# Polishing dos and donts and perhaps how to



## Christine600

When I was in my early twenties I did sometimes polish my four door pride and joy. Especially if my brother were having a go and I did mine at the same time.

Now 20 years later I have forgotten the most of what he learned me - except for the amount of elbow grease needed. 

Then I bought my MH and suddeny I really wanted to do the job myself again. Forget which of the many different brands of polish there is out there. But after you have got a bottle of polish how do you do it?

Is there more to it than just spread the wax on a suitable area, then wait 15 minutes and polish the shine into the wax with a cloth?


----------



## Christine600

So - today I put polish on the bonnet of my MH and checked my watch. Then it started to rain! And I said some words. And it rained for 15 minutes and then the sun was back and the rain stopped. I guess this is one of the dont's? :roll: 

So I wiped of some of the wet with a rag then tried to polish with a cloth. Which ofcourse got damp quick. And the polish was not as form as it was yesterday when it did not rain.

Have I made a real mess of this? 8O


----------



## Christine600

(whoops a double post - mods may delete this one if they care...)


----------



## rayrecrok

Hi.

Buy yourself an electric buffer polisher.







. It used to take me two days to put on paint restorer to get all the crap off then apply the polish and buff it all off to make the van sparkle.

with the polisher it takes half a day and the finish is twice as good.. :wink:


----------



## waz

When washing a vehicle I find most people was it wrong. The correct was is to wash from the bottom up then rinse down. The clue is in the saying doing the washing up.

Waz


----------



## aldra

If anyone who lives near me really wants to polish

I have a motorhome that really needs it

Aldra   

Not true really, its better looked after than me and the dog

except he looks great in spite of the neglect   

Aldra


----------



## rogerblack

waz said:


> When washing a vehicle I find most people was it wrong. The correct was is to wash from the bottom up then rinse down. The clue is in the saying doing the washing up. Waz


 :? Err not sure I see the logic in that*, Waz - doesn't it mean you're washing the cleaner top half of the 'van with mucky water from washing the bottom (dirtier) half??? :roll:

* I know we talk about doing the washing up but surely that's talking about the dishes, not our motors. :lol:

Although if I could find a dishwasher big enough to fit the 'van in . . . :idea:


----------



## BillCreer

Hi,

Book in for a few lessons at your local Martial Arts Centre. Tell them you want to become proficient in the Mr Miyagi polish on, polish off technique.

Not only will it improve the look of you motorhome but you'll be able to clear the whole neighbourhood of bullies.

I know it works as I've seen the film.


----------



## waz

Hi Roger the theory is that as you wash upwards the bottom being wet is able to carry the dirt away easier and not leave streaks on the paintwork. Of coarse if it was very dirty you would jet wash or put the hose on it first to loosen the dirt.

Waz


----------



## Addie

I could talk to you all day about car 'detailing' - but I wouldn't know where to begin on an A class


----------



## Christine600

Did anyone ever try polishing in the rain? :?



Christine600 said:


> So I wiped of some of the wet with a rag then tried to polish with a cloth. Which ofcourse got damp quick. And the polish was not as form as it was yesterday when it did not rain.
> 
> Have I made a real mess of this? 8O


----------



## aldra

Christine, you definately need more practise

PM me for address and you can come and practise on mine Ive got two at the moment :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Just the job as you know practise makes perfect 8O 8O

Aldra


----------



## rosalan

Where can I buy a can of Elbow Grease? I have heard it said that there is nothing like it. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: 

While I am talking to myself I enrolled for a years subscription of "MMM" and got a big bag full of Autoglym goodies worth loads. That gained me a "MMM" card which bought my wife and I a cup of coffee at the Peterborough show. Then we had the van re-furbished for £1300 and they gave 10% for the "MMM" card.
I may well get another subscription as I seem to be on to a winner.
(I am nothing to do with the company, only what I can gain from it) :lol: 

Alan


----------



## rayrecrok

rosalan said:


> Where can I buy a can of Elbow Grease? I have heard it said that there is nothing like it. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
> 
> While I am talking to myself I enrolled for a years subscription of "MMM" and got a big bag full of Autoglym goodies worth loads. That gained me a "MMM" card which bought my wife and I a cup of coffee at the Peterborough show. Then we had the van re-furbished for £1300 and they gave 10% for the "MMM" card.
> I may well get another subscription as I seem to be on to a winner.
> (I am nothing to do with the company, only what I can gain from it) :lol:
> 
> Alan


Hi.

Elbo grease great stuff cleans everything safely and great for removing black marks down the side of your van.

Buy it at the Pound Shop, guess how much?.. :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## Christine600

Christine600 said:


> So I wiped of some of the wet with a rag then tried to polish with a cloth. Which ofcourse got damp quick. And the polish was not as form as it was yesterday when it did not rain.
> 
> Have I made a real mess of this? 8O


Had a look today - in relatiively dry weather. The bonnet looked just as nice and shiny as the part I polished the day before. It felt just as smooth too.

I guess I was lucky then? Or perhaps polishing in the rain is not so stupid? :lol:


----------



## aldra

so does that mean you don't need to practise after all   

Aldra


----------



## richardjames

I use one of those 'spray on dirt and wipe off' systems and think it is very good - Tiff Nedell thinks so 8O   

Now I'll duck the incoming


----------



## eribiste

I've been spending a lot of time just lately trying dolly up our motorhome. The gloss white aluminium side panels are as good now as they were in 1999, but the front and rear white gel coated ends had got a little dowdy.

I have used Farecla G3 restorer to bring a gloss finish back to the surface, applied by hand, twice. This hard won finish has been sealed by a real find, Collinite wax. This product gives a deep, long lasting shine. It is absolutely non-abrasive, in fact has no cleaning effect on dirty/ discoloured parts at all, so only apply it over the paint when one is completely satisfied with the condition.

I have applied this twice now, using one of those knobbly sponges called a waffle. Apply it, leave it to dry to a haze, then polish off.

As regards cleaning, I judiciously pressure wash, then use Finnegan's motorhome cleaner in a bucket of water applied with a clean sponge to wash the motorhome while it's still wet. I usually go top to bottom for the washing process. I use a seperate bucket and sponge for wheels and underside bits to avoid transferring anything nasty and gritty to the paint.

The whole thing is rinsed off, then dried with a couple of good quality microfibre cloths. I find these are good for preventing the formation of dry spotting where the rinse water dries and leaves spots behind.

A wash (not a polish) takes about 4 to 5 hours and 2 to 3 beers to accomplish.

Polishing takes me two days to do, and it's hard work. I think I might have to rush out and buy an electric D/A polisher!


----------



## Mandale

*Polish crazy*

I spent 6 hours on Saturday buffing and polishing a 7 year old black BMW 5 series. It looked amazing when it was finished but was the most soul destroying job I have ever done. Buff, clean, polish, buff, clean, polish, buff clean , polish …………………….. you get the idea.

If you feel really ambitious, wash your motorhome with soap and water, clean the paint surface with a clay bar and polish with a resin based polish like super guard or diamond brite.

I have done this on lots of cars it takes about a day to do a car, so if you are willing to do this on a large coach built motorhome you must be being paid lots of money or your crazy.

One good thing is, if you take the time to do this you won't have to wax you motorhome again for about three years., just wash with a jet wash and gently sponge off.

These products work very well but I think you may have to do a side at a time and when you are doing it I am not available to help. :x


----------



## lgbzone

Christine600 said:


> When I was in my early twenties I did sometimes polish my four door pride and joy. Especially if my brother were having a go and I did mine at the same time.
> 
> Now 20 years later I have forgotten the most of what he learned me - except for the amount of elbow grease needed.
> 
> Then I bought my MH and suddeny I really wanted to do the job myself again. Forget which of the many different brands of polish there is out there. But after you have got a bottle of polish how do you do it?
> 
> Is there more to it than just spread the wax on a suitable area, then wait 15 minutes and polish the shine into the wax with a cloth?


Hi Christine600

I never thought i'd say this but, luckily many years ago I served as an apprentice as a panel beater in a body shop and gained experience that i've found now helps me as every job was washed before and after and polished afterwards.

My advice would be;
1. Always ensure the vehicle is spotless and dry before polishing, polish isn't for cleaning.
2. Read the label of the polish, there are often differences between products, for example some require a bit of moisture in the cloth used to apply, others don't.
3. Choose manageable areas to do on the van, try to pick areas that are divided by a seem or something, as opposed to doing half a panel, then the other half. With a car I would usually do it in one go depending on weather and temperature, but i have a routine.
4. Don't do it in direct sunlight as the polish can bake on extremely quickly and be very difficult to remove (i've seen people resort to using a cutting compound such as T-Cut to get polish off). Also if it's too humid the polish can take too long to dry.
5. apply it evenly; otherwise once the thicker coated bits have dried, the thinner coated areas are too dry.
6. How long it should be left is something that comes with experience, left too long makes it difficult to remove, not long enough and it doesn't leave the desired coating. When applied it would look cloudy, keep an eye on it, as it dries it lightens (this should happen evenly) and once all the cloudy bits have gone light, take it straight off with a clean dry cloth, it shouldn't be that difficult to remove and should be done quickly. note that as it dries and goes light in colour, you're not waiting for it to go the lightest it's capable of, if that makes sense, by the time it's at its very lightest in colour, it's usually too dry and hard to take off.
7. experiment with products and find one that suits you.
8. If you use T-Cut to restore colour, don't do it too often, it actually removes paint/lacquer from the surface. I saw a neighbor talking to his friend once while t-cutting an area of his car and he went right through the lacquer in one place, leaving a very dull patch.

Can't think of anything else at the moment but hope this helps.

<edit>
One more thing; once the vehicle is finished, give it a rinse off with a hose pipe, often the polish will generate some light coloured dust type stuff that can settle on areas that stick out, trims, wheel arches etc.
If the area you are applying it to is big, you'll have to start taking it of at the end where you started, before it has dried at the end where you finished.
</edit>


----------

