Wax/polish
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Wax/polish
I've got a red 97 Jeep Cherokee. I've owned it for three years. In that time, I've waxed it once. The body/paint is in overall very good condition considering I live where it's 100 degrees.
I want to buy a product, whether it be wax, polish or cutting compound, that really brings out the best in the paint. I'm honestly not sure what direction to go in or have any clue what's best for the car.
Amy help would be appreciated.
I want to buy a product, whether it be wax, polish or cutting compound, that really brings out the best in the paint. I'm honestly not sure what direction to go in or have any clue what's best for the car.
Amy help would be appreciated.
#2
Junior Member
I've got a red 97 Jeep Cherokee. I've owned it for three years. In that time, I've waxed it once. The body/paint is in overall very good condition considering I live where it's 100 degrees.
I want to buy a product, whether it be wax, polish or cutting compound, that really brings out the best in the paint. I'm honestly not sure what direction to go in or have any clue what's best for the car.
Amy help would be appreciated.
I want to buy a product, whether it be wax, polish or cutting compound, that really brings out the best in the paint. I'm honestly not sure what direction to go in or have any clue what's best for the car.
Amy help would be appreciated.
My name is not Amy, but the general process is: Wash throughly, Clay bar, polish, then wax. A proper orbital really helps with polish and wax process. Not sure the brand or product matters as much as the prep and patience (some, though, are loyal to brand as religion). IMO, asking for a wax brand is akin to asking what brand of oil or gasoline to use - i.e. million passionate opinions.
#3
Senior Member
I’ve done a LOT of car detailing for pay . I wouldn’t suggest using a buffer to anyone that wasn’t very experienced as I’ve seen many a high end car destroyed in public/professional environments due to inexperience and the owner not knowing enough to see that their paint job was completely destroyed . Clay bar is wonderful if you’re trying to get your corvette ready for a car show but shouldn’t be necessary for your XJ. I would suggest a thorough hand wash and dry with a shammy ! Make sure you don’t miss anything or you will drag it through your paint . Then I’d honestly buy some turtle wax and some good microfiber towels and “wax on wax off “ until every square inch was covered . Work in small areas be through and make sure you get all of the wax residue off because once it’s baked on it’s a pain to get off . I’ve tried all the big money brands and unless it’s black there’s really nothing special to worry about IMHO.
#4
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Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Idaho
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Year: 1990
Engine: Renix 4.0
I am a professional detailer, and I can't give you any really good advice here. You can do a clay bar / hand wax for less than $100. Any real correction is going cost $400+ in supplies and equipment.
I have used dozens of different waxes / sealants over the years, including nearly every off the shelf wax available.
I can very highly recommend this sealant if you want great long lasting results. It works by hand, but you can also use it with a rotary or orbital polisher.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vitreo-Poly...PDOf:rk:1:pf:0
I have used dozens of different waxes / sealants over the years, including nearly every off the shelf wax available.
I can very highly recommend this sealant if you want great long lasting results. It works by hand, but you can also use it with a rotary or orbital polisher.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vitreo-Poly...PDOf:rk:1:pf:0
Last edited by craigjacob1; 01-05-2019 at 02:12 AM.
#5
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Join Date: Mar 2016
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Year: 96
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
I've got a red 97 Jeep Cherokee. I've owned it for three years. In that time, I've waxed it once. The body/paint is in overall very good condition considering I live where it's 100 degrees.
I want to buy a product, whether it be wax, polish or cutting compound, that really brings out the best in the paint. I'm honestly not sure what direction to go in or have any clue what's best for the car.
Amy help would be appreciated.
I want to buy a product, whether it be wax, polish or cutting compound, that really brings out the best in the paint. I'm honestly not sure what direction to go in or have any clue what's best for the car.
Amy help would be appreciated.
Its hot here, and I see a lot of vehicles with damaged clearcoats, I think the 97 red XJ is clear over color
It makes a big difference to a solid color, the clear can be very easily buffed right thru with a machine, especially if its worn
on the positive side, you can work wonders on nearly any vehicle, especially as you said it is already pretty good, depends on time
#6
Old fart with a wrench
Keep in mind red is the one color that has the least resistance to fade in sunlight and there isn't much that can be done about it. Even parking in the shade doesn't help much because it's UV light that causes the problem.
#7
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Location: District of Columbia
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Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
How do you experienced detailers handle all that textured black trim that's everywhere when waxing? I can easily wax everything, but the fender flares, door trim, and those long black strips on the roof always catch the wax even if I'm careful. Is there a good method for either keeping the wax off the trim to begin with or removing it later?
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#8
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Year: My Jeep is a GMC
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#9
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Join Date: Mar 2016
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Year: 96
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
How do you experienced detailers handle all that textured black trim that's everywhere when waxing? I can easily wax everything, but the fender flares, door trim, and those long black strips on the roof always catch the wax even if I'm careful. Is there a good method for either keeping the wax off the trim to begin with or removing it later?
With the hard black plastic on XJ, ATF will make it black & shiny again
been doing it for years. Some sort of UV protection would probably be a good idea, but they tend to be expensive, and never look as good as my ATF jobbies.
I doubt they would be compatible with ATF anyway
#10
Junior Member
This stuff is great for exterior faded plastics:
Just be sure it is well ventilated when you apply.
Just be sure it is well ventilated when you apply.
#12
CF Veteran
If you're looking for something that cleans and protects, Zaino All in One is excellent. Yes, you can go nuts buying mega products for each step of the process but IME you'll end up with a dirty car because it takes all weekend to clean it!
My personal favorite is Bilt Hamber cleanser polish - I'm not sure if it's available in the US.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263271207113
My personal favorite is Bilt Hamber cleanser polish - I'm not sure if it's available in the US.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263271207113
#13
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Year: '98
Engine: 4.0 I6
Also a (former) pro detailer, 10+ years of experience.
A dual action polisher is extremely safe and probably the only way to really get any level of paint correction.
The Harbor Freight D/A gets great reviews for the price.
The most important thing is making sure you have proper polishing pads.
For compound/polish I would use Griots Garage Fast Correcting cream (compound) and Griots Perfecting cream (polish). Both are extremely beginner friendly and have a long working time before they start to "flash" or dry out when buffing. But at the same time they are well received in the detailing community
Pair that with their Boss microfiber pads (compound) and yellow "perfecting" foam finishing pad (polish) and you will get 90% of the correctable defects out of the paint in a 2 step process.
For sealant, look no further than Collinite 845. Very easy to apply and remove.
Make sure you wipe the panel down with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water for best adhesion. Collinite should last 6 months to a year. Ceramic coating is tricky to apply and difficult to remove when you want to re-apply, I would skip it and just re-wax once a year.
Obviously you will need to decontaminate first. Iron remover followed by a clay bar is generally recommended, but you can skip the former considering it's just a Jeep XJ
Should be able to get it all for ~$200 and you can do a few cars before needing to purchase new supplies.
Also don't forget to tape up any rubber/plastics or they will get stained from the compound
For plastics/rubber, I use 303 Aerospace or CarPro Perl but still - avoid getting wax or compound on them or just use tape
A dual action polisher is extremely safe and probably the only way to really get any level of paint correction.
The Harbor Freight D/A gets great reviews for the price.
The most important thing is making sure you have proper polishing pads.
For compound/polish I would use Griots Garage Fast Correcting cream (compound) and Griots Perfecting cream (polish). Both are extremely beginner friendly and have a long working time before they start to "flash" or dry out when buffing. But at the same time they are well received in the detailing community
Pair that with their Boss microfiber pads (compound) and yellow "perfecting" foam finishing pad (polish) and you will get 90% of the correctable defects out of the paint in a 2 step process.
For sealant, look no further than Collinite 845. Very easy to apply and remove.
Make sure you wipe the panel down with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water for best adhesion. Collinite should last 6 months to a year. Ceramic coating is tricky to apply and difficult to remove when you want to re-apply, I would skip it and just re-wax once a year.
Obviously you will need to decontaminate first. Iron remover followed by a clay bar is generally recommended, but you can skip the former considering it's just a Jeep XJ
Should be able to get it all for ~$200 and you can do a few cars before needing to purchase new supplies.
Also don't forget to tape up any rubber/plastics or they will get stained from the compound
For plastics/rubber, I use 303 Aerospace or CarPro Perl but still - avoid getting wax or compound on them or just use tape
#14
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Also a (former) pro detailer, 10+ years of experience.
A dual action polisher is extremely safe and probably the only way to really get any level of paint correction.
The Harbor Freight D/A gets great reviews for the price.
The most important thing is making sure you have proper polishing pads.
For compound/polish I would use Griots Garage Fast Correcting cream (compound) and Griots Perfecting cream (polish). Both are extremely beginner friendly and have a long working time before they start to "flash" or dry out when buffing. But at the same time they are well received in the detailing community
Pair that with their Boss microfiber pads (compound) and yellow "perfecting" foam finishing pad (polish) and you will get 90% of the correctable defects out of the paint in a 2 step process.
For sealant, look no further than Collinite 845. Very easy to apply and remove.
Make sure you wipe the panel down with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water for best adhesion. Collinite should last 6 months to a year. Ceramic coating is tricky to apply and difficult to remove when you want to re-apply, I would skip it and just re-wax once a year.
Obviously you will need to decontaminate first. Iron remover followed by a clay bar is generally recommended, but you can skip the former considering it's just a Jeep XJ
Should be able to get it all for ~$200 and you can do a few cars before needing to purchase new supplies.
Also don't forget to tape up any rubber/plastics or they will get stained from the compound
For plastics/rubber, I use 303 Aerospace or CarPro Perl but still - avoid getting wax or compound on them or just use tape
A dual action polisher is extremely safe and probably the only way to really get any level of paint correction.
The Harbor Freight D/A gets great reviews for the price.
The most important thing is making sure you have proper polishing pads.
For compound/polish I would use Griots Garage Fast Correcting cream (compound) and Griots Perfecting cream (polish). Both are extremely beginner friendly and have a long working time before they start to "flash" or dry out when buffing. But at the same time they are well received in the detailing community
Pair that with their Boss microfiber pads (compound) and yellow "perfecting" foam finishing pad (polish) and you will get 90% of the correctable defects out of the paint in a 2 step process.
For sealant, look no further than Collinite 845. Very easy to apply and remove.
Make sure you wipe the panel down with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water for best adhesion. Collinite should last 6 months to a year. Ceramic coating is tricky to apply and difficult to remove when you want to re-apply, I would skip it and just re-wax once a year.
Obviously you will need to decontaminate first. Iron remover followed by a clay bar is generally recommended, but you can skip the former considering it's just a Jeep XJ
Should be able to get it all for ~$200 and you can do a few cars before needing to purchase new supplies.
Also don't forget to tape up any rubber/plastics or they will get stained from the compound
For plastics/rubber, I use 303 Aerospace or CarPro Perl but still - avoid getting wax or compound on them or just use tape
Another question, The plastics around the car have alot of decay/damage on them. The red has turned to a grey crusty like finish. What would be the best way to approach these?
#15
Junior Member
Thread Starter
is the vehicle a clear-over-base finish, and if so, what state is the clear coat in ?
Its hot here, and I see a lot of vehicles with damaged clearcoats, I think the 97 red XJ is clear over color
It makes a big difference to a solid color, the clear can be very easily buffed right thru with a machine, especially if its worn
on the positive side, you can work wonders on nearly any vehicle, especially as you said it is already pretty good, depends on time
Its hot here, and I see a lot of vehicles with damaged clearcoats, I think the 97 red XJ is clear over color
It makes a big difference to a solid color, the clear can be very easily buffed right thru with a machine, especially if its worn
on the positive side, you can work wonders on nearly any vehicle, especially as you said it is already pretty good, depends on time
Thanks for feedback.