Planning on claying,polishing,wax for 1st time. Need help

[Gleamclean]

I have a 1999 F150 and I have never waxed it or done anything to protect the paint other than washing it often. Thats about to change. Come this weekend, or next(whenever I gather all the products needed) I plan on applying a clay bar,polish,and wax to my truck to see if I can revive some of its lost shine. I plan on doing it all by hand.I have only used Meguairs Quick Detailer and Car Wash soap, but the result are enough for me to know that Meguairs is the only line of products I want to use. So far in my shopping list, I have the following; 2 microfiber, Meguairs clay bar, polish,wax, qiuck detailer, and some drying cloths. What else do I need? Also, can anyone recommend a polish that can be applied by hand. I am going to be purchasin all of this from my local auto parts. Any techniques and tips on applying the clay,polish and wax would be greatly appreciated. If Im leaving something out, feel free to give ur advice. Thanks in advance. Hope to hear from yall

[miked2]

Definitely do a lot of reading up on this forum. Any post by Mike Philips will be very educational!

I would recommend the following products:

1) Car wash soap: any Meg's soap.

2) Clay: any Meg's clay, but don't buy the professional aggressive (red in color) clay . . . not a good one to start off with.

3) I also would add a paint cleaner after clay'ing: Meg's Deep Crystal "step one" paint cleaner. It's very good, and very inexpensive -- and can be applied by hand. Some people also suggest ColorX for this step, and then skipping step 4. ColorX can be hard to come by, though.

4) Polish: Meg's Deep Crystal "step two" polish. Also very good, very inexpensive, and hand-appliable.

5) Wax: Here, your choice of any Meg's wax except for cleaner/wax -- since you have separate products for cleaning and polishing, no need for a combo product. I would consider Nxt or Gold Class. If money's a little tight, Meg's Deep Crystal "step three" wax is a good choice, too.

[Murr1525]

Here are a few important links..

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

How to locate Meguiar’s Professional & Detailer products in your hometown

You will definately want to add a paint cleaner to your list, or even ColorX. Here is a link of it in action:

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

You will certainly want several Supreme SHine MF's, Water Magnets, a Grit Guard for your buckets.


Give those a read, then ask away some more

[miked2]

Those were the links I was thinking of!

[MikeGT]

I think ColorX might be a good idea as well.

[Gleamclean]

Thanks yall. I appreciate yall looking out for a newcomer. Today I stopped by the store and bought almost everything. Im just missing the clay bar but I am going to buy it for sure. I couldnt really find that colorx product but Im not trying to spend too much. I hope Ill be fine with this. This all started with me wanting to do a simple wax and everyone convince me to do all the other steps. One more thing, is their a huge difference between the gold class wax and the regular megs cleaner wax. Where I bought it its a 6 dollar difference! Thanks once again

[Murr1525]

The Cleaner/Wax and Gold Class Wax are two very different products.

Cleaner/Wax contains mild cleaners, some polish, and wax, so it can be used by someone who just wants a quick, cheap, and easy 1-step detail. Some people will also start with that product, and then follow with with a pure wax.

Gold Class is a pure wax. That is to say it has nothing substantial in it for cleaning paint, and while Gold Class does have some extra polish in it, it is not meant to replace a polishing step either. A pure wax needs to have the surface peprared with some sort of cleaning/polishing steps before using it in order to get best results.

So on well prepared paint, Gold Class will look better and last longer.

On unprepped paint, the Cleaner/Wax will work better, as it can prep the surface a bit itself.

Does that help?

[Gleamclean]

Thanks man, that clears it right up! One last Q and Ill be set. Does the ColorX replace anything;polish,wax,clay,cleaner or does it go in between one of the steps. Thanks

[SL1CK]

Hey miked2, would it be possible to layer DC3 and then top it off with NXT? Or #21?

I just think theyre are so many combos, I'd wonder what it would look like.

[Murr1525]

You would probably put the DC#3 over Nxt. As far as #21, I am not sure how yo uwould beat 2 coats of #21, though Tim gets great results from 2x#21 topped with Nxt.

As far as ColorX, ColorX is just another cleaner/wax, however, it is a bit stronger of a cleaner, and I think a better wax as well than the regular Cleaner/Wax. I really like the ColorX.

Here are two procedures I use on my car. It is a daily driver, parked outside, so I like getting good results easily, since it gets messed up a day later. I maybe do the "full" detail twice a year, and then the 'quick' detail every month or two.

"Full Detail"
1. Wash
2. Clay as needed
3. Clean - DC#1, ScatchX if needed
4. Polish - DC#2
5. Wax - #21, or your favorite such as Gold Class
6. Wax - Remember 2 thin coats is best.

"Quick Detail"
1. Wash
2. Clay as needed
3. ColorX
4. Wax - #21, or your favorite.

So I think you can see how the ColorX, or Cleaner/Wax, would replace the seperate clean/polish/wax steps, to help speed things up.

Hope that helps.

[hondacrazy]

i d pick up more than 2 MF towels...they go quick and you will want to use one with each product...they are washable and will last a long time! have fun!

[Gleamclean]

Alright thanks. I actually bought a 3 pack and a 6 pack of polishing cloths(100%cotton) and 6 applicator MF pads. Now that I got everything I need, please tell me if the following is o.k.

1.Wash truck thoroughly, and dry off

2.Apply the clay bar soaked it QD moving it up and down. When do I know when its time to dry this off?

3.Apply polish with pad in circular motion. Then clean off with cloth or MF. When will I know when its time to clean off?

4.Apply wax to sections of truck. When wax has dried off, take off with a clean cloth. Again, how will i know when Its ready to be cleaned?

5.Add a final layer of QD and dry off

Does this sound ok? I just dont want to mess up anything. What is the product I have to be most careful with? Ive heard people tell bad things about polish and wax like if u leave it too long or if you do it too hard, it will damage my paint? Thanks to everyone. Im learning so much.

[Murr1525]

1. OK

2. Not sure what you mean by clay soaked in QD. There is actualy an ok article over at bettercarcare.com about claying, with a bit of a how-to. Basicaly, you can do a panel or two, then dry with a MF towel. Even if you miss a spot, the paint cleaner will clean it right up.

Which leads me to saying I would use at least a mild cleaner like DC#1 after claying.

3. OK - Again, just do a panel or two. You dont want the polish to dry.

4. Wax your whole truck, with thin coats. Meguiars recomends 2 thin coats for best results. Then wait a couple minutes and get a drink for yourself. Then take your MF towel, and gently swipe across the haxed wax. If it comes off clean, with no streaks, in an easy motion, you can remove the wax. If it is still a bit sticky to remove, get another drink and wait a few more minutes.

5. I wouldnt bother following up with a QD. If you do it right, you wont need it. And I think people say you get a better look if you dont QD for a day.

You wont have anything to worry about.. basicaly if you have to struggle to remove any product, you arent applying it right. Remember thin coats of wax, and dont let cleaners/polishes dry.

Oh, and keep wax off of that black/grey kind of trim if you have any. If you get wax on it ,wipe it off right away. Dont wait.