UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Speedlaw wrote:Does the Flash Red have a clear coat on it?

I know that VW has a color, called 'Signal Red' here, that is basically red (non-metallic) with a clear coat to keep it shiny. That actually holds up pretty good, as far as reds go.

Easy way to tell if a car has a lacquered coat. Rub a small amount of T-Cut into the paintwork, if the colour of the paint is visible on the cloth then you haven't got a clear/lacquer coat.

My sisters Flash Red Polo didn't have a lacquer coat, but my dad's red Passat (not sure which red exactly) did!

Good point!

high speed buff is what you need,

what you have is an oxidising layer on your paint! you need to hire a buffer from "U-HIRE" about £27 for the weekend. you also need to get G3 polish, this is used in spay shops to get that mirror finish after spraying. once you have these jet wash your car and leave wet!!!!!! buff working from front to back. be carful!!!!!!!!! the buffer runs at 3000rpm so keep the car wet! jet again and dry, now hand polish with autoglym, you get really good results, to keep the pink away polish every month if not more and repeat prosses every year, if you want pics of my car now or any more information give me a bell

hope this help's

Buffer? 3000rpm!!!!!!!

One small amount of grit on the buffer and you can imagine what your car will end up looking like. I would steer well clear of this if I were you.

I think the safer option is to Zymol HD clense the car, this will remove the dull layer of paint. Then put back on a protective layer of wax using a suitable Zymol wax.

You'll get great results.


Des

have you done it? dont think so!!! it gets great result because it takes the oxidation off the paint! ask any spay shop for G3 it's a stronger vershion of T cut, again if you want pic's, i did my car last week

When working on your paintwork be it washing, waxing or polishing make sure you employ a front-to-back, back-to-front motion (the way the air flows over the car). Don't go around in circles. If you are using a pad/buffer and airborne grit gets under the pad, you have made sandpaper. If you are working in a circle, you have made a 360-degree scratch (or swirl mark). Since a scratch or swirl mark is most visible from a 90 degree viewing angle, a circular scratch is visible anywhere.

I wouldn't want you to ruin your paintwork, you want to replenish dull paint not strip it off, I know people can get very passionate about car cleaning (me inlcuded, I'm sorry to say ) and I have seen what can happen if grit gets under a sponge using a curcular motion, I dread to think what would happen at 3000rpm!!!

Please forward on your pics though, I'd be interested to see what it looks like, if you have before and after pictures that'd be great.

Cheers

Des

I wouldn't ever use a sponge on a buffer, but I've seen numerous bodyshops using a mop on a buffer and a VERY LIGHT abrasive (very light!) after painting a car.

If you took a badly oxidised car to a bodyshop to have it treated, this is the tool that they would use (and they would use a polish with higher abrasive qualities first, then would go over it with a much less abrasive polish afterwards).

However, doing it outside is just asking for trouble, as is using a sponge on the buffer (imho).

And I don't know about keeping the car wet... Not seen that before.

They just have to be VERY careful not to burn the paint, as the buffing wheel does go very fast.

IIRC my local bodyshop wanted about 60 quid to "Machine Polish" my old car (that was in a right state).

keeping the car wet stops the paint burning

my polo is "Flash Red" and it's a pain in the ass to keep looking good!

My first attempt was with a colour magic t-cut whatsit which came up ok... until the next time i cleaned and polished and it ran all black and made the sponge go red and the car was all streaky

So now i just use autoglym polish after a good washing... God damn it my car will not be pink!!!

ClaireVeeDub wrote:my polo is "Flash Red" and it's a pain in the ass to keep looking good!

My first attempt was with a colour magic t-cut whatsit which came up ok... until the next time i cleaned and polished and it ran all black and made the sponge go red and the car was all streaky

So now i just use autoglym polish after a good washing... God damn it my car will not be pink!!!

I'm involved with another car club for somewhat oversized Vauxhalls - it's not really relevant but one of my good friends has a red (mostly it's looking pink) GSI 24V and it doesn't get washed much - well cept when it rains.....

Anyway he turned up a car show (Billing national) and being a lightweight didn't fancy tenting it so booked in for the night at the nearby hotel......

We all got woken by the birds at some ungodly hour and having cleaned and prepared our cars got to work on his - I keep a roll of masking tape to cover the black trim when polishing so I ran a line of this stuff from the front to the back across the middle of his car right over the roof bumper spoiler and everything - we t-cutted the whole of one side and then polished it - man that looked class...... esp when we peeled the tape off - we stuck a can of Autoglym on the side we'd done like a trophy......

It was a bloody hot day and what took 5 of us about 15mins would have to be finished by him in the blazing hot sun - he didn't and most non club members thought it was a rolling advert for autoglym!!!!

I think we did the whole thing properly the next year cos you could still see the line!!!!!

I use Autoglym everything too - shampoo/conditioner, supreme polish - not available in the shops - tyre dressing, window cleaner, the works. Even got a wheel brush for the splitties!

I can't fault it. The polish especially is fantastic. If you thought Super Resin polish was good you should try the Supreme edition as long as (a) you can find it, and (b) you have a dark-metallic coloured car... like my black GTi...

what seems to work fairly well is Autoglym Super Resin Polish followed by Autoglym extra gloss protection afterwards, if you want to be indulgent.

Funny, I rairly hear people talk about the extra gloss protection, I used it today and it seems quite good, a bit runny though..... but it buffed off really easily. it's more a liquid than a cream.