Well patience is something I dont have so instead of buying Mezerna or whatever its called I went out and bought OTC products that where highly reccommended.

I got the turtle wax ice POLISH and did half the car, and wow its a pain to remove but it definitely makes the car shiney, and removed every single swirl mark in the car.

Then I bought Mothers Reflections and did the other half of the car....and WOW. I read on the Autopia site that this wax is good for flake paints and it really did make my Silverstone darker and make the flake POP!!!!!

Now the thing is Reflections has cleaning agents in it...so if I polish with ICE is it a waste of time.

So basically ice is like a glass like reflection and shine, while Reflections darkens the car and makes the paint appear deeper and the flake has POP and depth to it.

I just dont want to waste 3 hours on Sunday doing both

 

If Mothers Reflections is your favourite than use it. A couple of others points besides shine:

a. How is the cleaning ability? Are you pulling dirt off the car when waxing?

b. How long does it last?

 

well I claybar'd the car so there where no particles in the paint.

but I want to know if the Reflections will just remove the ICE polish since it says it has cleansers in it???? so polishing with ICE may be wasted product and energy

 

well to detailers, most OTC products are garbage... so i say yes

i'm not trying to offend you or anything, but i'm just giving you my honest opinion

 

yes to what? is the polish going to go to waste if I wax it with reflections?

 

Yes.

 

i dont think ice removes swirls, it just hides them..

 

correct on that one.

 

Like stated above you're just putting a band-aid over a wound. You'll find after the wax wears off the swirls will reappear. Trying to attack swirls by hand is tedious and near impossible, a machine is pretty much required.

 

Your going to need a Porter Cable 7424.

I suggest for light swirls get a PC and a 5inch orange cutting pad with some Poorboy's SSR2 and follow up with SSR1 or another finishing polish such as Pinacle Advanced finishing. Then top off with a glaze to maximize shine and hide any swirls you could not have gotten out.

For very tough to get out swirls get a smaller orange cutting pad such as a 4 inch along with some Poorboys SSR2.5 and then finish with SSR1 or another finishing polish. Top with a glaze then a sealent/wax.

I believe in my little experience from what I have seen the correct detail for the most amazing and brilliant show car shine and protection is.

Pre-Wash
Wash/Dry
Claybar
Pre-Wax Cleaner/ Caranuba Cleaner Wax
Heavy Swirl remover
Finishing polish
Glaze
Sealent
2 coats of high grade caranuba wax

This is the most advanced detail you can give your car if you want to give it the best.

You can cut out the glaze/claybar/sealents for a cheaper still gorgeous looking detail however the claybar adds contamination removal while the glaze adds shine and scratch/swirl cover and the sealent adds shine/protection.

 

I cannot talk too much trash on the the popular OTC products because you will find quite a few of them in my garage. I still use ICE and NXT on my work truck because both are easy to use, inexpensive, and do give decent (temporary results). ICE can be a huge pain to remove if you use to much. Use a very small amount per half quarter panel and go from there. It does not remove ANYTHING, it will simply fill in the finer swirls and scratches for a short period of time. Same with the NXT of Mothers. However, for a daily driver or work vehicle it does the job.

However, neither have or will ever touch my Z or vehicles I do. Menzerna polishes have been my favorite over time and they have a wide range of cutting polishes to fit each job. A solid two step polishing process will remove the majority of medium and fine scratches. When followed by a quality wax you can maintain that finish for two to three months, with only a one step polish the remainder of the year if you wash your vehicle properly.

In short, OTC products will give you a nice temporary result. However, if you wish to truly restore your finish and shine I would recommend stepping up to a PC of FLEX and the higher quality products out there. Starting with good product line such as Menzerna, Poorboys, P21S, or even the 3M professional line will actually save you money and aggravation over time.