Here's what two years of road film looks like

[alistairgd]

So last summer the passenger side of my c-class didn't get it's usual polish.

Even I was surprised at the tar and road film that built up on the paintwork. Super resin polish soon sorted that out though.

Passenger side polished wing with passenger door showing 2 years of neglect. This is washed - all that yellow and black tar is stuck to the door.



After half an hour of autoglym super resin, the original luster is just about back. Finish the door, apply some wax and it'll be stunning again.

 

[Deletedmember130310]

I would have used a clay bar before polishing.

 

[alistairgd]

Yeh I think a lot of people would have, but it's a one step process with the polish, it removes all that gunk and leaves a protective coat in one step, rather than bar then polish.

I did clay bar on the bumper once and it was a lot of work that still needed a polish after.

 

[Daveuk]

I used a clay bar on my E Class estate it took forever


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[alistairgd]

I used a clay bar on my E Class estate it took forever


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Yeh I don't see the point in a two step process when Autoglym super resin does it all in one step. You probably burnt a good amount of cals though

 

[Deletedmember130310]

But surely you are just coating all that grime with a top coat of polish if you dont denominate first?

 

[alistairgd]

But surely you are just coating all that grime with a top coat of polish if you dont denominate first?

The polish has cleaner built in, it lifts all that grime and dissolves tar spots and leave the paintwork glass smooth. I tried clay bar before - there is no benefit I could see. Autoglym super resin, used it for years.

 

[baxlin]

I would have used a clay mitt at the very least, you can feel the contaminants being lifted into the mitt. SRP does have some grime lifting properties, but when you try the 'polythene bag test' you will see how much smoother the surface is when clayed first.

(Not to mention EGP and a wax to completely protect the surface)

Not knocking SRP, I use it regularly on both our cars.

 

[clk320x]

The polish has cleaner built in, it lifts all that grime and dissolves tar spots and leave the paintwork glass smooth. I tried clay bar before - there is no benefit I could see. Autoglym super resin, used it for years.

It doesn’t protect the paint though you need to wax it after don’t you?

 

[Doodle]

The cleaner that SRP contains is not intended to deal the same things as a clay bar. Cleaner waxes are designed to remove old wax remnants and add a level of polishing at the same time as getting a fresh layer of wax on. They can only use the polishing action to abrade the contaminants, they can't lift them clear like a clay bar so I'm afraid all you've done is smash 2 years worth of fallout into your paint.

The saving grace is that white is pretty good at hiding swirls, along with the large amount of fillers that SRP contains.

 

[alistairgd]

The cleaner that SRP contains is not intended to deal the same things as a clay bar. Cleaner waxes are designed to remove old wax remnants and add a level of polishing at the same time as getting a fresh layer of wax on. They can only use the polishing action to abrade the contaminants, they can't lift them clear like a clay bar so I'm afraid all you've done is smash 2 years worth of fallout into your paint.

The saving grace is that white is pretty good at hiding swirls, along with the large amount of fillers that SRP contains.

Yeh white is good at hiding swirls, and there is a small filler benefit I notice with SRP. But there is no abrasion effect - that's not my experience of using SRP on cars for a couple of decades. The method is key though; working in small areas I apply a quick spread of SRP over a wider area which starts breaking down the contaminants with the petroleum chemicals, then as the polishing process gently continues it simply wipes off with little pressure.

I found that a product that dissolves contaminants offers less risk of swirls and loses contaminants into the depth of a microfibre cloth is less risk than a product like a claybar that does not have dissolving properties.

After spoiling a red VW about 30 years ago I hate swirl marks and always have an eye out for them, but am happy to report that even under harsh light there are only occasional hairlines and no swirls showing up after 5 years of care to my C Class.

So for me it's a win win, less time, same glass smooth finish and a deep gloss that looks great in the sun - ready for a wax application for longevity.

Each to their own though - clay bar didn't impress me when I tried it so I reverted to Autoglym's SRP. I still have a claybar though - if it has any life left in it I'll give it another go and compare the finish.

 

[optimusprime]

Good polish if keept in doors ,.But out side it will be lucky to last a week . You need a good wax to protect the bodywork .

 

[Doodle]

But there is no abrasion effect

Errr...how do you think polish works?

 

[Gbrowncls55]

Clayed the cls55 for the first time in Monday using G3 clay mitt. Never done it before so a bit nervous. But so easy and effective. Leaves a totally clean surface with a full shine ready for a coat of wax. Lovely final result for a few hours til the pollen and dust settled on it again....

 

[clk320x]

Errr...how do you think polish works?

Tbf I don’t think SRP has much/any cutting action, it’s just full of fillers which mask imperfections for a few days/weeks.

 

[WDB124066]

Was there any nano treatment on that uncleaned portion prior to film build up?

 

[MancMike]

Yeah, “nano treatment”. This picture was two years in the making.

 

[Doodle]

Tbf I don’t think SRP has much/any cutting action, it’s just full of fillers which mask imperfections for a few days/weeks.

I agree, compared to the likes of NFS, Z-AIO and Werkstat Prime it's pretty tame.

 

[renault12ts]

OP...good job.

 

[Alex225]

SRP is slightly abrasive as otherwise it wouldn't polish marks out. It will remove very light scratches or paint transfer but also contains fillers as it's not cutting enough back to correct swirls but will leave a decent shine.

To be fair, I'm surprised that it's remove tar the way it has. Personally I would have clayed the panel as in theory by using polish you're dragging that clay and other debris over the paint before buffing it off.

In terms of protection though, SRP will leave the paint beading for a week or so but it needs a layer of wax or sealant (or both!) to keep it looking it's best.