Best Wax for F40 and Plexiglass

I still like carnauba based products and btw I would be glad to come over and polish that beauty if you let me sit in it, or I will just hold the bottle for you if you want to do it yourself, lol

 

Whatever wax you prefer on steel cars will work fine. I'd definitely apply and remove the wax by hand, but if polishing is needed then a machine would be useful (but only in the hands of someone very familiar with its use).

Novus makes some nice polishes and cleaners designed specifically for plastics. I use Novus polishes and Brillianize to clean and maintain plastics in my cars and elsewhere.

 

I've used zymol for about 10 years and nothing else shines like it.

 

been using it 20 years and think its even better than the synthetics ive seen

 

Use whatever you wish to. Paint is paint...as long as the prep work is done correctly it will look fantastic!

As far as the plexi, I usually use Plexus to clean and protect it.

 

+1 on Plexus, works great to clean and even polishes out slight imperfections. They sell it at motorcycle shops because the two wheelers use in on their windshields.
Alden

 

Truer words were never spoken. The biggest difference in LSPs is their longevity. I have "cheap" LSPs on part of my black car and expensive ones on other parts. I don't notice much difference in shine at all, and after you've cleaned the car once or twice all those glossy oils left behind by blingy LSPs are gone anyway, so everything evens out. My current favorite LSPs are Collinite over Menzerna Power Lock because of how it lasts. Screw the bling-- I have too much to do to keep applying wax all the time. Anyway, it's the prep work that makes the real shine.

 

For the Plexi - Dupont Sontara Window Wipes available through Sporty's Pilot Shop. For the paint, any good quality wax. I prefer Carnauba.

 

Plastic polish for the plexiglass

I would be very careful in machine polishing since the paint is so thin

 

Machine polishing with Plexus on the plexiglass will save a lot of time and elbow grease. I found the plexiglass to be very tough to detail without machine help. I hand waxed\polished the paint. A machine is a lot quicker if you can get used to the various stages of the pads.

 

Are you planning on DIY or have it professional detailing?

 

Interesting comment about GU's I did not know about gloss units as a recognized testable measure. I have never seen any waxes actually ranked by this measure, although I suppose the GU rating might not be the same as a subjective appearance for other factors relating to the paint colour, smoothness of finish, etc.

I am big fan of Pinnacle Souveran wax. It is a final top coat wax, so other products are needed to prep the surface for maximum effect. As for the other products, for a car with a good surface finish already, i.e no deep scratches, oxidation fade or environmental contaminants (probably the case for an F40 unless raced), having tried many products, some of the Mothers three step product widely available surprisingly seems up for the job with really no chance of damaging the paint if done by hand on a clean car, and I have not found better prep products for hand application (found most are equal, albeit some are easier to apply and remove, some have terrible odours, etc.). The paint prep removes old wax and very minor imperfections, the glaze is the second step which seems to have an ultra mild polishing effect, then use the Pinnacle as the finisher, which can be layered after a few days to give a very deep glow, more than a bling like shine per se. For those who want the shine, the synthetic products are the way to go, many like the boutique Zaino products for this purpose. Lots of work to do all three steps, but I enjoy detailing , you almost get into a zen like trance to focus on the job which proves relaxing (other than the sore arm from all the hand polishing required!). Once you start using oribitals or other machines, the product used is more based on what the experience of the operator deems predictable. Using correct pads and orbital speeds, ie. the operator skill, is more important than the many good products used for more advanced paint "correction". I find the oribital very effective in swirl removal and such, but only if the surface requires that type of more intense polishing. Ferrari's tend to get over polished. I oribitaled prepped mine years ago but with meticulous care and waxing since see no need to do this with any regularity (but have had considerable success on more rough daily drivers that I perfected my polishing skills on).

To my knowledge the paint used on the F40 was the same as used on other Ferrari's in period, a single pac solvent based paint, ie. no clear coats, but sprayed with less thickness than on regular cars, so it argues for careful hand rather than machine techniques.

For the plexiglas, I find the Plexus is fine but extremely mild, will not remove any scratches, albeit I have never used a machine as one of the threads noted. Hard to see getting a machine to deal with the complex louvered lid on the F40. Might be best to do the Plexus by hand to clean things up, then coat with 303 Aerospace protectant, which will give the UV protection, and fill in very slight imperfections. Does not seem to attract dust like some other plastic protectants.