Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax

[parker23]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

i want to dilute but besides cutting thru the plastic bottle how the hell do I get the top off!!!

I've used vice grip locking pliers on other similar bottles with success but haven't tried that specifically on the HCW bottle yet. Just lock em on and twist!

[IBookmaster]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

What I did was keep spraying it in to a small measuring cup. Then dump it in the spray bottle I use. Filling and dumping the measuring cup with water until it’s all out.

[georgeallen4]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

i want to dilute but besides cutting thru the plastic bottle how the hell do I get the top off!!!

[parker23]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Can I use HCW as a clay bar lube?

I definitely would not do that. There's a good YouTube video proving why using any spray wax or sealant of any kind as a clay lube is a really bad idea. The following is honestly the best clay lube I've ever used. Many people swear by it. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Armor-All-...Wash/173947137

[hokiedood]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Can I use HCW as a clay bar lube?

[Vettefan]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Hi Nick,
What affect (if any) will the HCW have on black or dark colored textured plastic areas of the car? Can it leave spots?

Thanks,
Vettefan

[510GUY]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Here's what you should do for the very first application of HCW, especially if you don't have a really strong layer of protection on the paint to begin with.

"Foundation Layer"

1. Wash the vehicle with your normal process, rinse thoroughly but leave wet
2. Spray no more than 2 trigger pulls of product onto a panel - 3 for a large panel such as the hood of a large vehicle, roof, etc.
3. Dry with a quality microfiber drying towel
4. Done

If, on the other hand, you have really nice water beading from a previous, fresh wax application or you've already done the foundation layer as described above, then do this:

"Standard Application"

1. Wash the vehicle with your normal process, rinse thoroughly but leave wet
2. Spray no more than 2 trigger pulls of product onto a panel - 3 for a large panel such as the hood of a large vehicle, roof, etc.
3. Rinse thoroughly with a strong stream of water. A pressure washer works great, but lacking same the best approach is to use a variable setting nozzle on your garden hose and select the flat fan spray pattern. Trust me here, it's the best choice of all the settings on the nozzle for this. We've tested more dang nozzles than I care to remember.
4. Dry with a quality microfiber drying towel
5. Done

Now, if you're a regular here on MOL I'm guessing you're an enthusiast, or downright Car Crazy. Good for you. That means you might even want to do both of the above process in rapid succession. Yep, do the "foundation layer" process, then get the car wet and do the "standard application" process immediately. If you do this, especially on a non metallic black vehicle, you may see a very slight bit of streaking when you do the drying step of the foundation layer. Don't stress, don't fight it, don't do anything. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Just move on to the standard application process and you'll love the incredible slickness when you dry with a clean, dry towel. It's pretty crazy. And you'll see even tighter water beading immediately.

There are basically two ways you can go wrong with this product:

1. Over apply the product. Just go nuts spraying the car down with that lovely blue elixir. Lay it on super thick. You really want that protection!!!!

STOP IT!!!

That is NOT going to help you at all. In fact, it will make life much, much harder and you may end not liking a really awesome product! Why? Because you probably won't rinse off all of the carrier ingredients, which are actually highly hydrophillic - it loves water and will attract rather than repel it. So you end up with really lousy beading, and possibly a fair bit of streaking. True story - a friend of mine in Northern California applied HCW to his car and called me with this very complaint. I told him he probably overused the product. He admitted to using half the bottle on one car. I told him that was probably enough for 6 or 7 cars. He fell silent. He then asked how to fix it. I told him to wash the car with his regular car wash and everything would be fine, no need to even reapply the product. He said it was going to rain soon so he thought washing the car was a waste of time. I said "great!", let the car sit in the rain. That will wash off the last of the carrier ingredients, the beading will come up beautifully, and the streaking will be gone. He called me back that night and said it worked just as I said it would. Well, duh.

2. Skip the foundation layer if the car has zero protection and water lays on the paint in a great big, non moving sheet. Just spray a little bit of HCW into that deep pool of water and rinse it off.

STOP IT!!!

That is NOT going to help you at all. A huge sheet of water on the paint won't let the active ingredients get to the paint. Those hydrophillic carrier ingredients will basically form a layer between the active ingredients and that huge sheet of water on the paint, so when you do rinse it off you rinse off everything. You leave nothing behind. If you have Lake Michigan sitting on your hood, partially dry it.... just move some of the water out of the way and expose a decent amount of paint. Don't dry it fully, just clear some of the water away. Now do the foundation layer process as described above, and then, because you're a MOL user, do the standard application as well. You'll thank me. Oh, but if water is doing a Lake Michigan impersonation on your hood, you've likely got some other issues.... like that paint may need to be clayed first, just as you normally would before applying a traditional wax or sealant. Do it.

Mike and Nick,

I've completed the Foundation and Standard application of HCW on my new Miata. I did go out to Walmart and purchased adjustable nozzle head with a Fan pattern. But when I checked it's spray, it was a fan pattern of a bunch of little drops and not the mist that a pressure washer puts out. So I used my "fireman's"
nozzle in a "cone" shape to get a more powerful fine mist like a pressure washer puts out. This worked, but seemed to put a water mist on other areas / panels
of the car. That wasn't a big deal for me since I just wiped them done with the Water Magnet I had been using for the "drying" process I the Foundation and Standard HCW applications, but I am thinking that this is what you are referring to when you say to "Trust me here, it's (the fan pattern) the best choice of all the settings on the nozzle for this. We've tested more dang nozzles than I care to remember". When I do my next maintenance wash and the standard HCW application, I will try it with the nozzle with the fan pattern and see if it's reduces the amount of water sprayed on other areas of the car. What nozzle did you use that had the fan pattern you liked?

A question. As I dried the rinsed surface with the HCW sprayed on it in the Foundation step or rinsed the surface after the HCW application in the Standard step with
a Meguiar's Water Magnet MF Towel. While doing this the Water Magnet became damp form absorbing the moisture and HCW that was on the surface I was dying. To me this seamed similar to what you see happens to the MF Towels in the Meguiar's videos of applying Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere, the towels become saturated with the product, but this jus helps the application of the product. So I keep using the Water Magnet towel as it absorbed the moisture and HCW during the drying process. I did flip over to new "quarter" of the Water Magnet towel and a began working on a new panel to dry of the HCW and water rinse. Later on in the process, there would still be some moisture left on the surface from using the dampened Water magnet with the accumulated HCW, so I would use an second
dry Water Magnet towel to completely dry the surface.

This is the process I have followed in the past when using a drying agent (e.g. UQW, UWWA, D115 / EWW), with a similar experience with the Water Magnets getting damp and accumulating the drying agent during the drying process. Since I had the same experience with the HCW process, everything felt fine.

Should I have made sure I used a new quarter of the Water Magnet that it was in fact dry and not damp. This would have meant using more Water Magnets for the process, but that would not be an issue. Or was the process I followed with my Water Magnet accumulating moisture and HCW through out the drying process, and using a new Water Magnet to remove any moisture left after my first pass with the damp Water Magnet Ok?

Thanks for answering my question.

By the way, I'm going to be putting my HCW in a Meguiar's spray bottle with a better spray head. I think this will give better coverage with a finer mist when I do the 2 or 3 spray passes to apply the HCW.

[RandyS]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

I’ve only had the car a few weeks. The first wash was in the rain for a spot free rinse. The second wash was the thorough cleaning to put HCW on it. The 3rd wash was what got my windshield spotted because I dried the paint first. This last weekend I dried the windows first and now I see spots on the paint.

I know I’ve washed it a lot for the small amount of time I’ve owned it, but I live in the country and any driving to a town is 25 minutes away and the bugs are already out. The rain wash was actually the second day of ownership and the dealer who delivered my car to me hit a massive bug the size of my Honda emblem. LoL

I've watched numerous videos, but I have no idea what all this stuff is everyone uses. Detail spray, compounds, lubricants, it’s all Greek to me. The last time I bought wax, it was in a can, you rubbed it on, it turned white, then you wiped it off.

[510GUY]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Reposting since I got timed out - not good!! I will try and remember what I just typed.

First let me thank Car Potential for his post. That along with the explanations by Mike and you have really help me understand the process.

These should be my last questions for awhile. I have read all the HCW threads and watched all the videos.

I will use this process to clean and protect the two layer (KPMF Satin Wrap Film toped by 3M 8515 Gloss Overlaminate) wrap on my 2019 Miata.

1. I was going to use my NXT car wash that sheets off and dries really nicely. But should I use D111 Detailer Shampoo Plus with it's
polymer conditioning agents to boost gloss that Car Potential uses and you really like? Will this be like using Ultimate Wash and
Wax?

2. Based on your responses to my "petroleum distillate" questions, the use of most Meguiar's waxes or wax like products is out. Are
M21, M20 or M305 an option for a standard base wax layer for gloss as you recommend or do they also have petroleum distillates
as well. As you know my friend who has Xpel on his 2016 Miata says not to use anything with petroleum distillates, because it will
cause the wrap or at least Xpel to "yellow" over time.
a. Based on Car Potential's post, it appears that the D111 Detailer Shampoo Plus provides "a shine that is great as well", so
maybe I don't need a base "wax" layer if I use D111 to wash the car before using HCW. Remember I do have that the gloss
overlaminate.

3. My windshield has painted panels around it which have rubber seals on each side. In your response 1 above you say that HCW will
not stain as long as the HCW is not allowed to dry. Since I will be drying it off with my Meguiar's Water Magnet towel after rinsing
this area off it doesn't appear that I would have any problems with staining on the rubber seals. Should I put some blue painter's
tape on the rubber seals before spraying the painted panels around my windshield or should I be fine without doing that?

4. When spraying HCW on the painted panels around the windshield, should I cover the convertible fabric top with a towel to reduce
the amount of "overspray" that might get on it? Since I will be drying the area and my fabric roof off with my Meguiar's Water
Magnet towel after rinsing this area do I have to worry about doing this?

5. When I wash my car I do it in 3 sections: Center (Doors and Top), Front (Hood, Front Fenders and Front Bumper) and Rear (Trunk
Lid, Rear Fenders and Rear Bumper). I will follow Mike's and your recommendations to mist / spray on the minimal amount
(e.g. 3 Mists / Spray's for the Hood, 2 Mists / Spray's for the each fender and the bumper - the Read Back / Bumper has a lot
of surface area to I might use 3 Mists / Sprays). Following the same process I follow with Quick Wax, UWWA or D115 - Detailer
Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax, I will rinse the section, then Mist / Spray the hood and wipe it off with my Meguiar's Water
Magnet MF towel, Mist / Spray the a fender and wipe it off with my Meguiar's Water Magnet MF towel, Mist / Spray the other
fender and wipe it off with my Meguiar's Water Magnet MF towel, then Mist / Spray the front bumper and wipe it off with my
Meguiar's Water Magnet MF towel. Though I apply the rinse water so that it sheets off, there it usually enough on the surface
that drying is still required. If I notice is dry, I will wet it the panel down again before misting / spraying the HCW on.

Nick thank you for answering my questions. This will help me with my initial washing and HCW application on my Miata.

While I finally washed my car and applied HCW following Car Potential's process. I used D111 Detailer Shampoo Plus for the wash step and followed it with the Foundation layer of HCW and immediately did the Standard application as Car Potential did. When doing the Standard application, I could see the water beading just as Car Potential did.

During the Foundation and Standard Layers, I could see a build up of HCW in my Water Magnet MF towel. So, I sprayed a light layer of HCW onto my Water Magnet MF towel and then applied the HCW to my windshield surround with the Water Magnet MF Towel so I could control the application of the HCW with the Water Magnet MF Towel and keep it away from my new Miata's fabric top. This method seemed to work.

Everything well. The finish really shined and the gloss from the under lying clear gloss layer of the laminated wrap transmitted through the layers of HCS I had applied very nicely.

Since I was used to using Ultimate Quick Wax, Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere or Express Wash & Wax as a drying agent when washing, the HCW fits nicely into my car maintenance regime. And since Meguiar's has made it to be compatible with it's wax and/or wax like products (e.g. Ultimate Quick Wax, Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere or Express Wash & Wax) I can continue to use Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere or Express Wash & Wax as my "detailer on steroids" for the surface of my Miata with it's laminated wrap surface.

A couple of questions Nick.

1. Would it have beneficial to have put a couple of layers of Ultimate Quick Wax on Gloss Wrap surface before I did the HCW process. I know you recommended
polishing and waxing first, but that not really applicable to my wrapped surface. Applying Ultimate Quick Wax would have been my only option. Do you think
applying it before the HCW would have made any difference?

2. Now that I have put my layered HCW on my car, would it be helpful to put 1 or maybe 2 layers of Ultimate Quick Wax on top of the HCW. From what you have
written, I know it won't make the surface any shinier, but I didn't know if a couple of layers of Ultimate Quick Wax would provide some additional "sacrificial"
layers that would make it easier to remove anything that got on the surface. Or with the two layers of HCW already on the car, just as Car Potential's car has, is
this just overkill and not really necessary?

I am looking forward to your answer to know whether to put some Ultimate Quick Wax onto the HCW before I go out and continue to put some break in miles on my care or go out and continue putting break in miles on my new care without the UQW. Whichever I do, with only 150 break in miles left, I'll soon have those out of the way and can then really start enjoying my car.

Thanks for your help.

[parker23]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

I have a hard water spot issue after using HCW. 2 washes ago I left my windows till last to dry off. That’s when I noticed the spots covering the whole windshield. But I didn’t notice anything on the rest of the car. It took some doing but I finally got the windshield clean.

Now just this last weekend I washed my car again. Because I didn’t want to go through the trouble I had with my windows, I dried the glass first, then went to dry the car. If you look at the car in one direction, it looks great. BUT, if you look at it from another direction, you see water spots and it’s driving me nuts.

This is the first car I’ve owned that requires extra car for washing and waxing and I have no idea what I’m doing. When I first got it, I washed it good and then used HCW. I would have thought that the Hydro properties of HCW would have kept spots from forming.

So my question is “How can I get the spots off” and is there anything else I need to do in future washing?

Since they seem hard to see unless you look at the right angle, are you 100% certain they weren't already there before? Either way, you probably just have super hard water at home. Claying and a polish might remove them but if not you'll need a rubbing compound. No way around it.

[RandyS]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

I have a hard water spot issue after using HCW. 2 washes ago I left my windows till last to dry off. That’s when I noticed the spots covering the whole windshield. But I didn’t notice anything on the rest of the car. It took some doing but I finally got the windshield clean.

Now just this last weekend I washed my car again. Because I didn’t want to go through the trouble I had with my windows, I dried the glass first, then went to dry the car. If you look at the car in one direction, it looks great. BUT, if you look at it from another direction, you see water spots and it’s driving me nuts.

This is the first car I’ve owned that requires extra car for washing and waxing and I have no idea what I’m doing. When I first got it, I washed it good and then used HCW. I would have thought that the Hydro properties of HCW would have kept spots from forming.

So my question is “How can I get the spots off” and is there anything else I need to do in future washing?

[indyz]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Copy thanks. I'll try 1:20 the next time

[IBookmaster]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Applying HCW to a very wet car, seems to be a good way to waste product.

Diluting HCW, and applying it to a dried car, seems better, just imho.

I diluted 1:4 with great results. Much better than using it undiluted as a drying aid. I'm going to try 1:7 or 1:8 next.
I will not use HCW as a drying aid.

Diluting is what I’ve been doing. I’ve been doing around 20 to 1. After trying it the way instructions say, I don’t see any difference. So, I will keep applying it this way. My diluting may be even more diluted because I do Optimum No Rinse washes, spray the diluted HCW on the partially wet panel and spread it around. Then dry off. Working great so far.

[indyz]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Applying HCW to a very wet car, seems to be a good way to waste product.

Diluting HCW, and applying it to a dried car, seems better, just imho.

I diluted 1:4 with great results. Much better than using it undiluted as a drying aid. I'm going to try 1:7 or 1:8 next.
I will not use HCW as a drying aid.

[510GUY]

Re: Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Reposting since I got timed out - not good!! I will try and remember what I just typed.

First let me thank Car Potential for his post. That along with the explanations by Mike and you have really help me understand the process.

These should be my last questions for awhile. I have read all the HCW threads and watched all the videos.

I will use this process to clean and protect the two layer (KPMF Satin Wrap Film toped by 3M 8515 Gloss Overlaminate) wrap on my 2019 Miata.

1. I was going to use my NXT car wash that sheets off and dries really nicely. But should I use D111 Detailer Shampoo Plus with it's
polymer conditioning agents to boost gloss that Car Potential uses and you really like? Will this be like using Ultimate Wash and
Wax?

2. Based on your responses to my "petroleum distillate" questions, the use of most Meguiar's waxes or wax like products is out. Are
M21, M20 or M305 an option for a standard base wax layer for gloss as you recommend or do they also have petroleum distillates
as well. As you know my friend who has Xpel on his 2016 Miata says not to use anything with petroleum distillates, because it will
cause the wrap or at least Xpel to "yellow" over time.
a. Based on Car Potential's post, it appears that the D111 Detailer Shampoo Plus provides "a shine that is great as well", so
maybe I don't need a base "wax" layer if I use D111 to wash the car before using HCW. Remember I do have that the gloss
overlaminate.

3. My windshield has painted panels around it which have rubber seals on each side. In your response 1 above you say that HCW will
not stain as long as the HCW is not allowed to dry. Since I will be drying it off with my Meguiar's Water Magnet towel after rinsing
this area off it doesn't appear that I would have any problems with staining on the rubber seals. Should I put some blue painter's
tape on the rubber seals before spraying the painted panels around my windshield or should I be fine without doing that?

4. When spraying HCW on the painted panels around the windshield, should I cover the convertible fabric top with a towel to reduce
the amount of "overspray" that might get on it? Since I will be drying the area and my fabric roof off with my Meguiar's Water
Magnet towel after rinsing this area do I have to worry about doing this?

5. When I wash my car I do it in 3 sections: Center (Doors and Top), Front (Hood, Front Fenders and Front Bumper) and Rear (Trunk
Lid, Rear Fenders and Rear Bumper). I will follow Mike's and your recommendations to mist / spray on the minimal amount
(e.g. 3 Mists / Spray's for the Hood, 2 Mists / Spray's for the each fender and the bumper - the Read Back / Bumper has a lot
of surface area to I might use 3 Mists / Sprays). Following the same process I follow with Quick Wax, UWWA or D115 - Detailer
Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax, I will rinse the section, then Mist / Spray the hood and wipe it off with my Meguiar's Water
Magnet MF towel, Mist / Spray the a fender and wipe it off with my Meguiar's Water Magnet MF towel, Mist / Spray the other
fender and wipe it off with my Meguiar's Water Magnet MF towel, then Mist / Spray the front bumper and wipe it off with my
Meguiar's Water Magnet MF towel. Though I apply the rinse water so that it sheets off, there it usually enough on the surface
that drying is still required. If I notice is dry, I will wet it the panel down again before misting / spraying the HCW on.

Nick thank you for answering my questions. This will help me with my initial washing and HCW application on my Miata.

Would a better process for the Painted Panels around my windshield (#3 above) be to lightly mist some onto the MF I've been using to dry the hood and fender which has become damp as a result of this and then apply HCW to the still wet painted panels with the lightly misted microfiber, so I can minimize the amount of over spray that could get on the rubber seals around the Windshield and on the back where the convertible fabric top seats. I would then use the same dampened towel to remove the water from the painted panels around the windshield.

Thanks for answering my question.