I've a few questions:

I drive a 1990 Mazda MX5 and I wash my car usually every other weekend; just a hose and a sponge with some car shampoo. Occasionally I will follow this up with some turtlewax or something similar (especially in the summer).

My first couple of questions is

a). how often should I polish the car?

b). am I wasting my time with turtlewax and could you recommend something not too expensive as an alternative.

The paint around the jet washers on the bonnet is peeling. I expect it would be easier and cheaper to replace the bonnet with a better condition red MK.I bonnet, than respraying. Until I actually get around to doing this, is there anything I could be doing or using to reduce the peeling?

hi stiletto

over the next few weeks Dave and myself will be posting information regarding the best products and techniques to help you look after your car and get it looking its best but in the mean time i will try and answer your questions as fully as i can but feel free to ask more questions if i start blithering on!

a). how often should I polish the car? - this depends on whether you are polishing with abrasive compounds to remove scratches or waxing the car using a carnuba based wax to add a wet look gloss shine. if you are just waxing then it is best to do it after every wash to build up the layers of wax to help give a glossier shine and protect the paint.

b). am I wasting my time with turtlewax and could you recommend something not too expensive as an alternative? - in my personal and professional opinion...yes there are loads of products out there that are ten times better than turtlewax for about the same price. if you are looking for a product to use to give a gloss wet look shine then my advice would be to invest in a carnuba based wax. there are a few different manufacturers of carnuba based waxes with prices ranging from about £15 to £7'500 for a pot but have a browse on the following websites and choose something in your price range: www.cleanyourcar.co.uk or www.cleanandshiny.co.uk

with regards to your bonnet, it sounds like you are experiencing clear coat failure where basically the lacquer that is on top of the paint is peeling. if you buy a new bonnet it is very likely that you won't find get a correct colour match so you are best off having it resprayed and blended into the wings so you don't end up with panels that are different colours

What a prompt and detailed reply!!

Thank you.

I like this forum...

i thought you might

A couple of years ago I discovered that if you add MER shampoo and MER polish into the wash water it'll leave a coat of polish behind on the car after washing it.

And I dry the whole car after washing it with one of those window cleaning cloths that you get from Lidl.

Ideal for us lazy folks.

And the good part about it is that it actually works.


Well it works if you actually take the time to wash the car to begin with.

I have one of my cars detailed (OK, by Dave and crew) and it's the best way of being really, really lazy because once they've done it, you only have to wipe the thing down with a damp cloth for it to look as good as the moment they left it.

And you probably think I'm exaggerating - but I'm not. It's saved me hours of bucket and sponge wielding. I'm not plugging Sportscarperformance specifically, but anyone who spends a LOT of time getting their car right will more than save that time in the long term.