#7 followed by #26

[darkcloud]

Well, I kinda explained in the detailer section(cuz I may want to find one near me) that my paint is in bad shape. My very first brand new BMW was rear ended by the RTA(regional bus co.) in November and sat in a shop for all or December and half of January. Last week I was able to do my first hand wash and I can feel so much contamination on the paint. More than I've ever felt in all my years of careing for my cars.

My normal run down was wash(gold class), dry(absorber), #7, #26 and I'm done. With that being said I have never clayed before. I know I should have been doing this but until recently didn't know how crucial it was. I thought just waxing took care of things, duh haha.

I've rear through some things here and sought advice from the resident detailing guru on E90post.com. He suggested I get away from Meguiars and use this stuff that I use on my car which is painted in Sparkling Graphite,



Prime Acrylic


Acrylic Jett Trigger:


Acrylic Glos:


I do trust him by all means, but I've never hear of this stuff. I've always used Meguiars, obviously #7 and #26. I've also had a buddy who understands BMW's soft paint and he says I should switch over to Klasse products such as AIO and then top with Pinnacle Souvern. I even found a good kit on autogeek.net. I also want to say that I have no plans for buying a PC and still like to do most things by hand, at least for now.

From what I gather, if I want to stick with Megs I would need to go with some steps like this,

Wash - Gold class
Clay - Just bought the Megs kit
#9 or #83
#7 or #3?
#26 or NXT or something like that.

I'm completely lost and have had so much thrown at me that last week that I figured why not get the Meguiars fans opinion.

All suggestions are welcome and I thank whoever took the time to read my post and help me out.

Garrett

[Commercial links are not allowed on MOL. Please refer to teh Forum Rules, Thanks, 2hotford]

[OhioCarBuff]

Re: #7 followed by #26

Garrett,

THe meguiars polishes have moisteurizing oils, your paint dries out over time & every time you use the #7 it's like putting moisteurizer on your skin. I've never seen any other products on the market bring life to paint like the #7, and make it last forever if used regularly with a good wax or sealant.

BTW- you might want to go over your paint with clay and a cleaner before the #7- even a light cleaner like deep crystal #1- the cleaner will open up the pores of your paint.

[yakky]

Re: #7 followed by #26

Nothing moisturizes paint, even MP has said so. Some of the products you listed have good reviews and are well respected in the detailing community. Will they hake a huge difference in looks? Probably not. Will there be some drawbacks to them, probably. The big advantage to Meguiars is they look at the big picture. Not just shine or durability, ease of application and coverage. There are products that do things better, but there aren't many products that do everything so well.

Your paint will get contaminated with any wax/sealant. The key to reducing that is frequent washes, claying and waxing/sealing.

[darkcloud]

Re: #7 followed by #26

Nothing moisturizes paint, even MP has said so. Some of the products you listed have good reviews and are well respected in the detailing community. Will they hake a huge difference in looks? Probably not. Will there be some drawbacks to them, probably. The big advantage to Meguiars is they look at the big picture. Not just shine or durability, ease of application and coverage. There are products that do things better, but there aren't many products that do everything so well.

Your paint will get contaminated with any wax/sealant. The key to reducing that is frequent washes, claying and waxing/sealing.

This is the truth I have come to recognize. I'm just lost as to exactly which products I should use and in which order. There are soo many #'s and variations that my head get's woozy looking at it haha.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: #7 followed by #26

As others have mentioned, the products recommended to you are all very good products. But you could ask 5 more people what they think and get 5 more, and different, product recommendations. Everybody has preferences, just as you do with Meguiar's. In the long run though, proper technique is the critical factor in getting a great finish, and no matter who's products you choose, if you use them incorrectly you won't get great results.

This is the truth I have come to recognize. I'm just lost as to exactly which products I should use and in which order. There are soo many #'s and variations that my head get's woozy looking at it haha.

As for giving your car to the full spa treatment I would suggest the following: Skip the #7 on a new, clear coat car. Not that there's anything wrong with #7, but on a new CC car that potentially has some minor defects in the paint (swirls, cobwebs, etc) you'll get more out of something like M80 Speed Glaze. M80 has great cleaning ability and can do wonders on light marring, even by hand if need be (get yourself a DA polisher though, best investment you can make for taking car of a new cars finish) and it is also rich in polishing oils, like #7, to leave that beautiful, rich finish. Honestly, that is the only product switch I would strongly urge you to make in your routine. I would, however, recommend you try #21 Synthetic Sealant instead of #26. I love it on my Graphite Metallic car. Of course, you could always try topping the #21 with #26 - I find #21 topped with #16 is just stunning.

So, what I would do if this were my car - in fact, what I actually do with my own car - is as follows:

• Wash with Gold Class
• Clay
• Polish with M80
• Seal/wax with #21
• Optionally: top with a carnauba or carnauba blend

These few simple steps (seriously, they are pretty simple, once you get your technique dialed) will leave your car looking dripping wet and feeling smooth as new glass.

[MexMick]

Re: #7 followed by #26

What would your views be on #80, #7, #21, #26 ?
Bit of overkill ?? Would I be doing too many passes that would not benefit the paint?

Did an old skyline yesterday and used #80 on rotary, then #7 and #26 by hand. I would have liked to apply #21 by hand also but had none.
Still new to this and learning as i go.

Oh and whats #16? Dont think thats available from my supplier.

[roushstage2]

Re: #7 followed by #26

What would your views be on #80, #7, #21, #26 ?
Bit of overkill ?? Would I be doing too many passes that would not benefit the paint?

Did an old skyline yesterday and used #80 on rotary, then #7 and #26 by hand. I would have liked to apply #21 by hand also but had none.
Still new to this and learning as i go.

Oh and whats #16? Dont think thats available from my supplier.

That sounds like a good detail. Not overkill. 80 to clean/polish. 7 to apply a very good pure polish. Although, you might do 26 followed by 21 to seal it all in.

16 is paste wax that has been discontinued due to VOC regulations.

[MexMick]

Re: #7 followed by #26

cooly cool. Thanks for writing back, really cant wait to get hold of some #21 now to try it out. I have to say #80 is the king!! Just so versatile for cleaning and brings up a gorgeous finish, #7 puts it over the top then and now I have some solid advice about sealing it in, cant go wrong !!!

[g88]

Re: #7 followed by #26

Hmmm....how about #83 > #80 > #7> #21 and wax ?

Where actually #7 stand as it's a pure polisher....should it be before #83,#80 or after ?

[tacomachas]

Re: #7 followed by #26

you should apply #7 after #83 or #80, if you were to add it on before you would just end up taking it all off with either of the two polishes and you would have wasted some precious amount of #7

[Lydia]

Re: #7 followed by #26

FYI this thread is 7 months old.

[brickyardz]

Re: #7 followed by #26

There is a big gap in most of the threads since the old forum was shut down in May for the new one which is now the old one...lol

Anyway, This person was talking about doing things by hand and not using a PC or other device. In that instance, I would use the following:

1. Wash - Gold Class or NXT
2. Clay - Smooth Clay Kit
3. Clean - ScratchX or Deep Crystal #1
4. Polish - Deep Crystal #2
5. Polish - Optional step using a pure polish, Mirror Glaze #7
6. Wax - Hi-Tech Wax #26 or NXT Tech Wax.
7. Maintenance - Ultimate Quick Detailer

Most of these products are available through consumer channels and work well for hand applications. The few professional line products mentioned are a little harder to find but are common in those stores that carry more of the Meguiars line.

[Larry A]

Re: #7 followed by #26

Do steps 4 or 5, but not both. Why work harder then you have too.

[brickyardz]

Re: #7 followed by #26

Do steps 4 or 5, but not both. Why work harder then you have too.

The reason for doing both would be DC#2 is a cleaner/polish and MG#7 is a pure polish. Depending on your cars color, if you want to get a deep wet look then adding #7 after the DC#2 will usually enhance it. This works best with darker colors and show cars.

"It's all in the passion"

[gjohn28]

Re: #7 followed by #26

The reason for doing both would be DC#2 is a cleaner/polish and MG#7 is a pure polish. Depending on your cars color, if you want to get a deep wet look then adding #7 after the DC#2 will usually enhance it. This works best with darker colors and show cars.

"It's all in the passion"

I believe DC#2 is advertised as a "pure polish," not a cleaner/polish.