Scratch X and NXT spray wax

[silence]

1st. I have alot of deep water spots and fine scratches. I've tried almost everything. Now i'm gonna try a couple of coats of scratch-X. I'm assuming thats gonna stripp the wax off?
2nd. I wax my car every month with meg's products. Is it good to use the NXT speed detailer or is it better to use the NXT spray wax after every wash. I wash my car every weekend.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Scratch X and NXT spray wax

Originally posted by silence
1st. I have alot of deep water spots and fine scratches. I've tried almost everything. Now i'm gonna try a couple of coats of scratch-X. I'm assuming thats gonna stripp the wax off?

Yes. After using ScratchX you always want to re-apply wax. Just to make sure, ScratchX is not a wipe-on, wipe-off type product, you, meaning you and your hand, must work the product against the finish sometimes rather aggressively in order to remove some paint. The way you remove a below surface defect is to remove a little paint around the defect and thus level the highest portions of your painted finish with the lowest portions of the defect(s).

The only product I know that removes paint by merely wiping it on and wiping it off is aircraft quality paint stripper!

2nd. I wax my car every month with meg's products. Is it good to use the NXT speed detailer or is it better to use the NXT spray wax after every wash. I wash my car every weekend.

As you probably know, these are two completely different products, one is for removing light dust, fingerprints and smudges, while the other one adds wax protection and more beauty than a quick detailer.

Since you're washing the car and getting it clean, we would recommend using a spray wax afterwards. Follow the techniques outlined in the below link...

How to Get Great Results Using Meguiar's Spray Waxes

[silence]

Are there any other options besides Scratch-X that I can use to cover a broad surface to remove scratches and deep water spots?

So the booster wax is actually better to use after a wash than the speed detailer?
Like I said i wax once a month, with meg's yellow paste wax.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by silence
Are there any other options besides Scratch-X that I can use to cover a broad surface to remove scratches and deep water spots?

Yes, Meguiar's calls it the G100 Dual Action Polisher, its a variable speed polisher that is quite effective at removing most swirls, scratches and other below surface defects. Anything this tool cannot remove you will either have to learn to live with or learn how to use the rotary buffer.

Here's a how-to for using it and some of the products you'll need should you decide to upgrade to machine cleaning and polishing versus hand applying a tube of ScratchX.

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Tips & Techniques for using the G-100a to remove swirls and other paint defects.

Products Used
Quik Clay System
G-100a
W-8006 foam polishing pad
W-9006 foam finishing pad
#83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish
#80 Speed Glaze
Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax
Ultimate Wipe
Ultimate Bonnet

First wash the car thoroughly. Pay special attention to loosening and removing any dirt particles from cracks and crevices to prevent these dirt particles from being introduced onto the surface during the polishing process. After washing and drying, inspect the surface both visually for below surface defects and with the palm of your clean hand for above surface defects.

If you feel any tiny little bumps still attached to the finish after washing, proceed to clay the paint to safely remove these contaminants. After claying each panel, wipe the panel down with a quick detailer to remove any residue.

Using Painters Tape, tape-off any plastic trim or components that you don not want to get product onto and also tape-off any edges, high points or areas with known thin paint.



Your car may not look like the below car, but the taped-off areas should...




Applying #83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish with the G-100

• Speed Setting - 5.0
• Arm Speed - Slow Arm Speed
• Pressure - 4 to 5 pounds of pressure on the head of the polisher
• Work Area - Work a small area at a time, about 1 foot square
• Overlapping motions - Overlap each pass by 50%, move the polisher using different patterns
• Time - Work the product until the diminishing abrasives have broken down, but you haven't gone completely to a dry buff.
• Amount of product - Don't overuse product, use enough to lay down a film in the area you are working

When using the G100 Dual Action Polisher to remove defects, (This is different then merely applying a polish or a wax because you're trying to remove paint), you need to use a slow arm speed and overlap you passes by 50%. You also want to go in at least two different directions, for example, from where you're standing, side to side, then front to back. You can also move the polisher in a kitty/corner fashion for complete, thorough and uniform cleaning action.

Only work a small area at a time, this will vary according to the shape, curve or body line of the panel you are polishing but for example on a large flat panel, you want to stay around a 12" to 18" squared area. The point being, don't try to work to large of an area all at once or you won't remove the defects equally everywhere.

When you move on to a new section, overlap into the old section for a uniform end results.

When it comes time for applying a pure polish, or a wax, (besides cleaner/waxes like ColorX if you're doing a one-step), the you can polish larger areas and spend less time, i.e. use less passes.

The point of the cleaning step is to remove the defects. Because the G100's polishing action is gentle and therefore safe, it takes time to remove small particles of paint in an effort to remove a defect.

If the below image represents swirls and scratches evenly distributed throughout your car's finish,



Then you can see that in order to remove the defects you need to remove the highest areas of the surface until they are level with the lowest depths of the deepest scratches. In essence, you must remove paint.


Applying #80 Speed Glaze with the G-100

• Speed Setting - 4.0 to 5.0
• Arm Speed - Medium Arm Speed
• Pressure - 3-5 pounds of pressure
• Work Area - You can work a larger area than what you do with the #83 DACP
• Time - Work the product until the diminishing abrasives have broken down, but you haven't gone completely to a dry buff.
• Amount of product - Don't overuse product, use enough to lay down a film in the area you are working. Speed Glaze is rich in polishing oils a little bit goes a long ways

Applying NXT Tech Wax with the G-100

• Speed Setting - 3.0 to 4.0
• Arm Speed - Medium Arm Speed
• Pressure - Light pressure - More than the weight of the machine, you want to engage the foam pad with the surface, not just float over it
• Work Area - You can work panel by panel, for example, apply to one half of the hood, then walk to the other side of the car and apply to the other half of the hood. Apply to fender all at once, door, deck lid, etc.
• Time - Work the product long enough to make two passes over the finish then move on
• Amount of product - Don't overuse product, use enough to lay down a film in the area you are working

Removing Polish or Wax with an Ultimate Bonnet on the G-100

• Speed Setting - 4.0 to 5.0
• Arm Speed - Medium Arm Speed
• Pressure - 3-5 pounds of pressure
• Work Area - You can work panel by panel, for example, apply to one half of the hood, then walk to the other side of the car and apply to the other half of the hood. Apply to fender all at once, door, deck lid, etc.
• Time - Work the area until the bonnet has removed the wax

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So the booster wax is actually better to use after a wash than the speed detailer?

Better is a relative term, if you want the car to look like you just waxed it but without spending all the time it takes to apply a normal coat of wax, then once you master the technique for using a spray-on wax, a spray wax will give you better appearance results than a quick detailer.

As I mentioned before, quick detailers and spray on waxes are two different products, so it's only expected that you would get two different results. Read through the link I supplied, see how a spray wax is used. Then try to determine if you think you would like to use a product like this, if not, stick with a quick detailer like Speed Detailer. After you wash the car, quickly wipe it down with Speed Detailer and be done with it.

Like I said i wax once a month, with Meg's yellow paste wax.

That should keep your car looking like new as long as you own it. See my signature line...

[silence]

does the booster wax hold up any longer than the speed detailer might? Like be better at repelling water spots from rain and pollen and dust? Or does it mainly just give the car that just waxed look. I understand everyone has different preferences, i'm just on a really tight budget and i've already spent lots of money on trying different car care products now i'm really tight.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by silence
does the booster wax hold up any longer than the speed detailer might?

Yes.

Like be better at repelling water spots from rain and pollen and dust? Or does it mainly just give the car that just waxed look.

They will work as good as any of our waxes for the above.

I understand everyone has different preferences, I'm just on a really tight budget and I've already spent lots of money on trying different car care products now I'm really tight.

Both Meguiar's spray-on waxes are in essence waxes, only thinned down dramatically to make them easy to spray and fast and easy to apply and remove. The key word in the last sentences being, waxes.

Waxes by their very nature offer longer lasting protection characteristics than mist & wipe products because they are formulated to be a barrier coating while a mist and wipe product is formulated to remove light dust, finger prints and smudges.

Different products, different formulas and different goals.

If you're on a tight budget, then stick with what you know and already is working for you. Down the road, purchase either of our spray waxes and give them a try using the methods outlined in the how-to article for applying and removing them.

[silence]

thanks for your feedback. It sounds like the booster wax is more of what i'm looking for because it offers more protection. will the booster wax come off when i wash the car, so every week i need to reapply the booster wax or one week apply the booster wax the following week after the wash I just apply the speedy detailer. Sorry for all the questions i'm just trying to absorb as much info as I can because i learn alot from asking these kinda questions when talking with someone who knows there stuff.