2 cars want to clean them up 50k and 10k miles

[hombrewdude]

I have never done much more then just wash my cars.
Never really cleaned or waxed them.
I want to learn how, and do it right.

Can you please point me to a faq or website if my questions have been asked before.
I have read through this message board and it seems many questions are more advanced.

2004 Crown Victoria LX Sport 10k miles
A tree branch fell and made a mark from the windshield to the trunk. Looks like it just scuffed the clear coat, not the paint.
Never been waxed

2002 Toyota 4-runner 50k miles
average wear, a dog jumped on the side and has a scratch. A bit worse then the crown vic scratch.
Never been waxed

I want to clean, polish wax and protect both cars.
I have NO equipment - just a rag bucket and soap.
I am prepared to buy whatever it takes.

Initial cleaning - what to use to remove road tar, bugs and stuff
Should I clay both cars?
Polish? - swirl marks don't seem to exist.
Wax - brand?? type??
How to remove marks from dog and tree branch?

Can I do all this by hand? - elbow grease doesn't bother me.
I will buy a buffer if I need one - but I read they can be bad in the wrong hands.

Any other suggestions and tips?

[Murr1525]

First off, you are right, elbow grease is best till you get the hang of it. Then look into the PC. It is safe and easy to use.. other things can be quite dangerous.


Defintatly read the FAQ and How-To sections of the Forum.. espeacialy about the 5 step process, and how to care for a new car. There is a good amount of into about products to use, and equipment to use. There is also articles on how to remove scratches with ScratchX.

Steps to follow:

1. Wash: Use a good quality car wash like Gold CLass or Nxt, using 2-bucket method.
1a. At this point, spray on bug and tar removers.. may take a couple sprayings, letting it sit for a few minutes ,etc.

2. Clay: Definatlely clay both cars with Quick Clay.

3. Clean: Working by hand, ScratchX will be the best you can do to try and lessen/remove scratches and swirls. You may want to scratchX the whole vehicles, or move onto a milder cleaner like DC#1 (Deep Crystal) for parts with no swirls.

4. Polish: A polish like DC#2 (Deep Crystal) is great by hand.

5. Wax: Gold Class wax and Nxt Tech wax are my favorites. Both come in liquid and paste forms.

6. Maintain: Use a spray booster wax after washing to restore the shine, and add some protection back.

As far as equipment goes, you'll need:
- some of the hi-tec applicator pads,at least 1 per product.
- water magnet drying towels, I like about 2-3 for a Subrau Legacy.. and yours are bigger.
- a good chenille wash mit/sponge
- grit guard insert for buckets
- 2 buckets
- supreme shine microfiber towels, at least 2 per product

.. and I probably still missed some things. Not to mention tire dressings, wheel cleaners, metal polish, glass cleaner, etc...

I hope that helps some...

[Murr1525]

Actualy, the new car stuff is in the hot - topics forum... but heres the link.

New Car Care

[Mike Phillips]

Re: 2 cars want to clean them up 50k and 10k miles

Originally posted by hombrewdude
Can you please point me to a FAQ or website if my questions have been asked before.

Hi hombrewdude,

Welcome to Meguiar's online!


For both of your cars, you can obtain and use the products as they are outlined in the below article. For light cleaning of the surface, apply the ScratchX to a section at a time, work it in well and then remove it and move on. For the more serious scuffs and scratches apply the ScratchX a couple of times and really work it in.

Remember, your end-results are always going to be based off how well you do the paint cleaning step, that is the ScratchX step. Applying polish and wax afterwards just builds off of the paint cleaning step and should go a lot quicker as during these steps you're no longer trying to remove defects, just add beauty and protections. Below is the first article to read, even though the title mentions removing swirls, you can easily re-title the article,

How to restore a neglected finish as the products and principals are the same.


How To Remove Swirls By Hand


When you have time, it would also be a great idea to read through these as the information contained within them will bring you up to speed with the rest of the detailing enthusiasts that hang out on this forum and chances are good you'll know more than most people on the topic of car care in general and Meguiar's in specific.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

A Lesson From White Paint - The importance of a paint cleaner.

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

Circles or Straight Lines?

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

How to tell when a Meguiar's wax is ready to remove - The Swipe Test

[hombrewdude]

This is from autodetailingsolutions.com [edited for commercial link; 2hotford]
This ok to start with?
Anything major missing?

Online Promotion
Package #2 DA Polisher NXT Speed Kit
1 Meguiar's G100 Polisher (Lifetime Warranty)
1 Backing Plate.
2 W8006 Foam Polishing Pad
1 W9006 Foam Finishing Pad
1 X4003 Microfiber Bonnet (2 Pack)
1 Meguiar's Clay Bar (Small)
1 M8032 Speed Glaze 32 oz.
1 G12718 NXT Tech Wax 18 oz. (Comes with 1 Applicator Pad)
1 G13224 NXT Speed Detailer 24 oz.
3 16 x 16 Microfiber Towels
1 Duffel Bag

$219.95

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

I would add the following:

Meguiar's #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish

The #83 may be needed for marring not removed by the #80. Otherwise, you should be good to go!

Tim

[Murr1525]

As 2hotford said, #83 may be needed for the bigger swirls.

You may also find you need an additional pad for use with the bonnets. Dont want to put the bonnets over dirty pads. It is best to use the 7006 pad with the bonnets on them. (dont use the 7006 to apply products, only removing with a bonnet on.)

The #80 and #83 are both cleaner/polishes, so it combimes two steps into one.

Natrualy, the Car wash soap, sponge, and grit guard type things are mising, and other little deatiling bits and peices, but seems to have the bulk of what you need.

[hombrewdude]

Do you know if the following are the quick change type?

1 Backing Plate.
2 W8006 Foam Polishing Pad
1 W9006 Foam Finishing Pad
1 X4003 Microfiber Bonnet (2 Pack)

[hombrewdude]

Do you mean 8006 pad?

I am a bit confused. I use a bonnet over the pad to remove the product?

But I use just the pad to apply product?

Does this hold true for cleaning, polishing and wax?

You may also find you need an additional pad for use with the bonnets. Dont want to put the bonnets over dirty pads. It is best to use the 7006 pad with the bonnets on them. (dont use the 7006 to apply products, only removing with a bonnet on.)

[sean]

Basically the bonnet slips over a pad. Murr1525 suggested using the 7006 pad for this which is the reddish cutting pad. When applying products such as 83, put it directly onto the 8006 pad.
Hope that helps

[Murr1525]

Yeah, the bonnets are kind of like a shower cap thing for the pads. And much like a microfiber towel, you would want at least one bonnet per product for removal.

But if the pad underneath is damp/wet with product, it is going to bleed through, so you need a clean dry pad to put the bonnet over. The 7006 cutting pad is a bit firmer, which also makes removing the products a bit easier.

I think you would use the 8006 pad for the #80/#83, and the 9006 pad for waxing, or if using a pure polosh. And they get applied right to the pad itself. Should be a how-to somewhere around here on it....

[Murr1525]

Here are a couple links in case you didnt get to check them out:

Products for G-100

Removing Swirls with G-100

Cleaning Pads

And for yoru other question, the backing plate has a velco section, and then attatcehs to the velco on the pads.