Higher gloss?

[Marcus]

Hello!

(This is the first thread I'm creating, be gentle )

I've been working on my car for a week or two now, I've been doing the paintwork from the bottom up, ending with triple coats of NXT Tech Wax...

And now to my question:
What can I do now to get at glossier surface? I wasn't satisfied at all with the surface that the NXT Tech Wax left, it's a nice color and all that but the gloss just isn't there!

What are my options here?

/Marcus

[Murr1525]

What steps did you do so far? And what condition is the paint in? Not sure what you meant from the gound up.

[roushstage2]

If the car is black, or any other dark color, try some DC3 or #26. IMO these give a better look than NXT.

[Marcus]

Uhm, lets see... I didn't use Meguiar products for the preparation of the paint, this time... (However I did another car yesterday with the MG #83 and #20, I want a glossier feeling there as well)

But right now the paint is in a very good shape, I've been using Autoglyms resin polish and 3M's fast cut compound for deeper scratches, then after I got the paint in a scratch- and swirlfree condition I used Lahega Polish (might be a local swedish product but a very high-quality brand) then finished off with a couple of coats of the Tech Wax (Up to 4 coats actually on some panels)

I don't think I can get the paint in a much better condition actually... But as I said earlier, a glossier surface would be great!

The Tech wax has had a lot of time to cure (like 3 or 4 days) and should have set up correctly by now..

Hope my explaination clarifies things?
(Yes, I am not native english so some of the terms of detailing are still a bit new to me)

Best regards,
Marcus

[Murr1525]

Sounds like a good start, Meguias products are usualy pretty compatible even with other companies.

The only other thing to try is claying the car, and see if that boosts your results.

[Accumulator]

I'd concentrate on the prep, that's usually what really makes the difference. When the surface of the paint isn't smooth (marring free), light tends to refract instead of reflect- result: less "gloss".

Try following the #83 with #80. Then perhaps a "pure polish" such as #3/#5/#7/#81/Deep Crystal #2. *Then* your LSP.

[Bama]

Marcus,

Sounds like your paint is well prepped - swirl free and clean.

Therefore, I would try a polish like #7 or DC2. Then, I would use Meguiar's Gold Class Wax. It has the glossiest finish, imo, of Meguiar's products. It is really a show car wax. The new formula leaves a very brilliant glossy shine. It looks much better to me than NXT. If you prefer a carnauba based wax, DC3 or #26 would work well also. They protect better than the Gold Class imo, but the look is not as glossy. Hope this helps.

[Mike Phillips]

Sounds like a job for M16 Professional Paste Wax. Get your hands on a tin of this and apply two thin coats and whatever gloss can be obtained will be obtained as M16 is tends to be a high gloss wax.

[Snowman]

^^ is that stuff out there on the Meguiar's E-Store for purchase, or do you have to get it someplace else??


Trent

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Snowman
^^ is that stuff out there on the Meguiar's E-Store for purchase, or do you have to get it someplace else??


Trent

It's discontinued but you can still find it. I've read on this forum that it's still available in Europe as they don't have the kind of strict V.O.C. laws the United States has in place to reduce air pollution?


If you live in the U.S., then once in a while the opportunity presents itself...

[Accumulator]

Mike-Nice to see you mentioning my favorite wax, and not just in a "back in the day, we used..." type of context

Heh heh, I was *gonna* mention the #16 but I felt it might lead to frustration when nobody could find any

Last I heard there were still a few cans out there, but I forget just where. Since a can will last for many years, it might be worth looking for.

[Bama]

Problem with the #16 is two fold imo:

1. hard to find
2. can be hard to use.

I think the Gold Class has as much gloss, but it is alot easier to remove.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Accumulator
Mike-Nice to see you mentioning my favorite wax, and not just in a "back in the day, we used..." type of context

Heh heh, I was *gonna* mention the #16 but I felt it might lead to frustration when nobody could find any

Last I heard there were still a few cans out there, but I forget just where. Since a can will last for many years, it might be worth looking for.

Hi Accumulator,

I think there is enough M16 in the hands of the people that it will always be a topic of discussion on this forum as well as others. It can still be found if you search around, you never know what might Pop-Up out of the blue...

Originally posted by Bama
Problem with the #16 is two fold IMO:

1. hard to find
2. can be hard to use.

I think the Gold Class has as much gloss, but it is alot easier to remove.

It can now be hard to find, as long as you apply extremely thin coats to perfect paint, use a quality wiping cloth, then it's not too bad to remove but probably harder than most waxes all things being equal.

As far as appearance goes, I've never said M16 will add more richness, or depth and clarity like Gold Glass, M26, DC3 and NXT will as it typically won't, but it will add a lot of gloss to a properly prepared finish.

[SpoiledMan]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
It can still be found if you search around, you never know what might Pop-Up out of the blue...

That a hint????

[Marcus]

Well, nice to see a lot of responses! Regarding the #16 I can see a big problem already: Since the Meguiar distributor here in sweden doesn't really carry all of the products there is a veery slim chance that they might have the #16...

However, I've seen the M26 on the shelves and considered trying that procuct out. (Too bad the bottles cost so much, especially since I am doing a kind of trial and error to reach a conclusion on what products to use.. The NXT would be at approx. $50)

Anyway, I'm gonna pop in to my local dealer and have a chat with him and see...

Thank you for suggestions and opinions!

/Marcus