# Brilliant Red TT Roadster



## lordlee (Jun 20, 2012)

Hi All,

As any of you cleaning OCD types will relate to the sunny days make you yearn for the glossy finish even more. I had spent some time in Jan machine polishing the scratches away but it was too cold to use anything but sealant then. So scroll forwards a few months and it was time to get the red car as glossy as possible so I set about polishing the car with Autosmart Topaz which left it looking really glassy but with no real depth so it was then on to one of my favourite products on a red car - Megs 7. As its essentially just an oil it doesnt last for more than a few days on the car unless you seal it in with some wax. Now I have been using Bilt Hamber Double Speed wax on the blue SL which is superb but red or black deserve something special and thats Vics Concours wax - we have it on the Boxster and the TT and the results are stunning IMO. Here is the TT after some major love today...

IMG_5633 by leemich
IMG_5634 by leemich
IMG_5635 by leemich
IMG_5636 by leemich
IMG_5637 by leemich


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi,* RED* always nice 8) [smiley=dude.gif] 
Hoggy.


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## spike (Dec 26, 2013)

Red is best


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## lordlee (Jun 20, 2012)

Yes nothing shows depth better than red


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## lordlee (Jun 20, 2012)

Took her out today and had a few people say nice things at the garage then the pub we visited - always makes the effort worthwhile when you hear some positivity


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## BMBM (May 14, 2016)

Like the splitter - is that standard fit?


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## s_robinson91 (Jun 9, 2012)

Looks cracking, tell me more about the megs 7... Never heard of it before?


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## lordlee (Jun 20, 2012)

BMBM said:


> Like the splitter - is that standard fit?


Thank you - Its an S-Line front splitter off of a late model car that we had painted Reflex silver.


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## lordlee (Jun 20, 2012)

s_robinson91 said:


> Looks cracking, tell me more about the megs 7... Never heard of it before?


Megs 7 is a show car glaze - it literally makes the paint super wet n glossy. Its quite oily so I always apply it by machine then very lightly hand wax over it to keep it on there for longer. You'll never get anything else go near it for gloss - thats why they use it on so many show cars. If anyone lives near Reading I'd be happy to let them loose with it.

Application notes here:

Hi, 
As someone else pointed out, #7 is a high oil content product. In fact, it's mostly oil. I could tell you more about it, I have over 7 pages on just this product alone in my forthcoming book, How to Polish Paint. it's really quite a unique product.

For the last 15 years I have seen a lot people comment as to how hard the product is to get off.

Usually, (and I'm not saying this is what your did), the person makes a couple of mistakes.

#7 is a non-drying oil.

One of the many things it can be used for is to make paint look wet, thus the name Show Car Glaze.

The reason it can do this is because it is a non-drying oil. Think about it, when you get a brand new paint job, or if you spray some rattle can paint before it dries it looks wet, because it is. It hasn't dried.

It's hard to get the "Wet Look" with something they dries, especially if it turns white/opaque.

You cannot make something "more clear" with something that is "opaque".

#26 Yellow Wax, (which is a polymer/synthetic for the most part), dries clear, it does not turn white. It turns the surface very dark and deep however.

So the mistake most people make when using the #7 is this.

1. They apply it too thick - this makes it extremely hard to remove 
2. They try to remove it like a wax.

Two tips.

First Tip - Apply #7 with a thin coat

The idea is to "Push" the product into the pores of the paint, allow it to cure or dry, (if it's a drying product) then wipe off the material remaining on the surface. Sure some product remains on the surface, and there are a lot of opinions concerning "Layering", but suffice to say, there is a point of "Diminishing Returns".

If it were true you could create a "film-build" of product, that would mean that after enough coats, you would no longer be applying a coat of product onto paint, but in fact would be applying a coat of product onto a "film-build of product", (In other words, your layers of wax/polish/protectant/polymer/sealant/synthetic, or whatever word/term you want to use to describe your protective coating.

Kind of like trying to re-create a "Clear Coat". Last time I checked, nobody's product is clear, at least not like the clear resin a clear coat of paint is made from, (clear resin is often slightly amber in color)

So I don't know if I subscribe to the "Layering" theory. I am experimenting however, with multiple coats after coat of product on my black demo panel here in my office, so far, no "visible film-build". I do believe that two thin coats are better than one, and three coats wont' hurt. After that, I don't know. I would at least let some time go by.

So apply #7 thin. Use a soft foam applicator pad.

Second Tip - Removing #7 requires a special technique, not the same kind of technique you remove a wax with.

Most people remove their wax like this. Start in one area, begin wiping until all of the wax is removed in that area and then move on to virgin territory.

This will not work for #7. The "Act" of removing #7, tends to "Re-liquefy" the product, basically creating the smearing around effect that you experience when you apply it.

Instead, "Break" or "Disrupt" the "Continuous" layer of film-build and then move on to a virgin area and "Break this film-build up.

You see, #7 doesn't actually dry, butÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ it will "Skin", somewhat like homemade pudding.

This "Skin" is easier to break up and remove then the more liquid film is.

By breaking up the continuous film-build and then moving on, you are exposing a fresh layer of the film to the air where it will skin. The next time you come around, it will be easier to break up and remove.

So the idea is to apply a thin coat to the entire car.

Then, Go around the car two to three times, removing a little bit at a time.

A big soft, high quality, 100% cotton, terry cloth towel works best for the first two passes, and then switch over to a Microfiber polishing cloth for the last pass. Microfiber polishing cloths have an affinity for both water and oil based liquids and will remove oily residues much better with less fiber inflicted scratches.

Anyway, that is what my experience has taught me after applying and removing gallons of #7 over the years, to every kind of car with every known type of paint.

Another person mentioned it will wash off. This is true. #7 is a "Body Shop" safe polish. It has no "Lasting Characteristics", i.e. it contains no ingredients that will affect "Paint Adhesion", typically waxes or silicones. (There are what are called, "Paintable Polymers", Meguiar's uses these in the "Speed Glaze", a body shop safe, cleaner/polish).

#7 is not meant to last. The idea is it will not semi-permanently "seal" or "Cap" the pores of the paint. (waxes, sealants, synthetics, polymers, whatever you prefer to call them act to semi-permanently seal or cap the pores of the paint. Nothing is permanent, at least not according to the theory of Entropy. This can lead into an entire discussion of "Permeable and Impermeable, but I digress).

This is important when used on solvent-borne paints because it allows the solvents to continue to work their way out of the paint resin through "capillary-action", (I think). The idea being that paint that is fully cured will be harder and last longer than paint that is not fully cured, i.e. softer and will not last as long.

How important this is to Catalyzed paints I do not know. The Synthetic wax crowd usually tells everyone it is safe to wax catalyzed paint shortly after they are sprayed. While this may be safe, I know that paint manufactures "Still" recommend waiting 30/60/90 days before you apply any type of "Sealant", i.e. wax to the surface. Best to follow manufactures recommendations when dealing with something as expensive a s new paint job, not to mention all of the work and inconvenience getting a car painted causes.

I'm sorry you had a hard time applying and removing the product, perhaps if you try again, following my tips you will have better results.

By the way, as someone else commented, usually, #7 is applied first, then wax is applied over it. This is because the #7 is water soluble and the wax isn't', thus the wax will act to "Lock" or "Seal" in the #7.

However to make the paint look wet and to fill in hairline scratches, it is perfectly alright to apply the #7 on top of the wax, thus the name Show Car Glaze.

It was never formulated to be a lasting product, but instead a Beauty product.

With that said if your goal is to make the paint it's darkest, deepest and wettest looking, then I submit your best bet is a product that is oily and doesn't dry. Yes, it might be temporary, but the show only last one to two days sometimes three.

That's all I hope this helps,

Mike Phillips


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