[minirossa]

OK, I've read all the threads on types of wax
(jeez) but how are folks APPLYING the stuff?

By hand or with a polishing machine?

Wise souls in the autobiz in Detroit told me
to stay away from machines for fear of damaging
the paint. That was in my youth; now I want to
get the waxing over with & drive!

A friend of mine has a polisher & had good luck.
Griot's recommends a polisher too.

Any thoughts, experiences and or advice?

[erazo]

I had an electric polisher once and I sold it in a garage sale. As a labor-saving device, it failed. It's no easier to use than a hand applicator, unless you have a handicap of some kind. With a hand applicator, such as a terrycloth towel, you can repeatedly fold to a clean surface. With an electric polisher, you need to keep changing the cloth.

Maybe if you were restoring a large oxidized surface with rubbing compound, an electric polisher may be useful. Otherwise, it's no more useful than an electric toothbrush.

But if you really want one, check out the garage sales. Somebody is bound to be selling one, cheap.

[chiph]

I bought a Sears random-orbit Craftsman model. I'm waiting for a neighborhood garage sale to sell it.

The problems I saw were:

1) It didn't get into the nooks & crannies on the SUV.
2) The terrycloth pad loaded up & needed to be changed too often.
3) The cord was out of control - even draping it over my back didn't help.
4) It was loud - couldn't hear the radio while I worked.

Chip H.

[minirossa]

Thanks for the replies!

Good point about changing the pad on the machine.

How does one avoid all those "swirl marks" the you
get after hand waxing? I realise that they fade away
after a while; but there must be a way to minimise them.
Maybe I am applying to much pressure.

I thought one advantage of a machine is you get a
smooth glass-like finish when you are done waxing.

[chiph]

Actually, I found I had more swirl-marks with the power tool than by just waxing by hand. It may depend on the brand of wax you're using (I was using Zymol paste).

Just gave the Accord it's first wash today (this is my interim car until I can get my Cooper S in December). Probably won't wax it, because with 12 years of scratches & dings on it (plus the clearcoat is flaking off on the roof), it'll end up looking worse. A shiny car over top of the faded & cracked hubcaps would just look stupid anyway.

Chip H.

[BrantV]

Haven't waxed my vehicle in years. Truck looks better with war paint (mud).

However, I prefer a waxing to be done by hand. The machines just get too messy.

[Martin L]

I do it by hand. It doesn't take that long as there isn't much of a car to wax
When I get my S that'll have a sunroof and that means even less metalwork to wax

[clarus]

Most upmarket polishes, such as Meguiars and Zaino's recommend applying their products by hand. I bought a $200 machine polisher last year, and have used it once. The only real use I found for it was on an old 1978 Toyota Corolla, where I didn't care too much about the overall finish, just wanted to use a cleaner wax to try and remove 20 years of oxidation etc.

Here is a quote from the Zaino website:

Quote:

Q: Can I use an orbital polisher to apply/remove Zaino polish?A: Yes, you can use an orbital to apply Zaino Z-2, Z-3, or Z-5. I don't recommend it because you waste too much polish that way. The pad on an eleven inch polisher can absorb almost enough polish to coat your entire vehicle. Each time you use an orbital to apply Zaino polish, you are probably wasting as much polish, if not more than you actually applied to the car.