after clay and wax cleaner???

[ironmike666]

Just finished doing the clay bar and the wax cleaner on my girlfriends car. What is the next step??? or is that it??? Also, I have a new car(black mustang GT) whats the best or easiest way to keep it looking great???

[Andy M.]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

After the clay bar and cleaner wax step you would polish and then put on a final coat of wax like NXT 2.0.

Andy
101impala

[Murr1525]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

I would tend not to bother polishing, since it could remove the wax, and kind of take you back a step. I would just put a second coat of wax on, like the Nxt 2.0 mentioned above.

As far as your car... do you liek the results so far? Do the same to you car and you'll be set.

[Derrick]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

I would tend not to bother polishing

I agree, polishing is usually done between cleaning and waxing when you are doing each step separately and a cleaner wax is just a basic all in one kind of product and for that i would recommend ColorX if you are using a cleaner wax. You can still polish it if you like then seal it in with something like NXT 2.0 but like Murr stated you will be removing alot of the wax protection from the cleaner wax so i would recomend just applying NXT 2.0 and see if you like those results. As for your car inspect the paint and see if it needs to be clayed and if there are any swirls or scratches you would like removed. Here is how the system would look
1. Wash - Make sure to use a good quality soap like megs Gold Class car wash as it offers a perfect mixture of lubricity and cleaning ability and leaves behind a great shine.
2. Clay - You can use a Product like the Smooth Surface Clay Kit that comes with everything needed to clay the vehicle including the Quick Detailer for the clay lubricant and a Supreme micro fiber
3. Clean - Depending on the condition of the paint this may or may not be necessary like the claying process but if you do find light oxidation, swirls, scratches or any other below surface defects then this is a necessary step. Depending on the severity of the defect you will need something like DC1 Paint Cleaner which is good for a very light cleaning but it is a chemical cleaner so its only able to remove very light swirls and other defects. If the defects are more severe then you will need to look into ScratchX or maybe even machine polishing.
4. Polishing - This is also a optional step but i highly recommend using a good pure polish only because it does replenish lost oils and help bring out that deep wet look. I would recommend either DC 2 polish, #7 Show Car Glaze or #81 Hand Polish
5. Waxing - This will be an important and needed step to protect the paint from the harsh environment we drive in today. You will want to invest in a good quality wax like Megs NXT Gen 2.0 and to insure good even coverage apply 2 coats waiting about 6 to 12 hours between applications to give the polymers apropriate time to cure, the 6 to 12 hours period is a recommendation but not a must. I hope this helps and Welcome to Meguiar's Online

[ironmike666]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

Right on, thanks for all the advice!!! As for my paint, its still in great shape besides in one spot where it looks like someone tried wiping something off with a very abrasive piece of something. tons of fine scratches in one direction about 16" long X about 3" wide. Just looks like someone wiped it once...no back and forth marks. tried scratch X but maybe I didnt do it right. any tips on that?

[Andy M.]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

I would tend not to bother polishing, since it could remove the wax, and kind of take you back a step. I would just put a second coat of wax on, like the Nxt 2.0 mentioned above.

As far as your car... do you liek the results so far? Do the same to you car and you'll be set.

I think he is talking about cleaner wax. That is why I said he should polish before using an LSP of his choice.

Andy

[Derrick]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

tried scratch X but maybe I didnt do it right. any tips on that?

When using ScratchX you want to make sure and put some passion behind the pad. You are going to be removing paint so you will need alot of pressure by hand. Don't be afraid of it. As some people like to say you should almost be rocking the car. You will want to stick to doing small sections at a time, you said its about 16" by 3" so break that down into 2 sections of 8" X 3" and that will be a good size work area. You always want to try the least aggressive method first in any kind of paint correction so start off using a good foam applicator and if that is not cutting it then step it up to a terry cloth. The Terry with some ScratchX should do the trick then you will just hit the area one last time with the foam applicator to remove any light marks left behind from using the terry. Last remember that when doing this by hand it may take many applications to remove a defect depending on how severe it is.

[Murr1525]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

Well, you can polish and wax after using a cleaner/wax, but really it is kind of going back and repeating yourself, unless it is the only cleaner you have.

I'd just go right to the 2nd coat of wax, but nothing wrong either way.

[Andy M.]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

Well, you can polish and wax after using a cleaner/wax, but really it is kind of going back and repeating yourself, unless it is the only cleaner you have.

I'd just go right to the 2nd coat of wax, but nothing wrong either way.

Agreed. I guess it depends on what you are looking to achieve. IMO polishing adds to the job.

Andy

[Murr1525]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

Oh definately, 3 seperate steps are best...

[LimeStang]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

Good to have another Mustang guy on the site

I've got a 2005 GT (Legend Lime) and I'm using the NXT wax. I find that it gives a nice shine and is easy to apply and wipe off. I'm planning to do my car this weekend if the weather stays nice (I was going to do it last weekend but it rained).

My sister has a black 2002 Saturn SC2 and I went over the car with a claybar, followed by the #7 Polish, then the NXT wax. It was my first time using the polish and I'm glad I did. The car looks fantastic. It's got lots of stone chips and scratches on the hood and roof but is otherwise in good shape. I used ScratchX and managed to remove 95% of the scratches. You can hardly see them.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: after clay and wax cleaner???

No arguement here. I would agree just apply a coat of nxt2.0 on the first car. As for yours: start with the scratch-x. I would not expect miracles on the first attempt. It usually takes a few applications to get the desired results. Like Derrick said it takes alot of passion to make the product work. Good luck.