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**TrufflePig** · Mar 5, 2007, 07:19 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Originally posted by Paradox View Post

My eyes are starting to bleed reading all the info on various brands of waxes and polishes. Meguiar's seems to be a good product and I just found this forum and started to read.

I just purchased new 2006 Buick Lucerne, so I don't need to do anything fancy like claying, I just want to polish it and wax it. It is black, and while "Black cars only look good in the shade", they look pretty darn good in the sun, so I want to polish it and wax to protect the shine.

Meguiar's has so many products I have not clue what to use. Would someone recommend which polish and wax to buy. My Turtle Wax days are over. Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Thanks for your time.
James

Hi James and welcome to MOL!!!

you've come to the right place for help.

First, you said that you 'just' want to polish and wax your car.

but if you read the following link, part of the 5 step process the Meguiar's recommends is to Clay bar your paint's finish.

in doing so you will help rid of any contaminants that will reduce the quality of your results.

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

When you clay, your are cleaning your paints surface on the top layer getting rid of any contaminants. ie. overspray, dirt, dust.

Grab a sandwich bag, and place your hand in it. run your fingers along your paint's finish. if it isn't smooth it needs to be clayed.

i understand you don't want to do it, but you'll achieve GREATER results by doing so. i personally clay my car everytime i wax and polish it and it helps in making it feel smooth as glass. that is the overall goal of clay process. to make your paint feel smooth as glass. after claying, if you spray water on your car, you'll notice that its as if you just applied a coat of wax.

TRUST ME. ITS WELL WORTH IT and other guys will tell you the same.

How to Clay Paint
How To Clay Paint

In terms of what products to use, there is so much to choose from.

Is your car a daily driver?

Do you park your car inside a garage at night?

Do you drive through dusty area or gravel roads?

Is your car heavily swirled or swirled at all?

What type of results DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE? Show car shine?

Will you be applying by hand or with a PC G-100? (machine polish)

All questions you need to answer before determining your choice of products.

For starters though, here is what you would need if applying by hand.

Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibres (for removing wax/polish)
Meguiars Clay Kit
Car Wash - NXT Soap - great choice
Paint Cleaner - Scratch X, Colour - X, M80
Paint Polish - Meguiars #7, High Tech Wax #26,
Wax - NXT or wax of your choice like Gold Glass
2 5 Gallon Buckets with Two Grit Guards

now if you just want a cleaner/wax all in one you could go with Colour-X or Meguiars #66.

Then your process would be.

Wash
Clay
#66
NXT x 2 (always two coats to get a nice uniform layer of protection)

you could also do the following. its a really good system for the consumer with good results.

Wash
Clay
Deep Crystal #1
Deep Crystal #2
Wax of your choice X 2

Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner

Its so hard to suggest products to you without knowing what you want to achieve.

If you were doing this all by machine your products will be different.

please help us out by telling us what you want to achieve.

here are some more links for you to read.

How to Remove Swirls by Hand
How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to Wash Your Car Using the Two Bucket Method
How To Wash Your Car using the Two Bucket
Method

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX
How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX
The Swipe Test
How to tell when a Meguiar's wax is ready to remove - The Swipe Test

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

What are the Differences Between Meguiar's Waxes?

What are the Differences Between Meguiar's Waxes

**BlueZero** · Mar 5, 2007, 07:53 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

I agree with what TrufflePig said.

But, If that just sounds like more than you want to do. Pick up a bottle of NXT wax and have at it. It will look great. If you decide you want something that looks better, then you can always add steps too.

All I used to do to my black ride was NXT wax. It looked great. But I wanted a little more shine and a little more depth and a little more... Well, here I am now with more products than I care to admit.

It is all about what your expectations are.

**Paradox** · Mar 5, 2007, 07:53 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Thanks TrufflePig for your reply.

I wrote "just" because the car is new. I don't need to clay, or remove swirl marks, or clean the paint. "Just" polish and wax.
All the numbers #21, 22, etc. are just confusing me. Which one (s) for a new car. Car is new but a 2006.

Thanks.

**BlueZero** · Mar 5, 2007, 07:55 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Originally posted by Paradox View Post

All the numbers #21, 22, etc. are just confusing me.

Just in case you didn't see this yet, it is a huge help... Meguiars Online Acronyms

**Paradox** · Mar 5, 2007, 09:18 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Geez, I really thought this would be an easy question, with an easy answer.

Thanks BlueZero, I had already viewed the post for the Acronyms. What I concluded from that post was I can use the following:

#5, #6, #7, #8, #10, #12, #20, #21, #26, #50, #80, #82, #83, #87, #88,
ASD, DC#1, DC#2, DC#3 and probably half a dozen other #s.

All I wanted was a recommendation on which one for a polish and which one for a wax. I am not showing the car, I don't need every one of the products Meguir's has to offer, just just some decent polish and wax.

Perhaps I should try Adams or Mothers for an answer. ****, maybe someone even at Turtle Wax can give me a simple answer.

**Mike Phillips** · Mar 5, 2007, 09:20 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Pick up a bottle of Gold Class Car Wash and a bottle of NXT Tech Wax and some quality microfiber polishing cloths and this will be a good start.

You'll also want a quality wash mitt and some quality drying towels so you don't put scratches into the paint while washing and drying. Meguiar's offers these and you should be able to find these at most auto parts stores.

**Mike Phillips** · Mar 5, 2007, 09:21 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

You'll find lots of friendly and helpful people on this forum always willing to lend a cyber-hand!

List 'O Links

Many of the things we cover in our Saturday Classes are discussed and talked about in the threads found in the sub-forums of the Information Station

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
How To Remove Swirls By Hand
How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX
Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line
Circles or Straight Lines?
Which LSP is Best for Light Colors
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

**Paradox** · Mar 5, 2007, 09:51 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Originally posted by Mike Phillips View Post

Pick up a bottle of Gold Class Car Wash and a bottle of NXT Tech Wax and some quality microfiber polishing cloths and this will be a good start.

Perfect, THANK YOU. That was all I needed.

**TrufflePig** · Mar 5, 2007, 10:36 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

just because your car is new doesn't mean it won't have anything that is potentially contaminating the finish.

it can get dust from its travels, spray from when on the trailer and being delievered.

you'd be amazed. try it out. clay the finish and let us know how it went.

and if it turns out to be CLEAN AS, then you do it anyways and better safe than sorry.

**Paradox** · Mar 5, 2007, 11:42 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Originally posted by TrufflePig View Post

just because your car is new doesn't mean it won't have anything that is potentially contaminating the finish.

it can get dust from its travels, spray from when on the trailer and being delievered.

you'd be amazed. try it out. clay the finish and let us know how it went.

and if it turns out to be CLEAN AS, then you do it anyways and better safe than sorry.

Thanks again TruffelPig. (Love that ID) You might be right, but the paint feels smooth. Anyway, not sure I am into claying or other heavy duty detailing. Did lots in my youth though.

I am just an 'ole' fart with a new car and want something a little easier to apply and that looks good. Don't want to die in my garage working up a sweat.
Rather work up a sweat with Elizabeth Hurley.

**Murr1525** · Mar 5, 2007, 11:48 AM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

You might be interested in something like ColorX then, which is a great cleaner/wax. I use ColorX topped with #21 Synthetic Sealant quite often for a fast detail.

**TrufflePig** · Mar 5, 2007, 12:04 PM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Originally posted by Paradox View Post

Thanks again TruffelPig. (Love that ID) You might be right, but the paint feels smooth. Anyway, not sure I am into claying or other heavy duty detailing. Did lots in my youth though.

I am just an 'ole' fart with a new car and want something a little easier to apply and that looks good. Don't want to die in my garage working up a sweat.
Rather work up a sweat with Elizabeth Hurley.

i reckon most of us would love to work up a sweat with Elizabeth hurley.

regardless, a GREAT shine starts with an AWESOME WASH. and the clay process is part of it. i'm so for the clay process its not funny.

but maybe you can just do the claying when its really needed.

but yes.

Wash
Colour-X
NXT
or
M21

that would be a sweet, slick look. Murr mentioned it and it'll look nice.

**jarred767** · Mar 5, 2007, 02:01 PM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Murr and TrufflePig already said it, but wanted to say it again.

Wash
ColorX
NXT, M21, or M26

It'll help leave a good base to your with some pretty good depth along with the protection of wax.
I haven't used colorX so I'm not sure exactly how it is used, but I do use what I'm pretty sure is Meguiars Professional Line counterpart M66 Quick Detailer. A little trick to make sure that you get the most out of your work would be to let ColorX cure for 30-45 min after applying it (like a wax) (that is if it works like M66) and then apply your favorite wax over top so that your getting meguiars recommended two coats of wax. I'm sure someone with experience using ColorX will chime in and correct me if I'm wrong or reinforce it if I was right.

Don't give up hope with all the information and how it can be kind of confusing though. I felt the same way when I first started browsing through here, but trust me, I've learned so much off of hear in just a matter of a couple months, and the more you learn, the more everything else makes sense. (and hopefully down the road you'll be as passionate at claying your car as much as TrufflePig is)

BTW, first time I clayed my car I was so amazed that I'll never go back. Never thought it could produce those kinds of results.

**TrufflePig** · Mar 5, 2007, 02:08 PM

Re: Need info on wax and polish

Originally posted by jarred767 View Post

Murr and TrufflePig already said it, but wanted to say it again.

Wash
ColorX
NXT, M21, or M26

It'll help leave a good base to your with some pretty good depth along with the protection of wax.
I haven't used colorX so I'm not sure exactly how it is used, but I do use what I'm pretty sure is Meguiars Professional Line counterpart M66 Quick Detailer. A little trick to make sure that you get the most out of your work would be to let ColorX cure for 30-45 min after applying it (like a wax) (that is if it works like M66) and then apply your favorite wax over top so that your getting meguiars recommended two coats of wax. I'm sure someone with experience using ColorX will chime in and correct me if I'm wrong or reinforce it if I was right.

Don't give up hope with all the information and how it can be kind of confusing though. I felt the same way when I first started browsing through here, but trust me, I've learned so much off of hear in just a matter of a couple months, and the more you learn, the more everything else makes sense. (and hopefully down the road you'll be as passionate at claying your car as much as TrufflePig is)

BTW, first time I clayed my car I was so amazed that I'll never go back. Never thought it could produce those kinds of results.

i swear man, i live by that. when i leave my part time job gig, i usually park at the back, my car is parked next to another car (co-workers) of the same colour, and only mine SHINES like you wouldn't believe. and everytime, he (co-worker) makes a comment about my car and its shine. a great wash goes a long way to a great shine.

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