Just Bought a New Stang, Sort of a Newbie, Question Inside...

[JackMan017]

Hi all,
this week has been a great week. I was able to pick up a leftover 2004 Cobra this week. I noticed when i brought her home that she had oxidation all over her. The hood, top of the car, and the trunk/spoiler were caked full of little grime and dirt/debry. The sides were bad too, but mostly the hood and top of the car suffered from the worst.

I did the mothers clay bar on her and it cleaned the car up alot. I spent over an hour n a half alone claying the car. However, i could NOT get the hood to be as smooth as the actual side panels of the car. I think its because i still have more grime on the car. From a distance the car LOOKS beautfiul but if you run your fingers down the hood it is not as "smooth" as say the side panels on the car.

How do i get ALL this grime off? Do i need to clay again? Is there some kind of meguiars product i can use? I do all my detailing by hand, no machines.

thanks again!

Does NXT work good on a silver car?

[Mike Phillips]

Hi JackMan017,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

You are member 2000! Kind of a milestone our our growth since we opened the doors so to speak in January of this year.




Give me a second, and I'll post some suggestions.

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Just Bought a New Stang, Sort of a Newbie, Question Inside...

Originally posted by JackMan017
Hi all,
this week has been a great week. I was able to pick up a leftover 2004 Cobra this week. I noticed when i brought her home that she had oxidation all over her.

Where was this car stored? Clear coats do oxidize, but they oxidize very slowly. Are you sure you mean oxidize?

Maybe it's only bonded contaminants?

The hood, top of the car, and the trunk/spoiler were caked full of little grime and dirt/debri. The sides were bad too, but mostly the hood and top of the car suffered from the worst.

Debri and dirt sitting on the horizontal surfaces for a long time could promote oxidation. As you point out below, it will also lead to lots of bonded contaminants.

I did the mothers clay bar on her and it cleaned the car up a lot. I spent over an hour and a half alone claying the car. However, i could NOT get the hood to be as smooth as the actual side panels of the car. I think its because i still have more grime on the car. From a distance the car LOOKS beautiful but if you run your fingers down the hood it is not as "smooth" as say the side panels on the car.

How do i get ALL this grime off? Do i need to clay again? Is there some kind of Meguiar's product i can use? I do all my detailing by hand, no machines.

I would try claying again, and then apply a paint cleaner like Meguiar's ScratchX



Following the instruction found here,

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

Use a foam applicator pad like these, Hi-Tech Applicator Pad




After you have applied the ScratchX and removed it, (Note: Paint Cleaners do not have to dry), then re-evaluate your finish. If it still doesn't feel smooth as glass then try claying again. The paint cleaner will have removed some contaminants enabling your clay to go after what's left.

Thanks again!

Does NXT work good on a silver car?

You bet it does! NXT Tech Wax produces a very clear finish, with high gloss and super shine. After you are finished with your surface prep, I would recommend polishing with a pure polish, and then applying two thin coats of NXT Tech Wax. You will love the results.

Mike

[JackMan017]

Mike:
awesome, thank you so much! That was just what i was looking for. Im going to give the clay bar another shot (going to use a lil more aggressive one) but still going to be very careful going with a medium grade bar.

When i say oxidize, maybe i dont know what im talking about. The car does have a clear coat, and from what i can tell when i took purchase sat outside the dealers lot. All i know is that when i was applying a coat of polish to the hood and top of the car, i would get a black resedue on my applicator towel when i applied the polish.

When i applied the polish to the sides of the car, i could not get one piece of debris/dirt/blackness to show up on my applicator pad.

thanks again for the help

if i live in so. cal (whittier to be exact) is walmart my best store to pick up a NXT package?

[JackMan017]

im a special member, #2000

:

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by JackMan017
Mike:
awesome, thank you so much! That was just what i was looking for. I'm going to give the clay bar another shot (going to use a lil more aggressive one) but still going to be very careful going with a medium grade bar.

I wouldn't go any more aggressive than a medium grade clay bar. The aggressive clay bars for use by Professionals can mar the finish. They use these more aggressive bars knowing full well that they are going to machine clean and polish the paint afterwards and this cleaning and polishing process will remove any marring the aggressive clay bars instill.

When i say oxidize, maybe i don't know what I'm talking about. The car does have a clear coat, and from what i can tell when i took purchase sat outside the dealers lot. All i know is that when i was applying a coat of polish to the hood and top of the car, i would get a black residue on my applicator towel when i applied the polish.

Pulling some black, or gray looking residue is normal for a dirty clear coat for the first application, after that, (after you have removed the built-up dirt and contaminants from off the paint), then you should stop color. If you do, then this is a sign that,

A) Your paint is extremely dirty (Unlikely)
B) You are not working on a clear coat

Is this silver paint also a metallic paint?

Single stage metallic paints will impart a gray color when cleaned with a paint cleaner or a polish because the typically aluminum flake used to make a metallic paint will oxidize and the gray/black color you see is the oxidation being removed from the finish.

If this is what is happening, then it's possible the car has been repainted? A quick phone call might answer this question.

When i applied the polish to the sides of the car, i could not get one piece of debris/dirt/blackness to show up on my applicator pad.

If when polishing the horizontal surfaces you continue to pull color, and yet you don't on the sides, this is a very strong indicator the horizontal panels have been repainted.

thanks again for the help

if i live in so. cal (Whittier to be exact) is Wal-Mart my best store to pick up a NXT package?

Yes, or a Pep Boys, or Target, or Kragen. It should be fairly easy to find. I have some clinics coming up in the future that you would be welcome to attend. I'm sure there will be some Mustang clinics in 2005

Mike

[gbackus]

Originally posted by JackMan017
if i live in so. cal (whittier to be exact) is walmart my best store to pick up a NXT package?

Whittier is not to far from me(South Gate), and I'm always willing to help if someone needs it. If you're still having trouble just PM me.

[JackMan017]

gbackus: thank you, i appreciate the heads up.

mike: can you give me a call sometime and let me know when your having a detailing clinic? i would LOVE TO GO!! (562) 883-1183. Thats my cell phone. If i dont pick up just leave a message after my goofy voicemail.


As far as the paint goes, i believe its not a metallic paint. The clay bar that i have is a medium grade clay bar from auto magic (i know diff. company, but thats all i have )

I just came back from Target (Carmenita/Florence ave) and purchased

---NXT wax
---Scratch X

Basically,
the next time i clay the car again, do i want to clay first then apply the scratch x? I am aware not to go rougher than a medium grade clay bar. I have the red one from auto magic which says its medium grade. I also have some spray detailer to lubricate the paint/clay bar while claying the car.

before i jump the gun and accuse the dealership of repainting the car (which i do not think they did because the car had 15 miles on it, but you never know) I would like to clay it with this medium grade clay bar (as opposed to the inferior mothers clay bar i used) then apply scratch x and a nice coat of nxt. After thats all done, then i see where i stand

[JackMan017]

Mike: xcuze my newb. question, how do you break down peoples post into individual quotes like that (basically what you did for me)? Im a message forum guru and have never figured that out.

thanks

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by JackMan017
Mike: xcuze my newb. question, how do you break down peoples post into individual quotes like that (basically what you did for me)? Im a message forum guru and have never figured that out.

thanks

Hi JackMn017m,

When you reply, ckick on the Quote link. This will place all of the message you're replying to in quotes.

Then you have to type in the Bold and Quote opening and closing tags where you want to break it up.

I'll take a screen shot of how I did yours and post it so you can see how to do it.

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Here you go...



Study this just a little and you will see how code formatting works.

That's why the Code Snippet Page Chris created is so cool, it contains all of code snippets I use often, already formated and ready to copy and paste into a message. By using a webpage with a leftside navigation bar, you can quickly click to the products you're looking for. Before, I had everything typed into a MS Word document and I had to scroll or search by key words to find my snippets.

Meguiar's Code Snippet Page

Mike

[JackMan017]

thanks a million mike!