Which products should I use?

[doh!]

Hi all,

I'm sure this has been asked a million time before, but I don't know where to start.

When I purchased my car (2002 Suzuki Aerio SX, fire engine red (I think the colour is called Bold Red?)), the dealership recommended Diamond Kote, so I have been using that ever since. I ran out, so I thought I'd look to see what other products are available. Anyway, I've been doing some research, people have good things to say about Meguiars so I have a couple of questions.

I'm not a car guy. I look after my car (take it to a good mechanic), but I hate washing and waxing. I'm looking for products that work and that I will have to use as infrequently as possible. Once a year would be great, once ever would be better , twice a year I could live with.

My car is almost always out in the elements and sees some salt in the winter.

I read the post: Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen, but was wondering if there are any additional steps required for the hood of my car. It is duller and no longer as shiny as the rest of the car (oxidation? or just the previous wax has worn off?).

I notice some people wax their cars every month or 2 and for me that is just not going to happen. I'm looking for something that lasts as long as possible. Is that realistic?

Thanks for your suggestions,
- Greg

[Carfire]

Re: Which products should I use?

Welcome to Meguiars Online Greg!!
Just so you know no one can say how long a wax is going to last. I believe it is about 4-6 months for NXT 2.0 Tech Wax which is a great wax and I highly recommend it. Also since you are in the elements it will wear off quicker. So if you want to keep it waxed up you might have to do it every 3-4 months if not more often.

[akimel]

Re: Which products should I use?

Greg, I appreciate your frankness about your unwillingness to wax your car more than twice a year and preferably less. I suspect that millions of car owners feel the same way, which is precisely why they are willing to pay car dealers exorbitant sums of money to apply problematic protective sealants that promise more than they can deliver (see this thread).

After seven years of 24/7 exposure to the harsh Canadian elements, it's not surprising that the paint finish is beginning to show some degradation, especially on the hood and other horizontal surfaces. Can you provide some photographs of your car? That would help the brethren to offer as helpful advice as possible.

Al

[akimel]

Re: Which products should I use?

I know you want to keep things as simple and infrequent as possible. On the basis of the anecdotal testimonies, I doubt NXT is going to last you six months under the conditions you specify. Moreover, you also need a product that will do some cleaning of the paint. You might therefore consider trying M20 Polymer Sealant. It will give you some cleaning action, and it will lay down a layer of protection that is, in the opinion of some, the most durable of Meguiar's waxes. I don't know if it will last six months. There's only one way to find out.

[Geek]

Re: Which products should I use?

if someone applies the M20 then do people apply a wax such as NXT after?

..

[akimel]

Re: Which products should I use?

if someone applies the M20 then do people apply a wax such as NXT after?

You certainly may. Many do.

[xantonin]

Re: Which products should I use?

If you want along lasting protection you should at least take a whole day to fully detail your car.

If you simply wash your car and wax it, the wax won't stick and it won't cover up all the defects you may still have a dull finish. But if you fully clean the paint and get out as many swirls as you can you'll have a reflective shine, which means the surface is cleaner, which means the protection will last longer.

It's a win-win situation to me.

[MrCLRider]

Re: Which products should I use?

If you want along lasting protection you should at least take a whole day to fully detail your car.

If you simply wash your car and wax it, the wax won't stick and it won't cover up all the defects you may still have a dull finish. But if you fully clean the paint and get out as many swirls as you can you'll have a reflective shine, which means the surface is cleaner, which means the protection will last longer.

It's a win-win situation to me.

I do not necessarily know if removing all the swirls will truly benefit the product adhering to the paint better, but cleaning the surface properly through a wash and clay would be most beneficial to someone looking to have the protection last as long as possible, the benefit of removing the swirls is the final look, a shiny car.

That is just my opinion on that..

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Which products should I use?

I

Moreover, you also need a product that will do some cleaning of the paint. You might therefore consider trying M20 Polymer Sealant.

It will give you some cleaning action, and it will lay down a layer of protection that is, in the opinion of some, the most durable of Meguiar's waxes.

M20 would be a good choice for what he's looking for, it offers some good cleaning ability, leaves a very slick and shiny surface and has to be one of the easiest waxes to wipe-off ever created in the history of car waxes. Used it myself for years on customer's cars with great results.

If the cars in question have not been clayed recently, then the best minimal approach would be to,

• Wash
• Clay
• M20
• Done

if someone applies the M20 then do people apply a wax such as NXT after?
..

That's called "Topping" and it's popular with some segments of the detailing world but if you're going to do it first read this article.


In this forum, How To Articles


Topping NXT aka "How to top one type of wax with a different type of wax


While the name of the article is about topping NXT the PRINCIPALS explained in this thread hold true for any products you're thinking about applying to your car's paint.

[xantonin]

Re: Which products should I use?

I do not necessarily know if removing all the swirls will truly benefit the product adhering to the paint better, but cleaning the surface properly through a wash and clay would be most beneficial to someone looking to have the protection last as long as possible, the benefit of removing the swirls is the final look, a shiny car.

That is just my opinion on that..

You might be right to an extent.

My thought was just that the swirls or scratches on the paint cause the surface to not be truly "flat" as the defects are etched into the paint.

This uneven surface would cause the wax to not be spread out evenly and thus wouldn't allow it the most optimized protection because future washes would possibly dip and duck into the defects removing the wax, whereas if it was perfectly flat and glossy it would merely slide across the top.

I tend to over-analyze things in my head and I could still be wrong.

[Zuke]

Re: Which products should I use?

Drive down to Seattle, ill clean it up

[MrCLRider]

Re: Which products should I use?

xantonin we are both probably right and wrong at the same time. Our information given can be taken many ways, how someone reads into it is not in our control. Methods used in our example will nonetheless give respectable results.

[doh!]

Re: Which products should I use?

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the great suggestions.

I'm thinking that something like this should do it for the first time:

1) Wash
2) clay bar
3) ColorX (to clean up the oxidation)
4) M20

In the future, probably following simpler routine of:

• Wash
• Clay (if needed)
• M20

I also noticed some black greasy gunk on the lower parts of the car that I wasn't able to completely remove when washing. It smears and is difficult to get off. Any suggestions for that?

Thanks again,
- Greg

[doh!]

Re: Which products should I use?

I ran down to my local WalMart at lunch time and picked up some car wash and the clay bar kit. They don't carry the M20. Where else can I buy Meguiar's products in Vancouver Canada?

- Greg

[i pamper my corolla]

Re: Which products should I use?

I ran down to my local WalMart at lunch time and picked up some car wash and the clay bar kit. They don't carry the M20. Where else can I buy Meguiar's products in Vancouver Canada?

- Greg

Hi, I'm also from Vancouver

Canadian Tire (CT) and Lordco carries a decent selection of Meguiar's products. I would stay away from Lordco though - they make CT's overpriced Meguiar's products look cheap. $45 for NXT 1.0 wax? $50 for Clay kit?

CT carries many of Meguiar's consumer line products. CT in Vancouver now also carry Meguiars M26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax, which is highly regarded in the detailing enthusiast world. It's one of rare fairly priced meguiar's products at CT ($15). I wish I hadn't bought mine at Lordco last fall when they had a monopoly on it


If you want to try something outside of Meguiar's, try Mother's FX SynWax. It's a great inexpensive synthetic wax with light cleaners.