What would you use?

[proserve]

what products would you use to detail a 01 blk acura that has always been kept outside I just recently moved from michigan to tx so i went from road salt, snow to hotter than He!! sunlight.

It has never been waxed however the paint is decent it still shines when clean but I want to acheive the deep wet look, it's has alot of swirls marks from auto car washes, and water spots from the rain.

I have the time & tools to do it. i own a mobile detail company and spend hours detailing other people cars now I want to spend some time on mine. I need to come up with a routine to protect my paint, cause I see how alot of cars in dallas paint is blistering from the sun.

I think my car is the worst I have worked on, most customers have brand new cars, or very light colors.

Any suggestions?

[RamAirV1]

If you have a PC, you will probably get the best results with #83 DACP, followed by #80 Speed Glaze, then #81 (optional). For your LSP (wax) use either the #21 or NXT Paste Wax. You can also top the #21 with NXT.

Some pictures of the swirl marks would be helpful. I am just estimating that there could be quite a few swirls on an '01 if it has not been maintained regularly with polish and wax.

RamAirV1

[Mike Phillips]

Re: What would you use?

Hi proserve,

As this is your first post, Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

Originally posted by proserve
what products would you use to detail a 01 blk acura that has always been kept outside I just recently moved from michigan to tx so i went from road salt, snow to hotter than He!! sunlight.

As a detailer, you already know that because your car sits outside all the time, chances are good you'll want to use some detailing clay to clay the finish and remove any above surface bonded contaminants.

Note: Time for a new acronym, ASBC, Above Surface Bonded Contaminants. Example: As a detailer, you already know that because your car sits outside all the time, chances are good you'll want to use some detailing clay to clay the finish and remove any ASBC.

It has never been waxed however the paint is decent it still shines when clean but I want to achieve the deep wet look, it's has a lot of swirls marks from auto car washes, and water spots from the rain.

As a the owner of a detailing business, are you just starting out? Do you own a dual action polisher like Meguiar's G100 yet? If not, you're going to want to purchase one of these tools to make you life easier. It will also dramatically speed up your work as well as improving the quality of your results.

You're also going to want to stock up on some M83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish and some M80 Speed Glaze. For a wax, order a half gallon of the new M21 Synthetic Sealant. These three products together with some detailing clay will not only give your black Acura a deep, wet shine, it they will also enable you to turn out higher quality work than all of your competition not using these products. And that's a fact Jack. (In my best Bill Murry voice)

I have the time & tools to do it. i own a mobile detail company and spend hours detailing other people cars now I want to spend some time on mine. I need to come up with a routine to protect my paint, cause I see how a lot of cars in dallas paint is blistering from the sun.

I'll post a how-to for polishing paint using the dual action polisher after this post, as for durability, protection and appearance value, it's going to be pretty hard to beat the polymers used in either the NXT line, or the new M21 Synthetic Sealant product.

I think my car is the worst I have worked on, most customers have brand new cars, or very light colors.

As a detailer, your personal car is also your calling card and your personal testimony to the quality of your work, this is especially true if you advertise on your business on your car or you drive it to customers locations. Make getting your personal car in tip top shape a number one priority.

Any suggestions?

Besides the above, I'll post a how-to below this reply.

[Mike Phillips]

Tips & Techniques for using the G-100a to remove swirls and other paint defects.

Products Used
Quik Clay System
G-100a
W-8006 foam polishing pad
W-9006 foam finishing pad
#83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish
#80 Speed Glaze
Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax
Ultimate Wipe
Ultimate Bonnet

First wash the car thoroughly. Pay special attention to loosening and removing any dirt particles from cracks and crevices to prevent these dirt particles from being introduced onto the surface during the polishing process. After washing and drying, inspect the surface both visually for below surface defects and with the palm of your clean hand for above surface defects.

If you feel any tiny little bumps still attached to the finish after washing, proceed to clay the paint to safely remove these contaminants. After claying each panel, wipe the panel down with a quick detailer to remove any residue.

Using Painters Tape, tape-off any plastic trim or components that you don not want to get product onto and also tape-off any edges, high points or areas with known thin paint.



Your car may not look like the below car, but the taped-off areas should...




Applying #83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish with the G-100

• Speed Setting - 5.0
• Arm Speed - Slow Arm Speed
• Pressure - 4 to 5 pounds of pressure on the head of the polisher
• Work Area - Work a small area at a time, about 1 foot square
• Overlapping motions - Overlap each pass by 50%, move the polisher using different patterns
• Time - Work the product until the diminishing abrasives have broken down, but you haven't gone completely to a dry buff.
• Amount of product - Don't overuse product, use enough to lay down a film in the area you are working

When using the G100 Dual Action Polisher to remove defects, (This is different then merely applying a polish or a wax because you're trying to remove paint), you need to use a slow arm speed and overlap you passes by 50%. You also want to go in at least two different directions, for example, from where you're standing, side to side, then front to back. You can also move the polisher in a kitty/corner fashion for complete, thorough and uniform cleaning action.

Only work a small area at a time, this will vary according to the shape, curve or body line of the panel you are polishing but for example on a large flat panel, you want to stay around a 12" to 18" squared area. The point being, don't try to work to large of an area all at once or you won't remove the defects equally everywhere.

When you move on to a new section, overlap into the old section for a uniform end results.

When it comes time for applying a pure polish, or a wax, (besides cleaner/waxes like ColorX if you're doing a one-step), the you can polish larger areas and spend less time, i.e. use less passes.

The point of the cleaning step is to remove the defects. Because the G100's polishing action is gentle and therefore safe, it takes time to remove small particles of paint in an effort to remove a defect.

If the below image represents swirls and scratches evenly distributed throughout your car's finish,



Then you can see that in order to remove the defects you need to remove the highest areas of the surface until they are level with the lowest depths of the deepest scratches. In essence, you must remove paint.


Applying #80 Speed Glaze with the G-100

• Speed Setting - 4.0 to 5.0
• Arm Speed - Medium Arm Speed
• Pressure - 3-5 pounds of pressure
• Work Area - You can work a larger area than what you do with the #83 DACP
• Time - Work the product until the diminishing abrasives have broken down, but you haven't gone completely to a dry buff.
• Amount of product - Don't overuse product, use enough to lay down a film in the area you are working. Speed Glaze is rich in polishing oils a little bit goes a long ways

Applying NXT Tech Wax with the G-100

• Speed Setting - 3.0 to 4.0
• Arm Speed - Medium Arm Speed
• Pressure - Light pressure - More than the weight of the machine, you want to engage the foam pad with the surface, not just float over it
• Work Area - You can work panel by panel, for example, apply to one half of the hood, then walk to the other side of the car and apply to the other half of the hood. Apply to fender all at once, door, deck lid, etc.
• Time - Work the product long enough to make two passes over the finish then move on
• Amount of product - Don't overuse product, use enough to lay down a film in the area you are working

Removing Polish or Wax with an Ultimate Bonnet on the G-100

• Speed Setting - 4.0 to 5.0
• Arm Speed - Medium Arm Speed
• Pressure - 3-5 pounds of pressure
• Work Area - You can work panel by panel, for example, apply to one half of the hood, then walk to the other side of the car and apply to the other half of the hood. Apply to fender all at once, door, deck lid, etc.
• Time - Work the area until the bonnet has removed the wax

Mike

[Bama]

After prepping surface, I would try the Gold Class paste wax. The new formula is an improvement over the old formula. It looks really good on black paint, even better than NXT imo.

[proserve]

Yes I do have & use quite often the g100a, I use zaino, nxt wax I really like the nxt, but I have certain customers who swear by the zaino. But I'm confused on what numbers in the pro line to use and the order to use them. It seems many of the products do the same things.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by proserve
But I'm confused on what numbers in the pro line to use and the order to use them. It seems many of the products do the same things.

Hi proserve,

The numbers on the bottle on our products in the Professional Line are merely part numbers; you can think of them as quick reference numbers. They have nothing to do with the order in which you use the products, or how aggressive they are.

Basically you have,

Compounds for removing serious below surface defects such as sanding marks, deep scratches and swirls

Paint cleaners - Similar to our compounds

Cleaner Polish - These are combination products by that we mean they offer the ability to remove light swirls and scratches like a compound or a paint cleaner, but they are also offer excellent results like our pure polishes after the diminishing abrasive have broken down.

Pure Polishes - Meguiar's pure polishes are non-abrasive and their purpose is to create brilliant gloss, clarity, reflectivity, shine and beauty in general.

If you're detailing cars you'll find you can usually accomplish most of your defect removal work using either our M83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish, (a fairly aggressive cleaner/polish), or our M80 Speed Glaze, (a light cleaner/polish), when working with the dual action polisher. I'll add Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle below they replay which will explain a lot about Meguiar's product and the paint polishing process as it pertains to Meguiar's and what we have to offer.

[Mike Phillips]

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
(Posted in the The Information Station)

What's the difference between polish and wax?
(Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle)

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between a polish, and a wax. Many companies are marketing waxes and paint protectants as polishes and glazes and the terms have become almost interchangeable.

Professionals know there is a big difference.

Meguiar's is a true polish manufacture. That is, unlike many of our competitors that can only offer you a few products for cars with cured paint, Meguiar's product range runs from the highest quality finishing papers in the industry, to state-of-the-art pure synthetic paint protectants, to everything in-between.

Example: Most companies only offer the following products:

* Car wash
* Pre-wax cleaner
* One or two waxes (usually some type of natural wax or polymer/silicone synthetic protectant)
* Multi-surface vinyl protectant

And sometimes one or more of the following:

* Some type of wheel cleaner, leather treatment, or tire dressing.


Because they offer such a limited selection, and often times don't even manufacture the products themselves, they really have no expertise when it comes to formulating complex products that professionals require as an intricate part of performing their job duties as skilled craftsman. This is why frequently you will see a product whose purpose is to protect the paint labeled as a polish.

Instead of merely defining the difference between a polish and a wax, below you will find the Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle and the products and procedures for each of the 5 steps.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle


The 5-step paint care cycle outlines the 5 basic but important procedures and the accompanying products that enable you to restore and maintain a show car shine on your car's finish.

Below are the 5 categories of products including pure polishes and cleaner/polishes as they are placed in the 5-step paint care cycle.

The 5-Step Paint Care Cycle includes:

Step-1 Washing


Washing removes loose surface dirt and loose contaminants that have not yet bonded to the surface. All Meguiar's wash products are specially formulated to clean well without stripping wax protection or dulling and drying out all paint types. All Meguiar's washes also contain special conditioning agents that leave behind a slick, high gloss surface.

Because most people wash their car more than any other procedure, it's important to use a car wash solution that is specifically formulated for the unique chemistry used to make modern clear coats. Above all, avoid using common dish washing detergents because these products are extremely harsh and tend to dull the finish down with each use. Dish soaps are also hard on other materials and components such as rubber, vinyl and plastics, remember, when you wash your car with dish soap everything is subjected to the dulling and drying effects high alkaline soaps cause to your vehicle.



Step-2 Cleaning or Surface Prep


Surface Prep includes both paint cleaning (not to be confused with the washing step), and claying the finish (with a clay bar). To help you accomplish these two steps, Meguiar's offers a number of safe but effective paint cleaners and an easy to use clay bar kit that includes everything you need to clay your car's finish.

Paint Cleaners
This includes highly specialized Compounds and Paint Cleaners, which utilize both microscopic and macroscopic diminishing abrasives? technology. Meguiar's has pioneered and led the industry in diminishing abrasive technology since 1901. Over the course of these many years, Meguiar's has developed more formulas than any other company for performing the delicate procedure of removing a defect in the paint, while at the same time, removing as little paint as humanly possible during the process.

Meguiar's diminishing abrasive technology is one of Meguiar's most guarded secrets that is so highly sought after by our competitors and which completely separates us from the rest of the competition when you look at the results with your own two eyes. Our abrasive products, correctly used, leave the surface looking as though it were just polished, not as though it were just scoured with a compounded.

Out of all the procedures in the 5-step paint care cycle, cleaning is the most important procedure because the results from your cleaning step will determine the end result for the polishing and protecting steps.

"A surface won't go clear until it comes clean"

It is vitally important that all bonded contaminants, surface imperfections, oxidation, pore-embedding stains, and built-up road grime, etc. first be removed in order to bring the finish to it's highest potential for clarity, gloss, depth and shine.

Applying a wax, whether it's synthetic, natural or a blend of both, to a neglected surface that has not been properly cleaned and then polished, will merely act to seal or lock the contaminants to the finish, and will do nothing to improve, or remove the other defects and in most cases will only marginally improve gloss, shine and reflectivity.


Clay Bar Technology
Clay bar technology evolved as a natural reaction to the need that arose for a way to safely remove bonded contaminants from clear coat paints without resorting to traditional rubbing or polishing compounds and the resulting scratches caused by the sharp, hard abrasive typically used in these formulas.

In the old days, if you found overspray or any type of unwanted substance on the hood, roof or deck lid of your car that washing didn't remove, you could simply go to the garage and grab any old compound, and together with a rag, you could quickly remove the offending contaminants. After that you could simply apply just about any companies wax and presto-chango, the problem was gone.

Not so simple anymore.

If your were to perform that same procedure to a modern clear coat today, you would see a horrible looking scratched-up mess everywhere you applied the compound, and the wax would do nothing to cover the scratches up.


Enter the Clay bar
Clay bars are non-abrasive bars of synthetic clay called Polyclay. They are somewhat like a high-tech version of Play-Doh?. They work in three easy steps:

1) - First you mold the clay bar into a pancake-looking flat wafer
2) - Second you lubricate the finish with a spray lubricant like Meguiar's Quik Detailer
3) - Third you then rub the clay bar back and forth across the paint (somewhat like a bar of soap against your arm)

That's it! You are now claying your car's finish. As you're doing this, the clay bar will grab onto, lift, and pullout the contaminants that have bonded to the surface of your finish.

Generally speaking for most cars, only the horizontal surfaces need to be clayed, as it is the horizontal surfaces that contaminants tend to land on and if not removed within a reasonable period of time will then bond tightly to the surface. For extremely neglected vehicles, you can always evaluate the vertical surfaces and if need be, clay them too.

One important thing to keep in mind, if a vehicle's finish has bonded contaminants, it is highly likely that it also has below surface defects, for example, pore-embedding stains. For this reason, Meguiar's recommends for best possible results, always use a paint cleaner after claying to insure the finish is clean both on top of the surface as well as below the surface.



Step-3 Polishing



Meguiar's offers two types of polishes, Cleaner Polishes and Pure Polishes. Cleaner Polishes are for removing very light or fine defects while restoring a crystal clear, smooth high gloss surface. Pure polishes are for finishes already in excellent condition and are for the purpose or creating brilliant high gloss with deep dark reflections.

If you look in Webster's Dictionary under the word polish, one of the definitions they include reads like this:

"A preparation that is used to produce gloss, and often color for the protection and decoration of a surface."

This definition best describes Meguiar's Pure Polishes. Meguiar's pure polishes are designed to create brilliant high gloss while preparing the surface for the application of a protective coating. Meguiar's pure polishes accomplish this without the use of abrasives.


Another definition found in Webster's Dictionary for polish is,

"To make smooth and glossy by friction."

This definition best describes Meguiar's Cleaner/Polishes. Meguiar's cleaner polishes are formulated to very gently abrade the surface with Meguiar's Diminishing Abrasive TM and Buffered Abrasive TM technology to remove the finest defects and create a perfectly smooth, high gloss finish.

Depending on what type of paint you're working on, traditional paints like lacquers and enamels, or catalyzed clear coats, Meguiar's has the products specifically designed to work on both types of paints, not to mention many other surfaces such as plastics and polyester resins (Fiberglas Gel-coats).


Meguiar's Trade Secret Polishing Oils
The trade secret oils Meguiar's uses in both types of polishes are unique to the industry and to this day have never been surpassed for creating deep, dark reflections and brilliant high gloss by any of our competitors in over 100 years.

The oils Meguiar's uses are also important in maintaining the original condition of the paint by filling in the naturally occurring microscopic pores and surface imperfections thus preventing detrimental substances and elements as simple as water, or worse, acid-rain, from entering into these pores and microscopic surface imperfections thus causing oxidation and chemical etching. These oils act to replace the original resins as they wear away through natural processes.

When paint is new, it is the most impermeable it will ever be, this means it is a very smooth non-porous, continuous film. With age, exposure to the environment and micro-scratching caused by day-in, day-out wear and tear, your paint develops micro-fissures in the surface along with other defects. These micro-fissures and other defects act to make the continuous film or coating of paint more porous. As this happens, your car's finish becomes more vulnerable to corrosive elements that will attack and degrade your finish.


Remember, waxes, synthetic or otherwise, are meant to be Sacrificial Barriers with the intended purpose sealing the surface, while blocking those things that would attack your paint, from coming into direct contact with the paint.

"Waxes protect your finish by sacrificing themselves so that your paint doesn't have to"

An analogy is your skin. In the same way you can clean, polish and protect your skin, you can clean, polish and protect your car's finish. Soap can be used to clean your skin and remove dirt from the pores. Skin lotions can be used to moisturize your skin, conditioning it and making it more clear and beautiful. Protection products like lotions used to protect hands from exposure to chemicals and UV protectants can be applied to help protect your skin from the things that would attack your skin if these harmful things could come into direct contact with your skin.

While human skin and automotive paint are very different, the analogy is very similar. With Meguiar's, you can:

* Wash your car's finish to remove unwanted and accumulated dirt contaminants
* Clean your paint with our special paint cleaners and cleaner/polishes
* Polish your paint with our pure polishes to create unequaled beauty
* Protect your paint with our advanced paint protection products
* Maintain your car's finish using our fast and easy to use maintenance products.


The unique thing about Meguiar's highly specialized trade secret oils is their ability to restore and maintain the Optical Clarity of both single stage and clear coat paints in a way that waxes alone cannot match, (both natural and synthetic), the results of which are demonstrated in side-by-side comparisons.


Step-4 Protecting


Paint protection products (waxes by any other name), whether they are based on natural ingredients or synthetic ingredients (or a blend of both) provide a protective film, or Sacrificial Barrier (as mentioned above) against Mother Nature and other detrimental or corrosive substances. Without this sacrificial barrier, your finish is susceptible to attack at any time, as harmful or corrosive substances come into direct contact with the surface.

This brings up the topic of Water Beading. While most people use the visual indicator of water beading on the surface to mean their finish is protected... it is actually only an indicator of High Surface Tension.

High Surface Tension does not automatically mean the coating that has been applied is actually providing any real or meaningful protective characteristics.

Meguiar's R & D department has decades of expertise in creating the most advanced polymer-based formula's made from state-of-the-art engineered synthetic polymers, which are able to evenly cross-link very tightly to the surface and offer real protection on a multitude of surfaces against a multitude of attacks. Our products can also achieve optimal cross-linking within 15 to 20 minutes after application allowing the excess product to be removed shortly thereafter.

Some of Meguiar's polymer-based waxes include:

Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax
#20 Polymer Sealant
Medallion Premium Paint Protection
Gold Class Clear Coat Car Wax
Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax
Marine Flagship


Even our Spray Waxes contain high performance, engineered synthetic polymers, as do some of our Car Wash products.

Besides acting as sacrificial barriers to protect the underlying surface, a premium wax can also increase the visual appearance of a finish. Many of Meguiar's waxes will not only provide better protection than the competition, but will also:

* Increase optical clarity and distinction of image (D.O.I.)
* Enhance and increase the reflective characteristics of medium to dark color finishes
* Add shine and slickness
* Create wet-looking gloss
* Fill-in and hide swirls and scratches
* Provide the most UV protection available
* Offer water sheeting action, or water beading action (depending on the wax)


Choosing the right wax for your finish and your unique circumstances is something our Surface Care Experts would love to help you determine. Just call our Customer Care Hotline and talk to a knowledgeable technician to help you make the right choice.



Step-5 Maintaining


Maintenance products, like our Quik Detailer, and our Quik Wax, allow you quickly clean your car and restore that just waxed look in just a matter of minutes... practically anywhere.



Meguiar's Quik Detailer removes fresh contaminants before they have a chance to bond or etch into the surface.

Meguiar's Quik Wax quickly and easily boosts your already existing wax protection while turning your finish dramatically darker and increasing shine and gloss.



Meguiar's actually invented the concept of a mist and wipe product for consumers back in the early-80's with the introduction of their mist & wipe product called "Trigger Wash"

As leaders and experts in the surface care industry, we have a history of creating new products, such as mist & wipe products like our Quik Detailer and M-34 Final Inspection to help our customers maintain and beautify their vehicles.

In keeping with that history, we have just introduced a brand new spray wax that produces similar results as Meguiar's Quik Wax. It's actually a part of Meguiar's NXT Generation line of products based upon Meguiar's ESP Technology (Engineered Synthetic Polymers) and is a companion product to Meguiar's new NXT Tech Wax it's called NXT Spray Wax.






Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle clearly demonstrates there are 5 basic steps to professional and intelligent car care.

Using the correct Meguiar's products and the right technique, you can remove scratches and swirls that have accumulated from years of neglect to successfully restore a flawless, show car finish as demonstrated here on a 1991 BMW E34 M5. The left side is untouched, while the right side has been professionally restored using all Meguiar's products.




The 5-Step Paint Care Cycle enables you to understand exactly what a product is not just by the name on the label, but by the results the product accomplishes according to the 5 different groups of procedures outlined in the 5-Step Paint Care Cycle.

If a product is labeled a polish, but in fact is used to protect the paint, then you know it's a wax or a paint protectant and not an actual polish in the true sense of the definition of the word.

Here at Meguiar's we manufacture some very complex products, of which polishes and waxes are only a small portion of our complete line.

[b]

[RamAirV1]

I remember the Trigger Wash! Great product. But now my absolute favorite is the Speed Detailer! It seems to be selling well at the local Meijer's store.

RamAirV1