Beginner

[Piso]

Hi from Italy. I'm new to car detailing but I want to learn all the secrets. I already bought the endurance high gloss and the NXT tech protect. They both are great products. Now I want to wax my car for the first time. The car is quite new and it is silver metallic. Could you explane to me the various step to wax my car? I have little scratches and swirls, what product is the best for eliminating this imperfections? What type of wax is the best, gold or NXT? Can I use a polisher like the one in the photo for aplly the wax and the ultimate wipe for remove it?

Sorry for all this questions...
Bye

Giorgio

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Giorgio,

First, what are you working on? As in the type and year of car, the paint type, (Clearcoat or non-clearcoat), and do you have any paint care chemicals to start with, such as any paint cleaners like ScratchX or Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner?

Also, do you have any detailing clay?

How is the car stored, inside or outside most of the time?

The orbital buffer you included the picture of is not very effective at removing swirls and scratches out of most clear coat finishes because they tend to be fairly hard by their very nature. Often times you can remove swirls better by hand with our ScratchX than you can with a traditional orbital buffer.

[Piso]

Hi,
my car is about 8 month old and it have a silver metallic with clearcoat paint. No, I don't have any cleaner but I can buy one... Here in Italy they sell only scratch x... What is a detailing clay and what are it's benefits? The car is stored inside only at night. Is it better to work by hand intead of a orbital buffer? Is it good if I use scratch x and then 2 coats of nxt wax? What are the main difference between NXT wax and gold class wax?

Giorgio

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Piso
Hi,
my car is about 8 month old and it have a silver metallic with clearcoat paint. No, I don't have any cleaner but I can buy one... Here in Italy they sell only scratch x... What is a detailing clay and what are it's benefits? The car is stored inside only at night. Is it better to work by hand instead of a orbital buffer? Is it good if I use scratch x and then 2 coats of NXT wax? What are the main difference between NXT wax and gold class wax?

Giorgio

Hi Giorgio,

First things first, even though your car is new, it's possible that it has what Meguiar's calls, above surface contaminants, these are airborne-contaminants that settle on your cars finish and if not removed will actually bond to the paint in such strength that car washing will not remove them. This is the job of a detailing clay like Meguiar's Quik Clay System



Here's what you do, wash and dry your car, then run the palm of your clean hand and feel for little tiny bumps on the finish. If you discover them, this means you need to clay your car.

Note: Remove any rings or use a hand with no rings on it when inspecting your car's finish by hand

Claying is simple, just knead the clay into a wafer, somewhat like a small pancake, then mist some Quik Detailer onto the clay and then onto your finish and rub then rub the clay back and forth or in circles, (whichever your prefer), with light pressure. At first you will feel the clay drag a little as it is rubbing over the little bumps, but as it abrades and removes these contaminants, it will begin to glide smoothly, this indicates that area is clean and you can move onto an new section.

Use a microfiber polishing cloth or a premium quality towel to wipe the leftover Quik Detailer off the surface as you move from section to section. Most of the time, only the horizontal or flat surfaces of your car will have bonded contaminants, but you should inspect the sides also.

After claying, apply the ScratchX with a clean foam applicator pad by hand, or with your orbital buffer. After working the product in, wipe it off. There is no need to let it dry.

After ScratchX, apply two thin coats of NXT Tech Wax, after this your car should look better than new and have a crystal clear, smooth as new glass look and feel.

You can get great results by either hand or machine, either way it comes down to taking your time and using good technique.

The difference between Gold Class Wax and NXT Tech Wax is that one is a polish/wax and the other is a pure wax with some sleight cleaners in it. Gold Class Wax contains the natural ingredient Carnauba wax which most people agree adds depth and warmth. NXT Tech Wax is man-made wax which uses engineered synthetic polymers and no natural ingredients.

For most people to decide which wax is best for you and your car, you'll have to try both of them to see.

Hope this helps...

[Piso]

Thanks for the great answer, this helped a lot, I'm learning something new! Yes, my car has got that tiny little bumps on the hood and on the roof. The only problem is that here in Italy they don't sell yet the Quik Clay System, what can I do? I will for sure test scrack x and nxt wax as soon as possible. Is the Ultimate wipe good to remove the wax? Last question: what are the differnce between soft whas gel, gold class and NXT shampoos?

Giorgio

[Piso]

Mike, ...

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Piso
Mike, ...

Sorry Piso for not answering right away, I was offline most of the day Wednesday working on a car and teaching a young lady the art of polishing paint... (Each one teach one)



So I apologize for not answering your questions right away.
Let me see what I can do...

[05PhillyStang]

Originally posted by Piso
Thanks for the great answer, this helped a lot, I'm learning something new! Yes, my car has got that tiny little bumps on the hood and on the roof. The only problem is that here in Italy they don't sell yet the Quik Clay System, what can I do? I will for sure test scrack x and nxt wax as soon as possible. Is the Ultimate wipe good to remove the wax? Last question: what are the differnce between soft whas gel, gold class and NXT shampoos?

Giorgio

Ciao Giorgio,

I'm not sure if this is possible but what about international orders on meguiars online catalog. If that can't be done, try a Meguiars dealer inthe United States and try to arrange for UPS or FedEx shipping. I wouldn't use standard mail. I've sent packages to family in Italy and have had things delayed, some things were never delivered.

While you're at it, you may want to order some other products that may not be available in Italy other than just the clay.

Hope this helps.

[Piso]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
[B]Sorry Piso for not answering right away, I was offline most of the day Wednesday working on a car and teaching a young lady the art of polishing paint... (Each one teach one)

http://meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2Panic0002.jpg[/img]

So I apologize for not answering your questions right away.
Let me see what I can do...

Ok, no problems. Great car the one in the photo!

[Piso]

Originally posted by 05PhillyStang
Ciao Giorgio,

I'm not sure if this is possible but what about international orders on meguiars online catalog. If that can't be done, try a Meguiars dealer inthe United States and try to arrange for UPS or FedEx shipping. I wouldn't use standard mail. I've sent packages to family in Italy and have had things delayed, some things were never delivered.

While you're at it, you may want to order some other products that may not be available in Italy other than just the clay.

Hope this helps.

A few days ago some new meguiar's products have arrived in the shops but not the clay system. This is strange... I already contacted the italian department of meguiar's but haven't received an answer yet. The problem of international orders are the shipping cost and because I can find most of the products here it's not conveninet at all. Thanks however for the infos .
Bye

Giorgio

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Piso
Is the Ultimate wipe good to remove the wax?

Meguiar's Ultimate Wipe is perfect for removing both polishes and waxes, remember when applying polish and wax, always apply thin coats and work in well, this will make removal much easier.

Last question: what are the difference between soft wash gel, gold class and NXT shampoos?

Giorgio

Each one offers a different feature and benefit, simply put, you get what you pay for, the top shelf products offer better performance when washing your car, at the same time, our entry level car washes work great and are a much better as well as safer alternative to using dish soap or detergent car washes.

[Piso]

Thank you, you are the best!

[Mark2]

Hi Piso
I live in Finland and i use the Overspray clay with Quick Detailer which i can buy at stores that sell carpaint etc.
I found it cheaper to order some of the stuff online though, becouse the US$ is so cheap now, compared to the €.

Good Luck