I will be picking up my TL hopefully by next week. I will want to wax my car as soon as I can to give it a nice coat or two of protection.

My question is should I also polish my car prior to waxing? I will be using Meguiars 3 step process. I will not use the 1st step (Cleaner) But is it safe and does it make a difference if I use step 2 before 3?

Thanks

 

I still would polish it. The polish also cleans the paint and since the cars come with no protection from the factory, I would want it all nice and clean before it's first coat of wax. I personally use Meguiars Show Car Glaze (I can't remember the number). It's pretty awesome.

Especially if you have a dark color.

 

I polished and waxed mine shortly after I got it (last wknd). The polish really brings out the shine in the black. Looks great, even after the rain we had earlier in the week, love seeing that water just bead and drip away.... To answer your question, yes it is safe and definitely a difference.

Any word on where you car is in transit?? Mine took exactly two weeks from production to delivery.

 

Not sure when it is comming. All I know is it was constructed on the 17th ontime. So, I guess another week or so. I can't wait.

I want to do this before I have to go back to school.

What do you plan to use to protect the car during the winter months? I will not be able to hand wash the car, maybe use a touchless every month.

Thanks

 

Dude use Zaino all the way!! Good stuff

 

I would use Zaino except.

1) it is mail order only and I'm getting my car soon.
2) expensive. esp in CDN dollars
3) I don't have a lot of time to spend

Perhaps in the spring when I finish school I'll consider getting it.

Even though it is my dad's TL. I'll be the one keeping it in good cond. And of course I'll get to drive it.

 

Use Meguiar's Medallion for paint. It's Meguiar's best stuff and will last you through the winter, just do it just before the bad weather hits.

I've used it for during the entire time I owned my previous car (eight years) and I was still getting compliments on the paint (and it was white) right up until the day I traded it in.

Touchless is the way to go. If you are near one of those do-it-yourself places, run the high pressure spray around the underside of your wheel wells and under the car where the salt sits. That's probably just as important as getting the salt off of the surface.

Good luck! Congrats and enjoy!

 

Excuse my poor knowledge if I am wrong, but I heard a theory saying we shouldn't wax or polish a new car because the paint might not be fully cured. Long time ago, a bodyshop gave me a package after I picked up my car from the shop. One tips on the list was not to wax or polish the finished paint for the first couple months. Now, I also read that by the time the car was painted in the factory to the time you pick it up, it could be already couple months. Just my thought, I would wait maybe a month before applying any product on the paint.

 

Is a clay treatment good or not???

 

That used to be the case with the old lacquer based paints. Today's enamels require a very short time to cure. By the time the car is built, shipped and arrives at the dealer, it's more than enough time.

 

If I'm not mistaken, this "waiting" rule still holds true but *only* to aftermarket (non-baked) paint. Cars coming direct from the factory have the paint baked on and modern paint formulas don't require curing. HOWEVER, if your car was repaired at a body shop, the paint needs to cure/set/harden for approximately 4-6 weeks before wax is applied. A body shop rep told me that the curing is only part of the equation. The paint will "expel" chemicals (for lack of a better word) as it sits for the first few weeks and if you wax over it the chemical residue will affix itself to the wax (trapping it between the paint and the wax) and will give the finish a hazy look. Kinda like how your new polyurethane dashboard expels chemicals when new and gets all over the inside of your windshield. It's not damaging to the paint or permanent but you would have to strip the wax off and wax the car again later on.

My $.02 - From the factory wax whenever you want but better off to wait a month to wax after repairs/repaints

 

Listen, you're in Toronto, all you need to do is drive down to Guelph to go to the Zaino distributor for Canada (so you can save the C$7.50 for shipping).

My friend's family (dad's been into cars for 40+ years) was a huge believer in the Meguair's (sp?) line up of products (and still are). They spent 4-6 hours doing the 3-step process. When I told them about the virtues of Zaino and they saw the results on my car, they tried it out. When they saw how easy it is to apply Zaino (even in direct sunlight) and how much time they saved with the 2 step process, they are now believers.

You spend a little more for Zaino but in the long run, IMHO, I think you'll be ahead. You're going save time and a lot of aches if you use Zaino.

Just my $0.02.
- derrick

 

Could you please post the phone number and address for the “Zaino” in Guelph? Do they have a store there?

 

Hey I'm new to this. I've used the Meguair's stuff before and it works nice, but it takes a long time. So I was wondering if any one of you could tell me what "Zaino" is. Thanks.

 

If you want to find out more about Zaino, go to their webpage:

http://www.zainobros.com

Take a look at the pictures and see what the Zaino difference can make! Honestly, it's a great product -- unsolicited endorsement by me. Personally, I have to <b>see it to believe it</b>. After 4 coats of their polish, it still makes me in awe of the finish.

But to go back to a previous post, attached is the order form. It's zipped up (to minimize bandwidth) so you'll need an unzip program (like WinZIP) and have a word processor that can read RTF (rich text format) such as WordPerfect or MS-Word.

Like I said before, it may cost you more in the beginning but you'll be amazed at the finished product. If cost is a concern, use it on multiple cars or do a group buy with a friend / neighbour. There was a write-up about Zaino in the <i>National Post</i> a couple Thursdays ago (in the Wheels section) so my dad knew this stuff was for real!

If you car is new, I would strongly recommend you purchase the Z1 and Z2 products first. If you want to buy the applicator, it helps a lot (but a clean white COTTON towel will suffice). The Z5 helps remove any swirls and small scratches to the paint. You can get that later (or better yet, share with that friend of yours...)

Want more help / tips? You can ask me (e-mail below) or ask your fellow forum members much more versed in this product line.

- derrick

 

The pictures are impressive, but quite honestly, it seems as though I've gotten the same results using Meguiars.

I use:
Meguiars Show Car Glaze as a polish
Meguiars Medallion for Paint as the wax
Meguiars Quick Detailer for the touch-ups
Meguiars Endurance for the tires

The key is the Medallion for Paint. IMO opinion, it is much better than their other wax products (i.e. Gold Class).

It's about $20 a bottle, but it's hard to find in the stores, you may have to order it from their Website under the Professional products.

Here is the description:
"Hi-technology equals exceptional results. Medallion Premium Paint Protection will restore your finish-especially dark colors-to a deep, full-spectrum shine. The exclusive Meguiar's MiraBenz™ bonding system uses positively charged molecules to "lock" the finish to the surface, making it almost impervious to daily assaults. Its balanced blend of nutrients and conditioners combines with superior waxes to provide brilliant performance. If you value perfection, you'll love Medallion Premium Paint Protection. It provides the deepest gloss and the longest lasting protection in one step"

Click
here for the link.


Just my $.02

 

Meguiar's Show Car Glaze No.7 is an excellent polish to start and to finish it off with the High Tech Wax No.26...equals concours finish.
Owned 88 Prelude since new and recently sold it to a Honda dealer. They could not believe the condition of the vehicle..."the paint floated on the surface". They even brought out their detailer to examine. Hated to see it go, but now have TL-S and the concours finish continues. Pretty happy with Meguiar's.

 

Using step 2's polish make sure you rub on, rub off.. don't let the polish dry on your paint, its part of the secret to a deep shine. Step 3 wax, rub on, let it dry to a haze then rub off.