newbie needs help with waxing cycle.

[noobwaxer]

hey guys, i picked up a meguiars claybar kit to get rid of some unsmoothness on my car, only to find out that i needed to wax the car after i claybared a spot. so i picked up cleaner wax and nxt tech paste 2.0

so far i did one door to see how well it turns out but not sure if i done it right, first i clayed the whole door panel then washed and dried the door. then i added some cleaner wax, then washed and dried the car again. then i added the NXT 2.0 tech wax paste. i did all this by hand. results are not that great, i was expecting it to be more shiny and more smoother. it got a little more smoother and shinier though but it would be nice if it shined like new again.. this car had quite a bit of accidents on the history so im thinking when they painted the doors, they didnt use enough clear coat or something.

is this how i should do it? i plan on doing the whole car in a few days when its nice and sunny. i have noticed some tiny rust dots in the paint and the claybar cant seem to get all of it out, is there a way i can get the rust out or should i just seal it up with wax? my car is almost 10 years old. so i better protect the paint as long as i could.

let me know if im missing any products, like if i should polish or not? not sure if cleaner wax is a polisher. if not would polisher get the rust dots out and do i have to polish befor waxing or can i just wash, claybar, wax on?

[Murr1525]

Re: newbie needs help with waxing cycle.

What kind of rust spots are we talking? Like rail dust, or holes in the paint?

[noobwaxer]

Re: newbie needs help with waxing cycle.

looks to be rail dust.

[searle]

Re: newbie needs help with waxing cycle.

If there has been extensive repainting, it is hard to know what was done - how good a prep+paint job, did they clearcoat after, etc.

Since you were so clear about washing and drying between all the other steps, I just want to confirm that you washed before claying? You certainly dont want to clay a dirty car and push around all that dirt (and scratch/swirl the paint).

Cleaner-Wax is a good cleaner-wax, but you might need to try SwirlX or ScratchX (increasing aggresiveness), but given the uncertaintly about the quality of the paint you have you must go easy (and do some test spots). There may be only so-much you can do without doing more harm than good.

[noobwaxer]

Re: newbie needs help with waxing cycle.

If there has been extensive repainting, it is hard to know what was done - how good a prep+paint job, did they clearcoat after, etc.

Since you were so clear about washing and drying between all the other steps, I just want to confirm that you washed before claying? You certainly dont want to clay a dirty car and push around all that dirt (and scratch/swirl the paint).

Cleaner-Wax is a good cleaner-wax, but you might need to try SwirlX or ScratchX (increasing aggresiveness), but given the uncertaintly about the quality of the paint you have you must go easy (and do some test spots). There may be only so-much you can do without doing more harm than good.

yes i did wash befor claying of course, i've used rubbing compound by turtle wax and it removed most of the tiny rust dots/raildust.. worked out nice but there are still a few tiny dots that wont come off.. is rubbing compound a polish? i then put a quick layer of cleaner wax on.. will re-wax with NXT in a few days and going to do the full car too..

what would work for that bigger key mark on the other door?(key mark isnt to deep at all, you can see paint though) will swirlx or scratchx remove or atleast make it less noticble and would this be able to be done by hand?

one more question. after i put on cleaner wax, do i have to wash the whole thing befor i put on NXT. or can i just apply cleaner wax, wait 30 mins, then whip on some NXT without washing?

[Murr1525]

Re: newbie needs help with waxing cycle.

yes i did wash befor claying of course, i've used rubbing compound by turtle wax and it removed most of the tiny rust dots/raildust.. worked out nice but there are still a few tiny dots that wont come off.. is rubbing compound a polish?

I'd try a bit more passionate rubbing with the clay.

In Meguiars terms, Ultimate Compound is a cleaner, meaning it removes dirt, and it is a strong enough cleaner to remove swirls/scratches.

what would work for that bigger key mark on the other door?(key mark isnt to deep at all, you can see paint though) will swirlx or scratchx remove or atleast make it less noticble and would this be able to be done by hand?

Well, either SwirlX, ScratchX, or UC will help. Of course, the worse the mark, the stronger product you may need.

one more question. after i put on cleaner wax, do i have to wash the whole thing befor i put on NXT. or can i just apply cleaner wax, wait 30 mins, then whip on some NXT without washing?

There is no need to wash in between.

You would want to apply the Cleaner/Wax, let dry, and wipe off. Then apply the Nxt, let dry, and wipe off.

If you wait till the next day, etc, and the surface gets dirty in between the Cleaner/Wax and Nxt, you would want to Quick Detail or wash as needed, so you are working on a clean surface.

[searle]

Re: newbie needs help with waxing cycle.

one more question. after i put on cleaner wax, do i have to wash the whole thing befor i put on NXT. or can i just apply cleaner wax, wait 30 mins, then whip on some NXT without washing?

As the previous reply said, you can apply CleanerWax, let haze, wipe, and then apply/haze/wipe with NXT (but dont let cleanerWax sit for 1 or more days since car would then need a wash or UQD before applying NXT.

However since you have SwirlX, it might be better to clean with SwirlX (rather than cleanerWax) and then apply NXT directly onto that prepared surface. Will probably get slightly better ploymer cure/bond to that clean paint than to the cleanerWax carnuba (even though NXT will likely remove much/most of the carnuba). Not critical, just a thought.

[searle]

Re: newbie needs help with waxing cycle.

what would work for that bigger key mark on the other door?(key mark isnt to deep at all, you can see paint though) will swirlx or scratchx remove or atleast make it less noticble and would this be able to be done by hand?

Try SwirlX first, if that does not work step up to ScratchX (most likely needed) and if needed step up to UC. Yes, it should work nicely by hand, and for a single mark/scratch that may be the easiest/best approach.

Depending on how deep the mark is, you may want to just focus on minimizing it (which still removes some paint/clearcoat) rather than totally removing it (which may need to remove a lot of paint/clearcoat). After you have minimized the direct area of the mark, try the same cleaner lightly all around that general area to blend-in the result, so you dont have a defined spot which looks slightly different from the rest of the general area.

Taking the above approach of just minimizing the mark, YOU may still know it is there and be able to see it if looking closely, but the world will not see it and will think everything is perfect.