Hey, what's the best wax to use? I wanna get ride of the little swirls in my paint, and also some water spots. A year back I tried some new Turtle Wax stuff with a little Chip Stick as they called it, it was crap. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
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Best Wax?
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'96explorereddiebauer
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Yeah!! That's my girlfriend's neighbor's rig. His is also a '96 Eddie Bauer but he has LEATHER!!!!! 
Here's a better pic:
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Like I said, mine is shinier!!!
Here's a better pic:Dead Link Removed
Like I said, mine is shinier!!!
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alphabets13
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looks like an ad for a commercial or something. hey, if you wan't leather check out ebay. it's funny you say that b/c as i right this, my new leather seats out of a 2000 X are sitting next to me waiting to go in this weekend. i picked them up for $404.00 plus 89 s&h. not bad considering they are immaculate. my whole downstairs smells like leather. . i was gonna pick up some wet okoles, but the leather is even nicer and i got them cheaper.
hey, if you wan't leather check out ebay. it's funny you say that b/c as i right this, my new leather seats out of a 2000 X are sitting next to me waiting to go in this weekend. i picked them up for $404.00 plus 89 s&h. not bad considering they are immaculate. my whole downstairs smells like leather. . i was gonna pick up some wet okoles, but the leather is even nicer and i got them cheaper. '96explorereddiebauer
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haha..."and if you act now, I'll even throw you a pine scent air freshener used in the infamous New York City taxi cabs. But hurry, this offer will not last!!"
Do you have any problems with the color matching? Do you have the gray or sandstone interior?? I have a huge problem finding a set of leather seats because my interior only offered in '95 and '96 Explorers.
Do you have any problems with the color matching? Do you have the gray or sandstone interior?? I have a huge problem finding a set of leather seats because my interior only offered in '95 and '96 Explorers.
alphabets13
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mine is sandstone i guess, it's the tean color. but the seats out of a 2000 match fine. i think all seats differ a little from the dash color and stuff. even my stock cloth seats were a little fifferent, but they are supposed to be like that. any year tan or grey seats should match the interior you have just fine.
texplorer1994
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Basically paint care is steps, there's the prep stage with washing, claying and cleaning the paint surface, then there's the repair stage where you remove swirls and such, the polishing stage and the finishing stage.
Okay- what does everyone have to say about claying and what is important in washing? What will or won't strip the wax and when do you want to strip the wax? And what kind of clay bars are out there?
What kind of repairs can be done besides removing swirls and when should rubbing compound be used? What about touch up paint? How do you make it un-noticed?
Do you always polish and what exactly is the finishing stage?
What is the difference between a polymere, a wax, and the other product?
Okay- what does everyone have to say about claying and what is important in washing? What will or won't strip the wax and when do you want to strip the wax? And what kind of clay bars are out there?
What kind of repairs can be done besides removing swirls and when should rubbing compound be used? What about touch up paint? How do you make it un-noticed?
Do you always polish and what exactly is the finishing stage?
What is the difference between a polymere, a wax, and the other product?
ERIK2173
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As far as the clay bar, check out this link it explains it better than I could
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I use Dawn dishwashing soap to strip wax, and I do it about once a year.
That depend on your skill level, scratches and paint chips can all be fixed if you take your time. Rubbing compoud should only be used when less agressive products haven't done the job. but be careful it is easy to go thru the clearcoat.
I polish every second or third time I wax. And to me the finishing stage is the waxing.
Like we said before check out autopia's web site
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Mike, Do let me know about the EX and how you like it, it sounds fantastic.
If you have swirling I stongly suggest that you invest the $150 or so in a Porter Cable orbital polisher. This makes all aspects of car care MUCH easier, and more effective. I dont apply anything but zaino by hand anymore, and when I get the EX I'm going to be using the polisher for it too. Its a GREAT machine.
Erik covered everything else just fine, I'll go into the difference between a wax and a polymer sealant.
A wax is something like P21S/S100 or Pinnacle Souveran or Turtle Wax for that matter, anything that says "Carnuaba Wax" on it. Wax is applied to the surface of the car and basically just sits there protecting the paint and using its oils and such to alter how the paint looks and feels. Some waxes are really deep, some not so much, some are better for dark cars, some for light. The main drawback of a wax mainly is the fact that it is so fragile. Wax melts off the surface of a car at as little as 180 degrees, which is a commonly reached point on a dark colored car sitting out in the sun. Wax can also easily be washed away or stipped by rain or detergents. The plusses of waxes are that some people feel nothing gives a deeper, warmer shine than a carnuaba wax.
A polymer sealant is something like Zaino, Klasse, Blackfire or this Poorboys EX product we've been talking about. A sealant bonds to the paint so that it is much more difficult to remove, and it is much stronger and more resillient to chemicals and detergents. This bond also allows the sealant to be layered, one layer on top of the other increasing shine each time. The long held criticism of these products is that they leave a sterile shine because they have no fillers or oils to deepen the color of the paint. A lot of people on Autopia remedy this by topping their sealants with carnuaba waxes to get the best of both worlds, I've never tried this.
If you have swirling I stongly suggest that you invest the $150 or so in a Porter Cable orbital polisher. This makes all aspects of car care MUCH easier, and more effective. I dont apply anything but zaino by hand anymore, and when I get the EX I'm going to be using the polisher for it too. Its a GREAT machine.
Erik covered everything else just fine, I'll go into the difference between a wax and a polymer sealant.
A wax is something like P21S/S100 or Pinnacle Souveran or Turtle Wax for that matter, anything that says "Carnuaba Wax" on it. Wax is applied to the surface of the car and basically just sits there protecting the paint and using its oils and such to alter how the paint looks and feels. Some waxes are really deep, some not so much, some are better for dark cars, some for light. The main drawback of a wax mainly is the fact that it is so fragile. Wax melts off the surface of a car at as little as 180 degrees, which is a commonly reached point on a dark colored car sitting out in the sun. Wax can also easily be washed away or stipped by rain or detergents. The plusses of waxes are that some people feel nothing gives a deeper, warmer shine than a carnuaba wax.
A polymer sealant is something like Zaino, Klasse, Blackfire or this Poorboys EX product we've been talking about. A sealant bonds to the paint so that it is much more difficult to remove, and it is much stronger and more resillient to chemicals and detergents. This bond also allows the sealant to be layered, one layer on top of the other increasing shine each time. The long held criticism of these products is that they leave a sterile shine because they have no fillers or oils to deepen the color of the paint. A lot of people on Autopia remedy this by topping their sealants with carnuaba waxes to get the best of both worlds, I've never tried this.
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