Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer Review & How To

Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer Review & How To

by Mike Phillips

The importance of good surface prep cannot be overstated.

Good surface prep provides two primary benefits.

  • Restores gloss and clarity
  • Creates a clean surface to which your choice of wax or paint sealant will bond or adhere

Restores gloss and clarity
Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer will restore gloss and clarity to dull, lifeless paint while gently cleaning the surface of any staining, old layers of wax or other impurities to enable maximum bonding or adhesion to the paint by your favorite wax or paint sealant.

Versatile
It's easy to use and versatile in that it can be applied by both hand or a DA style polisher like any of these: PC 7424XP, Griot's Garage Random Orbital Polisher, Meguiar's G110 and even the Flex 3401.

Fresh base = fresh start
The Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer removes old layers of wax and/or paint sealant to provide what's referred to as a fresh base onto which you can then apply a fresh coat of wax or paint sealant. A quality wax or paint sealant requires a clean surface in order for the protection ingredients to bond or to adhere. This is why periodically you want use a safe and gently prewax cleaner like Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer to remove old layers of wax and/or paint sealants and start fresh. This will maximize the protection and beauty offered by your choice of LSP (last step product).



Review
I tested the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer both by hand and by machine. Either way it was easy to use and did exactly what the label claims it will do and that's clean the surface of impurities while restoring a crystal clear surface, perfect for applying a wax or paint sealant over.

The test vehicle is parked outside 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and while the paint has very little to no swirls, it did need to be washed and clayed before any prep work could be done. This is where the Wolfgang product line shines as there is a complete selection of complementary products in this line which enables you to tackle every detailing aspect for your vehicle.

Before testing out the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer we washed the test car using Wolfgang Auto Bathe car wash soap and after drying the car we clayed the paint using Wolfgang Clay Lubricant and Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay.

 
By Hand
The directions on the bottle state:

Apply a nickel size amount to a terry or microfiber applicator pad. Work on small areas at at time. Go over the surface using back-and-forth motions allowing a slight haze to forum. Buff off the dry film with a clean microfiber cloth.

When working by hand I personally like to use a cleaner/polish wet, which means use it heavier than what might be recommended by the manufacture because I like plenty of lubrication on the surface while I'm working the product and because I want plenty of the cleaning ingredients working for me to clean the surface to remove any impurities or previously applied wax or paint sealant.

The recommendation to work on a small area at a time is pretty normal when working by hand. You can tackle a larger area if you like but only if the paint is in pretty good shape to work with. As a rule of thumb, the more neglected the finish, the smaller the area you want to work. After claying, the paint on this car wasn't in too bad of shape so I was actually able to tackle large sections at a time. Use you own judgment for the condition of the paint you're working on.

Keep in mind that when you first start out and your applicator pad is dry that some of the product will seep into the foam. As you continue to work with the product your applicator pad will become more wet with product and as such future application of product onto your applicator pad less will soak in less and less so there will be more on the surface to spread and work over the paint. The important point is to have an ample amount of product on the surface when cleaning and polishing the paint. Ample meaning not to little, not too much, just right.

The Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer has a rich lotion-like consistency, somewhat like a hand lotion, so it's very easy to spread out and work over the paint. Directions state to apply in a back and forth motion when applying by hand.
Squeeze a nickel to a quarter size amount of Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer onto the applicator pad. Wipe on Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer in a back and forth motion.
Apply to one section at a time. Buff off Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer with a Cobra Microfiber Polishing Cloth.
The dried residue wipes off easily with a Cobra Microfiber Polishing Cloth. Flip the towel as needed to remove all the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer.
The instructions also state to allow the product to dry to a haze before removing, probably so the fillers are left behind, so I followed these instructions and found the dried residue wiped off easily using a microfiber polishing cloth.
After hand application, Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer left a clear, reflective shine.
By Machine

Next I applied the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer by machine using the Porter Cable 7424XP with a white 5.5" CCS Polishing Pad. For this test I applied the product in an X-pattern to the face of the pad and then applied to one half of the hood on the 5.0 Speed Setting. The Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer has a long, smooth buffing cycle, which I like to refer to as play time, as in the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer offers a long play time; that is you can buff wet for a long time before the product starts to disappear. I broke the half hood I was working on into 4 sections and buffed each section for about a minute making 4-6 section passes for each section and then at the end blended all sections together using long, sweeping passes over the entire half of the hood.
Apply an X of Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer across the white polishing pad. In this case, Mike used a 5.5 inch CCS White Polishing Pad on the Porter Cable 7424XP DA Polisher.
Work in a back and forth, slow motion to ensure good coverage. Allow Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer to dry to a light haze.
Buff off Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer with a Cobra Microfiber Polishing Cloth.

Again, the label states to let the product haze before removing with a microfiber towel and that's what I did, just like the half of the hood I worked on by hand.

The leftover residue on machine side wiped of easily and left behind a crystal clear finish with great gloss and shine. Again, like the hand side, it looked like I just wiped off a wax or paint sealant.

 

Results after Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer
A clear, clean, smooth glossy surface. Perfectly prepared for application of wax or paint sealant.

The paint is shown here after using just Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer. As a prewax cleaner, it prepares the paint for wax or a paint sealant.

 

Results after application of Wolfgang Fuzion Carnauba Polymer Estate Wax

Here the paint is topped with Wolfgang Fuzion Estate Wax. Mike could have also used Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant with beautiful results.

Working by machine is so much faster and easier as long as your choice of product also works well by machine, and Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer is very machine-friendly.

Summary
The Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer is an excellent pre-wax cleaner/polish for use by hand or with a DA style or orbital polisher. It cleans and polishes the surface restoring a clear, glossy finish perfect for applying your choice of wax or paint sealant. It's easy to apply and work over the paint and wipe-off is just as easy. If you have a car in good condition then this is a great choice for einsuring the paint is clean, clear and smooth before waxing or sealing the paint.
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