First time detailer

[poundcake]

Hi! I'm a first time detailer and I'll be purchasing some products soon and need some help on which ones to get. I've been reading about the 3 step deep crystal system...and I'm confused where the other products should fit in.

Is it important to have all 3 of the DC system?

If I use colorx or scratchx do I still need to use DC1?

If I have either the goldclass wax or nxt, can those replace dc3?

Can I use colorx after applying scratchx...or will it be redundant?

I plan to do it in this order: Scratchx, DC2, and top it with NXT. Will this yield good results?

Thanks!

[Jorge Sanchez]

Re: First time detailer

Welcome to Meguiarsonline.com

Well, we need to know the condtion of the vehicle your working on to determine what product is right for you. How much time are you willing to invest?

Originally posted by poundcake
Hi! I'm a first time detailer and I'll be purchasing some products soon and need some help on which ones to get. I've been reading about the 3 step deep crystal system...and I'm confused where the other products should fit in.

Is it important to have all 3 of the DC system?

If I use colorx or scratchx do I still need to use DC1?

If I have either the goldclass wax or nxt, can those replace dc3?

Can I use colorx after applying scratchx...or will it be redundant?

I plan to do it in this order: Scratchx, DC2, and top it with NXT. Will this yield good results?

Thanks!

[Jorge Sanchez]

You asked:

Is it important to have all 3 steps of the DC system? Yes, If you're looking to restore a light to moderate finish by hand it is important that you have all 3 steps. The DC Cleaner Step 1 would remove the below surface defects like Oxidation, stains, blemishes, scratches, and swirls from the surface after multiple appliciations. The DC Polish Step 2 would re-introduce all the oils the paint lost and give you a high/wet gloss. The DC Carnauba wax would seal in the polishing oils and protect the finish from harmfull UV rays.

If I use colorx or scratchx do I still need to use DC1? Color X is a cleaner/polish/wax It's inteanded for some one that does not want to invest time in order to restore the vehicle's surface. It's a stand alone product meant to be used by itself because it takes care of all the steps in one. Scratch X is a cleaner/polish desinged to remove minor below surface defects by hand. Once you are done using Scratch X you would follow it with a pure wax or polish/wax.

Gold Class Liquid wax or NXT Generation Tech wax are great replacements from DC Carnauba wax step 3, they would last longer in terms of protection.

Originally posted by poundcake
Hi! I'm a first time detailer and I'll be purchasing some products soon and need some help on which ones to get. I've been reading about the 3 step deep crystal system...and I'm confused where the other products should fit in.

Is it important to have all 3 of the DC system?

If I use colorx or scratchx do I still need to use DC1?

If I have either the goldclass wax or nxt, can those replace dc3?

Can I use colorx after applying scratchx...or will it be redundant?

I plan to do it in this order: Scratchx, DC2, and top it with NXT. Will this yield good results?

Thanks!

[broken1]

Recently, I've been using scratch X as a polish/cleaner...then Gold Class wax :-) It's made the car look very good.

A friend of mine uses the DC1, DC2 and then NXT and he claims it's an amazing combo. I plan on trying that the next time I detail my car properly.

I got a bottle of NXT, so all I need now is DC1 and DC2.

Other members have said they get excellent results from ColourX and NXT. It's all about what "look" you prefer.

[poundcake]

Thanks for the replies.

The paint is in a pretty bad condition. Lots of swirls and scratches...it hasn't been waxed for a year.

I bought the DC2 already...I tried using it in some portions of the car. I noticed it did remove some swirls and those very light scratches. I'm guessing that I really need a good cleaner wax to improve it further. Is DC1 a strong cleaner? I might be needing a strong cleaner given the really bad condition of the paint.

I've read that NXT tech wax has a curing time of 12 hours. I might have a problem with that since I drive the car often and it rains frequently in here...so I'll be needing something that doesn't need to cure. Any suggestions? My car is a dark colored metalic(blue).

Thanks!

[searle]

Sorry to burst your bubble , but DC2 polish without DC1 cleaner (or some other cleaner) will not be removing any swirls, its polish oils will just be temporarily filling them in and hiding them. As the polish wears off (*very* fast without a covering wax, slower with a covering wax) the swirls will re-appear.

To actually remove swirls you need a cleaner (such as DC1). Note that DC1 is mostly a paint cleaner with only very minimal abrasive cleaners (which is what is needed to remove swirls) and you might need to get something stronger (Cleaner/Wax is slightly stronger, but you might need #82/#9 SwirlRemover or even machine #80 Cleaner/Polish or manual Scratch-X).

After cleaning away the swirls, then polish (such as DC2) the result to get that deep wet shine, and then wax (such as DC3 or NXT or GoldClass) to protect the polished surface.