WHY is it so hard to get that THIN layer?!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: WHY is it so hard to get that THIN layer?!

I think claying the horizontals with the Meg's clay kit will be the ticket. I hope. Good luck.

[gollums_friend]

Re: WHY is it so hard to get that THIN layer?!

You have not mentioned if you have ever clayed your car. You could be transferring the contaminants from the paint to the applicator pad. I would give claying a try.By removing the contaminants from the surface that may enable you to get that thin smooth layer of wax down.

Yes, I clay the car once a year, in the spring---before my official "wax season" begins.

However.........while I *do* have Meg's clay kit, I don't use it. Why? Because instead I have used the uh...."Paint Protection" bottle of stuff from when I bought the car new from dealership in '06. The second ingrediant in it is clay.

I decided before starting this thread that before I tried out my new NXT 2.0 liquid, I was going to use MEG'S clay---at the very least, on the horizontal surfaces. I did that once after using this dealership stuff, and the clay didn't pick up a thing.....so I assumed the stuff with clay ingrediant worked decent enough.

[gollums_friend]

Re: WHY is it so hard to get that THIN layer?!

Always work small areas, don't put a thick amount of wax on the applicator and try to wax 1/4 or 1/2 of the vehicle thinking that if you can smear it far enough it will be a thin coat... it won't work out, and will act kinda like what you are describing. Of course, there is always where you are doing the work, shade, sunshine, indoor garage, what is the humidity, etc... Hope I helped in some small way!

Voices..........I wouldn't say that I'm attempting to wax 1/4 to 1/2 of my car with a massive amount of wax on the pad in one go. I will admit that you are correct in a way though.......let's say I'm doing a door. I am guilty of putting (what I think is) enough wax on the pad to do half of the entire door (from left to right, and halfway down it). Then, repeat the process for the bottom half of the door.

Maybe instead of attempting half the door in one go, I should focus only enough wax to allow me to cover 1/4 of the door instead of half of it.....

PS.......I am entirely in shade under the carport. I don't work in the sun. I don't wash in the sun, either. I wait until the community water hose area is shaded by the trees---either before 8 am or after 4:30 pm. Humidity can sometimes play a factor here in NW Indiana.

Thanks for the advice, any and all is appreciated!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: WHY is it so hard to get that THIN layer?!

You have not mentioned if you have ever clayed your car. You could be transferring the contaminants from the paint to the applicator pad. I would give claying a try.By removing the contaminants from the surface that may enable you to get that thin smooth layer of wax down.

[VoicesInMyHead]

Re: WHY is it so hard to get that THIN layer?!

Having waxed motorcycles by hand for the last 15~ years, and not knowing exactly how you are applying the wax, my guess would be there is too large of a working area, and/or too much wax on the pad.

The wax on the applicator should be a thin film, not a thick film. Just enough to wax an area of about 1'x1' or 2'x2' if you're adventurous. If the wax is not starting to thin out once you hit that 2' area, you have too much on the pad, try putting less on for the next working area, until you get to know how much you should put on the applicator to get just that small working area covered.

Always work small areas, don't put a thick amount of wax on the applicator and try to wax 1/4 or 1/2 of the vehicle thinking that if you can smear it far enough it will be a thin coat... it won't work out, and will act kinda like what you are describing. Of course, there is always where you are doing the work, shade, sunshine, indoor garage, what is the humidity, etc... Hope I helped in some small way!

[gollums_friend]

I apply everything by hand under a carport in an apartment complex.

The first time I ever used NXT paste (May 2006) I despised it. Such a pain to get off the car, and I'd find "white specks" for days after. (Switched to three other Meg waxes during that time). Tried NXT paste again about a year later, tried really hard to apply a thinner layer. Only a little easier to apply/remove......no white specks hanging around. But I KNOW that my layer is still not thin enough. Still too much effort to apply/remove.

One strange thing that always happens with the NXT paste for me....the yellow app pad quickly accumulates "bumps of wax" on the pad. Don't know why. But this tends to make the wax go on thicker and thicker. So I swap for a new pad. I do this about FOUR times, and it's only a 4 door Pontiac G6 (crimson red, so it's not like I can't see the wax!) I have around 20 of Meg's yellow foam app pads.

If I try to use a teeny amount on the pad, then it seems like I have to put more onto the pad about every 30 seconds.

ONE TIME last year, I acheived massive success.........one of the yellow app pads didn't build up "bumps" of wax. The wax went on to thinly and easily, same with removal!! I thought "Ha! I've finally figured it out!!!"

That was the first and last time it worked out that way.

Yesterday, I bought a bottle of liquid NXT 2.0 for the first time. I don't tend to have quite as much difficulty with the liquids (ColorX and #26 yellow)....but I know they are still going on the car thicker than they should.

I know this is a really weird question........but I've been waxing by hand for 3 summers now......and I can't seem to get the THIN layer necessary to make this a whole lot easier on me!! Can someone give me any tips at all?? Thanks in advance!!