The first two articles outlined the types and usage of glazes and polishes. In
this article, I will list several quality paint cleaning agents and give a brief
synopsis of each. The most important caveat is "use the least aggressive product
to accomplish the task." It is easy to redo an area with a gentle product - it is
rather costly to replace paint once you have gotten enthusiastic with a very
aggressive product. The list is alphabetical, so infer nothing by the order. You
may read between the lines to determine my personal favorites.

3M Imperial Hand Glaze: This is my personal favorite (how is that for between the
lines?). I have tried just about every product on the market, and keep coming back
to 3M Hand Glaze. It is gentle on the paint, produces, in my humble opinion, the
deepest gloss, yet is aggressive enough to remove fine swirl marks and scratches.
It also "feeds" the paint with emollient oils. If an area needs a little more aggressive
cleaning, soak your pad in the 3M and add a small amount (about the size of your
pinkie nail) of P21 S Metal Finish Restorer Polish (don't you just love the translation
of German names?) or Blue Magic Metal Polish, mix the two together on the pad
and then rub out the area using a linear motion. Buff out and repeat if necessary.
This combo works very well on swirl marks and scratches that can be seen but not
detected with your finger nail. Once the blemish has been removed, follow with an
application of straight Hand Glaze to restore the deep shine and then wax. The
recess behind the door handles is a classic area that responds well to this
combination.

Harly Pre-Wax Cleaner: A mild chemical cleaner and polish that does a decent job
on oxidized paint, but doesn't remove scratches that well. It does work very well
on oxidized chrome.

Meguiar #01 Medium Cut Cleaner: A moderately abrasive cleaner to remove surface
defects including harsh swirl marks, oxidation, water marks, and wet sanding marks.
Follow with a fine glaze (3M or #7) and a coat of wax. This is the "medium
sandpaper" of the abrasive cleaner set, so use only if your regular glaze will not
do the job.

Meguiar #02 Fine Cut Cleaner: A mildly abrasive cleaner for fine swirl marks, water
spots, and fine defects. Follow with a fine glaze and a coat of wax. The "fine
sandpaper" in the abrasive cleaner family.

Meguiar #04 Heavy Cut Cleaner: A heavy duty abrasive cleaner for paint that is
one step away for 1-800-NEW-PAINT. This is slightly safer to use than compounds.
Should be followed by an application of #02 and then a fine glaze and a coat of
wax. Use with extreme care, or you will make some body shop person very happy.

Meguiar #06 Cleaner Wax: A one-step chemical cleaner with a liquid wax. Use for
spot application when your favorite cleaning/wax regimen is not practical, or use
on your Yugo.

Meguiar #07 Showcar Glaze: A hand applied glaze to remove fine swirls and water
spot also adds emollient oils back into the paint. Follow with a coat of quality wax.

Meguiar #09 Swirl Remover: This is a polish (chemical cleaner with an emollient oil
matrix) that works well on clear coat finishes that are in reasonably good shape.

Meguiar Medallion Paint Cleaner: Another chemical cleaner that contains a fair
amount of polymers. This may not work well with some German finishes. Designed
for use with the Medallion cationic bonding system.

Mother's Products: These products contain a fair amount of polymers, and may
cause some hydroscopic problems with certain German finishes.

One Grand Clean & Wax: A one-step chemical cleaner, filler and liquid wax. Will
hide minor swirl marks and apply a coat of wax in one operation. Another spot
repair type of product.

One Grand Glaze: A water based abrasive glaze. This is somewhat aggressive for
normal application. May be used for somewhat neglected finishes.

One Grand Omega Glaze: A fine water based abrasive glaze. Leaves a nice finish.
Seems to work better on American/Japanese finishes than German paints.

P21S Gloss-enhancing Paintwork Cleanser (another translation from German): A
superfine creamy glaze that leaves a deep rich shine. Developed by a German
company with the German finishes in mind. A very close second to 3M Hand Glaze
(did you read between the lines again?).

Sonax Polish & Wax: Another one-step chemical cleaner and liquid wax combination.
If a cleaner is designed to remove old wax, how does it know the difference
between bad old wax and good new wax?

Zymol HD Cleanse: Zymol offers the "pina colada" experience for those who enjoy
the olfactory stimulation while cleaning their paint. A touch aggressive and a touch
expensive for my taste, but defended to the death by Zymol addicts. Be aware of
a new line of Zymol products that are made by Turtle Wax and sold under the
Zymol label. If you find Zymol in K-Mart, it is really Zurtle Wax.

I hope that the last three articles have shed some light on the often confusing
world of glazes, polishes, cleaners and compounds. If anyone has any questions
on application, usage or other products, please feel free to give me a call.

(Editor's Note - Larry Reynolds also operates Car Care Specialties Inc., Distributors
of Quality Porsche Care Products, Post Office Box 535, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663-0535.
Phone 201-796-8300, Fax 201-791-9743, Email carcaresp@aol.com).