:P Well now that I've got her running quite well, I though I should treat her to a bit of a valet.

So how do you get your Volvo's looking so good?

I have mainly used Autoglym products in the past but the polish doesn't impress me the way it used to.

I hear good things about Meguiars products but never used them.

What about these clay bars you can get - are these an alternative to the good old T-Cut?
Are they worthwhile and do they work as well as they claim - and how easy are they to use? (T-cut is too much like hard work!)

What sort of polish do you use - polymer / wax ....?

With the price of some this stuff, it could get rather pricey using the old trial and error method so I though I would ask you guys for some recommendations and tips.

I'm sure we've all stood in the shop and read the packets and thought 'Wow' ~ but some of these products just don't come up to scratch and only disappoint.

So any tips and advice would be most welcome :liebe011:

:cat: Good morning Volvo Virgin.

Which one is best is a major question.

I use Autoglym for the leather care and Meguiars NXT range for the exterior.

I doubt that you will find much difference between the two products you already use and other manufacturers products.

I've read heaps about American paint and the polish/wax/whatever for it and European paint and the polish/wax/whatever for it.

The only conclusion I've come up with is that they are all good with very little between them.

Meguiars are fairly honest with their products though. With their NXT range you are already told that it will probably need rewaxing after you have washed your vehicle 8 times. I prefer to read that type of product disclosure rather than be promised a year without re-waxing. It just doesn't happen that way.

From this forum-you'll read many replies about our experiences and perceptions about the one we use-but the results all appear to be the same.

It is all hard work.

Cheers :right:

You can't get past a good wash, clay bar and a good wax after.

Avoid any polishes containing cutting compounds that reduces the layer of clearcoat.

Mequiars NXT is pretty good.

If you have a bit more money to spend and more time on your hands you can also try Zymol. They have a special Volvo formulation.

For more in-depth opinions you can also visit autopia.

Thanks for you comments so far.

Auckland, I quite agree that visually, there is often very little difference with the end result when using some of these products.

I do think however that some are more durable or are easier to apply etc.

I like your comments regarding the honesty of the Meguiars products, and I don't mind getting the polish out on a regular basis, provided it's not a pain to apply / remove.
(You can tell I'm not into hard work :grin: )

I have heard good things about the Zymol leather products but not looked into the other stuff they do.

What about the 3 step cleaner /polish/ wax stuff that Meguiars (and probably others) produce ?

I have used Autoglym's cutting polish before but have resisted the temptation to use it so far on my Volvo.
The paintwork does need some attention though and I am quite curious about the clay bars and would like to know how effective they are and how easy they are to use compared with other 'renovator' products ?

It would appear that after a wash you would spray the car and rub the clay bar across the paintwork - Do you need to use a particular detailing spray or can you just use water from a hose ?

I guess you would be able to feel the imperfections as you go and work on a panel at a time?

What do you do afterwards ? rinse and wipe down with something like a microfibre cloth or rewash and use a chamois. Followed by a good polish.

Off to check out autopia now and hope to come back and find more great advice.

For interior leather care I actually use Volvo leather kit. It is much better than other products I tried. I big thing for me was that I liked the softness of Volvo's leather seats. It keeps the leather looking new and not too shiny.
:thumbsup:

Exterior: Mequiars NXT works well but in addition I rescently got their new polymer inbetween step (between wash and wax) and it works amazing. It is a bit long of a process though.

Greg

I use Mother's clay system. Its pretty self-explanatory, but it comes with a spray then rub the clay bar ontop and wipe it off.

Then I wax with Zymol. For washes I use Meguiars Soft Gel Car Wash.

I use either MOTHERS or Mequiars Clay Bar systems.

Mequiars Deep Crystal Polish

MOTHERS California GOLD Carnauba Cleaner Wax

I have never tried the NXT, but I swear by Zymol all the way. A little on the pricey side but hey, it works. I also use Mothers clay bar. Good choices all round from the forum. Hope my two cents were worthy.

Is this the Zymol that you use ?

(IMG:http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc9/VolvoVirgin/Zymol.jpg)

It says cleaner wax, so would you use this as the name suggests to clean the paintwork after a wash and then apply another wax or polish, or as a finishing product.

Who dreams up all the names for these products, what happened to a simple product for cleaning and one for polishing, there seems to be far too many 'intermediate' type products.

You can use it once after washing the car, or as a finishing product after something like a swirl remover.