smooth surface kit question....

[n8te81]

ok so im gonna use the kit this weekend and im pretty excited about the whole deal...(never clayed my car before).Now my question is whats the best way to do all this??....i know that it comes with a small bottle of detailer so i need to keep the surface lubed with that during claying.The small bottle of cleaner wax is the thing i was wondering about,when exactly do i need to use that and is that amount enough to do the whole car???

thanks
nate

[sneek]

well... you don't have to use it at all, buy you already paid for it. It is a sample of A12 http://www.meguiars.com/?liquid-car-waxes/Cleaner-Wax

depending on the size of your car it should be enough to cover the whole car.

[n8te81]

ok well when do you use it??...i mean right after the wash and before the claying or after all the claying or what???

[Magic]

Originally posted by n8te81
ok well when do you use it??...i mean right after the wash and before the claying or after all the claying or what???

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Cleaner Wax

You can stop there since it has a paint cleaner, and wax all in one bottle.

Or you can:

4. Follow up with Nxt Tech Wax or GC Wax

[n8te81]

man i hope after this my black paint looks better and hopefully alot of the swirls will be gone too...its been awhile since my black paint gleamed like it use to..

[TrufflePig]

yes looks nice there.

i'm sure if you follow the 5-Steps you'll have no problem.

[GearHead_1]

Originally posted by n8te81
man i hope after this my black paint looks better and hopefully alot of the swirls will be gone too...its been awhile since my black paint gleamed like it use to..

The products that you are planning on using really aren't the ones you need to remove swirls. The cleaner wax may have some fillers in it and that may temporarily help with the swirls but they will be back. You need to look into some of the various polishes available to remove swirls.

[n8te81]

well im not using all this just to remove the swirls....ill work on that later.Im using this cause the paint is getting dull and its never been clayed and its been a year since i waxed it last.Ill buy some scratch-x later and use that for all the swirls later.

[Murr1525]

It is worth pointing out that nothing in the Smooth Surface Kit will remove swirls.

To remove swirls, you will need some sort of abrasive cleaner, while the A-12 Cleaner is about the mildest there is.

If you really like using cleaner/waxes, be sure to pick up a bottle of ColorX.

[Murr1525]

Ehh.... you beat me...

[n8te81]

what is the color-x mainly used for cause i was thinking about buying some today??? Plus so what would be the best thing for swirls then cause i dont know alot about this stuff thats why im on here to learn from you guys.

[n8te81]

ok so i guess im gonna go buy a bottle of scratch-x since i cant find the other bottle that ive had for awhile...So when do i put the scratch-x on when im waxing and washing and claying and all that...(sorry for all the ands...lol) Another thing,how long do i let the scratch-x sit after i apply it? right after it hazes or wait a bit?

[rammsteinmatt]

soon as you rub the scratchx in, remove it. no sense in letting it sit.

theres a thread somewhere where mike puts it in big letters and uses lots of exclamation points

try this one out: http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...&threadid=1516
and try looking in the "information station" section to find FAQs and other useful stuff

[n8te81]

so could this be my steps to do???

1.Wash
2.clay
3.cleaner wax
4.scratch-x
5.wax
6.detail spray

does that sound about right??

[Murr1525]

ColorX is a great cleaner/wax, because it has some mild abrasives, that will remove swirls and worse oxidation. The regular cleaner/wax doesnt have the ability to remove swirls.

It could be a one-step detail for some people:

1. Wash
2. ColorX

However, as I have a daily driver, parked outside, it needs detailed more often. So it just speeds up my detailing.

1. Wash
2. Clay if needed
3. ColorX
4. #21

Compare this to a full detail, which I just do a couple times a year:

1. Wash
2. Clay if needed
3. Clean
4. Polish
4. Wax
6. Wax - remember, 2 coats are recomended.

However, while it is 'abrasive', it is not dangerous in any way, and can easily be used every month or two for your regular details.