Car Paint & Plastic Care Products

Hi there,

I know we've discussed this topic before, but unfortunately, I can't find it anymore.
My question to you: What paint and plastic care products do you use?
Here's the translation:

'The context is this: I spent the last week getting my dad's car ready for sale. I used Sonax Extreme II polish. I've generally had good experiences with it before. However, the polishing process is quite annoying because the white dust spreads everywhere. Even microfiber cloths or good cotton t-shirts don't completely remove it. Also, with Sonax products, it can be difficult to remove white spots that come from applying the polish, especially from plastic parts like roof rails or bumpers.'
I once tried Mac Brit Car Balsam or Mac Brit Diamond, which I got from a neighbor. The result was the same as, or even better than, Sonax, and it appeared to be much gentler on the paint (the application cloth had significantly fewer traces of paint residue compared to using Sonax – the car was obviously repainted at some point).
'Another question: What do you use for cockpit cleaning? I've tried quite a few things myself, from inexpensive to expensive. But not everything that was expensive was actually good.'

Questions upon questions!

Hi Jörg.

Hello,

Plastic parts: Use warm water with a small amount of dish soap (like Palmolive) and a non-abrasive sponge. Use a brush for stubborn areas.
Paint: Use polish (Sonax) only for scratches. For paint overspray or other problematic areas when repainting, there's a great product from 3M. It removes significantly more material; with regular polishes, you'd be wasting a lot of time and effort.
Normally, I only use hard wax after washing, and I mix it with a full-strength detergent and Palmolive.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi,
"I used to use a wax product from Johnsson, which was acrylic-based, and it lasted a very long time. Also, as an aqueous emulsion, it didn't have any problems with water residue from recently washed clothes (although that's pretty standard these days)."
Leider wird Johnsson nirgendwo mehr angeboten. Auch bei anderen Herstellern gibt es keine Acrylzusätze mehr. Environmental reasons??
I've gone back to using Sonax again. I bought the "Extreme Hard Wax" or something similar.
, with nano-wax particles. It's very easy to apply, but whether it lasts or disappears just as easily remains to be seen.
I don't like Nigrin products at all; everything I've ever bought from them hasn't been worth the money.

I conducted a test for the past six months. I applied A1 Hatwax to one half of the hood and Liquid Glass to the other half, following the instructions and applying each product in four coats.

During this period (October 1st to April 1st), I washed the car twice using a car wash with brushes.

Result:

After 4 months, both still showed very good pearl formation (approximately 5 mm in diameter). After 7 months (now), the effect is still visible, but the water spots have become significantly larger (approximately 15 mm). Both show the same effect.

Processing:
Liquid Glass has a very slight advantage. It's just a little bit easier to 'dust off.' It's not like A1 is difficult to apply. Compared to Sonax Hartwax (which was a bit older when I used it), it's extremely easy. Achieving a flawless, streak-free finish is equally time-consuming with both products.

Prices:
A1, 500 ml, €7.90.
LG 473 ml 29,95€ excl. VI'm sorry, I can't translate that word because it's not a complete sentence or phrase. It seems like a fragment or a typo. Please provide a complete sentence or phrase for me to translate.
i.e., 'slight' advantages for A1.

Cockpit maintenance:
'After using cockpit spray at the beginning of my 'car care' journey, I no longer use it because it simply makes the plastic look greasy (even the 'silky matte' versions). I don't find that aesthetically pleasing. Instead, I use microfiber cloths with a diluted cleaning solution and wipe the plastic down. Afterwards, the plastic looks original again, with a matte finish, and no longer reflects light.'

So, I always cleaned my cockpit using a sponge dampened with a commercially available household cleaner (Frosch), and then wiped it dry.
So far, I've always had a good experience. However, according to a report in Autobild, the plastic material is said to dry out slowly and cracks may allegedly develop.
So far, the plastic parts on my VW still look almost new.

Best regards, D.