Polish or not?

First of all thank you Azz for adding this section.

Car polishing for or against?

Some say that polishing a car paintwork protects the paint against the elements and this may well be true.
However every coin has 2 sides and against is no matter what companies say the is a slight abrasive in the polish which over a time takes off the top layer of paint albeit a minute amount.

I spoke about this to a funeral company and asked how they manage to always have shiny cars.

I was told they never polish them only wipe them down with a chamois cloth if it had been raining. Also to be careful to make sure one never wipes over edges as they will wear out the paint.

Re: Polish or not?

I normally use Turtle Wax shampoo on my vehicles then chamois off to finish, so no actual polishing involved .

Re: Polish or not?

I did raise a few point in another thread so will deal with the major ones and await questions for the others.

So you are out to buy a second hand car, what should you do?
If you know the number plate before going to look you can and should have an HPI check to see the cars history as in breakers repair - debt etc. There are several firms offering this on the net for a small fee.

So you at the place where the car is for sale , Looks great but never look if it has been raining all cars shine then. Wait until a dry day and then check the shut lines- where doors and bonnet and boot meet the main body. any discrepency should send a warning something has happened in its history.
Also stand at the back at an angle to look along the sides, it is nigh impossible to do an exact match respray as paint fades and can't be matched properly. Lift the bonnet and check the car VIN number against the log book they should match, also a place where accident front end damage might show up.

Ok get inside and see if the peddle rubbers are worn or the steering wheel is shiny , this shows a lot of use the mileometer may not be true. Check the electrics, door the windows go up and down -do the lights work and everything else.

Ok next is the test run, most just drive around a bit and back to the start. Wrong, always try reverse , this is whee any gearbox faults will show up the most as will clutch problems.

Ok your not a mechanic so get one of the motoring organisations to do a mechanical check for you, they can probe further than a private motorist with a knowledgeable friend
If all are ok then go ahead with the purchase.

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What colour car a quick tip

you might like a nice dark red blue or something. Remember the darker the paint colour the softer the paint as it takes more pigment to create that colour. So best if possible to go for a lighter colour.

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Air suspension
try and avoid getting a car fitted with it. Ok why? on a conventional car setup the wheels remain in a virtical position and the camber doesn't have much effect on the tyres at the front.

However having had a Toyota Landcruiser Amazon and talked to others like BMW X5 owners and other makes with air suspension, What happens is the front wheels lean over putting a lot of wear on the front tyres outside edge. I was lucky to even get 18,000 miles on my Toyota on previous ones i had it was more like 35,000 miles.
They don't tell you that when buying

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cars I have owned

1954 model Ford Anglia 100e
Hilman Imp
Singer Vogue estate
Hillman Hunter GT
Isuzy troopeer
Honda CRV
3 Toyota Landcruiser Amazons
series 3 land rover defender
Range Rover
Ford explorer
Ford escort
Kia Sorento
Kia Ceed
Honda civic
Nissan xtrail
Austin minivan
Toyota 4runner
landrover freelander
2x lexus Rx 300
Renault Clio
Can't think of any more at the moment

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My worst make of car was Kia. Cheaply made in Korea and spares at the time were sent by boat , terrible service
On the Sorento (brfand new) after 800 miles the brake discs warped causing shuddering on the steering wheel First bad time of he year put it into 4 wheel drive and the anti bake warning light came on, then even worse would not go into 4WD.
It went back 3 times ,twice to where I bought it and the third time to another main dealer. Turned out water had got into the wiring underneath causing a short. Would they replace the wiring loom under warranty? No they crimp in a section instead. Also had to have a new engine part which took 3 months to get and fit.

terrible company and they do not uphold their 7 yr warranty, the Ceed radio never worked properly and the refused to replace it with the excuse electric wern't covered. Also the centre of the alloy wheels started rusting which should not happen being Alloy

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All very well RS but isn't this thread about polish?

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I once had a Kia Sportage it was a really good car I never polished it in fact I have hardly ever polished any care I have owned.

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Don't get a spare tyre from a main dealer they charge the earth,I have got a new space saver for Sues Honda Civic which save her when she got a puncture, she didn't want me initially to get one.
I got it off ebay and it was new with jack and spanner for the fraction of the main dealer price.

Those squirty things I would not trust


Now in her good books And i bought a set of 4 full size used wheels and tyres for the freelander kept the best and sold on the other 3 for the price I paid for all for, just got a new tyre fitted and save a whole load of cash