Ok , Here's my deal. I went to get my car detailed from a shop on 4/23/05. Now I want to detail the car myself, so I went out and bought:

1. Megs Paint cleaner
2. Megs Polish
3. Megs show glaze
4. Nxt Wax

I plan on washing and waxing tomorrow in that order.. Should I clay my car or not? The paint doesn't feel rough but will the megs paint cleaner do the job.

Need some advice.

Thanks

 

Claying would be a great idea. I wouldnt recommend putting the glaze on prior to using NXT though.

 

No show glaze before the nxt, how come? The only reason why I bought it was because I read it on one of the threads here ( can't remember which one). He has a black car and he used a meg paint cleaner, polish, show glaze and then wax. I'm a newbie to this, so any suggestions would help.

 

The show car glaze is very rich in oils. You can do it, but dont expect any durability out of the NXT.
#7 can be difficult to remove, its really meant to be used, as a "show car" product.

 

exceldetail , So you suggest to just clay, clean, polish and wax?. My car is black, do you have any suggestions to getting that wet look. I don't want to use carnauba because I heard it doesn't last that long, but shines better though. Could I lay carnauba over the nxt or is their a better way.

thanks

 

Wash, clay, polish, clean, seal. Carnauba over NXT will be fine, makes ure its Pure Carnauba though (non cleaning type). All your depth will arrive during polishing, wet comes with sealing/waxing. Make sure your happy with the NXT sealant, you cant lay NXT over Carnaubas...I dont think theres sufficient cleaning ablility in NXT to remove any Carnauba content.......Nor will the NXt actually adhere.

 

Ok I will do these steps

1 wash
2 clay
3 wash
4 paint cleaner
5 polish
6 nxt wax
7 carnauba ( mothers or Megs )

Does that sound right?

Any suggestions on which carnauba waxes from the auto stores

Thanks for all your help

 

No need to wash after you clay, the polishing will remove any residue. Also, the only reason you would need to use the cleaner after you polished, is if there were any oils left over from polishing, that you'd want to remove, its not a necessary step, but some like to do it.
Look for Mothers Pure Carnauba Paste if you decide to add the carnauba. Personally, I'd give it another coat of NXT, just to ensure proper coverage. That carnaubas only going to last a couple few weeks anyway.

 

Exceldetail, Thanks for all you input. Man, you know alot about the pruducts

 

I know that I've read you don't need to wash again after claying... But I just feel like I need to ....

 

So here's a question... Shoot, it's even related!

If Tster NXT's his car, and then layers with carnuba... Is it safe to assume the next time he wants to NXT his car, he will need to polish again to be sure all the carnuba is removed (since the NXT won't layer on carnuba well...)?

I understand that he can continue, say 2 weeks down the road, to layer some more carnuba on there, but what of the protection on the NXT?

Any thoughts from anyone would be appreciated...

 

Does the same apply using other sealants after #7? I was planning to apply it before blackfire when i detail my car this weekend but I won't if it will reduce the durability of the BF.

I guessing that the same would apply to 3M Hand Glaze?

 

NO glazes before any sealants! Blackfire really needs a sterile surface to properly bond. The only exception I have used, would be Clearkotes Vanilla Moose. I really haventhad any significant durability loss when using VM, and/or EX-P, UPP, or BF.

 

wow, talk about head spin..... and feeling like I have not done enough lately (ever).

Today I washed the car (cut corners and went to a good pressure wash place around the corner and dried it with a good towel) Normally I will hand wash.

I then came home and clayed the car.... noticed a big difference in the smoothness of the paint. (was told that I was doing something that was not needed, although I totally disagree)

Then I used a product by Eagle One called NanoWax, it says on the bottle that it is a polish/wax and it gives a great shine on my Silver TL.

But after reading a couple of threads here, I am starting to think that I need to do more to get a better shine, although I think that the car looks damn good now and it has a satin smooth feel.

Should I be putting a glaze on?
Should I be sealing it?

 

1st question: If hes real happy about the way the car looks, like no swirls or scratches, and it has been some time since the last application of carnauba, NXT would be fine. Carnaubas dont last very long. After about 2 weeks, there 50% diminished. Just remember, there a natural product, with petroleum biproducts to make them usable. And both of the above, evaporate over a short duration due to UV and heat exposure. Over say 3-4 weeks, an application of NXT would probably be sufficient enough to remove whatever carnauba is left over. It does have a small amount of cleaning ability. The only reason you need to polish is to remove light scratching and swirls. Otherwise, you would need to clean the surface with a paint cleaner prior to adding a Polymer product, i.e. Blackfire, UPP, EX-P.
#2. NXT's protection will remain, as long as you can sustain an umbrella of protection above it!

 

#7 is a different beast altogether. It can be used prior to applying a carnauba, with better results than applying before a polymer. Polys really need a sterile surface to crosslink. Im not saying its a great thing to do, the carnauba will still suffer durability issues. Im just saying anything containing oils is a no-no prior to a polymer. Carnaubas tend to float on the surface, where as a polymer adheres.
The 3M IHG is nowhere near as oily as #7. You could use IHG with better success then #7 IMO.

 

The Eagle One Nano Wax is a good cleaner/wax. Its obviously better then nothing. I really dont like products that are multi-purpose. there good for time restraints, and quick fixes, but its not something I would detail a clients car with. It is one of the better all in one type of products though, better then Megs #6.

 

Well, I would really like to have a better idea of what to use. I want to learn what to do and what is the best process. There are more choice and product out there that it is a bit overwhelming to be sure. Wanting to learn........

 

You should start off with Acurazine Car Car FAQ. Then visit online sites such as AutoGeek U, Autopia's How To Library, Proper AutoCare's Detailing Tips, or Premium AutoCare's How To Articles. Some of these sites will have product recommendations. Sa you said, there are so many products to choose from ... Klasse, Pinnacle, Zaino, Four Star, Meguiar's, Mothers, and the list can go on and on. The same goes with the interior, windows, and tires. I won't BS you saying one particular product is better than the other but you'll have to choose a product to start with. I would do a search and see what products the members are using like this thread or PM someone who has a background in detailing like exceldetail or TOGWT.

 

Heres a couple ideas....Go with Poorboys SSR 2.0 to clean and revive the paint, then seal with UPP, or EX-P.
Or, go to Pep Boys or Kragen or some auto supply place and get some Megs or Mothers products....I dont want tp spell out "what you need" because its not my money being spent.

My normal routine consists of washing and claying, one of the Poorboys polishes (or a combo of them) for prepping, then sealing with either UPP, Blackfire, or EX-P. It is very rare that I will use a carnauba, usually only at owners request which isnt too often. They usually leave it up to me, and have no idea what the he** Im using anyway.....