So there I was getting 'Cherry Blossom' bedded down for the Winter and gave Her a Final Polish with some 'Mer'

And took the advice from a Member not to Polish it off until I was ready to use her next Spring (Which 'Seemed' very good advice)

But then I had an unrelated Problem, as my daily driver the Merc decided to break down and I had to order a Special Part all the way from Germany.

Fortunately the GF is normally there to run me around in her Mazda MX5 but being a bit Paranoid.

I started thinking what would I do, if a situation occurred where I had to use 'Cherry Blossom' to go somewhere in a hurry.

Now while I would be quite happy to drive her round in an 'Un-Polished Off' State, I was wondering if Road Grime, might stick to the 'Un-Polished Polish'

And turn it into some sort of an unwelcome Cutting Compound that might Scratch the Paint?

Advice on this please Guys

Does anyone else put Polish on but not Polish the Polish off during Winter?

 

Just IMO but I wouldn't do it. I never knew or understood the rationale to begin with, but, beyond that.....

When I polish and wax my cars I find that it can be difficult to remove if I don't wipe it all off within minutes. I can only imagine the difficulty if the stuff was left on there for *months*.

So my vote would be "remove". FWIW.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of environment will the car be stored in?

Cheers
DD

 

I'm with Doug.

 

Hi Doug@Hi Grant

Cheers! to both of you for that advice and I was sort of thinking the very same thing myself, as 'Mer' is Super Hard to remove once it has dried out.

So in the event that may be the case, I can wash the Car with the Polish on and then Polish it off as it dries.

As 'Mer' is a Polish that I've found best applied with quite a wet cloth.

Grant, I really thought I'd fixed the Merc, I had her running great but I think that the epoxy that I used to seal the 'Gizmo' may have trickled down inside the casing.

New Part already on the way from Germany.

Doug. I've been keeping her under a Car Port with a Breathable Cover on.

 

Me as well. I never was with the wipe on the wax polish or some combination and leave it there??? A solid coat of polished high carnauba content "wax" is an excellent protector of a painted finish.


Way back when.


1. In 1941 two of four brothers up the street combined their resources and sprung for a brand new 41 Ford coupe in glassy black. Ooops, 12-7 hit. Three of the four brothers signed up with the the Navy. The Ford went up on blocks. For protection,. it was wiped down with engine oil and covered in canvass. It worked. All three came back OK. The Ford got cleaned up and looked great.


2. Circa 49 or so, a group of Vets going to a nearby National Cash register school hung around at night at the full service where I worked night shift. Polishing their cars in Mac's or Simonize. Lots of elbow grease needed. Corn starch was an aid in removing the "chafe" and leaving a gleaming finish. No power buffers, just young strong guys.


Carl

 

I put some Turtle wax on the bumpers of my '68 Fairlane 20 years ago for winter prep and it still hasn't all come off...

Anymore, wash the car and cover, check the antifreeze and pull the battery before the long winter nap.

 

Hi Grant@Doug@Carl@Ranchero

I'm kind of really glad I put this Post up, as that 'Mer' (Car Polish) had dried up like Cement, so leaving it on for Months at a time, didn't seem to be a good idea.

And so in order to get it off, I had to reactivate it by Washing the Car with the Polish still on and then Polish the Car again.

Then as it started to dry out, Polish it like I would have normally done.

The end result was a Shine so deep, that you would need a Submarine to find where it began but just as I had finished it, guess what it Started to Rain.

So now I've got to 'Rinse and Repeat' with my Grey XJS '50 Shades'



The Polish had dried like Cement, so I won't be leaving it on the Car in future.



A Shine so deep that you would need a Submarine to find where it began but then of course it Started to Rain, 'What else would you expect'

 

Did you use a claybar prior the polish? If not, try it next time! A lof of rough paints aren't actually worn, just the pores are contaminated. A good clay bar will keep them open and suck wax in.

My Volvo C30 was driven 7 years long, day in day out, over 125k miles and not once did it get a polishing. Only ever claybar (every half year) and a good waxing. I would even use a standard car wash to clean it. No scratches, no pitting, no hard feel. Here is a difference in non-claybared and claybared... You can hear it! It isn't even waxed!

 

Hi Daim

I've never used Clay Bar but I might just try it when I have a re polish in the Summer.

 

OB,

As I was the one who suggested not "polishing off", I'll just add a quick comment:

I did suggest "Wax car but don't polish off". (I actually perhaps should have said "Wax car but don't buff to a shine".) But that is still quite different from saying "Polish car but don't polish off". Because, as we know, there is a fundamental difference between Polish and Wax. They both achieve a shiny finish but through fundamenatlly different approaches. A straight Polish is principally an abrasive that abrades the top surface coat of the paint thus leaving a shine but not having a protective coat. A wax is principally a sealant that fills the imperfections leaving a glossy protective layer.

So, I wouldn't apply a polish but not polish off the residue because, as you've seen, it can harden and you still haven't got a protective layer. However, applying a coat of wax, but not buffing it can give you a thicker more resistant coat of protection that can be later buffed to give a shine.

(Head down and await the ensuing flak....)

Cheers

Paul

 

Hi Paul

I would imagine that all Polishes have different formulations and characteristics and I have been using 'Mer' (Car Polish not Wax) for as long as I can

remember.

To which I give most of the Credit for keeping the body of 'Cherry Blossom' in such Amazing Condition over 17 years of Neglect, where She was kept out

in the Open in all Weathers.

That Raindrop effect that you see in the Second Photo, never goes away even on my daily driver the Merc.

Which as my 'usually' reliable 'Workhorse' (Just broken down after 10 Years trouble free Motoring!)

very seldom gets washed.

And is left outside in all weathers 24/7 All year round with no cover on but when I do find time to wash her, She looks like she just came out of the Show

Room.

But even when She's caked in grime, the 'Raindrop Effect' (as I call it) is always there, every time it rains, which indicates at least to me that 'Mer' does

have a protective layer.

Not being an expert on Polishes, I do not have any idea how this is achieved but I find that 'Mer' is so good at doing whatever it does, that I would be

reluctant to use anything else.

But since this particular Polish gives me a Protective Shine when applied in the conventional way, as per the instructions to apply with a wet cloth and

then Polish it off as it dries.

Then I don't see any reason for wanting to leave it on there for an indefinite time, or for the need of using a Wax product.

The Bottom line is that 'Mer' gives me a protective Shine to die for, without the need for re-polishing and always comes up sparkling after a Wash.

And so as far as I'm concerned 'All's well that ends well'

She is Shining like a 'Star' so what more could I want and will continue to do so, when I cover her up for the Winter and then be already for Spring.

 

According to the "Mer" website it should be polished off within 30 minutes.

 

Hi OB,

I think that it's really important to use the products that you like and trust. Mer is a well-respected brand and you obviously like it so that's good. I used to use Mer very regularly many years ago but really disliked the white residue that was left and is so prevalent in many polishes. I then started to understand the difference between waxes and polishes and found out that the white residue is the abrasive mineral in Mer that cuts back the paint. I then fundamentally changed my cleaning regime and started polishing cars a lot less to minimise the abrasive consequences, but increased the waxing frequency to provide a protective shine. Mer polish contains an amount of silicone which is what provides the element of protection and water beading. If you visit the Mer website, you'll see that they suggest using their wax after using their polish. I'm a big fan of Meguiars products, both their paint cleaners and their waxes. Really good stuff and perhaps worth a look? As regards claying the paintwork, it can make a huge difference in removing contaminants and leaving a glassy finish. But remember that you have then removed the protective layer and will need some form of waxing. I still have some clay bars, but have moved over the last few years to using "clay cloths" which are re-usable. I really like my clay cloth. Remember to keep a lot of moisture / lubricant on teh paint surface when you're using a clay bar or a clay cloth.

Cheers

Paul

 

Hi Baxtor

That's what I usually do, as if you leave it any longer it goes rock hard like Cement as I just found out.

So had to get it really wet to re-activate the Polish and then Start over.

 

Hi Paul

I only Polish her once a Year (or in this case every 17 years!) and its not like using 'T' Cut because with 'Mer' it's very mild and you can use a lot of water with it.

In that respect I spread it on very gently, so I can feel what's happening and virtually no abrasion is taking place.

If I Polished her every week then that might be a totally different story.

 

I only polish my cars, have for years, I have used Liquid Glass for many years after my dad introduced me to it. It goes on easy and comes off easy and does not build up overtime like waxes do. And IMO last much longer with our heat out here in the Plains States. It can even be used on the glass, and think it works better than Rain Ex or similar products, and even use on my headlights and chrome. I will post a picture how the XJS looks after Sunday, thats the day of the local car show I am going to

 

A lot involved in car finishes and their care. Add in the clime and garaged or not.


Yup, I've "polished" too much. My 69 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser was a bright red. With gentle blue striping, n paint, not vinyl!!! With it's white vinyl top and after market white spoked "big" wheels and tires, it looked great.


But, the red paint was "soft". So, I used a combination polish and wax, a lt. Ooops, sections of striping began to go away and a bit of primier here and there!!!!


I've polished the Jaguar to a nice shine. Then massaged it with a high carnauba content paste wax. That is when it really reflects !!!


In need of it again. But, my shoulders are o'wise occupied. And washed , it still looks more than decent.


Carl

 

Hi Carl

I think I'll stick with what I know, I've always had amazing results with 'Mer'

 

Hi daverb

Looking forward to seeing the Pics.

Liquid Glass sounds very interesting.

 

have posted these earlier, but in case you missed. the pictures are from the car show and had only one coat of the polish