Announcement

**Mike Phillips** · Oct 24, 2005, 06:03 PM

Hi JcMac,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

You ask a lot of great questions for your first post! I'll try to get to some of them tomorrow. Maybe some of our other forum members will chime in with their experience and knowledge.

**Jeff Smith** · Oct 24, 2005, 07:08 PM

Re: Meguiars Product Options

Originally posted by JcMac
Hi all,

I have a range of Meguiars products that were aquired over time and I am seeking clarification on the differences between some products and different combinations in which they can be used. My car is a silver 99 Corolla which is not garaged and the climate is quite hot.

You ask alot of questions, that's a good thing. You may wish to break this post up a bit as I can see this thread heading off in a multitude of directions. Several, specific posts may prove better.

I can't offer feedback on all your questions as I have not used all the products but I will offer what little feedback I can based on my usage.

DC 2 Polish & Gold Class Clear Coat Car Wax liquid vs ColoRx & NXT Tech Wax
I have used the polish and the GC wax in the past, NXT Tech Wax on its own and ColoRx on its own. What combination of these products would you all recommend for a silver car.

Personnaly I have been finding I prefer the Sythethic Polymers for lighter colors. It all depends on your preference I guess. I tend to go for relection on the lighter colors. You also may find the NXT might hold up a little better in the hotter climate.

Microfiber vs terry towel
is on always better to use that the other or does it depend on the application?

For me it depends on the Application. I tend to use the Ultimate Wipes for removing cleaners and polishes. And I use the Terrys for removing Glazes and Waxes and then use the Supreme Shine MF for final buffs as needed. I also have a multitude of other, smaller MFs around I use for specific purposes like wheel work, trim work etc.

Are the professional detailer brands geared towards economy or do they give better results than the consumer brands?

For what I have seen, The Pro line seems more geared toward Machine Application while the Detailer line seems geared to working in environment where alot of work is being done and time is an issue. Even though I am just an enthusiast, I have been converting over to the Detailer Line as I "thnik" in the long run it will save me money. At least I am not running out to the store as often as I get that stuff by the gallon.
Sorry I couldn't offer more help but most of your questions either touched on products I have not used yet or products I have not yet mastered or used long enough to feel comfortable offering input on. Good luck on the rest of your questions.

**Murr1525** · Oct 24, 2005, 07:35 PM

Well, lets see what we can answer..

1. I actualy have both Nxt and Gold Class. Nxt cleans better i think, and Gold Class leaves a nice finish. So I use which fits my needs better that day.

2. The Gold Class Endurance is fine if you prefer that.

3. I would say combos of:
- Clay
- DC#1
- DC#2
- Nxt

or:
- Clay
-ColorX
-Nxt

4. I like Nxt Glass, but use what you like, both are good.

5. Both can be used for claying, but honestly I think the Quick Detailer works better. Maybe it is just me.

6. QID and Nxt Protecant should be used together. Use the Nxt every month-1 1/2, and dust with the QID in between. For a matte look, spray on Nxt, let sit for 5 min, then buff off.

7. Not sure about this one.. I use the Gold Class liquid one only.

8. Usualy needs applied, and let sit for a minute or so.

9. And baseball gloves...

10. Bit of both. The Water Magent is better for drying. The Supreme shine is good for removing waxes, polish, etc. Terry can be good for removing thick product, and applying cleaners.

11. Bit of both.

**JcMac** · Oct 26, 2005, 12:44 PM

I will conduct an experiment on saturday provided that it does not rain. I will wash, clay and scratchX the hood and then divide it into a grid that is 2 rows by 3 columns. I will apply the following combinations of products:
[list=1][*]DC 2 Polish and Gold Class Wax[*]DC 2 Polish and NXT Tech Wax[*]ColoRx and NXT Tech Wax[*]ColoRx and Gold Class Wax[*]Gold Class Wax[*]NXT Tech Wax[/list=1]

I'll do a side by side comparison. I will also take photos at the various stages.

I intend to do it all by hand as opposed to a random orbital buffer since the cells on the grid woud be to small for machine use. My assumption is that which ever comb gives the best results should be even better when applied by machine and removed by hand. Is this assumption correct?

Are there any other combinations that anyone would recommend? Can any of these combos be ruled out based on anyone's past experience?

**Mike Phillips** · Oct 26, 2005, 02:03 PM

Originally posted by JcMac
I will conduct an experiment on Saturday provided that it does not rain. I will wash, clay and ScratchX the hood and then divide it into a grid that is 2 rows by 3 columns. I will apply the following combinations of products:
[list=1][*]DC 2 Polish and Gold Class Wax[*]DC 2 Polish and NXT Tech Wax[*]ColorX and NXT Tech Wax[*]ColorX and Gold Class Wax[*]Gold Class Wax[*]NXT Tech Wax[/list=1]

I'll do a side by side comparison. I will also take photos at the various stages.

2 Comments,

1) If you do a good job of applying and removing all the above products, the each section should look really good and relatively the same. If the paint needs cleaning, that is if it's been neglected at all, then you would be better off using a paint cleaner instead of DC2 Polish before applying wax. The surface needs to be clean before applying a wax and a pure polish like DC2 Polish is not intended to clean the paint. Use ScratchX, DC1 Paint Cleaner, or ColorX.

2) For each coat of wax, wait about 20-30 minutes after removing the waxes and then apply a second coat and after the wax swipes clear, then remove the wax and do your inspection.

I intend to do it all by hand as opposed to a random orbital buffer since the cells on the grid would be to small for machine use. My assumption is that which ever comb gives the best results should be even better when applied by machine and removed by hand. Is this assumption correct?

You will always get better results when you work with a machine as compared to your hands. That's not to say you cannot get good results by hand as you certainly can, it is to say that your hands cannot compete against a machine.

Here are some threads in no particular order that you might want to read...

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

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

Topping NXT or other products

How to put pictures into your posts

Circles or Straight Lines?

What are the Differences Between Meguiar's Waxes

**Mike Phillips** · Oct 26, 2005, 02:04 PM

One more thing,

I know you mentioned that you'll be testing on the hood, but for all of the people that will read this thread in the future, in order to do a good side by side demonstration you need to be able to look down on the results... hood and deck-lid are best.

**JcMac** · Oct 26, 2005, 05:10 PM

The surface needs to be clean before applying a wax and a pure polish like DC2 Polish is not intended to clean the paint. Use ScratchX, DC1 Paint Cleaner, or ColorX.

I will change 5. and 6. on include ColoRx followed by DC2 polish and finally finish with Gold Class and NXT waxes respectively.

I guess that there is no escaping the 3-step system; the variation comes with which product to use with the respective steps as opposed to the original DC1, 2 and 3.

I will use the machine on the entire car for whichever combo gives me the best result. ColoRx is more econmical to use than ScratchX. I bought the ScratchX when I wanted ColorX because our local Meguairs dealer Automotive Art Barbados was out of stock at the time.

**Jeff Smith** · Oct 26, 2005, 07:03 PM

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
2 Comments,

1) If you do a good job of applying and removing all the above products, the each section should look really good and relatively the same. If the paint needs cleaning, that is if it's been neglected at all, then you would be better off using a paint cleaner instead of DC2 Polish before applying wax. The surface needs to be clean before applying a wax and a pure polish like DC2 Polish is not intended to clean the paint. Use ScratchX, DC1 Paint Cleaner, or ColorX.

Agree Totally with Mike's assesment of appearance here. I did a similar side by side comparison of NXT, Cleaner Wax, Gold Class as well as DC#3. After completion I was totally unable to tell the difference. After a couple weeks, I was able to tell a slight difference in characteristics like beading but they all still looked the same. I removed them having finally gotten it through my head that all of them were great products. I was just hoping one would stick out and say "I LOOK BEST ON YOUR PAINT USING YOUR METHODS". It didn't happen.

**JcMac** · Oct 27, 2005, 02:35 AM

The surface needs to be clean before applying a wax and a pure polish like DC2 Polish is not intended to clean the paint. Use ScratchX, DC1 Paint Cleaner, or ColorX.

I will change 5. and 6. on include ColoRx followed by DC2 polish and finally finish with Gold Class and NXT waxes respectively.

I guess that there is no escaping the 3-step system; the variation comes with which product to use with the respective steps as opposed to the original DC1, 2 and 3.

I will use the machine on the entire car for whichever combo gives me the best result. ColoRx is more econmical to use than ScratchX. I bought the ScratchX when I wanted ColorX because our local Meguairs dealer Automotive Art Barbados was out of stock at the time.

**Murr1525** · Oct 27, 2005, 04:22 AM

The only possible 'escape' would be something like ColorX, or another cleaner/wax that can replace a couple steps at once. But it still has cleaners, polishes, and wax in it, so it covers all 3 steps.

**JcMac** · Oct 30, 2005, 10:23 AM

I conducted the grid test on the hood as follows:
[list=1][*]Washed with NXT Car Wash and dried with a Water Magnet
(The apparent distortion is the reflection of the clouds)

[*]Clayed with Quik Detailer

[*]The hood was divided into 12 sections and combinations of ColorX (CX), DC2 Polish (DC2) , Gold Clas Wax (GCW) and NXT Tech Wax (NXTTW) were applied:
------------------------------------------------------
| DC2-CX | CX-DC2-GCW | CX |
----------------------------------------------------
| DC2-GCW | CX-GCW | GCW |
----------------------------------------------------
| DC2-NXTTW | CX-NXTTW | NXTTW |
----------------------------------------------------
| - | CX-DC2-NXT | - |
------------------------------------------------------

[*] The end result:

[/list=1]

1) If you do a good job of applying and removing all the above products, the each section should look really good and relatively the same.

This was the case as Mike predicted. One person thought that the section with CX-DC2-NXTTW had the most gloss and another thought that the right side section (same side as the steering wheel) had the most gloss. I did not perceive any visual difference, however, the sections with NXTTW had the slickest feel to them.

I will definitely use NXT Teck Wax as opposed to Gold Class Wax.

For what it is worth, there was no dew on the hood this morning whilst the top of the car and the trunk lid were both covered with overnight condensation...

The FAQ on the meguairs site describes ColorX as a cleaner/wax but the bottle states "In one easy step, our polish and wax combinations will dramatically ...." As a 3 in one product, are all components equal (33% cleaner, 33% polish, 33% wax) or is ColorX predominately one of the components and offers lesser proportions of the other components?

ColorX restores neglected finishes. My finish is quite good, is it a good idea to use ColorX on a regular basis?

Based on the reults of this experiment and your answer to the previous question my intention is to use[list=1][*]ColorX followed by NXT Tech Wax every 1 - 2 months and maintained with NXT Spray Wax every 1 - 2 weeks
OR[*]NXT Tech Wax every 1 - 2 months and maintained with NXT Spray Wax every 1 - 2 weeks[/list=1]

Thank you all for your contributions and experiences.

**Jeff Smith** · Oct 30, 2005, 01:04 PM

The great thing about doing a little experiment like this. Even though you may not have seen any major differences in the look of the applied products, I am sure you were able to learn a trick or 2 in the process of the application of various products as well.

I have done similar experiments 2x. Once on the finish and once on the Chrome wheels. Each time, I walked away a little disappointed that none of the products really jumped out at me and said "I AM THE ONE!" . But, I did learn some each time toward my technic. So the experiments were considered a great success.

**JcMac** · Oct 30, 2005, 01:45 PM

For what it is worth, there was no dew on the hood this morning whilst the top of the car and the trunk lid were both covered with overnight condensation...

The hood had an application Speed Detailer around 10:00 pm the night before for the purpose of viewing and the above was observed around 7:00 am. I don't know if the Speed Detailer was a factor here.

Later in the day when the dew dried up spots were left on the finish. The lack of spots is most likely attributed to the Speed Detailer since there were intermittent showers during the day and the late evening. There was no overnight rain...

**JcMac** · Oct 30, 2005, 01:56 PM

I have done similar experiments 2x. Once on the finish and once on the Chrome wheels. Each time, I walked away a little disappointed that none of the products really jumped out at me and said "I AM THE ONE!" .

The effects of a product is more easily seen on darker colours so since we have light coloured vehicles (assuming the truck in your avatar is your ride) we probably won't get a product really coming out.