Question...

[StealthB14]

Okay, I have had my 1997 Sentra for two and a half years, and I have noticed every time that I polish and wax my car, it seems that the black from the paint comes off onto the applicator pad. Is this normal? I use meguiars Gold Cl*** wax and polish. If it isn't, does anyone know of a way that I can stop this from happening?!

[Jason B]

Originally posted by SEN1997:
Okay, I have had my 1997 Sentra for two and a half years, and I have noticed every time that I polish and wax my car, it seems that the black from the paint comes off onto the applicator pad. Is this normal? I use meguiars Gold Cl*** wax and polish. If it isn't, does anyone know of a way that I can stop this from happening?!<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]That is normal to some degree. Just use light pressure when waxing and you should be ok. What you are seeing on the pad is the in-ground dirt and some of the oxidation.

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[ 02-06-2002, 04:00 PM: Message edited by: Jason B ]

[StealthB14]

I mean it kind of concerns me, because I look at my pad after waxing and polishing, and they are damned close to being black. I'm a former honda owner (88 Accord), and don't recall having this problem. I haven't had this problem before with my dad's 98 Altima, and my mom's 93 Quest. I'm wondering if its because both of those cars have a clearcoat finish, and I'm not sure if mine does (I got it used)

[bretfraz]

SEN,

Sounds like you've got a single stage paint job (no clearcoat). These have been phased out of car production over the last few years but there were some cars being painted in solid colors that didn't have clearcoats.

Some paint removal is normal. If removal seems excessive your paint is either badly oxidized or the product you are using is too aggressive. Gold Class has a good amount of polish in it; that's how they get the high gloss to happen. But I don't think it's excessively aggressive. I know lots of people using it and they're happy.

Has your car been repainted? A poor respray could also cause this problem.

You might want to try a different product or two just to compare results. Maybe borrow some from a buddy and test on a small area.

You are correct about the other vehicles having a clearcoat paint job.

[Nismo]

images/icons/shocked.gif AAHHH!!!! Quit using that stuff now!!!
Any product with the word "polish" in it should not be used on a regular basis, and definitely not on a new car. Polishes have abrasives in them which eat away the top layer of finish. This is good if you want to polish off a layer of oxidized paint on an old car, before applying a protective layer of wax, but should never be used on a good paint job. Use wax, not polish.