplane building kit.  A small treasure trove of small specialty tools, all in duplicate or more.  Handy for detail work all around.  

 

John, nice of you to do for your patients, I am sure they love it!

Steve, we would just throw them out when they can’t be used. For all the guys on here, it’s nice to have a few smaller pics and hooks and tools that were former dental instruments in your toolbox for just those small delicate applications that happen once every few years. If you’ve been a patient in a dental practice that you have  gone to for a while and know the dentist, casually mention to them that you’d like to get some older tools if one is broken or they’re going to throw them away, tell him/her what you want to use them for and don’t be surprised if they don’t offer to save some for you.

[rocketraider]

14 hours ago, 13Caddy2 said:

then I buffed it with Liquid Ebony--its a black polish--its made for removing swirl marks after using compound--worked great

Is that still available? I haven't owned a black car in close to 50 years but I can vouch for Liquid Ebony.

[Pfeil]

1 hour ago, rocketraider said:

Is that still available? I haven't owned a black car in close to 50 years but I can vouch for Liquid Ebony.

  I have used Liquid Ebony and there it sits in the cabinet. I have two black cars and one dark blue. among lighter color cars.

Daily drivers get waxed, the other cars never get waxed, just polished. My go to for these cars is 3M Imperial hand glaze, and that does make swirl marks go away. Application is the key, after car is washed and cleaned take a terry cotton cloth and spray distilled water on it to dampen it, add some Imperial hand glaze and apply to only two square feet, then when still wet, a dry terry towel to buff to luster. ALL done by hand. Rt hand with the polishing towel, and left hand with the polishing towel- one then the other and fast!

 If you have an older paint that you've tried everything to get that last bit of haze of oxidization or haze from Liquid Ebony and can't get it out, get Meguiars M-80 and apply and take off the same way you did with Imperial Hand Glaze with the distilled water on the towel and hand to hand like you did with Imperial hand glaze.

Imperial hand glaze has no abrasives, M-80 has a very small amount.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

I forgot to mention. I was so frustrated about this one car that I have, that I painted myself back in 1973, that I caved in and telephoned Meguires helpline. I got one of their reps and he told me about M-80. I told him I had never heard, nor seen it before at the local auto stores. Evidently most stores don't order it or most of their product line. Anyroad, the rep. assured me this M80 would take care of the problem and sent me two bottles of it, no cost. It worked just as he said it would. 

If you've tried cutting, and it just wouldn't polish deep and has a slight film left over give this stuff a try, but remember a terry cloth that's sprayed with distilled water and pour some M-80 onto, polish two square feet do not let dry and immediately polish / buff with another clean terry cloth.

 One thing I forgot to mention. Wash your dirty terry cloth towels in an old-style washing machine because the new machines will not get out all of the soap or dirt, so if you reuse them, they will leave soap film on your paint. I wash all my polishing and drying towels in my mom's old 1964 Maytag washer that I have in my shop. FYI never use a fabric softener on your terry towels!

[Bryan G]

I can still remember the smell of Liquid Ebony. First time I saw it used was on a late 30s Buick, dark gray. That was in the 80s. Maybe the last lacquer all-over dad did? In later years I recall that stuff being tried when we got really desperate trying to get rid of some swirls. The big lesson taught us by many a sales rep (but one that never seemed to sink in) was that some products fill the scratches while others make the scratches go away. The former will wash/wear away and then things will look just as bad as when you started. Of course, the car might be long gone by then

[60FlatTop]

I usually have a black car that is highly polished. I use Turtle Wax liquid.

 

I never let the wax dry on the surface of the car. I work it in with light damp coats allowing only a slight haze. I use the woven side of a cheap micro fiber towel to work it in and then buff with the fiber side. I plan to give my recently acquired little black Cadillac its first treatment this weekend.

 

I fought with cars after letting the polish dry before hand buffing for many years. The multiple light haze coats is much better. I keep doing it until anything I set on the car slides off. It is kind of like when I taught my wife to shine my shoes. She thought she had to rub hard like a strong man would do. She was really surprised at what the light rub would do. Then I taught her she really didn't have to spit for a spit shine. Water on a cotton ball worked just fine. Even on my work shoes.

 

Rarely a week goes by that I don't walk around it spritzing Mothers detail spray on it.

 

 

[DrData]

I turned to the waterless wash products (Meguier ‘s) when drought restrictions went into place. Great, easy to use product and the cars all look great. Occasionally use a carnauba based wax on the old MG. 

[avgwarhawk]

On 4/12/2023 at 9:17 AM, TAKerry said:

Not much is mentioned on here on what guys do to keep their cars looking great. I am going to attempt one more trip around the sheet metal to get the old girl polished up a bit after a longs winter nap. I have been attempted to take it to a pro for 'paint correction' (its not that bad) and ceramic coat. Would rather save the $900 though. I have some waxing products I think I am happy with, but one thing that bothers me is white (on a black car) wax/buffing polish compound built up in the cracks and crevices. I just cant get that stuff off and it makes the difference between a car that really pops and one that is just ok. I need suggestions on what I can use that will take that stuff off! Most likely need something like a toothbrush to get into the cracks.

 

I use a tooth brush to get the dry wax out of the cracks.  

[avgwarhawk]

I use McGuire's to polish and wax.  I do use an electric buffer.  Once the wax is applied and buffed it does not require this process for quite sometime. In fact, I have not polished and waxed with buffer in a few years.   In between these time I use the McGuire's spray detailer and wipe with terry cloth.   Usually when I arrive to a show.     I do have a wax that is black in color for the black Buick.  Sheesh...can't use the rags after using this product.  They are all black!     

[EmTee]

Liquid Ebony!  Holy Cow - I just had some synapses fire that have been dormant for 40+ years! 

[TAKerry]

23 hours ago, avgwarhawk said:

I use McGuire's to polish and wax.  I do use an electric buffer.  Once the wax is applied and buffed it does not require this process for quite sometime. In fact, I have not polished and waxed with buffer in a few years.   In between these time I use the McGuire's spray detailer and wipe with terry cloth.   Usually when I arrive to a show.     I do have a wax that is black in color for the black Buick.  Sheesh...can't use the rags after using this product.  They are all black!     

I buy the premium quality micro fibre from Griots. First time I used with the black polish I was like what the .................. I run all my micro fibres through the washing machine now. They are still stained black but work just fine.

[JamesR]

On 4/12/2023 at 8:17 AM, TAKerry said:

I have some waxing products I think I am happy with, but one thing that bothers me is white (on a black car) wax/buffing polish compound built up in the cracks and crevices.

I know...That's frustrating.

 

On 4/14/2023 at 11:06 AM, avgwarhawk said:

 I do have a wax that is black in color for the black Buick.

Interesting. How noticeable is the unbuffed residue in crevices with black wax? I wish they made wax in lots of different colors. My wagon is very dark green (repainted) so that it almost looks black at first glance, at least in some light. I wonder if black wax would be a better choice for me than the regular white-ish stuff?

 

What I mostly worry about with wax is the old thin original finish on my blue car. I mostly stopped waxing that car years ago because waxing and buffing always lifts blue pigment out of the paint. What I do now is wipe the dust off with damp rags, then spray the car with some kind of spray on detailer product. That brings out a shine (for a while) and I presume provides some minimal protection. Most importantly, it doesn't lift pigment out of the finish. I don't drive the car in bad weather so I don't need a lot of protection.

 

Still, I wish I was able to provide better protection for the finish on that car. Is there some good alternative to wax that wouldn't lift finish out of old original paint?

Edited April 19, 2023 by JamesR (see edit history)

[avgwarhawk]

50 minutes ago, JamesR said:

 

 

Interesting. How noticeable is the unbuffed residue in crevices with black wax?  

There was no residue that I recall.  I did not think the color of the wax really enhanced the paint. Stopped using it.   I find McGuire's products and a polisher work fine. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by avgwarhawk (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

58 minutes ago, JamesR said:

What I mostly worry about with wax is the old thin original finish on my blue car. I mostly stopped waxing that car years ago because waxing and buffing always lifts blue pigment out of the paint. What I do now is wipe the dust off with damp rags, then spray the car with some kind of spray on detailer product. That brings out a shine (for a while) and I presume provides some minimal protection. Most importantly, it doesn't lift pigment out of the finish. I don't drive the car in bad weather so I don't need a lot of protection.

 

Still, I wish I was able to provide better protection for the finish on that car. Is there some good alternative to wax that wouldn't lift finish out of old original paint?

Are you using a cleaner-wax? Try using a straight carnauba wax such as BAF Pro or Meguiar's yellow wax.

 

Cleaner-wax contains solvents and abrasive polishing agents that lift dead and oxidized paint off the car's finish. A straight carnauba is pure wax with no cleaning action, designed for shine and protection and ideally applied after the paint has been cleaned and polished.

[Scooter Guy]

I enjoy automotive detailing and there are many things that I could say about it, but here's a few thoughts I had based on reading through the thread:

 

Wax is the "last step protectant" and, just like a good automotive paint job itself, is only as good as the preparation done prior to application. The washing, polishing, "paint correction" / swirl / scratch removal, etc. all needs to happen before waxing. As far as controlling wax residue and dealing with the cracks and crevices, I have found that it's much easier to use a paste wax that is applied by hand to avoid those issues. A paste wax application by hand generally uses less wax than a liquid wax, so it goes on thinner and buffs off easier. It's also a lot easier to control where exactly you are waxing and not waxing when done by hand with a paste wax than done with liquid wax or liquid wax applied with an electric buffer so that you don't get build up in the cracks in the first place. 

 

I agree that the correct detailing tools, applicators, and towels do make a difference and do really matter when it comes to final results, especially when it comes to buffing off the wax. I would personally never take a toothbrush to my car's paint or emblems - seems awfully aggressive and scratchy to me. 

 

There are thousands of different products and techniques to be used depending on what your situation is and what issue you are trying to address. My personal approach is touch the paintwork as little as possible in order to keep the car clean and to avoid abrading it constantly with detailing products. My car has all of it's original lacquer paint, so your situation may be different. My car is also known to have had the factory go really thin on the paint, so it's especially important to me to not constantly be grinding on it so that I'm not making it even thinner or burning through it in spots. I did wash, clay bar, and polish the car one time shortly after I got it to get it the surface as clean as it could be and then I waxed it. I do drive the car regularly (it's not a total garage queen), but it doesn't get that dirty and isn't ever out in bad weather, so I am able to maintain it by using the California Car duster (yes, I'm a fan of those for DUSTING (only) an already otherwise pretty clean car) and with quick detailing spray and appropriate towels. I do use wheel cleaners and some interior cleaners as well along with some rubber protectants, but overall am actually a bit of a minimalist when it comes to the variety of products that I use. I do not wash with water/hose and probably never will - I just don't need to force water into all of the tight spots and then try to get it all dried out. I can keep the car clean to my satisfaction without doing that, and I'm picky!

 

[46 woodie]

All my car's are black so I'm very fussy about what I use on the finish. I was just about to try the latest and greatest ceramic wax, but after I read several reviews I decided not to use it. Many people like it but others don't recommend using it, especially on black or dark cars. One guy used it and said it looked like he sprayed WD-40 on the car and had to compound the car to get it off. I had been using a product put out by Meguiar's called Black Wax that is especially recommended for black or dark surfaces. What was unusual about Black Wax is that it had a warning label that stated that it was "Combustable, Liquid and Vapors", I actually tried a drop and it does burn. Black Wax is now discontinued, I wish I knew why. Now I have been using my old standby, Meguire's Gold Class and it gives my car's the finish I want.

[JamesR]

On 4/19/2023 at 12:16 PM, rocketraider said:

Are you using a cleaner-wax? Try using a straight carnauba wax such as BAF Pro or Meguiar's yellow wax.

 

Cleaner-wax contains solvents and abrasive polishing agents that lift dead and oxidized paint off the car's finish. A straight carnauba is pure wax with no cleaning action, designed for shine and protection and ideally applied after the paint has been cleaned and polished.

Thanks for the advice rocketraider. What kind of polish would you use? And how do you apply/polish it? Like I said, I really want to avoid lifting any more pigment out of the old original paint.

 

The only other promising wax type product I've seen at local stores is a something called Griot's Best of Show wax. It also doesn't seem to have any cleaner type compound in the wax. Has anyone tried that?

Edited April 23, 2023 by JamesR (see edit history)

[EmTee]

You probably want to avoid polish if you are worried about removing pigment.  Stick with a wax, such as carnauba, as rocketraider said.

[rocketraider]

I'm a little partial to Meguiar's products simply because the product numbering system is easy to understand and I've had good results. There are other outstanding products available, like the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze Pfeil mentioned.

 

What you want is the least abrasive grade of polish that will clean oxidized and dead paint while smoothing the paint and bringing out shine. Then use a pure wax to bring out more shine and add a layer of protection. Then maintain the finish as needed with a quick detailer product, and a thin coat of wax as needed.

 

You might try a clay bar product to remove contaminants before using anything else. Sometimes those do amazing things.

[Harold]

I read that plumber's putty has the same composition as clay bars.  Use at your own risk!

[yachtflame]

I’ve spent a lot of time on islands in the Caribbean and had several times seen cars with a thick coating of wax swirled in but not polished off. At the time that seemed like a good idea to protect the car. Once when back in the states, I did this to my ‘54 Olds sedan. Applied a thick coat of Turtle wax and left it for a few years in storage. The next time I got it out, I started to polish the wax off and found that as I was wiping, I was getting lots of tiny paint chips on the cloth, some down to primer, some down to metal! The car is now in need of a repaint do to the amount of paint lost. 
 I still don’t know if this was caused by the thick layer of wax left on or from the amount of humidity in the garage. I now wash then wax with a very light coat and polish immediately. 

[TAKerry]

I have use the Griots best in show, along with most of their other stuff. I think its all good but really comparible to most other wax I have tried. I have read that a good grade carnuba is about the best WAX you can use. Its not very durable but if you only drive on weekends it should be fine. A good cleaner and clay bar treatment works wonder as well. Its a bit time consuming but worth it.

 

As for the wax swirled on cars and left there, I think that was more of a fad/fashion statement than acting as any type of long term protection. There was a time, that technique was popular in the cities around me as well, Philly/ Bmore.