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**NotoriousGT350** · Aug 23, 2004, 02:49 PM

I've looked around and seen things like:
1. Wash with Dawn soap and water
a. Wash with concentrate car wash and water.
2. Clay bar, use detailing lubricant
3. Fine scratch and swirl remover
4.Polish
5.Wax
6. Detailing wax or booster wax

**gb387** · Aug 23, 2004, 03:16 PM

Here is what I would do....

1. Wash with car wash soap (NOT Dawn)
2. Clay using quik detailer as a lube
3. Wash again with car wash soap (NOT Dawn)
4. Scratch X or a paint cleaner like Deep Crystal #1
5. Polish with Deep Crystal Polish #2 or similar
6. Wax with NXT Wax, 2 coats one 12-24 hours after the first.

use the applicator pads to apply all the products and remove with microfiber towels or a 100% cotton towels.

use the NXT booster wax from time to time to help maintain the "waxed" look its not needed right after using the NXT Wax.

Hope that helps the products you can use is endless but that is one idea I am sure others will chime in as well.

**gb387** · Aug 23, 2004, 03:18 PM

oh yeah....

there is TONS of good info on here and everyone you will find is very willing to help!

**Mike Phillips** · Aug 23, 2004, 04:06 PM

Hi NotoriousGT350

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

I uploaded your picture to your Gallery here at Meguiar's Online and then inserted it into your post. Here's the link to your gallery,

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/galler...=500&password=

To learn how to work with images, here are a couple of links,

How-to Crop and Resize your photos before uploading them to your gallery

Step-by-Step Picture-Posting HOW TO

The members of this forum are top notch and willing to share their knowledge and experience in order to help you learn how to get the best results from your time, money and efforts.

Here are some other helpful links,

Welcome and Forum Rules

Meguiars Online Acronyms - With Product Links

Meguiar's *NEW* FAQ

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Mike

**NotoriousGT350** · Aug 23, 2004, 05:01 PM

Thanks for the replies and help! I might go get some polisher tomorrow. I might just order some stuff online. This is a great site. Definately going to learn a lot on here and see many different things. I'm sure I'll have other questions later on as well. Again, thank you.

J.R.

**Mike Phillips** · Aug 23, 2004, 05:55 PM

Hi J.R.,

I would follow what gb387 recommended with a few comments,

Originally posted by gb387
Here is what I would do....

1. Wash with car wash soap (NOT Dawn)
2. Clay using Quik detailer as a lube
3. Wash again with car wash soap (NOT Dawn)
4. Scratch X or a paint cleaner like Deep Crystal #1
5. Polish with Deep Crystal Polish #2 or similar
6. Wax with NXT Wax, 2 coats one 12-24 hours after the first.

Use the applicator pads to apply all the products and remove with microfiber towels or a 100% cotton towels.

use the NXT booster wax from time to time to help maintain the "waxed" look its not needed right after using the NXT Wax.

Hope that helps the products you can use is endless but that is one idea I am sure others will chime in as well.

Wash the car really well, get it as clean as possible. Focus on getting any dirt out of any of the nooks and crannies. Also get the wheels and wheel wells as clean as possible.

After washing the car, evaluate the surface with your eyes and hands. Look for scratches, swirls, etchings of any kind. Then feel the surface with the palm and fingertips of your clean hand, check to see if you feel little bumpy things on the surface that washing didn't remove.

Clay the horizontal panels of the car. If the car is parked outside a lot, you might want to clay the vertical panels and even your windows. You would be surprised at what can be found on the vertical panels and the glass if the car is parked outside a lot.

After claying, you can wash if you like to insure the finish is spotlessly clean, or you can just wipe each section you clay, after claying it, with a towel or microfiber polishing cloth. The point is to make sure the surface is clean. Most/all of the gunk your clay bar removes will be trapped into the clay bar, so wiping the just clayed area with a towel or microfiber and sprits of Quik Detailer should leave a clean finish, perfect for applying the ScratchX.

Next, apply the ScratchX. I teach technique for applying this product every Saturday at our detailing clinics. The three biggest things to remember when working with ScratchX are these,

1) Work a small section at a time. Approximately a 12" square section, or small is good. Then, when you finish this section, remove the ScratchX and start a new section and overlap into the previous section. By only working a small area at a time, you will be able to focus on working the product in well, to a confined area, which will give you maximum cleaning results. If you try to apply ScratchX to the entire hood of a car or fender all at once, your results will not be as good because you'll find basically your are wiping it on and then wiping it off. ScratchX is not a WOWO, (Wipe on, wipe off), product. In order to be effective it needs to be worked into and against the finish.

2) Apply the product with a foam applicator pad like the ones Meguiar's sells here, Hi-Tech Applicator Pad and work the product until the microscopic abrasives break down. The product will start to turn clear and dissipate when this happens.

3 Remember, sometimes a 2nd, and even 3rd application are necessary before you can see improvement.

Here's a link to a how-article on using ScratchX,

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

After you have cleaned your car's finish with the ScratchX, apply a thin coat of the Deep Crystal Polish, also using a, new, clean soft foam applicator pad. You want to apply a thin coat, but you want to work the product in well as if you were applying skin lotion to dry skin, i.e. working the product in well. Then remove this product with a 100% cotton, terry cloth towel, or a premium quality microfiber polishing cloth like Meguiar’s Ultimate Wipe.

After you have applied and removed the polish, apply two thin coats of the new Tech Wax. Like the polish, work the product in well. Allow the Tech Wax to dry to a haze, this should take 10 to 15 minutes. Next, remove the dried Tech Wax using a soft, premium quality microfiber polishing cloth. Fold the microfiber polishing cloth 4-ways so that you have a nice thick, plush wiping cloth with some cushion. If possible, apply the second coat the next day. If you have to drive the car before you can apply the second coat, then don't wait, go a head and apply the second coat while everything is surgically clean.

Wipe this second coat on and off very gently. Don't ever wipe wax off with fast, erratic wiping motions, instead, love on your car that is to say, slow down and wipe the dried wax off carefully. I like to use what I call the Pac-Man Method The Pac-Man method is where your break the wax in one area of the panel you're working on, and then move out from there taking little bites out of the layer of dried wax using circle motions. When you wipe a wax off by only taking little bites of it at a time, it makes removing the wax very, very easy.

After you have removed all of the wax, switch over to a new, clean dry microfiber polishing cloth and make one more final wipe of the finish, this final wipe can be nice, big all encompassing wipes. Move your hand slowly and love on your car's finish. Sometimes, moving your wiping cloth slowly will work better than moving your wiping cloth quickly.

If possible, pull your car out into the sun and inspect your results.

If possible, don't do anything else to the finish. Drive the car to the show and put it on display. After all of this work, you want to minimize how much you touch the finish, even with quick detailers.

What are you planning on using for a tire dressing?

Mike

**NotoriousGT350** · Aug 23, 2004, 08:41 PM

Wow. I think I can handle it. It will take some time, but it will be worth it in the end. I love seeing the results on hard cleaning. Tomorrow I'll go purchase the Deep Crystal Polish #2.

As for tire dressing, I've been using Meg Gold Class High Endurance gel with foam applicator. I love how it shines and it last longer than others.

I told my girlfriend I'll going to practice on her white 95' firebird. It's not in the best of shape from the outside as far as having some bumper marks and cracks, but it has a lot of sap and contaminants on the entire car. I can easily feel it.

Thanks for the guidelines and links. I've never been on any forum or website that had so much useful information. This is going to be great

**NotoriousGT350** · Aug 23, 2004, 08:53 PM

Mike,

On the detailing clay C-2000, how many clay bars does it come with? I might order some extra later on.

J.R.

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