How many applicator pads & Ultimate Wipes?

[Ram79]

I'll be performing the 3-step Deep Crystal system (clean, polish, wax) for the first time on my 3 month old Frontier. I'll be doing it by hand, and plan to use the foam applicator pads for product application, and the Ultimate Wipes for buffing/wiping off. How many of those pads and cloth would I need? I know I would need at least 1 applicator pad & Ultimate Wipe for each step, but what I'm not really sure is how long will the pad and cloth last during the course of a single application before it's saturated?

[Boss_429]

Ram79,

Well, at a minimum, I would go with the following:

2 applicators to a apply the cleaner - an applicator can get pretty dirty when using paint cleaner........... you don't want to use a dirty app.
2 towels to remove the cleaner residue - same as the apps. You don't want to use a dirty towel to remove. Plus, the towels will probably get loaded up with residue. Keep in mind, that you should only use 1 side of the towel.

1 applicator for polish - you might need a second one
2 towels for removing the polish. They will load up with residue.

1 applicator for wax - you might need a second one.
2 towels for removing wax. They will load up.

Keep in mind that the above depends on the size of the vehicle, and how much product you are applying. In the end, it's better to have "plenty" of apps and towels, so that you don't "overuse" any of them.

Hope this helps.

[Tim Lingor]

Well said Boss!!!

Please post some pictures when completed!!


Tim

[wblynch]

Don't forget the clay. Even on a new car there can be lots of surface contaminants.

Use the Quik Clay system. It's a bargain at $9.95 and it gets the paint amazingly clean.

If you're going to be polishing the whole car by hand you will really appreciate starting off with a freshly clayed surface.

Please post pictures.

[Boss_429]

Good point on the clay! Claying can be very benificial. Of course, you will need another towel or two to remove the lubricant/residue from the claying process.

See, you can never have enough good towels!

[Ram79]

So it seems I would need at least about 2 pads & 2 cloths for each step. Now all I wish for Christmas is 10 applicator pads and 10 ultimate wipes. The Ultimate Wipes are a bit pricey here in Malaysia, it's $40 a piece. But I know it'll be worth it.

Initially, I was rather reluctant to clay, thinking that it's probably too soon to do it. But after receiving much 'schooling' here in the forums on above and below surface contaminants, I know my truck would need it. Next, I'd need to read up on proper claying techniques.

Was just wondering though, what if I skipped claying and proceeded with the 3-step system? Would my wax be locking in the contaminants that would have otherwise been removed by claying, thus making it harder to remove them the next time?

[S60slipstream]

Ram79,

The Frontier is a fairly huge vehicle. Being only 3-months old, I would suggest that you could perhaps skip the claying step. Depending on the effort you put in, just going through DC 1-3 (and of course, a very thorough wash), could set you back at least 5-6 hours or even longer. Claying will set you back an additional 2 hours or more. Arguably, with a paint coat that new, DC1-3 will be able to do the job of creating a brilliant shine and protection. Would suggest you clay only on the next time you go through DC 1-3. May I also suggest that you try swapping DC3 with NXT Tech Wax.

Lastly, it is great that you are starting to protect and maintain your paint so early into the live of your vehicle. This is certainly rare in this country.

[benhui86]

doing it by hand is gonna take u forever.... but then again u probably dont have as much of swirl problem as i do.... since ur Frontier is only 3 months old and u probably didnt do anything stupid w/ it like i did...

[Ram79]

S60slipstream, thank you, I realized that I'd enjoy taking good care of my vehicle, so I'm intent on making the enjoyable worthwhile. :-)
I figured I would need the entire day for the whole process, I take a relatively significant amount of time even in washing my truck, so I know it's gonna take a while. Yeah, I guess I could skip claying first time around. It's a judgement call this one.
Actually, I got the Gold Class clear coat wax instead of DC3.

I read your other post on paint droppings on your car, and how you effectively removed it. My brother's car recently had paint droppings on the hood (a long story behind that), and I've assured him that with the help of Meguiar's, I might just be able to fix that. My only concern now is that he might not have wax on, and the paint could very well be etching into the clear coat. Any suggestions on how I should approach this?

Benhui86, just curious here, what did you actually do? :-)

[benhui86]

i used a orbital buffer w/ turtle wax rubbing compound thinking it'll remove scratches and swirls..... this was like last yr when i had no clue what i was doing..... on the bed i used the heavy duty kind mixed w/ gasoline well at least my bed color aint faded.... but its gonna take hella work to go get it swirl free again....

[Lt1Corvette]

Though the car is only three months old, I would still clay it. I can do a Chevy suburban in about 40 minutes including wipe up. If you are looking to save time, just clay after you wash (don't dry car first), then rinse the car again after you finish claying, then just dry it normally. That saves a lot of time especially on a larger vehicle. Though you do not need to do it yet, it is worth it. You would be shocked to see what came off of a 2005 Audi I did with is 25 miles on it.
With the ultimate wipes being $40 dollars each, I might explore some other microfiber alternatives. There are a lot of great towels out there.

[S60slipstream]

Ram79,

Not sure about how you would need to deal with paint droppings on your bro's car. Basically you would need to trial and error. I think very much depends on the type of paint got onto the car, i.e. water based vs petroleum based. Was scratching my head on how I would have removed it had DC1 not worked.

1) Try DC1 first. I found that it removed all the paint droplets I had. Something in it was able to either dissolve the paint droplets as well as remove the NXT layer

2) If this does not work, think claying should.

3) You could also try nail varnish remover. (Would not suggest turpentine which should definitely remove the paint...as well as spoil the clear coat). Think nail varnish remover is more diluted and gentler. After that, just go thru the DC1-3 steps and that should help

Cheers