Waxing A Car!!!

[TrufflePig]

hey Guys,

okay so i'm getting me new car and wanna know how to best wax the car and what not.

i've mastered the washing part and the wheels and tires etc...

but what is the best way to wax a car.

ANY HELP WOULD BE AWESOME.

do i have to use a pre-wax first?

i wll be using the new Meguiar's Tech Wax Paste NXT stuff.

so basically what are the proper steps with as much detail as possible.

thanks all

[electricgreen]

Depends on how much time you want to spend!

me, I do this:

Wash
Dry (w/micro fiber towels-no terry towels ever)
Check for roughness/clay if needed
Paint cleaner
polish
wax

Both paint cleaner & polish do not need to "haze/dry", wipe on wipe off products.

[sneek]

IMO the best way to wax your car is with a G100/PC it lays an even thin coat with minamal effort

you should clay, use a paint cleaner, polish, then wax with the NXT
The 5-Step Paint Care Cycle.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain
NXT Tech Wax Cure Time
Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer
Do Glazes/Fillers Affect the Bonding of NXT?

[TrufflePig]

i'll spend as long as it takes to get the quality i want to achieve.

someone only need tell me how it is done the best way.

i wake up super early so i plan on doing it early sunday morning starting at about 7ish so i can cruise in the avro with it.

cheers

thanks

but it seems from what i read that you:

wash
dry it up nice
check for bumps
then paint protect for undercoat and clay for top coat
then polish
then wax
and then quick detail in between

[TrufflePig]

what is the G100/PC?

stupid question but i don't know?

maybe i don't just don't know acro.

thanks

[Top Down]

G100/PC is a Dual Action Random Orbit Polisher. It's the in-between of a orbital buffer and a rotary buffer. It's strong enough to remove swirls and other paint defects, but safe enough for anyone to use. Check out the link:
Orbital vs PC vs Rotary
PC saves lots of time

[Murr1525]

Assuming your car comes swirl free from the dealership.... we'll be able to go with this process. I'm not sure what you mean by "Paint Protect Undercoat, Clay Top Coat", so we may need to clear that up. Your order is fairly correct, so just to tie a few things together...

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

Assuming you will start by hand for the moment:

1. Wash - Use a good wash like Gold Class, Nxt, etc, two-bucket system, Grit Guards in each bucket, good quality towels like the Water Magnet, etc.

How To Wash Your Car using the Two Bucket
Method

2. Clay - As you said, check for bumps, but I would pretty much clay right away. Use either the Meguiars Quick CLay or Smooth Surface Clay. Remember, clay paint first, then glass and trim, then wheels. Never move backwards, always follow that order.

3. Paint Cleaner - Deep Crystal #1 is a good mild paint cleaner, easy to use. Just work in a bit on a panel or two, then wipe off. No need to let it dry.

4. Polish - Deep Crystal #2 is a good, easy to use polish, Again, just work in gently onto a panel or two, then wipe off. Dont let it dry.

5. Wax - You can use Nxt Wax, or any of the other waxes you like. Remember, two thin coats is best. Wax needs allowed to dry, so apply to whole car, then check with the Swipe Test before removing.

How to tell when a Meguiar's wax is ready to remove - The Swipe Test

6. Maintain - Nxt wax needs a little bit of maintenance after most washes to keep it looking its best. Use either the Nxt Spray Wax or Nxt Speed Detailer after most washes to keep it looking sharp.

How to Get Great Results Using Meguiar's Spray Waxes

If you choose to upgrade to the G-100, we can certainly give advice for that as well. And you wont have wasted any momey either, because you will still want some hand applied products on your shelf anyway.

[Tim Lingor]

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!


Detailing a car is not as simple as wax on, wax-off; it takes quite a bit of knowledge to do it correctly. Hence the best place to start is to first read the posters comments above and then take some time by reading through the links below.

Secondly, read this,

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle


Then read these...

Circles or Straight Lines?
Which LSP is Best for Light Colors
How To Remove Swirls By Hand
Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line
How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX
How to locate Meguiar’s Professional & Detailer products in your hometown
How to tell when a Meguiar's wax is ready to remove - The Swipe Test
The Dual Action Counterweight "Controversy"
What are the Differences Between Meguiar's Waxes
What's the Deal with "Layering"?
Measuring Clear Coat Thickness
Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer
Glass Polishing...Deep Cleaning
NXT Tech Wax Cure Time
Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car
Colored Waxes - Do they really work?
PC + #83 not "Cutting" it! - The Limits of the Dual Action Polisher
What it Means to Remove a Scratch
Why Meguiar’s Recommends Polishing Paint
A Lesson From White Paint
Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

That will give you an excellent basis of understanding and hopefully answer most of your questions. Once you have read the info, please post any questions you may have.

Tim

[sneek]

haha sry i could not finish posting i had to go to my tutors house

[Murr1525]

We'll let you slide this time, as long as you learned something.. either at tutor's or on here... doesnt really matter which

[Tim Lingor]

Originally posted by sneek
haha sry i could not finish posting i had to go to my tutors house

Good! You need to complete your schooling before anything else!! What are you being tutored in?

Tim

[sneek]

Originally posted by 2hotford
Good! You need to complete your schooling before anything else!! What are you being tutored in?

Tim

Physics :p my overall average excluding phyiscs is 81 but my physics average is 62

[TrufflePig]

okay guys, thanks so much for all the responses.

i will read all the links and print them up and what not.

but first i'm getting a new car. Its a Mini Cooper S, so i'm assuming it'll come swirl free or is this wishful thinking.

so without going into detail (products) this is the wayto do it.

1. Wash - two bucket method that i already know (NXT Car Wash ). i wash the body twice. the roof first, then the side panels, rear, front. then repeat.

2. Dry with microfibre cloth that i got (simoniz one) but i might upgrade to higher end one which i think is a good idea, or am i wrong?

i got lower end ones to clean wheel wells and around the rims etc...

for the next two, i thought you used the paint protector first as it cleaned up anything in the under layer of the paint (i.e bumps) and that the Clay cleaned up the top surface of the paint. does this make sense. i thought i read this somewhere on the net.

3. Clay or Paint Protector (Quik Clay Detailing System)

4. Paint Protector or Clay (which i don't use in three) (Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner )

5. Polish (Deep Crystal Polish)

6. Wax (NXT Tech Wax Paste). done all by hand. i like and enjoy the work and knowing i put my hard work and sweat into it to pay off for the rewad at the end.

7. Quick Detailer for in between. (Quik Detailer)

is it all going ot be Meguairs NXT stuff, except for wheel clean. I stick with Black Magic Tire Wet unless the Meguairs Tire Shine stuff work better.

does it work better to leave the wax on for long periods of time?

i should be set from here?

those products are good.

THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED THUS FAR with giving feedback, links, and plenty of info. I really appreciate it.

now i need to go buy a few packs of paper to print all of this.

[Murr1525]

Thinking a car will come swirl free is a bit of wishfull thinking, it might come looking great, it might come looking horrible. If at all possible, just have them take the plastic off and give the car to you. Dont let them run it through any washing machines, etc. Even letting them hand wash it is risky.

2. Higher end is always good.. I dont think you can beat the Water Magnets, but use what works for you. There are also different kinds of microfiber cloths, some meant for wax removal, some meant for drying, etc.

For instance, the Meguiars Water Magnet is great at drying cars, but wont do very well removing polish/wax, etc. At the same time, the Supreme Shine MF is great at removing polish/wax, etc, but isnt very good to dry with.

So just be sure to use the right kind for each job.

3. With both the Clay and Paint Cleaner, you are still just treating the top of the clear coat (or top of the paint if Single Stage). There isnt really a top or under layer being dealt with.

The idea is that you clay first, after washing, in order to remove any bonded contaminats, rail dust, brake dust, etc. Paint cleaners and pads can have a hard time removing these things, and you dont want to drag things like rail dust around on your paint in future steps.

4. Then, use the paint cleaner to further clean the surface of the paint, and pull the dirt out of the pores in the paint.

5.

6.

7.

I dont think you can beat the new Meguiars wheel cleaners, either All-Wheel or the Multi-Piece Wheel Cleaner.

Meguiars makes a lot of different tire shine products... at least 10 different ones. I am sure there is something you would like, but just use what works best for you.

Just leave the wax on till it passes the swipe test. There is no benefit to leaving it on longer. Remember drying time cna change based on air temperature, surface temperature, and humidity.

Well, there is always glass cleaners, all-purpose cleaners, plastic cleaners, dressings, interior products, metal polish.. and on and on and on....

[TrufflePig]

k guys thanks

i think this is it/

1) Wash with NXT stuff (microfibre cloths for washing and drying using two bucket method)
2) Polish with Quick CLay or Scratch X
3) Paint Polisher #1
4) Polisher #2
5) Wax with NXT Tech Wax (by hand)
6) MXT spray wax to maintain between washes or quik details
7) Hot Rims spray
8) High shine gloss for tires
9) DRIVE
10) DRIVE

how often can i wax the car. and do i have to put polisher and use clay everytime i wax if i wax say once a month or if able every three weeks?

is there a general rule of thumb.

but those are the products i'mg etting.