Need to get ready for show car season.

[Hpstang]

I have a 2004 Mach 1 mustang that is torch red. The paint for the most part is in great shape for its age. I clay bar and waxed it about 6 months ago but I'm ready to get it cleaned up good again. The car rarely gets driven and is kept in the garage. So here is my question. I am wanting to do a good polish and maybe use a sealant this time instead of a traditional wax. I am wanting a nice deep shine that's really stands out and good protection. So I am looking for some products you guys recommend. I see a lot of you guys are using the new sealants more so thought I would give them a go. I do have a d/a porta cable and pads. Help me put together a good product list to get me going. Thanks in advance

[The Guz]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

The ultimate line is always a good place to start. Available over the counter at most places. They give excellent results. Ultimate Wax, NXT and M21 are sealants. All are great. Ultimate Wax darkens a little more than M21 or NXT. M21 and NXT give that more candy coated look.

I'm personally a fan of M205 over ultimate polish. It;s more versatile than ultimate polish from personal experience.

[Hpstang]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

Which will give more shine and depth ultimate wax or nxt? This will be my first time using a sealant

[The Guz]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

Shine and gloss come from the prep work. So polishing will give you the most gloss. A sealants real job is to protect your work. Either of these sealants will work and look great. Ultimate Wax will last the longest between the two.

[briarpatch]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

I can't speak for the NXT, but I can tell you that I got awesome 'reflectivity' (if thats a word) from the Ultimate Wax.

[Hpstang]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

Will the ultimate paste wax stain the plastic trim white

[The Guz]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

Will the ultimate paste wax stain the plastic trim white

Some have said yes.

[Hpstang]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

Talked with some guys today at a top notch detail shop who do some really high end details for show cars. All 3 guys told me to skip the ULW and go with #26. They said for a bright red car like mine it will look like you can stick your finger through your paint if you do all your prep work correctly. They all the agreed that I will have to wax more often with #26 but the results are well worth it. They did recommend the ULP because it will really help add the depth and shine I'm looking for and will work great together. Your thoughts on this? Also since it wasn't to long ago that I flayed and waxed the car when I am doing the polish stage with the ultimate polish will it remove all the old wax or do I need to do a cleaner wax first to remove? Thank fellas. I am looking a lot from this site

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

If you do all the prep work to a very high standard, whether you end up with M26 or Ultimate Wax is going to be up to you - the end result will look fantastic with both, but which will be "better" is going to be highly subjective. You could do half the car with one and half with the other and then ask 20 people which side looked better and they'd likely be pretty split on their choice. Which takes us back to the prep, which both The Guz and the detail shop you spoke with indicate are crucial to the final outcome. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Ultimate Wax paste on almost any color car - it really deepens dark colors (and your Torch Red falls into that category), it makes metallics pop, and it lends a brilliance to lighter colors that's really hard to beat.

M205 on a polishing pad will clean up any light defects in the paint, and a follow up with M205 on a finishing pad will take the finish to the next level before applying your LSP of choice. And, yes, M205 will remove any remaining wax you might have had on the car.

[Hpstang]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

If you do all the prep work to a very high standard, whether you end up with M26 or Ultimate Wax is going to be up to you - the end result will look fantastic with both, but which will be "better" is going to be highly subjective. You could do half the car with one and half with the other and then ask 20 people which side looked better and they'd likely be pretty split on their choice. Which takes us back to the prep, which both The Guz and the detail shop you spoke with indicate are crucial to the final outcome. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Ultimate Wax paste on almost any color car - it really deepens dark colors (and your Torch Red falls into that category), it makes metallics pop, and it lends a brilliance to lighter colors that's really hard to beat.

M205 on a polishing pad will clean up any light defects in the paint, and a follow up with M205 on a finishing pad will take the finish to the next level before applying your LSP of choice. And, yes, M205 will remove any remaining wax you might have had on the car.

Thank you sir for the feedback. I went out a bought some ultimate polish but after reading this I might should have went with m205. Will the ultimate polish be close to the m205 and will it remove any of the old wax as well? You guys are the experts so I might have to take your word on it and go for the ultimate wax paste.

[The Guz]

Re: Need to get ready for show car season.

Ultimate polish is derived from M205. The difference is that M205 offers more correction while UP offers more polishing oils. M205 has enough polishing oils in it but in my opinion M205 is a more versatile product. A polish with abrasives such as M205 or UP will remove old wax.

This should give you an idea of the aggressiveness of the product. UP is not shown but it would be next to M205.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...t-surprise-you!