Stepping up to professional products

[itself]

I would like to step up my products to the professional line. Here is my current regimen:

1. Clay with the quick detailer
2. Meguiars Paint cleaner
3. Glaze #7
4. Nxt Tech wax (2 coats 24 hours apart)

What could I use instead of the paint cleaner and Nxt tech wax? This regimen has been working extremely well, and it holds up well here to the extreme sun and dirt roads I live on.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[ethereal45]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

Sorry what is Meguiar's Paint Cleaner? Not a product I'm familiar with if that's the specific name.

You don't need to use the Mirror Glaze line to get professional results. You can do phenomenal work with Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. If your paint is already clean and swirl free, you don't need a compound. You could do something like:

Wash, Clay, Polish with M205 (or UP), Glaze with #7 (a bit unnecessary after 205 sometimes) then wax with Ultimate Wax or #26.

[Murr1525]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

Probably the DC Paint Cleaner.

And Ult. Wax is the most durable wax, so would probably want to look at that.

[ethereal45]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

Yeah if you are happy with NXT you'll like Ultimate Wax. Most people seem to agree the paste is easier to work with. I personally LOVE UPW. So easy to apply, and it goes on incredibly thin so you can get tons and tons of cars out of one tin.

[itself]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

I believe the Paint Cleaner was replaced by the Swirl product. Ok, a paste is great but I use a machine to apply my wax and other products. I like the direction you are going with the Mirror glaze products as this as was I was also thinking.

Lisa

[itself]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

What about the Polymer Sealant #20 or the Synthetic Sealer 2.0? I have to light colored cars, and it is always great to get that nice wet look finish.

At this point, no swirls on either car, just beat up paint on the 2003 Honda Accord. It "seems" like the synthetic sealant "might" be geared toward darker colored cars. I am careful with this point, as I spoke to a customer service person at Meguiars the other day who told me to use the Gold Class Quik Detailer. This product is clearlly described as use for dark colored cars. The rep never even asked me what color my cars are.

Thanks for your help guys, I super appreciate it!

Lisa

[Murr1525]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

I believe the Paint Cleaner was replaced by the Swirl product. Ok, a paste is great but I use a machine to apply my wax and other products. I like the direction you are going with the Mirror glaze products as this as was I was also thinking.

The steps of DC Cleaner and DC Polish would rouighly equate to something like Ult. Polish or #205.

[Murr1525]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

What about the Polymer Sealant #20 or the Synthetic Sealer 2.0? I have to light colored cars, and it is always great to get that nice wet look finish.

#21 2.0 would be similar to Nxt 2.0. So not much difference there.

#20 is actualy a mild cleaner/wax, and is not an entirely synthetic product like the #21/Nxt/Ult. Wax.

At this point, no swirls on either car, just beat up paint on the 2003 Honda Accord. It "seems" like the synthetic sealant "might" be geared toward darker colored cars. I am careful with this point, as I spoke to a customer service person at Meguiars the other day who told me to use the Gold Class Quik Detailer. This product is clearlly described as use for dark colored cars. The rep never even asked me what color my cars are.

Any of the products can be used on any color car. It is only a matter of which product give the look you want. (If you can tell a difference between the looks of different products, some people can, some cant.)

And that is one of the harder thngs for us to help you with, as what looks good to one person, might not be quite right for another.

[itself]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

Some great advice, thanks guys! Rick from ADS said for him a winning combination has been the M105, the M205, and then the M21. He also spoke very highly of the Meguiars Last Touch product as a great maintenance product.

I have been using Meguiars products for over ten years now, and they never let me down! I really enjoy detailing my cars. And I have learned a ton along the way. Adding the claying step a year ago made a huge difference. Thanks for all of your advice. I so appreciate it!

lisa

[Murr1525]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

I would usually use something like the UQW after washing for maintenance.

Last touch is nice to have for removing bird droppings, and that kind of maintaining, plus is good for claying.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

Let's see if we can clear up a few things here:

Our Mirror Glaze Professional Line is designed with body shop usage in mind. That means that certain ingredients are taboo because they can cause problems in an environment where fresh paint is being applied. These products are also geared toward rotary use since body shops use that tool as a mainstay to polish paint, especially after wet sanding. Yes, many of these products can also be applied with a DA buffer or even by hand, but rotary use is primary for them. We are, in recent years, taking the abrasives technology from products like M105 and M205 and migrating it into our consumer products, like Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. But since these products are geared towards consumers who are not buffing and painting in their garages on a daily basis we can include some of those body shop taboo ingredients that actually make these products easier to work with!

So, Ultimate Compound is derived from M105 but for an enthusiast detailer, or even a pro (in most cases) it's actually a lot more user friendly on a DA buffer - longer buffing cycle, less dust, easier wipe off. And still plenty of correction power - more so, in fact, than several of our "pro" products offer. Lisa, if you're using a buffer and you like the results you've been getting with your current process...

1. Clay with the quick detailer
2. Meguiars Paint cleaner
3. Glaze #7
4. Nxt Tech wax (2 coats 24 hours apart)

.... we'd recommend the following changes:

2. Ultimate Compound (use a yellow W8207 polishing pad at speed 5 on your DA)
3. Ultimate Polish (use a black W9207 finishing pad at speed 4 on your DA)

That's really about it. The wax becomes a very personal choice, but if max durability and protection are your biggest concerns, Ultimate Wax ranks at the top of our products, whether consumer or pro. Whether or not it becomes your personal preference is something only you can determine.

Now, as for any product really being designed specifically for darker or lighter colors, that's not something we really specify per se. Yes, Gold Class Premium Quik Detailer and Quik Wax do specifically mention dark colored vehicles (Maintain a Deep, Rich, Black Shine!) but that doesn't mean you can't use them - with great effect! - on lighter colored cars. But when you do use them on dark colors they will more noticeably darken the paint than even Ultimate Quik Wax will. Personally, I've taken to really liking GCQD & GCQD on my medium blue metallic Crossfire - I just really like the way it looks, and that car is definitely NOT a dark color. We've had people post here on MOL that they love these two on silver as well. Again, this is a really personal choice as well like subtly different looks to our finish - and who's to say who's right and who's wrong?


Having said all that, there is one little change we like to go with when working on a car with paint that's in very good condition to really bring out the very best in gloss, depth and clarity: M205 Ultra Finishing Polish. Once you remove all the above surface contaminants and any below surface issues like swirls and fine scratches from otherwise very "healthy" paint, especially metallics, M205 can do amazing things for the clarity and "pop" of that paint. It may be the progenitor of Ultimate Polish, but it contains a bit more of the very specialized micro abrasives and a bit less polishing oils. But this combination, especially when machine applied (rotary with a finishing pad at very low speed yields spectacular results) can do wonders for the clarity and gloss of a modern metallic clear coat, light or dark in color.

[BillE]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

Michael, That is REALLY a good write-up and explanation.

Any way to 'sticky' that?

Seems that more and more folks are getting confused about what the Mirror Glaze vs 'consumer' line is all about. The word 'professional' seems to some that it must be a 'better' answer to their situation(s).

Bill

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

Thanks, Bill. It's kinda tricky to stick a post within a thread - well, more than tricky, it can't be done! But you make a good point, so maybe what we should do is expand a bit on the topic and make it it's own thread, then make that thread a sticky.

[BillE]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

Understand...Thank you,

Bill

[Bruclee]

Re: Stepping up to professional products

I picked up the Show Car Glaze 7 for a final step to waxing, I'm wondering if the Ultimate Polish is either almost the same or the consumer version of the product, the instructions are very simular. I also have some #6 Cleaner Wax plus 2 small bottles from the claybar kits as well, are they the same product? I'd think the #7 follows this then waxing, Gold class wax was on sale in both liquid and paste, I got the paste to see if it was any different from the NXT 2.0 (i have some liquid left of it.)


So it's:
Clay bar
#6 Cleaner wax
#7 Glaze polish
Gold Class paste or NXT 2.0 or NXT + Gold Class on top?