wax now, or wax later??

[xterranole]

I have an 07 xterra that i've owned for about 4 months now and I have just not taken the time to wax/polish/fully detail myself. I have some scratches from offroading and a few water-spots on the hood, but other then that the paint is in real good shape. I want to get it to the best possible shape, but i don't have the money now to buy all the products i probably need, nor the time to do the work.

My question is this: Should I give it a good wax with a cleaner wax and call it a day until I have time to clay bar/polish/scratch remove/wax/detail...

or, should i just continue to wash weekly/semiweekly and then do the whole shebang when I have a weekend to use for it??

I need to do the same with my wife's car, but i can wax her car much faster than my Xterra.

any thoughts? I will be washing the xterra tomorrow and maybe waxing, just not sure about what kind of wax to use. I have some meguiars cleaner wax at home, but it's a few years old and i don't know if it's still good....

thanks in advance!

[BlueZero]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

If you don't have time for a full detail a cleaner wax would work great for you. It's better to get some protection on it soon than later. The cleaner wax still should be good as long as it didn't freeze. Just shake it up really good and as long is it looks creamy your good to go.

[xterranole]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

i tried using the cleaner wax about 2 months back, just on the hood, and stopped with that once i realized that i had water spots that were not coming of with the wax.

i have an orbital buffer, basic $20 thing, is it worth using at all and if so, how?

[Murr1525]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

Well, for quick easy details, I look at this:

1. Wash - good soap, good towels/sponges, two buckets, Grit Guards if possible.
2. Clay - as needed
3. ColorX
4. Wax - Nxt 2.0

5. Maintain - UQD after future washes.

So you could just put on the cleaner wax now, then next time look into the above so you clay and get your two coats of wax on.

Might want to wait till spring when some new products come out for tackling swirls by hand, if you plan to work by hand, or order a small bottle of #105 now. The ntackle the swirls/spots bit by bit. That is not a one day project.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

i have an orbital buffer, basic $20 thing, is it worth using at all and if so, how?

The topic of Traditional Orbital Buffers and removing swirls and scratches, (which is the same process as removing etchings of any type, has come up a number of times this week, check out the replies to this thread which is 2 pages long as it answers most if not all your questions.

****Newbie with a few questions****

[Mike Phillips]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

My question is this: Should I give it a good wax with a cleaner wax and call it a day until I have time to clay bar/polish/scratch remove/wax/detail...

Doing a simple wash and wax using a quality cleaner/wax is better than nothing but claying before applying the wax will make a world of difference and won't take that much longer. It will also restore gloss and more importantly help the protection ingredients to bond or adhere to the paint better which means they will last longer until you get time to do all the steps you want to do.

I have some meguiars cleaner wax at home, but it's a few years old and i don't know if it's still good....

Shake it up and pour some out and look at it, if it has a uniform consistency then it's probably fine. Meguiar's products have a 3-5 year shelf life as long as they don't freeze.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

I have to say the same. Protect it now until you have the time to do a full detail. Wax protection on less then perfect paint is still a lot better then no protection.

[xterranole]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

The topic of Traditional Orbital Buffers and removing swirls and scratches, (which is the same process as removing etchings of any type, has come up a number of times this week, check out the replies to this thread which is 2 pages long as it answers most if not all your questions.

****Newbie with a few questions****

scanned that link, here's what i came up with:

so it's more effective to apply the cleaner wax by hand then with a cheap buffer??

would these be good steps if i am going to hold off on doing the clay bar for a while:

1:wash
2:dry
3:scratch x (as needed for scratches and water spots)
4:cleaner wax (twice?)

thanks!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

so it's more effective to apply the cleaner wax by hand then with a cheap buffer??

In some cases, depends upon what you're trying to do.

More specifically,

If you want to remove swirls and scratches you're better off using a dedicated swirl and scratch remove by hand and not a cleaner/wax with a cheap buffer.

Remember, removing swirls and scratches means removing paint. So the question is how can "you" best remove paint?

Again, if you read through the links I've given you you'll come across information on how you can exert more pressure with your 4 fingers pushing down on a wax applicator pad than you can by pushing down on a a cheap buffer.

Removing swirls, scratches, etching, water spots, (basically ANY defect that's below the surface), is all about removing paint in a controlled way.

Here I'll go get the links and post them here...

[Mike Phillips]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

Here you go...

What it means to remove a scratch out of anything...

Rotary vs DA Polisher vs Traditional Orbital Buffer


Exert links
http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/tags.php?tag=exert


Also, for some people, if the car in question is just your daily driver you might be happier just washing, claying, applying a cleaner wax and moving on.

Clear coat paint scratch easy and show up to our eyes easy, so even if you remove all the defects out of the paint, if you don't do a careful job of washing the car and any other way or time you touch the paint the swirls, scratches, etchings and spots will just come back over time.

It's important to decide what your car care goals are and balance these against reality.

[xterranole]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

thanks for all the links. I ended up waxing with the cleaner wax by hand this weekend. I was really suprised the difference by hand, Got all of the water spots off (that i can see), and really helped with some of the scratches, which I worked pretty hard. Took for a long time since i taped off everthing, but it was worth it since i got all the paint covered and did not have to worry about getting the trim. I even took the wheels off, pressure washed and scrubbed them, then gave 'em a good coat of wax front and back!! I really think it makes a big difference when the wheels are clean inside as well, plus they will wash easier now.

Of course, today is the first time it's rained in probably 3 weeks, so the luster wont last real long. But what's the best thing to do today to get it clean again? it's only been a little bit of rain, drizzle, most beaded off on the highway, but once I parked, rained lightly for about 5 min....


Any advice?
Thanks

[Murr1525]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

With highway grit and grime, washing is probably best.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

But what's the best thing to do today to get it clean again? it's only been a little bit of rain, drizzle, most beaded off on the highway, but once I parked, rained lightly for about 5 min....


Any advice?
Thanks

There's usually enough dirt in the air and dirt in the spatter sprayed onto your car from the cars in front of you that the best thing to do is to wash your car with a normal car wash/bucket/flowing water.

If you don't think there's too much dirt on the car then you can use a product like this to wipe the paint cleaner and give it that just detailed look... if you haven't tried this product yet it's very, very good... and about 99.9% of everyone that tries it loves it... (I ask everyone at our Saturday Detailing Classes and it's for the most part unanimous)

Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer

[Mike Phillips]

Re: wax now, or wax later??

Check out this thread...

Wash or Wipe after Rain?

Especially the pictures on page 2 of the thread....


Besides dirt in the air, we have a lot of wind and this blows dirt onto your car and if it just rained then the dirt sticks to the wet paint which is probably the worst case scenario for whether to wash or wipe clean....