What polish are you using there? Looks like you haven't worked it enough. It should be clearer than that when you've finish working it. Anyway, here's something for reference. Note the speed of the arm movement. Myself, most of the time I go a bit slower than that except for the last couple of passes to clear up the polish.



This post has been edited by KrisMas: Jan 28 2014, 09:07 AM

M16 is an excellent 'traditional' wax. I say it's 'traditional' cuz it's like decades ago when this first came out.

Pro: Very durable; nice & clean looking (though no 'deep-look' like carnauba waxes); offers good protection; would rival the notorious Collonite 476.

Cons: application is a bit difficult as you'd need a clean surface; on not-so-clean surface (topping up, etc) you'd get terrible streaking/clouding; would stain plastics and trims; this is a wax that would test your 'apply sparingly' technique to the limit - just a little bit too thick then you'd have a big problem in your hand in removing the residue.

Can't compare with the Ultimate range cuz I haven't used them enough to form an opinion. But for the M16, I have 2 cans and that's more than enough to pass down a couple of generations....

One of the can that I have is easily more than 5 years old and hasn't shown any sign of deterioration AT ALL....and who knows how long has it been in storage before I bought it....

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Jan 28 2014, 11:18 AM

My suggestion for you is to keep using the more modern sealants/waxes, they're more user friendly. The 'old school' paste waxes is a little different and a little tedious in term of application. Furthermore, M16 doesn't like too much if applied, like I said before, on not-so-clean surface - you'd need to at least use a paint cleaner/mild polish before each application or else you'd get all sort of problems.

But, saying all that, if applied correctly, I honestly don't think there are many other affordable sealants/waxes out there that can better or match its performance....muahahaha....

*shucks*....thinking back....I think my can(s) of M16 are more than 10 years old already.....

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Jan 28 2014, 11:35 AM

Never seen Rupes polishes before but from your description, it *could* be a water based polish and also a fast working one. You could try spritzing a couple of light mist of distilled water onto the pad before starting the pass and on each fresh 'top up'.

When I'm using the Bigfoot with the more 'modern' polishes like the Sonax and M101, I tend to do the first pass at speed 1, spreading the product at a quicker motion, then bump the speed straight to 5, slowed my motion to work the panel for a couple of passes then down to 4 and very lightly remove those whitish polish haze.

If you think the Notty lambswool is plush, you should have seen the Wookie's Fist....just imagine twice as big and twice as thick....hahaha...

And why in the world you want to use the lambswool with detergent or dishwashing soap? I don't think that's a good idea...they're natural lambswool and leather...you might degrade it. Lambswools wash mitt require some 'special' care since, like I said, they're natural....like leather (well...they are leather with the fur intact anyway). Rinse off any shampoo as thoroughly as practically possible so that there's minimum traces of any surfactant left. GENTLY wring (more like squeezing) most of the water out then pat the rest of the access water off. Turn it inside out (with the leather facing out) and you'd need to dry it under shade cuz direct sunlight or excessive heat would crack and destroy it...again, just like leather....they need to dry slowly. There would be some 'wool' coming off during the first few uses...but that's normal.

Nope. Looks nothing like that. Still moist and wet.....

Have you ever seen any labels on the bottle/can from any brands of wax that mention DO NOT USE ON WHITE CARS? Well....I haven't....and I've never heard such a thing.

Maybe what the article meant to say is you couldn't get that deep carnauba-look on a white coloured car when using a carnauba-based waxes, hence not so suitable if that's what you're looking for. If for protection and the rest of other stuffs, I don't think there's any difference whether the colour is white or black...I mean clear coat is clear coat and they're the same regardless what the colour is underneath......

Budget?

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Jan 28 2014, 03:00 PM

Won't get you much of a good quality coating at that budget. Make that 2k then you *might* be able to get a decent quality one. Sorry can't help.

Stone chip....don't waste your time.

No experience with Rupes polishes so can't say anything. But with the M101, a little haze is understandable as it is a compound after all. 2nd step with a milder combo is *always* required when using this level of aggressive combination, even with the Bigfoot.

Swirl-free = defects free = cut cut cut. Just make sure you don't cut too much. Those scratches that you can catch with your fingernail or water etching that you can feel with your finger...do not attempt to remove those unless you know it's safe and you won't cut through the clear coat.

A few rounds around the block with some braking would normally take them off....

I don't like the LC CCS pads with my rotary (err...they were for DA anyway). I haven't tried them on my Bigfoot but I don't think I would be cuz most of them the foam already starting to crumble and next to useless already. They're also too big (6.5") for my liking....

M101 wins in all account in my book. I can't see anything M101 can do that M105 can do better....

Menzerna has the VOC compliant formulation for their export to the US and sold there. But some of the US folks still prefer to order straight frm Europe and willing to pay a slightly higher price for the non-VOC compliant version. That would say something...

I apply dressings to my tyres after every wash, even if they don't really need one. Never had such problems.

You want to remove tar or bug?

You can try Zippo fluid or diesel. I don't have/use a dedicated tar remover - I tend to use any solvent that are paint-safe. These solvent works extremely well in dissolving tar (better than most over-the-counter tar remover) and, as long as you don't let it dry on paint, they're very mild solvent and safe for cars' paint. If you want a dedicated one, I've tested Osren's and Meguiars and they're quite decent (though not so cost-effective).

Not really...the new one just not enough ooommph for me....I liked the old one better. Anyway, I got plenty of other solvents for tar so not really into a dedicated tar remover....

I'm helping out a friend to unload some detailing stuffs...sad to say he's decided to move on and do something else. Anybody interested PM me for the list. Doing some charity work for him and you guys here...win-win deal...

Regards.

Ideally, a good practice is to wipe/clean them with a damp cloth as often as you wash the car and apply some leather dressing monthly or bi-monthly. Unfortunately, time is often not on our side and myself, I can only afford the extra time to do that maybe once a month (cleaning) and dressing between 3 ~ 4 months. My waja seats are still in good condition after 5 years.

Based on the few 'proper' coatings that I've tried, any shampoo would do (as long as they're from a reliable brand la). But best is to get something strong but without much wax/sealant/glossifier/etc. From the option you stated, I'd say either Gold Class or NXT.

For waxing....yes. That's all there is to it. Lightly apply the wax sparingly (very thin), leave for a little while and the white leftover residue will appear then just gently wipe them off. The problem would normally come when people tend to use more product thinking that 'the more the better'. That's not the case here. If you use more product and apply it on thick, you'd get all sort of problem when you're trying to buff it off.

Don't know much about SGCB products. I've also just heard of it a few months ago. It's from Taiwan and their product line is *curiously* quite similar to Meguiars....with a few addition of coatings...

Not bad at all....but I've seen better....