How soon to polish a new car?

[Xrate]

Hey guys, I'm from South East Asia where the majority of us know nuts about detailing. So I thought I'd ask the experts. Note, we don't have all the products you guys have and tend to have to use inferior products due to price.

Anyway, my family has recently acquired a new polished metal coloured Honda. Two days after that I washed with Meguiar's Quik Suds (a discontinued product if I'm not mistaken), clayed with a Perma Glass clay bar with the aforementioned shampoo and then waxed with Meguiar's Deep Crystal System Carnauba Wax.

The results are superb but recently the car has come under attack from birds and today I discovered a mild swirl and a few fine scratches. No biggie but the hood and roof area is a little rough after washing. I'm about to purchase a cleaner wax or paint cleaner thing (a Japanese brand called Soft 99) for that and Meguiar's Quik Detailer (not Ultimate, too pricey). Along the way I remembered the Deep Crystal System Polish from Megs.

For those tl/dr folks out there, how soon should I polish? I'm trying to lay off purchasing the DCS Polish until next year. If I'm right, NXT Tech Wax (I have a bit, enough for one car) has 'pure' polish in it.

I notice every brand has a different 'polish'. Turtle Wax polish for instance seems to be a wax. I'm just wondering how necessary this 'pure polish' thing is. As you can see, I'm very confused right now.

Sorry for the wall of text, any feedback would be appreciated :) .

[RaskyR1]

I gave my new car a light polish they day I picked it up to remove light swirls (lot rot). The paint is 100% cured by the time it leaves the factory so if there are defects in the paint, there really is no reason you have to wait.

[Xrate]

I gave my new car a light polish they day I picked it up to remove light swirls (lot rot). The paint is 100% cured by the time it leaves the factory so if there are defects in the paint, there really is no reason you have to wait.

See this is why I'm all confused. Meguiar's has their polish as some kind of product to revitalize paint while others label theirs differently.

Hm. I'm planning to do a mildly abrasive paint clean/ polish whatever using the Japanese brand I mentioned.

I was hoping to save a few bucks (ok more like 50 bucks in my currency) if I hold out on Step 3 (Meguiar's cycle) for a few months. Maybe freshen it up with NXT Tech Wax which I hope has polish in it when my current Megs Carnauba goes off. Still beading like a champ though it's only been a week. In this hot weather with sudden torrential rain, I'm not sure how long it will last.

I gather a metallic gun metal like paint (the Accord has this color internationally if I'm not mistaken) won't get as shiny as a black (we also have a black car). Maybe I should post some pictures, it looked pretty good when it was in a car shop the other day for a bit.

Sorry I post long, it's a bad habit I need to get out of.

[JonMiles]

Xrate, what polishes do you have access to over there? If you can get 85rd, you can get minor swirls out and bring up the gloss a lot. Another option 205 on a DA will finish very nicely.

[BobbyG]

New cars today have a very tough factory baked finish that's completely cured when you pick it up at the dealer. You can treat this anyway you''d like but proper care and maintenance will keep it looking better than new for a long, long time.

[Xrate]

Xrate, what polishes do you have access to over there? If you can get 85rd, you can get minor swirls out and bring up the gloss a lot. Another option 205 on a DA will finish very nicely.

Erm yes. I forgot this.

Normal brands we have are Turtle Wax, Perma Glass, Meguiar's, Autoglym, Optimum (read about this, not seen it around), Mother's (online order), Armorall, F1, Eagle One, Kit and a few local brands. A DA? If it's a machine, I'm all manpower here hehe. The swirls are only at the back half and very minor scratches on the hood and boot lid as well as a rough feeling on the roof and hood although I've clayed them.

Right now I can't figure out Meguiar's polish. It claims to be a pure polish that isn't abrasive so... what does it do? Is it worth buying for a new car?


New cars today have a very tough factory baked finish that's completely cured when you pick it up at the dealer. You can treat this anyway you''d like but proper care and maintenance will keep it looking better than new for a long, long time.


The OCD part of me keeps wondering if it can be even shinier than it already is. Harder to tell with metallic gray than black.

[Xrate]

Guys, sorry to double post but I can't find the edit button.

Anyway, I've discovered the source of my confusion. The Meguiar's product I was talking about is actually a glaze although it's touted as a 'polish'. I'm guessing it's ok to skip this step? Maybe I'll purchase it next year. Mother's also has a glaze which is a few bucks more expensive.

[buddhadog]

yes u can skip the glaze !

[silverfox]

The same day you take delivery....then you are SET!

[SATracker]

I bought a 2010 black RAV4, the dealer "cleaned it up" for me; anyway, I took it home and totally detailed it. So my answer is Yes, start now.