# advice on keeping white car looking good!



## shaz4473 (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi, hoping to get a bit of advice before I pick up my new(used but new to me!)TT.

I have been the owner of a 2005 phantom black tt coupe for the last two years and this was my first black car and must admit because I tend to clean my car a lot I haven't found it too bad to look after. The worst thing though was scratches being very noticeable.
I use the two bucket method along with a mitt and then chamois dry. I polish my car about twice a year(enough for me!) and have been using autoglym deep shine polish.

A big change as I am moving onto a tt fsi automatic in ibis white. I know the deep shine polish is for dark cars and used to use autoglym super resin polish - will this be ok for white? Maybe a silly question but is it easy to polish a white car - do you see where you have done easily??

Any tips greatfully received


----------



## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi Shaz, I would use a hose, Maguiars Gold shampoo, a good quality brush & microfibre cloth to dry her. 
Throw that chamois away.
Hoggy.


----------



## shaz4473 (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks for that - can you advise on polish?


----------



## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi Shaz, Never had a white/light colour car, some one will be along with recommendation with a decent polish & wax.
Hoggy.


----------



## RockKramer (Feb 15, 2012)

Yes, step away from the chamois... Stick with the 2 bucket method and wash mitt. Use the microfiber towel to dry with. They are very absorbent and will not damage your paint work. 
You mentioned that you only polish your car twice a year so I don't see you spending 4 or 5 hrs at it. If your paint is in good nick go with something like AutoGlym High Definition wax or Dodo Juice Light Fantastic... Both great waxes and will last 3 or so months with just a wash and dry... If spray with Dodo Juice Red Mist after drying it'll top up your wax and help it last a lot longer. Red Mist is just spray on wipe off... A lil goes a long way. All this stuff is available on line. Others will suggest other products, a variation on a theme... Decide what's best for your pocket and from there.


----------



## GlasgowEd (Feb 11, 2010)

I use these......

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog ... -cat1.html

Fantastic bit of kit, very easy to use with great results.


----------



## RockKramer (Feb 15, 2012)

I read about the Werkstat stuff on the Polishedbliss site last year. I have a few products I want to use up first but I've been tempted by the Werkstat. The same one you're using is recomended for mid-tones as well. From your pics it appears to give an impressive finish. How do you find it? Have you used anything else before settle for this?


----------



## GlasgowEd (Feb 11, 2010)

RockKramer said:


> I read about the Werkstat stuff on the Polishedbliss site last year. I have a few products I want to use up first but I've been tempted by the Werkstat. The same one you're using is recomended for mid-tones as well. From your pics it appears to give an impressive finish. How do you find it? Have you used anything else before settle for this?


Imo Werkstat is one of the very few products that actually delivers what it claims to do. All too often a product that claims to do this and that, seldoms deliver. Although its recommend for lighter colours I have used it on the wife's black car, which I think has done a fantastic job.


----------



## jontymo (Dec 31, 2010)

Keep with the 2 bucket wash method, then either of 2 ways for me:

1. Polish with a good polish something like Autoglym Super Resin Polish (srp) then a good wax, i use collinite 476s or dodo wax's

2. use a product like Wolf's bodywrap which is liquid based and has to be left for 24 hours between coats, this is fairly new nano technology and is easy to do and only needs minimum top up.

Have a troll through detailing world website for loads of ideas, i have used the bodywrap on my ibis white and its that good i will be doing the same with the wife's white A3 as soon as the weather changes. 1 thing i had to do was wear sunglasses as the bright white made my eyes go funny 

I use cleanyourcar.com for my gear as the are down the road from me but the other recommendations on here are good suppliers and products as well.


----------



## GrandeD (Aug 30, 2011)

I used to own a white punto and tried many combinations i think the best was:
wash with dodo juice sour power shampoo
autoglym super resin polish
poorboys white diamond glaze
chemical guys extreme top-coat sealant
dodo juice light fantastic wax
and then
zaino z6 ultra gloss detailing spray to finish up


----------



## shaz4473 (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks very much for the advice given 

As you will realise when I only polish my car app twice a year(I also polish my mums red fiesta twice a year also!) that I am not on the same level as a lot of other owners who keep their car in A+ condition.

I do however take a real pride in my car and wash it every couple of weeks if not once a week. I find polishing hard work, by the time I have washed, dryed and applied polish I am flagging!!! Perhaps a white car will be easier as I have always found the black tt and the solid red fiesta quite difficult to do as I don't have a strong arm and want to make sure I get all the polish off without leaving a polish residue or swirly marks!

I think that I will be throwing away my chamois, getting a microfibre towel to dry and purchasing some auto glym super resin polish to start with. I used to use this polish but went onto the deep shine which was good for black. Typically I have recently just bought a new one of this - does anyone know if I could use on the white or better avoiding using it?

Is the autoglym wax easy to use? I have never used wax before?

Really good to see pictures - all the cars look fantastic


----------



## jontymo (Dec 31, 2010)

The autoglym hd wax is very good, the srp polish is also good and if put on in decent condition ie not to hot or cold outside is fairly easy to buff off. Remember polish before wax.


----------



## RockKramer (Feb 15, 2012)

Shaz, note... Polish is an abrasive, very fine though it is... So each time you use it you are removing a tiny amount of the surface you are polishing. If your paint is in poor condition use polish to bring it back, put some life into it. If your paint finish is good just use something like AutoGlym High Definition Cleanser or Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite, both of those will remove old polish, wax etc but are not abrasive and will prepare the paint to receive the wax. 
The secret with using wax is to put on as thinly as possible. A little really does go a long way and buffing it is easy. The mistake is thinking you have to lay it on thick... After waiting for it to cure, 15, 20 mins, whatever the instructions say, it's then a nightmare to remove. High Definition wax is very good and lasts a long time. 
Remember, if your paint is in good condition, polish is not needed. It's the wax that protects and gives that reflective finish to what you already have. after washing your waxed car with a decent car shampoo you could dry and spray with something like AutoGlym aqua wax... Spray on wipe off. Maintaining waxed car is actually easy. Only rewax once water stops beading on the surface .


----------



## shaz4473 (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks very much - just thought of something else to ask on this issue!

Tar spots on the paintwork - can anyone recommend what product is best to use? Have you to be careful in using tar remover products? Can't help thinking if it is taking tar off the car then it is pretty strong stuff.


----------



## GrandeD (Aug 30, 2011)

shaz4473 said:


> Thanks very much - just thought of something else to ask on this issue!
> 
> Tar spots on the paintwork - can anyone recommend what product is best to use? Have you to be careful in using tar remover products? Can't help thinking if it is taking tar off the car then it is pretty strong stuff.


A product called tardis from autosmart is a well favored product but not to be used as a regular cleaner and also a clay bar will do the job and make the surface silky smooth but as the same with the tardis is is to be used as part of a polishing process once or twice a year maybe.

Well that's my opinion of it anyway


----------

