RickyN F355

Ok, I have read every single post for the past 30 pages. I have posted a couple questions and have gotten some good answers, have spoken with Larry and Carcare online and I'm more confused now than before.

1) What is the correct order of procedure? Clean, polish, glaze, wax?
2) Is 3M IHG a glaze or a polish? I'm assuming it's a glaze.
3) Is P21s GEPC a cleaner or polish? I'm assuming it's a polish.
4) Does this order makes sense? Zymol HD clense to clean, P21s GEPC to polish, 3M IHG to glaze, and the Zymol Ital to wax?

I assume using the products in the wrong order would void the previous used. For example, using a cleaner after a glaze.

I'm looking for the one time mother procedure, start to finish. The car has some moderate swirls, but nothing a clay bar would be needed for.

technokid

well, from waht I've read, I'd say that many prefer blitz wax or p21s wax over zymol.

Yes, I too would think that a glaze fills in the swirls/imperfections, and that polishing it afterword would only remove the glaze, although a pure polish contains no abrasives.

I belive that you can go from GEPC, IHG, and then wax without using a dediacted cleaner first-unless your paint is "dirty." This is why a clay is good; it removes the dirt in your paint, so a "cleaner" isn't really necessary, and when your paint is clean, there is less chance to micro-fine scratch the paint when you go to polish or IHG the car. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

-Chris

RKA

First, you said the car has moderate swirls, but nothing that a clay bar is needed for. A clay bar doesn't remove swirls, it removes contaminants on the paint as techno suggested. It doesn't fully clean the paint though...it only removes physical debris. Any hazy film left on your paint will still be there after the clay. HD Cleanse, 3M IHG, or P21S GEPC should all remove that hazy film, and restore your paint to it's original vivid color.

In my experience, P21S GEPC has had some effect on minimizing the appearance of swirl marks. I'm not sure exactly what it does, but I would try the P21S GEPC followed by the wax of your choice.

If you're not satisfied, because swirling still remains, do the IHG first, followed by GEPC, and wax. Techno is right, technically, the GEPC should remove any fillers the IHG left behind, but that isn't what the collective experience here seems to suggest. (there is a bit of debate about what order GEPC and IHG should be applied).

If you're not satisfied, because the paint still has a dull look to it, try the HD Cleanse. I think it's a great product to strip all the crap off the paint, but I absolutely hate the product, because it's such a pain to work with. I never mastered working with it though. You need to learn how much to use, and how large an area you can work with at one time (otherwise it begins to dry to your paint, and it's like removing cement). Personally, GEPC should be sufficient so that you shouldn't need HD Cleanse.

The reason I suggest using a minimum number of products is not because I think you'll harm the paint...rather, it's a lot of work, and I doubt you'll see any added benefit with all the additional steps. I can't see what your paint looks like, but judging from your screen name, "moderate swirling" is probably rather mild, and GEPC might take care of it for you.

One note: All the products you mention are very gentle on the paint, and I don't believe any of them will remove swirl marks. They will do a nice job of hiding them though. If you want to remove them, you'll need to step up to something more abrasive. 3M Swirl Mark Remover is an excellent *mild* abrasive for dealing with swirls. It should be applied before any of the products we've discussed.