redLINED_S2K

I did a heap of searches but haven't managed to find much information on car wash places -

I take my car to the magic car wash at doncaster shoppingtown for a wash once a week. Normally i just do the 'inside and out' wash for $29. Every month or two I get it polished as well (total $59) and every now and then get it clay barred and polished (total $80).

I asked the guys about the polish and whether it was actually wax or cutter, to which the guy replied 'it is very good sir'. The reason i asked is that when they wash it and polish it the car looks like its just come out of a showroom its that shiny so i figured they must be using a bit of cutter each time and buffing it. I asked him if it is going to wear down the paint and he said 'it is very good for the paint sir'.

Anyone know what the deal is with the 'polish' at this places? If it is wax and it is good for the paint i'm happy to do it all the time but if it is actually cutter i'm scared that the paint will get worn down.

I thought it might be a good idea to take my car to tint-a-car or somewhere to get another clear coat sprayed ontop to protect the paint (about $700 or so), especially before next summer as I did notice that the pearl in the yellow paint did fade a bit after last summer - does anyone have any advice/tips about this?

Would appreciate any feedback. Tks.

s2kadrenalin

A 'polish' is always going to be a a 'cut'. How abrasive it is, defines it from being a cut or a polish however.

revolution

Hard to tell without knowing what products they are using on your car. Are they using a buffing machine or by hand? Using a Random Orbital polisher and medium cut polish on a medium cut pad will take off about 5 micron's maybe less maybe more depending on how hard you are working it.

Honda clearcoats are pretty soft and as I have seen in the wash and wax forum come out from factory with about <150 micron's average of clear. Pull the car out into the sun after they have done the so called cut and polish and see if there are any swirl marks. If there are a heap then more than likely it is just a wax and they haven't actually cut anything. For $80 I doubt they did a proper cut anyway.

Also claying, there are different level's or harshness to them and they will leave minor scratches regardless from experience (If there is alot of contaminants on the paint), so it always needs a slight cut afterwards.

Vuey

is your car parked outside often ?

As i have an indy yellow s2k and i dont have any issues with fading , i had the hardtop on a few weeks ago, and the paint is still a perfect match with the hardtop.


anyway, $29 a week for a wash is going to add up IMO.

i was my car weekly , and polish/wax it once ever 3months by hand, a weekly wash and quick wipe down with quick detailer maintains the shine. There are many great products out there , but i use the Meguires range of products (shampoo, paint cleaner , surface prep and NXT wax) and get great results . Car looks showroom all year round .

lilkriss

What you have to understand is that magic hand car wash is a volume business that tries to turn around cars in the quickest possible time. Not saying thats a bad thing, its simply how they operate.

What does this mean? Well basically is means that their mix of polish has a deeper cut in it so 1) Its quicker to polish and 2)Looks like the car just came out of a showroom.

What you will find with these kind of carwash is that they will even use harsher chemicals in their wash cycle to get cars through quickly.

Kris

DaveFromSydney

A wash, claybar and polish for $80 is very cheap.
I wouldn't expect much from such a place - other than lack of care for the longevity of your car.

redLINED_S2K

thanks for the replies guys.

Well the problem in victoria is that there are mega water restrictions. I cant wash my car at home, so I have no option but to bring my car to a car wash place.

I might take my car to tint a car and get the extra hard clear coat stuff sprayed on hopefully this will protect the paint.

Vuey - there are two diff colours in s2k yellow, do you have the flat yellow or the yellow with the pearl/sparkles thru it? I'm not sure which year it changed.

Car is parked under cover at work and at home but yeah sure do drive it during summer and has been parked outside in the heat a few times.

lilkriss

Whereabouts do you live? I can send you to one of my cousins car washes if you need him to have a look at your paint if you like...

lilkriss

^^^ does that make sense, i feel like work is making me retarded

Blackie

lilkriss, i'm thinking of getting thorough cut and polish done after 6 years so if your cousin is melbourne, point me towards him. thanks.