Several newbie questions ;-)

[philming]

Hello all ! I'm new to this forum, and new to Meguiar's products.
I live in France, where the products cost about twice as much as in the US, but realizing they're far better than anything I've used so far, well I think I'll stick to them.

Anyway, I'm a little lost in the product line and processes so i'm going to ask a few questions here, any input would be appreciated :

• My car is a 2006 Skoda Octavia, "Diamond grey", so a rather light color.

• All I've used so fax is the NXT Tech Wax 2 on it. I've since discovered the 5 steps process and read a good amount of inforation on the use of your products.

• For starters, I've read that the Gold class wax had a better result than Tech wax 2 on a light colored car. So if i want to switch product how do I do? To I have to wait for the Tech Wax 2 to wear off or can i add a second layer on top right away? Isn't there a risk of buildup between these products?
What if I stick to TW2? How often can I wax the car without there being any risk of buildup on the paint?

• Second thing : What after the Tech Wax or Gold class? I'm a little lost in the product line : I understand there are several spray products I can use on top of NXT Tech Wax 2 :

ULTIMATE QUIK WAX
NXT GENERATION® SPRAY WAX (not sure it's available in France)
ULTIMATE QUIK DETAILER
NXT GENERATION® SPEED DETAILER

I have the feeling these roughly do the same thing : add an extra shine to a waxed car. The next step after waxing the car anyway, and to be applied on a regular basis. So please help, as I said I'd be able to buy a few extra products but the costs here in France are outrageous...
And the complementary question above remains for this one : Is there a risk of buildup on the paint if I use the "wrong" combination of products? Please help me choosing the right combination ! ;-)

• About the product applications : I know I'm not supposed to use the same microfiber for different products. So I'll have one for the waxing, and one for detailing i.e. But do I need to have one for Tech Wax 2 and another one for NXT Spray wax or can I use the same?

• Finaly I had a question about the windshield : All the products mentionned above are advertised to treat the painted areas of our cars. What about the windshield? Is it OK to wax and detail it as well or is it going to be a problem with the wipers? What about the inside? Is it OK to wax the inner side of the windshield and windows or is it not recommended?

So, thanx for your reading and patience, as said above, any input would be appreciated !

Best regards,

[james0509]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

For the first part about switching waxes, I'm not too sure but I think clay bar would remove the wax, if you are patient, wait a few months.

To answer the second part, I don't think wax build up is visible with the naked eye. I mean, I waxed my car roughly 4 times in the last month because I was trying different products and methods, and I don't notice any "buildup"

Your question about all the after wax products, those products all do mostly the same thing, to keep the shine IN BETWEEN waxes. Those sprays do not replace waxing, they only make your car shiny until the next time you detail it.

Your question about microfiber cloths, WASH THEM! after washing the cloths it does not matter which one you use because they will all be clean!

Lastly, do not wax the windshield. There are certain products specially made for that. Rain-X is one. Trust me, all you need on a wind shield is windex, or a glass cleaner. (armor all glass cleaner is good, if meguiar's has one, go for it)


Oh and you asked if there is a risk of buildup using "wrong" combinations. I don't think there will be, because a lot of my combination includes different brands. Most of it is meguiar's but I also use turtle's and armor all. As long as you don't use a product with the same purpose from 2 brands. ( Like using 2 waxes haha! )

[the_invisible]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

• All I've used so fax is the NXT Tech Wax 2 on it. I've since discovered the 5 steps process and read a good amount of inforation on the use of your products.

• For starters, I've read that the Gold class wax had a better result than Tech wax 2 on a light colored car. So if i want to switch product how do I do? To I have to wait for the Tech Wax 2 to wear off or can i add a second layer on top right away? Isn't there a risk of buildup between these products?
What if I stick to TW2? How often can I wax the car without there being any risk of buildup on the paint?

Gold Class Wax may produce a slightly different look than NXT 2.0, but that reason alone is not justify for the switch. You may not even notice the difference on your Diamond Grey car.

Since you now know about the the 5 steps process, it should be obvious that you could simply remove the wax on your vehicle's paint surface by preparing it with products such as SwirlX, Ultimate Compound, clay bar, etc.

Your concern of build-up should prompt you to perform the 5 steps process during your switch to a new wax. Build-up between layers of waxes is not as bad as simply applying a new wax on a contaminated surface.

• Second thing : What after the Tech Wax or Gold class? I'm a little lost in the product line : I understand there are several spray products I can use on top of NXT Tech Wax 2 :

ULTIMATE QUIK WAX
NXT GENERATION® SPRAY WAX (not sure it's available in France)
ULTIMATE QUIK DETAILER
NXT GENERATION® SPEED DETAILER

The products you have listed are for keeping the paint surface clean during car washes. They all work great on top of NXT 2.0, but you may want to stick with Ultimate Quik Detailer.

I have the feeling these roughly do the same thing : add an extra shine to a waxed car. The next step after waxing the car anyway, and to be applied on a regular basis. So please help, as I said I'd be able to buy a few extra products but the costs here in France are outrageous...
And the complementary question above remains for this one : Is there a risk of buildup on the paint if I use the "wrong" combination of products? Please help me choosing the right combination ! ;-)

The Quick Detailer products add shine to a waxed or non-waxed surface. They are also used to wipe off light dirt in between washes.

You shoudn't have to worry about build-up caused by Quick Detailers

• About the product applications : I know I'm not supposed to use the same microfiber for different products. So I'll have one for the waxing, and one for detailing i.e. But do I need to have one for Tech Wax 2 and another one for NXT Spray wax or can I use the same?

You can use the same towel on different products after you've washed it.

You can flip the cloth to a clean side for use with a slightly different product.

• Finaly I had a question about the windshield : All the products mentionned above are advertised to treat the painted areas of our cars. What about the windshield? Is it OK to wax and detail it as well or is it going to be a problem with the wipers? What about the inside? Is it OK to wax the inner side of the windshield and windows or is it not recommended?

Some people have waxed the exterior of the windshields and windows. I wouldn't recommend it. There are products designed for glasses.

Regarding waxing the insider of the windows, no, it's not recommended.

[philming]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

Wow that's quick answers ! Thank you !

OK So I understand that for the post-waxing products, they're basically all the same. Some add a little extra layer of wax, some just make things shine. I'll go for Ultimate Quick detailer or the NXT one then (just to stay in the same product line as the wax).

I got M's glass cleaner spray as well, I'll check out on the product list if there's anything better.

OK for the wipes, I guess I'll still need 3 : On for the clay, on for the waxing and one for the detailing part, since I'm most likely to do all these steps at the same time.

[james0509]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

Yes, but remember. Waxing the entire car with only 1 microfiber cloth might not be enough. I use quite a few cloths for waxing to make sure I don't have too much wax in the cloth. Same with claying, if I use only 1 cloth, it will get soaked with the QD, therefore getting harder to wipe dry.

I suggest getting at least 2 cloths for each task. Just a tip

[philming]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

All right, these will be added to my next shoping list ;-)

[philming]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

Oh another one. By mistake, I bought bboth of these products : Natural shine and Quick interior detailer. Do both products do the same thing? Is the NS usable on tires? How do you apply it then? Directly or on a cloth first? Thanx for your input !

[philming]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

Anyway, so I'm goping to re-do the car over the Week-end. I live in an appartment so I'll have a hard time doing the washing of the car anywhere else than the high pressure station near my place.
So I guess this will be what I'll do correct me if I'm mistaking :
1 - Go wash the car
2 - Dry it up with a simple bath towel (no need for anything else, since I'm going through the next steps)
3 - Clay
4 - Maybe re-wash? Or just apply some quick detailer?Just to get the remnants of the clay product off?
5 - NXT tech wax 2.0
6 - UQD

Am I right?

[Eddie6th]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

[QUOTE=philming;351368]Hello all ! I'm new to this forum, and new to Meguiar's products.
I live in France, where the products cost about twice as much as in the US, but realizing they're far better than anything I've used so far, well I think I'll stick to them.


Yes...The high cost of living in europe....We're taken to the cleaners every time!

[Calais]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

First off: for lighter cars, particularly grey, I would recommend NXT over Gold Class. Gold Class is better on darker cars.

I don't know which of these products are/are not available to you but here would be my suggestion:

Wash: Gold Class shampoo, a nice MF mitt and two bucket method. Dry with Water Magnet.
Clay: Smooth Surface Kit.
Clean: SwirlX, DC1 or UC depending on availability and the condition of your paint.
Polish: M07, DC2, M80.
Wax: NXT 2.0.

You should be using Meguiar's foam pads to apply product and Supreme Shine MF's or Ultimate Wipes to remove product.

Again, the above are some guidelines; you could definitely make appropriate substitutions for products you can't get ahold of.

[james0509]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

Anyway, so I'm goping to re-do the car over the Week-end. I live in an appartment so I'll have a hard time doing the washing of the car anywhere else than the high pressure station near my place.
So I guess this will be what I'll do correct me if I'm mistaking :
1 - Go wash the car
2 - Dry it up with a simple bath towel (no need for anything else, since I'm going through the next steps)
3 - Clay
4 - Maybe re-wash? Or just apply some quick detailer?Just to get the remnants of the clay product off?
5 - NXT tech wax 2.0
6 - UQD

Am I right?

Hi its me again, anyway, #4 is not needed. When you clay a car, you spray the QD to lubricate the clay, right after you clay a section, you wipe the QD off. And there is no need to rewash the car to get the clay off because wiping off the QD will already take any clay pieces off.

And the natural shine and interior detailer both do the same thing. Your question about spray or towel. Both is optional but when you have tight spaces you should spray on to a towel to prevent overpsraying.

I see that you are really enjoying car detailing eh? I already spent hundreds of dollars on detailing products and I only started a few months ago.

[james0509]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

Oh and #2 drying with bath towel. Make sure your bath towel is CLEAN. You might scratch your car if it isn't.

for #2 you don't need to dry COMPLETELY because you are going to clay it anyway.

I usually just wipe off the large water beads and then go straight away to spraying the car with QD + claying.

BUT !!!! IMPORTANT, you should dry your car RIGHT away if you are under the sun!!!!

[philming]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

OK I went to my usual retailer and got a few extra stuff. A few ultimate wipes (god are they expensive... Over 10€ each here, and they only have the white version (smaller?), the clay system, the washing glove and UQD.

So I guess my plan of action will be the following :
1 - Go to my car wash station (high pressure) and have a regular good wash.
2 - drive the car home (about 10km on a highway), that'll allow the car to dry.
3- Getting home, start to clay, a pannel at a time
4 - NXT wax 2.0
5 - UQD

Does that sound OK? I'll check it out, but I'm not sure the car needs any swirl removal. Else I'll get some Swirl'X if I can find it and do that just after claying the car.

For the next washes, I bought Nxt car wash. So what I'll do is go to my high pressure station with a bucket, wet the car and fill the bucket, hand wash it, and dry it on high pressure. I'll just skip the high pressure washing step except maybe for the wheels.

[james0509]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

OK I went to my usual retailer and got a few extra stuff. A few ultimate wipes (god are they expensive... Over 10€ each here, and they only have the white version (smaller?), the clay system, the washing glove and UQD.

So I guess my plan of action will be the following :
1 - Go to my car wash station (high pressure) and have a regular good wash.
2 - drive the car home (about 10km on a highway), that'll allow the car to dry.
3- Getting home, start to clay, a pannel at a time
4 - NXT wax 2.0
5 - UQD

Does that sound OK? I'll check it out, but I'm not sure the car needs any swirl removal. Else I'll get some Swirl'X if I can find it and do that just after claying the car.

For the next washes, I bought Nxt car wash. So what I'll do is go to my high pressure station with a bucket, wet the car and fill the bucket, hand wash it, and dry it on high pressure. I'll just skip the high pressure washing step except maybe for the wheels.

Do not drive while your car is wet, that will be a dust magnet! All the dust and dirt in the air will be caught by your wet car! Dry your car first before driving home!.

You should :
1. wash your car at the station, dry it right after
2. Drive home and clay the car WITH UQD
3. (now is the time to remove swirls IF you have any, this step can also be replaced with applying a "glaze" if your car has no scratches or swirls)
4. apply your wax

after you apply your wax you do not need to use UQD again, that will be a waste.

UQD is for cleaning the car IN BETWEEN your car washes. For example if you washed your car last week, and it is dusty, spray UQD on your car and wipe clean. UQD is used to clean the dirt + dust off of your car before your next car wash.

keep asking if you have more questions!

[philming]

Re: Several newbie questions ;-)

1 - OK. I guess a chamois will do?
2 - I lost you. I read UQD wasn't a good choice to lubricate the clay? Anyway as tated, I have the claying kit, so this comes with a QD bottle.
3 - OK - Just missing one piece of info : I've read ColorX could be a good setp there too. I just dont fully understand what it does?
4 - OK, and twice I guess.
;-)