Clay, Cleaner, Wax question

[PWP]

Hi Everyone,

I'm about to take the plunge and give my car its first detail this weekend I've been doing some reading on this forum and the process I have decided on is:

-Wash
-Clay (Meg's quik clay)
-Wash
-Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
-Gold Class ( I know ppl say NXT is better but I have a full bottle of this so I mine as well use it)

This will all be done by hand. I have a couple of qustions about some of these steps:

Clay
1. Is it ok for me to clay everything on the outside of my car (i.e. glass, chrome, black plastic trim, rubber trim, etc...)

Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
1. Should I only be putting this on the paint and avoid glass, chrome, trim, etc...
2. Do I need to "work" this product in, in order to get it to work effectively? I saw a video clip where Mike shows us how to use Scratch-X, should I be using the DC Paint Cleaner with the same amount of elbow grease and technique? Or can I simply just wipe on and rub off?

Wax
1. With the Gold Class wax, should I be avoiding chrome, black plastic or rubber trim or is it ok if it gets on it?
2. When waxing, I dont need to "work" the product in, just make sure a thin film is coating the car, is this correct?

And finally, I just have some generic foam applicator pads, is it ok to be using this type of applicator for the paint clenaer and wax step? Or should I just scrap it and buy those fancy microfibre ones

Thanks a lot for putting up with my newb-like questions!

[Derrick]

Re: Clay, Cleaner, Wax question

Well to start welcome to MOL and everyone here is always happy to help out. The only changes i would suggest is you dont have to wash a second time after the claying and add a pure polish like DC step 2 pure polish before waxing.

clay
1. you can clay just about everything including the glass and chrome but try and stay away from the plastic trim and rubber trim.

deep crystal paint cleaner
1. yes, use this product on the paint and it will not hurt the glass if you do get some on the glass but try and use it for what its intended for.
2. yes you want to work the product in and then remove right after but no you dont have to use the same amount of elboy grease as scratchx. ScratchX is more for removing scratches and swirls so you need that elbow grease to take down the clearcoat but the paint cleaner while has the capability to remove very light scratches and swirls it is mainly used for removing below surface defects like oxidation and stains.

wax
1. It will not hurt the chrome but avoid hitting all trim
2. yes there is not need to work in a wax just make sure to apply a thin even coat

Finally the generic foam applicators should work fine for what yuou are trying to do.

[3Fitty]

Re: Clay, Cleaner, Wax question

Sound good to me.

The only things I do differently are no second wash and I use a pure polish (#7) before I put on two coats of NXT.

As a Newb myself, one of the things I was a big confused about (which Mike cleared up) was curing times and letting the NXT "set up". I was under the mistaken impression that the wax itself needed to "cure" while on the car for 12 hours. However, what they meant is in the "ideal" situation, you put on one coat, let it dry (using the swipe test to check it out) and put a second coat on 12 hours later. Again, this is under the "ideal" set of circumstances.

[Murr1525]

Re: Clay, Cleaner, Wax question

1. Clay - I clay my trim as well. just lightly. Wont hurt anything. The thing is you can also clay your wheels, exhaust tipes, etc, but that clay must not come back up onto the paint. So either keep a seperate peice, or use an old piece for that. And you will want to cut your clay into a few pieces anyway, since if you drop it, you wont want it back on the paint.

2. Wash - Remember two buckets, etc....

3. Clean - You want to work it in a little.... More of a rub in wipe off if you do it right.

4. Polish - Optional

5. Wax - Keep wax off of your trim, it can dry white and be a pain to remove. Make sure they are at least smooth feeling, gentle foam applicators. 2 thin coats is recomended.