Compound, Glaze, and Wax

when your car's finish needs more than wax!

  Many newer or well maintained cars can look fantastic after a thorough wash and a good coat of wax. This is what we call our  "express detail".

  On slightly older cars or cars that haven't been properly maintained, we use a 3-step process to bring out the maximum shine on your car's finish.

• compounding
• glaze or polish
• sealed with wax

  Before we start compounding, we give the car a thorough wash, making sure to remove all grease, road tar and bugs. Next we use the clay bar to remove all surface contaminant like industrial fallout and other contaminant that washing won't remove.

  Now we're ready to start compounding

  Compounding the finish is performed to remove oxidation (faded paint) and other paint imperfections like light scratches and scuff marks. Compounds come in different grades ranging from mild to very aggressive. We use a high speed buffer with a foam pad and work the compound into the finish. Using a high speed buffer requires a certain level of skill, so I wouldn't recommend using one if you haven't gotten a lot of practice.

  Back in the old days, detailers would take a wool cutting pad and some heavy duty compound and "go to town" on your car's finish. The wool pad will do a great job at removing oxidation and scratches, however it's a little too aggressive for today's clear coat finishes.

  Today we use foam cutting pads to compound. Wool pads are still used in the shop to remove wet sand scratches and heavy oxidation, but for the most part we use foam pads now. It's safer for your finish and leaves far less of the dreaded "swirl marks". Swirl marks are those buffer marks you see usually on a dark colored car.

  After compounding the car we wash it for the second time to remove all traces of compound dust and splatter.

 Now we're ready for the glaze or polish step

  The glaze or polish step is performed to fill in or remove any buffer swirl marks. It gives the finish a high gloss shine. We use a foam polishing pad on a high speed buffer and work the glaze product into the surface.

  On this step it's important to use a lower speed on the buffer and slowly work the product into the finish. This glazing step will provide us with a smooth finish and a great shine, however the glaze will not hold up to the elements very long at all. We need to seal the finish which brings us to the third step.

  Waxing the car

  To wax the car we use an orbital polisher. This is different than the high speed buffer. The orbital will lay down a thin and even coat of wax onto the finish. Some people think that a thick coat of wax will offer more protection than a thin coat, but this is not true. The fact is that only a very small amount of wax will adhere to the surface and the rest is wiped away. Putting on a thick coat of wax or waxing twice will offer no extra protection.

We take the wax off with a special towel call a microfiber towel. These  soft polishing towels are great for removing wax or keeping your vehicle looking great between waxing. To use between waxing just mist some detail spray on the vehicle and wipe down with the microfiber towel. These are a must for wiping down a dark colored car.

  As you can see it takes a lot of work to bring back the finish on a neglected car, and your detailer will charge more for this service. Waxing your car on a regular basis will not only protect your finish and make it look better, but it also might save you some money.

Adam's Butter Wax

This high quality wax is a mixture of polymers and resins for longevity and natural carnauba for a brilliant shine. It all adds up to an easy to use product that you'll just love to use. Contains no cleaners or abrasives.

Adam's Revive Polish

Although this is not what we use at the detail shop, I would recommend this product for the non-professional. At the shop we use a high speed buffer to compound. I realize that most of my readers do not have a high speed buffer hanging around the house. This is a very good product for removing light oxidation (faded paint) and very light scratches.

Swirl and Haze Remover

This is a very fine microcompound that is acually less abrasive than toothpaste. You can gently remove light scratches from your clearcoat finish. This product can be applied by machine or by hand.

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