New to detailing need advice

[Mikas46]

Hi everybody! I like to detail my 2012 Acura MDX, paint in good condition and i think start with wash, clay, ultimate polish, ultimate liquid wax and tops with gold class carnauba. Have no garage and car parked 100% outside. I understand after ULW need 10-12 hours cure time or overnight. If car parked outside do i have to wash car before applying carnauba wax, and washing car could compromise ULW after only 12 Hours. I can do detailing only on weekends-so i have only 2 days to do all layers? Or better do carnauba wax next week? How long carnauba wax last? What you use between waxing? Quick detailer extend life of carnauba wax? Sorry for too many questions and thank you in advance

[Stephan]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Hi everybody! I like to detail my 2012 Acura MDX, paint in good condition and i think start with wash, clay, ultimate polish, ultimate liquid wax and tops with gold class carnauba. Have no garage and car parked 100% outside.

Sounds good, what color is your car?

I understand after ULW need 10-12 hours cure time or overnight. If car parked outside do i have to wash car before applying carnauba wax, and washing car could compromise ULW after only 12 Hours.

Yes, 12 hrs or overnight is good. Assuming fair conditions, a QD before the carnauba would be fine. Also, you should get some Rinse Free Express Wash for when your car is dirtier and access to water is an issue. What part of the US are you in?

I can do detailing only on weekends-so i have only 2 days to do all layers? Or better do carnauba wax next week?

You could do the carnauba topping whenever you wish, as long as the car is clean. For example, the UW is Meguiar's longest lasting wax, so you may top it a couple times with carnauba before you use UW again.

How long carnauba wax last? What you use between waxing? Quick detailer extend life of carnauba wax?

All wax durability depends on a lot of factors, weather, sun, etc.

[C8N]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Altho UQD does have some polymers, you would want to use a spray wax like UQW or GCQW to boost existing wax.

[Mikas46]

Re: New to detailing need advice

My car is dark cherry pearl and i leave in nyc. I have access to water-no problems but i'm not sure is using water would be good idea just only 12 hours after ULW

[C8N]

Re: New to detailing need advice

My car is dark cherry pearl and i leave in nyc. I have access to water-no problems but i'm not sure is using water would be good idea just only 12 hours after ULW

That is a judgement call you have to make. You said that the car is parked outside and quite a bit can happen in that time period.
Inspect the car and if you only see light dusting, you should be ok with just a wipe down with QD as Stephan already said. Better yet, you can down a waterless wash with Ultimate Wash and Wax.

[Mikas46]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Thanks everybody for advice

[goldenlight]

Re: New to detailing need advice

I don't have a garage either. If I can't get to it the next day I just get to it the following week after I wash it.

If I'm lucky and get 2 days together, I just whole it off with water the next day.

[Mikas46]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Why mequiars's carnauba wax is so cheap, maybe get something better?

[ffboy]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Price isn't everything, you can have a real expensive wax but without proper paint prep, you won't get optimum shine, depth and durability. As far as I'm concerned, it's nice to have a reputable wax that's inexpensive.

An example, in terms of shine, meguiar's deep crystal carnauba (inexpensive, definitely cheaper than Gold Class, NXT 2.0 and Ultimate Wax), but with proper prep and on black or dark paint, it can easily compete with the 3 higher end megs waxes.

[C8N]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Why mequiars's carnauba wax is so cheap, maybe get something better?

Higher price doesn't necessarily mean better quality.
I am in production as my day job and I can tell you that higher the quantity produced, cheaper the price.
Besides, if one is able to visually tell the difference between carnauba A and carnauba B... I would be very impressed.

BTW, I am making an assumption this is regarding aesthetics since if we were talking about durability, we would be talking about synthetic wax.

[Mikas46]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Thanks guys for reply, i'll put 1 layer of ULW and tops with caurnauba gold and see how will look, planning to use PC7424xp with gray and red pads

[Mikas46]

Re: New to detailing need advice

What you guys using for winter time for protaction

[ffboy]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Winter can be harsh on any wax, sealant or even newer nano-coatings, more regular washes (wash and wax if possible), more frequent spray waxes should do the trick. Stick with the polymer spray waxes (Ultimate Quik wax). If not, more frequent waxing like with the Gold Class Carnauba wax if that is what you used to top ULW with.

Or for winter, I may just skip topping Ultimate Wax with a carnauba wax, and just apply 2 coats of Ultimate. It is more durable than carnauba anyway, and has protective properties that will allow for easier clean up and resistance to road salt and snow.

[Mikas46]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Thanks Ffboy, which wax or sealant gives the wettest look.

[ffboy]

Re: New to detailing need advice

Depends on how well the paint is prepped. It would be near impossible to tell between Gold Class, NXT 2 or Ultimate Wax. A clayed, corrected, polished paint will look incredible even without any form of protection.