difference between U.C., D.C., swirlx and colourx???

[feditaly]

hello! can someone tell me the difference between this product?:
ultimate compound, deep crystal system paint cleaner, swirlx and colourx??? which is harder and which lighter on paint? and if two of more of this product must be use step by step which is to use for first? thank you!!!

[wifpd4]

Re: difference between U.C., D.C., swirlx and colourx???

hello! can someone tell me the difference between this product?:
ultimate compound, deep crystal system paint cleaner, swirlx and colourx??? which is harder and which lighter on paint? and if two of more of this product must be use step by step which is to use for first? thank you!!!

Start reading here:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40514

[feditaly]

Re: difference between U.C., D.C., swirlx and colourx???

thank you david! but colourx are not named in the post... where do you think that is possible to place in its list? and i don't know but i want know if there is a step of products to use... for exaple if i have deep scratch i use before scratchx and after swirlx and after deep crystal? what is the best combination with less passage? naturally after all i use nxt wax... ;-)

[HealthyCivic]

Re: difference between U.C., D.C., swirlx and colourx???

thank you david! but colourx are not named in the post... where do you think that is possible to place in its list? and i don't know but i want know if there is a step of products to use... for exaple if i have deep scratch i use before scratchx and after swirlx and after deep crystal? what is the best combination with less passage? naturally after all i use nxt wax... ;-)

I don't know the exact placement, but ColorX would definitely be on the right side of that image (least aggressive). The reason being, ColorX is a cleaner-wax, so it'll be able to remove much more minor defects such as minor swirls and scratches. No cleaner-wax is going to be a super aggressive product.

As far as order goes... First of all, you need to learn about your deep scratches. Are they through the paint or the clearcoat? If you can see a different color where the area is scratched (e.g. white or the primer), then detailing cannot fix the scratch. If the scratch is the same color but you can feel it with your fingernail and it is not glossy like the rest of the paint, it is through the clearcoat and would need to be touched-up or repainted.

However, if the scratch still looks similar to the rest of the paint and can be seen very well mainly in the sun, you can probably buff it out.

What you generally want to do is use any paint cleaners/compounds (SwirlX, ScratchX, Ultimate Compound, ColorX, etc...) BEFORE waxing because these products will remove the wax (along with a tiny layer of paint) if you use them AFTER.

What I suggest is this:

1. Wash the car
2. Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit
3. Ultimate Compound/ScratchX2.0 (depending on how many issues you have in your paint. Test both products and see which makes the paint look better)
4. Choose a Meguiar's Wax. I recommend NXT Tech Wax 2.0

The reason I suggest the Smooth Surface Clay Kit is because it just makes sense and it does play a vital role in restoring your finish. Before doing any polishing and buffing, clay the car. It's fun and you'll see how much garbage it removes from your paint. If the car has never been clayed, it will be a good amount of work, but trust me, it's worth it. Both I and people I've worked with always notice a big difference after claying before even doing any further steps.

You're probably wondering whether you should use Ultimate Compound or ScratchX2.0. That is determined by A. Your Finish and B. How much you want to fix it. More than likely, you'll want to make it look as good as possible. If the paint has a lot of issues (you look at it in the sun and see all kinds of scratches and spots, especially deeper scratches), you will want to use Ultimate Compound. Still, as I said above, do a couple test areas. You can buy painter's tape at a Home Depot, Lowe's, or other hardware or paint shop and then tape off areas of your car panels to try products on. See which looks best and then go with it.

Technically, after using Ultimate Compound, you could use what they call a "pure polish" such as Deep Crystal System Polish. This polish will create shine but without any paint removal or wax. However, since Meguiar's new products are so good and already contain conditioners, this step is less important.

You could use ColorX before applying a wax like NXT 2.0, but my bet is Ultimate Compound will leave your finish looking good for a regular wax. Not everyone agrees on this, but since ColorX is a cleaner-wax, I've also thought of it as a 2-in-1 product. But if you go through all of the above steps, you won't need a 2-in-1 product. One thing I know most people will agree on is that 2-in-1 products are never quite as good as 2 separate, dedicated products. Case in point, if you're going to clean the paint and wax separetely, you likely will not need ColorX (which does both at the same time).

HOWEVER, if you've used Ultimate Compound and you still see trace amounts of swirls or some other tiny etchings, go ahead and use ColorX because the small amount of cleaning power it has will "finish" up the paint as well as coat it in a wax. You can always use NXT 2.0 as a second coat of wax afterwards. Just do not use NXT 2.0 and THEN ColorX because ColorX's cleaning ability will remove NXT 2.0.