2black1s
New member
- Jan 23, 2015
- 1,783
- 1
Just finished polishing and waxing my 2015 Black Chevy Colorado. No before shots because it really wasn't that bad, just about a year's worth of very minor swirling and marring that is nearly inevitable with black.
Since it wasn't that bad to begin with I opted for an AIO in lieu of a straight polish for the defect removal. I used Meguiar's OTC Cleaner Wax with a Meguiar's Soft Buff finishing pad on my MT300. Removing the defects was a breeze and the Cleaner Wax did a great job at that.
The plan was to stop there. But I found the Cleaner Wax difficult to wipe off completely streak free. Not difficult to wipe off, but difficult to get it completely streak free. On any other color besides black this would be a non-issue. It was only slightly evident under bright inspection lighting and on any other color I doubt that it would be detectable at all.
So I decided to top it with M26. Two coats applied by hand.
The first allowed to haze, then wiped, according to the label directions. Under my inspection light I could see scattered, random, trace, speck-like residues of dried wax left behind that would not wipe away easily. Again, if it wasn't black, I don't think you'd ever see it.
So I decided to apply a second coat and wipe it immediately without allowing time for the wax to haze. I applied the second coat quite liberally to dissolve the dried residuals from the first coat, then immediately wiped with light strokes to thin the liberal application while it was still wet. Then with a clean microfiber, immediately continued to buff to a clean finish.
I found that immediately buffing the second coat, from a wet, liberal application to finish without allowing anytime for the wax to haze provided a nicer finish. More brilliant, deeper, and wetter in appearance. And all the wiping can be done with very little pressure, less than if you allow it to haze, so there is very little risk of wipe-induced blemishes, even in black.
So... The next time I use M26 I now have a new process based on the results from today's little experiment.
It came out really nice.
I'll get some outside photos tomorrow.
View attachment 71971 View attachment 71972 View attachment 71973 View attachment 71974
Since it wasn't that bad to begin with I opted for an AIO in lieu of a straight polish for the defect removal. I used Meguiar's OTC Cleaner Wax with a Meguiar's Soft Buff finishing pad on my MT300. Removing the defects was a breeze and the Cleaner Wax did a great job at that.
The plan was to stop there. But I found the Cleaner Wax difficult to wipe off completely streak free. Not difficult to wipe off, but difficult to get it completely streak free. On any other color besides black this would be a non-issue. It was only slightly evident under bright inspection lighting and on any other color I doubt that it would be detectable at all.
So I decided to top it with M26. Two coats applied by hand.
The first allowed to haze, then wiped, according to the label directions. Under my inspection light I could see scattered, random, trace, speck-like residues of dried wax left behind that would not wipe away easily. Again, if it wasn't black, I don't think you'd ever see it.
So I decided to apply a second coat and wipe it immediately without allowing time for the wax to haze. I applied the second coat quite liberally to dissolve the dried residuals from the first coat, then immediately wiped with light strokes to thin the liberal application while it was still wet. Then with a clean microfiber, immediately continued to buff to a clean finish.
I found that immediately buffing the second coat, from a wet, liberal application to finish without allowing anytime for the wax to haze provided a nicer finish. More brilliant, deeper, and wetter in appearance. And all the wiping can be done with very little pressure, less than if you allow it to haze, so there is very little risk of wipe-induced blemishes, even in black.
So... The next time I use M26 I now have a new process based on the results from today's little experiment.
It came out really nice.
I'll get some outside photos tomorrow.
View attachment 71971 View attachment 71972 View attachment 71973 View attachment 71974
