Did i grab the right products?

[omalak]

Well, pending good weather i plan to wash clay and wax my car this weekend.. or should i say attempt to.. never really done it before since i never had a car ha!

So i picked up the following products, just want to get an idea from everyone if i'm picking up products that will give me good result.. I'm not looking at or going to invest in professional products that i cant find in canadian tire. So all this is off the shelf stuff

Wash: Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash

Clay: Meguiars Smooth Clay Kit, this came with quick detailer, a microfibre cloth and 2 clay bars.

Wax: Meguiars Gold Class Wax

I have quite a bit of swirls on my hood and i also have a few dull spots, so i thought i may need a compound, i'm thinking of picking up Meguiars ultimate compound, would this help solvemy problem?

Lastly, once the waxing is done i assume it will have to be sealed, what is the best sealer i can pick up from canadian tire?

Thanks

oh and i assume the process is as follows

Wash - Dry - Clay - Compound/Polish - Wax - Seal

[MistaChin]

For sealant i use Optimum Optiseal. It's not from Canadian Tire but it's amazing stuff! Plus one bottle will last you like 40 cars. www.eshine.ca has all that good stuff.

[dentinger]

huh. didnt know you had to seal after waxing...

anything else i can use, that i can buy at CT?

[aris]

I would not recomend using a compand..from what i understand you nee d to know what you are doing and since you have never waxed a car i would hold off using any compand..

[omalak]

can't be that hard as they say you can rub it on by a hand applicator

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+G17216

[Reaper]

visit autopia.org...your one stop guide to all detailing questions..trust me that website is damn good.

[mazdabetty]

I also have a lot of swirls. Can you do mine too while you're at it?

[Olestra]

Yep, you grabbed a great set of starter products. I still use many of the products you've bought.
Wax vs sealant:
http://www.concordautospa.com/page12.html
You can get Meguair's NXT Tech 2.0 wax which is a synthetic wax. It is a great sealant that should last weeks.
The Gold Class wax is a Carnauba wax and will last maybe 1 or 2 weeks. This can be your sealant but you'd have to re-apply more often.

NXT = Synthetic sealant
Gold Class = Carnauba, more glossy
You can Gold Class on top of NXT if you choose (24 hrs after the NXT cures).

As stated, I would avoid compound/polish step until you get more familiar with detailing, handling your supplies, developing proper techniques.

You may want to use a Quick Detailer or another wash/dry step after clay and/or polish to get rid of any abrasive residue. Some say this step is unnecessary.

[-RJ3-]

I used Mothers claybar, NXT Tech 2.0, and Mothers sealant glaze

From time to time I use this product from CT called Dryshine.

Wax in a bottle... its shiny!!!

[omalak]

Thanks for the tips guys..

olestra, i think i will stick to using the gold class meguairs wax instead of NXT becasue of the glossier finish it may provide ( if i do it right that is) I dont mind waxing the car often.. i'll try this to start with..

I do have swirls mostly on my hood and a few scratches on the trunk. seeing as how some folks have told me to stay away from polish/compound for now would scratchX be a safe alternative for me to use? I really want to minimize the swirls on the hood. I'm not sure if waxing will get rid of them 9 i doubt it)

In terms of process this is what i will do, correect me if i am wrong

Wash with Meg Gold Car wash (using sheep skin mitt)
Dry Car using (synthetic drying cloth, absorber is what it is called)

Clay car with Meg Smooth Shine clay kit, i will clay and use quick detailer for lubrication, and clean using meguiars microfibre cloth

Use scratchX on areas where it is required (all of the hood, trunk, where i removed sidemolding, and any other swirl/scratch areas) once applied, clean off with microfibre cloth

Then use the Meg gold class wax, clean off with microfibre cloth.

what product can be used from canadiantire to seal the gold class wax? Or should i not worry about it since gold class should be reapplied atleast every month

:)

[Olestra]

Thanks for the tips guys..

olestra, i think i will stick to using the gold class meguairs wax instead of NXT becasue of the glossier finish it may provide ( if i do it right that is) I dont mind waxing the car often.. i'll try this to start with..

I do have swirls mostly on my hood and a few scratches on the trunk. seeing as how some folks have told me to stay away from polish/compound for now would scratchX be a safe alternative for me to use? I really want to minimize the swirls on the hood. I'm not sure if waxing will get rid of them 9 i doubt it)

In terms of process this is what i will do, correect me if i am wrong

Wash with Meg Gold Car wash (using sheep skin mitt)
Dry Car using (synthetic drying cloth, absorber is what it is called)

Clay car with Meg Smooth Shine clay kit, i will clay and use quick detailer for lubrication, and clean using meguiars microfibre cloth

Use scratchX on areas where it is required (all of the hood, trunk, where i removed sidemolding, and any other swirl/scratch areas) once applied, clean off with microfibre cloth

Then use the Meg gold class wax, clean off with microfibre cloth.

what product can be used from canadiantire to seal the gold class wax? Or should i not worry about it since gold class should be reapplied atleast every month

:)

That's a decent plan if you like the shiniest finish. You can't mess up waxing. The only advice I can give for a first timer is don't use too much product. Just use enough to spread evenly. A thin coat to cover the paint will have the same effect as a thick one.

I know swirls are annoying but they require proper technique, knowledge and preparation to tackle properly. The best way would be to get a machine polisher. I just bought a Porter Cable 7424 from eshine this year and I have been detailing for just over 2 years.
The way I see it:
Hand application: Beginner-Intermediate
Porter Cable (Dual action random orbital) - Intermediate
Rotary polisher - Advanced

Waxing won't get rid of swirls per se but they will hide them by filling in the swirls. This is because wax does not contain any abrasive materials that will remove paint. Only a polish will do this. You'll see great results after you wax and it may be good enough for you for the short term.
A body shop left buffer trails in my hatch and rear quarter panel areas. After I apply NXT, I cannot see them anymore. This was good enough for me until I got through the winter. Now I'm going to try to tackle them.

Steps should be:
-Wash
-Clay (if you dry before clay, you'll be wasting effort as you're rewetting with quick detailer/soap)
*Wash (optional since you could quick detail and clean with microfibre as you mentioned)
*Dry (optional since if you quick detail, you'll be drying at the same time)
-Wax

I would say this takes 4.5 hrs+.

Gold Class is your last step product, you're don't seal a wax. Sealant is used to seal paint and Gold class is what you're using to seal.
Some people will do another quick detail after waxing to clean up any wax residue and get some extra shine. I don't b/c I'm lazy.

One more tip is to avoid any black plastic surfaces (mirrors, around windows, back bumper, roof rails etc). Gold Class stains these white and its hard to get it off if the wax cures. If you do get it on, just wipe it off right away and use quick detailer to help you if necessary. The best way to avoid those areas is to pick up painter's tape from CT (mine is green). You don't necessarily need this either if you're careful.

Scratch X works up to a point. You can get results with ALOT of elbow grease. If you try for only a few minutes, it will appear as if nothing is happening at all.
Awesome ScratchX thread (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7011)

[omalak]

Thanks Olestra!

That really helped!

I will hopefully give this a try on the weekend.. I will pickup scratchX becasue i'm anxcious to try it on the hood (its really bad)

For now i will stick to the gold class wax.. and maybe later pickup NXT and see what kinds of results i get..

Thanks I have an orbital polisher at home, but seeing as i have no priopr experience with it and waxing i'm staying away from it.. its one of those simoniz cordless orbital polishers. with buffing pads and what not.

So from what you said above, once i;ve washed my car, i can get right to the clay and quickl detail? no need to dry it down..

If you dont dry after the wash will the clay and quick detailer get rid of dried water marks?

Thanks again :)

[kLuMzi]

If you dont dry after the wash will the clay and quick detailer get rid of dried water marks?

clay bar should pick them up easily.. i think! :chuckle

oh and nice thread, i'm learning along :pop

[SonicBoy]

Next2.0 is easier to wipe on and off and I thought I remember reading some where was like a paint sealant. It smells fruity.

Gold Class wash smells even better and suds a lot.

[Donutz]

I use the nxt paste. I used to have a midnight blue p5 and I had awesome results.

As someone suggested above, a safe bet is to try scratch x if you aren't very familiar with compounds.

I would suggest: wash, dry, clay, cleaner wax, and if you still have swirls use scratch x at this time; then wax, wash, dry. If you still have swirls after using scratch x, then use a compound. Again, if you aren't comfortable using the compound I would suggest visiting a professional detailer.

[omalak]

I use the nxt paste. I used to have a midnight blue p5 and I had awesome results.

As someone suggested above, a safe bet is to try scratch x if you aren't very familiar with compounds.

I would suggest: wash, dry, clay, cleaner wax, and if you still have swirls use scratch x at this time; then wax, wash, dry. If you still have swirls after using scratch x, then use a compound. Again, if you aren't comfortable using the compound I would suggest visiting a professional detailer.

cleaner wax? can you give me a bit more detail?

In terms of application do you mean gold class wax would require more rubbing in as opposed to the NXT?

my car is mica black, so the more gloss rich color i can get the better

[Olestra]

Cleaner wax is a step that is used to remove any old wax that is on the paint from previous wax jobs. You use this step prior to waxing.

You don't really need this step since you're claying, which strips wax.
In addition it's a new car that you're waxing for your first time, so there isn't any wax to remove aside from wax that the dealer initially put on but is probably worn away by now.

I don't dry between wash and clay because I want a wet surface to work with. Just spray on your QD and clay. One tip is to mold the clay to a flat surface, like a puck and then spray the clay with QD as well as spray the paint surface. Start with 2-3 passes in a small area (maybe start with 2 sq ft) and you will feel the clay pick up contaminants. When the clay glides like ice on a counter, then you know your paint surface is clean. Move to the next 2 sqft area. Constantly remold your clay.

I found Gold class is harder to work with because it's thicker than NXT. NXT literally is wipe on, wipe off (WOWO). It's very easy to work with and that's another reason why it's so popular. Dont' worry too much about it, your Gold Class will serve you very nicely. Also wax in areas, perhaps one panel at a time. If you wax the entire car, then go back to the first panel you started with and try to buff it out with your microfibre, you'll be kicking yourself. It'll be like trying to wipe glue off the paint.

PS those simoniz random orbitals are garbage because they don't have enough rotational speed to cut paint. That said, in the future you can try it out to see if it gives you any results. It may take a long time just like it does when polishing by hand. And if that fails, well then you can maybe use it to wax the car or use it as a door stop. =)

[Donutz]

You should have a sample bottle of cleaner wax in your meguiars claybar kit. See section 2 and 3 on this link for info about cleaner waxes / polishes: http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2409

Actually this thread is pretty good 101 for paint care.

I personally prefer the nxt because I've had good results. I have heard many good things about the gold class wax. I've never used the gold class so I can't say if it is more difficult to remove than nxt. If you want, you can try my nxt and compare how easy it is to remove.

[Olestra]

Excellent link.

[omalak]

Thanks a ton guys! This thread has been very informative.. I am planning to wax it tomorrow if i can (looks more and more doubtful) otherwise it will be next weekend..

I have picked up all the products, even got scratchX on my way home from work, i just opened my clay kit and found the cleaner wax, thanks Jason.

I saw the above link last night, it has great info for sure.

Olestra thanks for all the tips

keep you guys updated!

[philipfreire]

Actually NXT tech wax is a sealant. The term Wax is used very loosely when it comes to car care.

It's a great product tho - It really makes dark colors stand out more.

If your waxing you do not need to put a sealant.

If you put a sealant, you do not need to wax.

Some people do but its really an unnecessary step.

I use Meguiars Pro Hi Tech Yellow Wax which is a mixture of Carnauba wax, silicone and polymer synthetics. I think Kaval recommends it too!

[erratic]

Hey, how did it go?

[omalak]

lol.. never got to it yet.. all products are sitting at home.. just so busy gotta find the time.. The rain doesn't help