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**TrufflePig** · May 21, 2006, 06:51 PM

Re: New car on the way...

so scratch X got you hooked eh?

COngrats on the new car mate!!!

The piece that I can't seem to find is what products, specifically, go with some of the five steps.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2409

check that link out. it should help you out hopefully. it has pictures of products and links and names/ideas/suggestions.

Here's my initial plan, open to suggestions. I'll be doing this all by hand (at least in the short-term), so please keep that in mind as you make suggestions:

1. Wash - NXT Generation Car Wash

2. Cleaning / Prep - Quik Clay Detailing System w/ NXT Speed Detailer

3. Polishing - Need some help here

4. Protecting - NXT Generation Tech Wax

5. Maintaining - NXT Generation Spray Wax

So, I guess I'm asking for some help on the Polishing stage, and a little on the Cleaning / Prep stage if I'm light on that. I have ScratchX and ColorX, but I get the feeling that these aren't for regular use, but more of "specific" applicators.

For the Polishing Stage you can use DC #2 or even Meguiars #7 which is a pure sealant. Refer to this thread for more info HERE ON #7

1. wash
2. clay
3. rewash
4. tires/wheels
5. DC1
6. DC2
7. 2 coats of wax
8. some people like to top it off with a sealant

Washing Order - it may be preference. alot of detailing order/ways/ are personal preference so you must beware of that ahead of time.

1. Rinse
2. TWO BUCKET METHOD (the link is below)
3. Roof/back
4. Hood
5. WIndows
6. Tires (different brushes) - so that you don't get dirt from spray on the side panels if they were cleaned first
7. Side Panels

How to Wash Your Car Using the Two Bucket Method

(Edit- Link removed as the article is not ready - Mike)

goodl uck Jack hope this helps..

**Murr1525** · May 21, 2006, 07:55 PM

Well, for your cleaning step, you will want to use both clay and a paint cleaner. Here is a couple product orders that might clear things up.

1. Wash - Nxt Wash

2. Clay - Smooth Surface Kit

3. Clean - ScratchX for any swirls. DC#1 otherwise.

4. Polish - DC#2 or #7 Show Car Glaze.

5. Wax - Nxt Wax - Remember 2 thin coats is best.

OR:

1. Wash - Nxt

2. Clay - SS Kit

3. ColorX

4. Wax - Nxt Wax

I use ColorX very often as I have a daily diver, parked outside, and other things to do. While I still do a full detail occaisionaly, ColorX +Nxt makes a very good, quick detail. You can use ColorX all the time with no worries.

Just wash wheels first, then top down. Of course use separate brushes/sponges on wheels.

The two bucket sysytem is pretty straight forward. Get two buckets..amazing isnt it... and fill one with plain water, and one with your soapy water. And you do have at least 1 Grit Guard correct? If not, GET ONE. Put the Girt Guard in the plain water bucket.

So first get soap on your sponge, then wash a section. Then rinse it in the plain water, wiping over the Grit Guard to knock the dirt loose. Then go back to soapy water.

If at all possible, do not let the dealer 'detail' you car. Just have them unwrap it and drive it away, and then wash it yourself.

**JGeorge027** · May 22, 2006, 06:07 AM

Thanks for the replies! I think I may be more excited about detailing my new car than I am about actually getting it!!!

Anyway, here's what I've come up with, based on your feedback. Feel free to correct me if I've missed something...

1. WASH
Two Buckets w/ Grit Guard - w/ Warm Water
NXT Generation Car Wash Soap
Deep Pile Chenille Wash Pad
Versa Angle Tire Brush
Versa-Angle Wheel Face Brush
Water Magnet
Microfiber Super Suede Drying Cloth
NXT Glass Cleaner
Duo-Fiber Glass Towel

Wash Order:
1. Rinse
2. Wheels / Tires
3. Roof
4. Trunk / Back
5. Hood / Front
6. Door Sills
7. Sides
8. Dry
9. Windows

2. CLEAN / PREP
PREP
Smooth Surface Clay Kit
NXT Speed Detailer
Supreme Shine Microfiber

CLEAN
(ScratchX or
Deep Crystal System Paint Cleaner #1)
Applicator Pad
Supreme Shine Microfiber

3. POLISH
Deep Crystal System Polish #2
Applicator Pad
Supreme Shine Microfiber

4. PROTECT
COAT 1
NXT Generation Tech Wax
Applicator Pad
Supreme Shine Microfiber

COAT 2
NXT Generation Tech Wax
Applicator Pad
Supreme Shine Microfiber

Thanks again for everything!!!

Jack

**Mike Phillips** · May 22, 2006, 06:26 AM

Hi Jack,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

As to your question here,

Originally posted by JGeorge027
Anyway, I've done a bunch of searching on here and read most of the "key" articles..."5-Step Paint Care Cycle", "Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car", etc.

The piece that I can't seem to find is what products, specifically, go with some of the five steps.

The below how to article is focused on removing swirls instilled by the mis-use of a rotary buffer, however... you can follow the steps and the products for just about any paint finish for a show car shine. Just remember that part of the cleaning power/ability of any product is not only the product itself, but how you apply it.

If your car is brand new and in excellent condition, you can simply apply the ScratchX more gently and work it less, or substitute a more gentle paint cleaner such as the Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner.

Hope this helps...

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

The below write-up was taken from page three of this Saturday Detailing Class at Meguiar's where approximately 25 people witnessed the products shown below, applied and removed using the correct techniques to remove the gross rotary buffer swirls and restore a swirl free finish by hand.

San Diego Mercedes-Benz club at Meguiar's!

After selecting two Mercedes-Benz automobiles to work on, one being Tom's, we broke for a pizza lunch. After everyone had their fill of pizza and something cold to drink, it was time to re-gather in Meguiar's Garage to see what we could do with the gross swirls in Tom's recently painted hood.

Often times when the topic of removing swirls is being discussed on our discussion forum, or some other detailing forum, it centers around the dual action polisher, foam buffing pads and somebody's compound or polish. Yet many people don't own a dual action polisher. So here at Meguiar's Garage, we like to show people how to use the what they already own... their hands!

Like most detailing enthusiasts, I personally love a challenge, and with Tom's car, I believe most people would agree, his car's finish presents a challenge!

BEFORE - 700 Pixel-wide cropped out section from an un-touched, original photo of rotary buffer swirls in a clear coat finish.

Using some painters tape, we taped-off a section of the hood to separate the before and after results. Then, we applied three, well worked in applications of Meguiar's ScratchX all applied by hand using Meguiar's High-Tech Applicator Pad

The secret to removing swirls by hand using Meguiar's ScratchX is all in your technique. You see in order to remove swirls out of your car's finish, you need to remove a little bit of paint. If we we're to look at a horizontal view of what gross rotary buffer swirls look like in the paint, it would look something like the diagram below. In order to remove these below surface defects, (swirls), you need to remove enough paint from the finish to level the upper surface with the *****t depths of the swirls until you've restored the finish to a flat, level surface.

To do this by hand with ScratchX, you need to,

* Apply to a small section at a time
* First spread the ScratchX evenly over the area you're going to work (before working it in)
* Work the microscopic diminishing abrasives against the finish applying a little passion behind the applicator pad
* Repeat this process with multiple applications after first removing the residue from each application after working it against the finish

Remember that Meguiar's paint cleaners, like ScratchX do not need to dry before removing. Drying adds no benefit. The only Meguiar's paint products that need to dry before removing are Meguiar's waxes.

Technique Tip

The question is often asked,

"Which direction should I move my hand when applying a Meguiar's paint cleaner?"

A common mis-conception, often espoused on other discussion forums, or by some car care product manufactures, is the technique of only rubbing a product in a certain direction to keep all of your scratches going in the same direction.

Meguiar's teaches that if the products you're using are non-abrasive, that is they are not instilling scratches into the finish, as such, it shouldn't matter which direction you move your hand!

If the products you're using are inflicting scratches into your car's finish, the correct thing to do is to stop using the product! Don't try to camouflage the scratches to your eyes by instilling them in straight-lines as determined by the movement of your hand.

ScratchX can be applied using straight-lines or circular motion and for this particular demonstration we used a combination of both.

Removing ScratchX using Meguiar's Supreme Shine Microfiber after working the product against the finish until the product has broken down, turned somewhat clear and begun to dissipate.

At Meguiar's Saturday Detailing 101 classes, we go through a power point presentation that covers a wide spectrum of detailing topics, one of which is Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle , which includes;

Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

After cleaning the paint with a paint cleaner like ScratchX, we then apply a pure polish, in this case, Deep Crystal Polish which is a non-abrasive pure polish.

In Meguiar's line, we offer two types of polishes, cleaner/polishes, which contain a diminishing abrasive, and pure polishes, which are completely non-abrasive and are used solely for the purpose of creating brilliant gloss. Deep Crystal Polish is a pure polish.

The way you apply a pure polish is akin to applying a skin lotion to your skin. That is you apply the polish to a small section at a time, work the product in thoroughly.

After thoroughly, (but gently with care and passion), remove any excess polish with a clean, soft premium quality microfiber polishing cloth or 100% cotton towel.

Like ScratchX a paint cleaner, it is not necessary to let a pure polish like Deep Crystal Polish dry before removing it. Allowing a polish to dry will not add anything beneficial to the process, so after you work it in well, go a head and remove it.

At this point, we have cleaned and polished the finish. The cleaning step removed the swirls and the polishing step restored optical clarity, depth, reflectivity, richness of color and brilliant gloss. Next we're going to apply a coating of Meguiar's new NXT Generation Tech Wax Paste

NXT Generation Tech Wax Paste is identical to NXT Generation Tech Wax Liquid except that it comes in a paste form. There are two types of paste waxes, the difference is in their consistency. The practical application difference is in how you remove them from the can and then apply them.

With a cleaner/wax (paste), like Meguiar's A12 Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax you can scoop out a small amount and with your applicator pad and then apply it to the finish and work it in.

With paste waxes like Gold Class Clear Coat Wax Paste, M26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax, and NXT Generation Tech Wax Paste, instead of scooping wax out of the can, you can twist, or spin your wax applicator against the wax while it's in the can and this little bit of agitation will help to liquefy the wax and enable it to seep, or penetrate into your applicator pad whereupon making it easier to apply to the finish.

Paste waxes like NXT Tech Generation Wax offer good gliding action and tend to apply very easy. Remember a little bit goes a long ways and it's important to try to apply a uniform, thin coating.

After applying the Tech Wax Paste and allowing it to dry, we removed it using a Supreme Shine Microfiber polishing cloth and the Tom backed his Mercedes-Benz out into the sun where everyone could look at the results and see with their own two eyes what can be accomplished by hand with the right products and the correct techniques.

Here's the owner Tom inspecting closely!

And here I am capturing the results with our Sony Digital which does an excellent job of capture swirls in the sun.

Before

After

Perfect? No.

dramatically improved? Yes!

Most importantly, we fixed by hand what someone else inflicted with a rotary buffer.

Meguiar's products, applied and removed using the correct techniques will outperform the competition hands down and give your car a swirl-free show car shine!

**Murr1525** · May 22, 2006, 06:48 AM

Dont forget your wheels, tires, wheelwells, trim, metal bits, interior... oh the endless list of products....

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