What Order should I apply?

[rbjones6]

Which order should I apply the following in order to get the perfect shine on my White BMW. I have the following products:

Clay Bar, Deep Crystal Polish, Tech Wax, Meguiars Cleaner Wax, Scratch X

Usually I wash using Tech Wash, then Clay, then Tech Wax, but I totally skip over the Cleaner Wax and Deep Crystal Polish, where do they fit in?

What is best for my Alpine White paint color to produce to high shine?

[Murr1525]

Re: What Order should I apply?

Do you have many swirls to remove?

[rbjones6]

Re: What Order should I apply?

I bought the car used, but the paint is in great condition. The swirls are pretty minor, and hard to see to the naked eye. I usually always clay before I wax, I have applied Scratch X to a few spots, but not the entire car. And I have a small bottle of Cleaner Wax that came with the clay kit, in which I have never applied the cleaner wax ever.

[Murr1525]

Re: What Order should I apply?

Might be handy to read these few links as well, to get a gbasic idea for things:

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

How to Wash Your Car Show Car Style

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

How to correctly apply ScratchX to remove swirls and scratches

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

1. So, the washing will remove big loose dirt.
2. Clay removes bonded on contaminants.
3. A Paint cleaner removes dirt from the pores/imperfections of the paint.
4. Polish helps to fill in the imperfections, and make the surface glossier and shinier.
5. Then wax seals in the polishing oils and helps protect the paint some, and can add some gloss also.

So for best results, you would want to cover all the steps. Once imperfectins are removed, you shouldnt have to use ScratchX often. Here are two processes I would use:

1. Wash - 2 buckets, Grit Guards, etc.
2. Clay - as needed
3. Cleaner/Wax or ColorX
4. Tech Wax

1. Wash
2. Clay - as needed
3. Clean - Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
4. Polish - Deep Crystal Polish - This would be optional, but you could do a panel or two with, and a panel or two without, and compare.
5. Wax - Nxt Tech Wax - 2 thin coats are best.

[rbjones6]

Re: What Order should I apply?

Cool. I'm going to have popeye arms after I finish. Thanks for the info, I'll test it out tomorrow.