RogerPodacter

OK this might be long and repetitive to many. But lets just say its been a WHILE since i've had my car waxed/ppolished, and i'm tyring to get back into the swing of things but i'm overwhelmed.

When i bought my car brand new, i went crazy with the entire zaino treatment, from clay bar to a bunch of coats of polish. i did the entire kit. well let's just say its been a couple years since then, i know i have been neglectful, but i need to start waxing my car again.

i want to avoid zaino and just use products that i can buy from autozone or wherever. i am unsure if i should go with a polish vs a wax. i am definitely going to clay bar the entire car. but i need to know what else i should do, what products to use, what towels, micro fibers to buy. i'm really overwhelmed looking at everything at auto zone.

do i go with meguairs? do i buy the full kit they have, or just pick up the items i need individually? how about NuFinish? or Mother's?

sorry for these vague all-encompassing questions. my car has a ton of high way driving, so the front hood and bumper have many chips and dings. but overall when the car is washed it generally still looks great and shiney paint job. so i am sure a good waxing/polishing will help a lot. i just dont know where to start or with what products.

i'm reading through this forum but everyone had different methods and products that they use...thanks a lot for any direction!

EDIT: also i saw some orbital buffer's at the local store, about 25 bucks for a small handheld unit. is this worth purchasing? any pro's or cons? or just use some good old-fashioned elbow grease myself?

teopeht

iTrader: (2)

the 25 buck orbitals aren't worth it, they're cheap for a reason. falls apart fast and not enough power or options.

a lot of people here are fans of UPP as a sealant if you're issue is not enough time to dedicate to detailing. sealants last quite a bit longer than waxes.

and i may be mistaken but i believe that the question is between sealants vs. waxes. polishes or compounds remove swirls. and glazes go on after a polish but before a wax.

RogerPodacter

Well i'd rather use a polymer polish over a shorter lasting regular wax. I guess my question is, what over the counter product or kit can i get that uses polish, or is a non carn wax?

Since i was a uses of zaino i just want to stick with products i can buy at the local store.

Isn't there a good meguair's complete kit or something? Or do i mix and match for example using nufinish polish, meguair's sealant, etc?

Also i'm a little confused on the steps. Basically it seems to be wash, clay, polish, then sealant or wax. The last step is where i'm confused what to use.

csmeance

Basic question that will help us help you, how much work do you want to put in and how good of results do you want?

Jesstzn

You mention polish but include NuFinish which is a sealant. Polishes are abrasive and are used with a buffer to correcr swirling etc and are near useless by hand. If your going to include a polish then you need to buy a good buffer and proper pads to go with it.

Otherwise it is wash, clay then sealant. Some of the confusion comes from the marketing of products where the company calls a sealant a polish and its not. Good example is zaino and thier show car "polish" which is a sealant.


Sealnts don't need to be followed by a wax .. waxing over a sealant is for looks only ..

If you want a good OTC sealant get Duragloss #105 from Car Quest. for about $10.

RogerPodacter

Ok thanks. I wanted to dedicate this weekend to detailing the car, so the amount of time and level of end result is somewhere in the middle towards the high end result. Basically its been so long that it will take a lot of work to get it perfect. So for simplicity lets just say i want to do a good wash, clay, and then a good sealant (but maybe a swirl or scratch remover too, not sure if it would add too much time/work to the process). I don't have an orbital buffer and i tried but couldn't borrow one. So its all hand work.

So a good wash, clay, and wax or sealant. And then maybe a final detail spray or extra shine level product.

I'm looking for an average to above average result. I have the next 4 days to do this, but i don't have place with shade which might be a problem. Thanks.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

polish then seal, but like these guys said, if you don't have a random orbital, the polish is pointless

Jesstzn

#105 is doable in the sun if you do it late in the day ..

RogerPodacter

Ok well here's what i did. I clayed the car today. I bought 2 different waxes, meguiar's nxt 2.0 tech and meguiar's regular carn wax. I don't know which one to use. I'm skipping the polish obviously. I read about the first generation of the nxt that it didn't last too long. But people seem to say 2.0 is better. Which one should i use for best protection, long lasting, and importantly the best wet shine? Or can i use both? Maybe use the nxt first then a couple coats of the regular wax? Thanks.

RogerPodacter

Also i couldn't find 303 for interior, so i got this turtle wax interior spray product, for uv protection and matte finish, not glossy. Is this a waste or worth it till i find some 303? I'm also detailing the engine bay so i bought some back to black, is that all i need? And the 303 of course. Or maybe can i use the turtle wax interior spray on some engine components?

MD03CL-S

iTrader: (1)

I believe the nxt 2.0 is a sealant not a wax. So the nxt 2.0 would give you better/longer protection. If you do decide to do multiple coats, I would wait about 24hours between coats. (Not sure if exact time is given on nxt bottle)

teopeht

iTrader: (2)

you wont find 303 aerospace protectant at a generic place like autozone, i buy mine online or goto a specialty detailing retail store. there's one down at the end of the 55 S freeway.

if your engine bay is dirty you'll need a P21S:Total Auto Wash or a diluted APC before you apply 303.

RogerPodacter

So does the sealant not give quite as good a shine as the wax? And is it a good method for me to use both of these, or should i pick one to return? I'd like to honestly use the sealant for long life protection, then put the wax on top for an extra shine. Do these 2 go together like that? Thanks do sticking with my noob questions guys.

RogerPodacter

Lets say i can't find any 303 tomorrow. Is the turtle wax interior spray a decent substitute to get the plastic and black components looking good in the engine bay? And do i really need a different soap or can't i just use the car wash soap i already have? I forget what it is but its some type of decent car wash soap.

Also i bought back to black for the door strips. Can i use this on the rubber door seals? Or should i use the turtle wax interior spray for the rubber seals? I've sorta exhausted my budget so far, rather not buy anymore if possible.

Thanks

teopeht

iTrader: (2)

its only a discerning eye that can tell the difference between a wax and a sealant your average joe wont really notice. i personally do a sealant and then a wax.

RogerPodacter

Ok so the nxt is a sealant and i'll stick with that. Who knows maybe i'll keep the wax too and put a layer on top of the sealant. Thanks.

Jesstzn

Just watch the wax .,.. if there is cleaners in it .. it will remove some of the sealant ..

Jesstzn

First off your asking questions and then not listening to the answers ... #105 is a lot better than NXT 2.0 $$ wise and looks & longivity wise.

TW interior spray is just that .. interior spray. If you want somthing to do both jobs Meguiars #40 Rubber & Vinyl conditioner will do both and also take the place of the 303 you can't find.

You have exhausted your budget .. but on all the wrong stuff.

Figure this out ;
1) #105 = $10
2) Megs #40 = $12

Total $22 and it will do all the jobs your mentioning and if you add in a pkg of good MF towels from Costco $13... your still very low $$ wise.

If you would have asked "all" your questions in the original post its a lot easier for us to help you out instead of buying then asking if its right.

siegs

How's this:

1. Wash car: Meguiar's Gold Class
2. Clay car: 4 times a year (thanks Patrick)
3. DG105: 4 times a year (thanks Patrick)
4. Optimum spray wax: 1 day after the DG105 and after every wash thru out the year. (thanks Patrick)

Depending on beer usage the first three steps fill the better part of a nice day.
Wax the next day 15 minutes then beer. And burgers.
Sounds like a nice uncomplicated weekend.
Did I forget to say thanks Patrick

RogerPodacter

I couldn't fine the duragloss 105 nearby so i just thought the meg's nxt 2.0 would be good as well. I applied the first coat of it this morning, I just don't know if i should do a second coat of nxt and just return the meg's carn wax, or if i should keep it and put a coat of that on top of the nxt.

Sorry i didn't really have a bearing on all the questions i would have starting the thread. Its kinda a learning process as i go so i have new questions that pop up.

So i think i'm done the outside waxing for now while i wait to apply the second coat of whichever i decide. So on to the interior and engine bay. I'm returning the turtle wax interior spray and will get the meg's 40 (which i don't see 40 on the bottle but i assume its the product code on the back? I see 3 different meg's interior spray, natural shine protectant, supreme shine protectant, and quick interior detailer. I assume the supreme shine protectant is what i need?

I have lexol for the leather seats.

And you're saying the engine bay i can use the meg's interior in place of the 303? Sounds good, thanks.

I noticed after wiping off the nxt there seems to be slight blotches or something. Not sure what that is, hopefully it goes away maybe after second coat or over time.

MD03CL-S

iTrader: (1)

If you are looking for longer protection I would do another coat of the nxt 2.0 instead of the wax.

Jesstzn

See bold

teopeht

iTrader: (2)

To get rid of hazing from the excess wax used you either need to put in a little elbow grease and some QD or give it a quick wash.

RogerPodacter

I started off with just a very thin coat like directed and for some reason i went back over it and applied extra, who knows why i would have done that. Tomorrow i'll keep it thin on the second coat.

I detailed the engine bay today and used back to black, it looks pretty good.

The only disappointment is the vertical black door trim. They are faded and the back to black did nothing at all, its still got the white fade from the sun. Any tips on using this stuff? It seems to be more of a protectant rather than something that brings back the black. Wonder if i should use it on the door seals.

teopeht

iTrader: (2)

door sealants i use 303. meguiars has some dressing stuff that also helps with rubber and plastic although i cant remember the name. they've got a new product called Ultimate Protectant that does the same thing and its supposed to last a couple of months even through washes but i have yet to test it out.

exceldetail

Your welcome, now "Step away from the clay!"

Jesstzn

What car are you talking about? If its the 05 TL there shouldn't be sun fading if your talking about the black plastic strips at the back of the front door window and the front of the rear door window. Ir are you talking about the rubber composite that is visable around the doors in these areas?

RogerPodacter

I can't believe its raining here in socal today. I haven't seen rain in 2years and as soon as i detail my car it magically rains. At least i have to do the interior still. Thanks for the help getting me back into the detailing guys, its been such a long time yet the paint and clear coat is still smooth and shiney. That zaino i first applied must have really protected well since i applied so many coats when it was new.

exceldetail

What rain? None to speak of in my hood..........

teopeht

iTrader: (2)

there was some pretty decent rain in north orange county last night...

RogerPodacter

I'm down in temecula where it rained HARD all night and morning. But i came up to anaheim and it hadn't rained at all here.

Back on east coast i'm used to the pain screwing up my waxing, but in cali the last time it rained near me was feb 08.