Okay I'm a noob to waxing because the TL is my first car ever.
I just got it last saturday and if weather allows it I'm going to
wax it this weekend. I have a some questions and would appreciate
some help.

First here are the products I'm interested in getting (all Meguiars).

Wasing - NXT Generation Car Wash
Clay - Quik Clay Detailing System
Wax - NXT Generation Tech Wax
Maintenance - NXT Generation Spray Wax
Since my car is new I'm not getting any polish.

Any objections to my choices? Remember I'm a noob and I chose
Meguiar products because they seem easy to apply and my local
auto-zone carries Meguiar products.

Some Questions;
1) When I clay do I need to clay the ENTIRE car or just the trouble
areas (ie spot treatment).

2) Are there any good claying tutorials? Is it easy? I've never done it before
and I'm actually a little nervous about rubbing a mold against my car.

3) After claying should I wash again?

4) Is waxing to messy to be done in my garage (so I can protect
against sun)?

5) Washing/Drying materials? I've heard different opinions on
what to use. For washing I'm thiking of getting Meguiars Lambs
Wool Wash Mitt. For drying Meguiars Microfiber Drying Towel.
Does this sound okay?

6) Washing mitts and drying towels. Do I need more than one for
each washing session? How many uses do they get before I should
get new ones.

I think thats it. If you have any suggestions/tips please post.
Sorry for me being to much of a noob but I want to give proper
care to my car. Sorry for long post.

Thanks.

 

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95053

OK I don't know about the claying, but here is what I did.

I have NXT wash and I first rinsed the car down, then used a wool mitt and washed the car.

I dried with an electric leaf blower, dried the rest off with a microfiber towel.

Repeat once more to make sure everything is off.

The 2nd time I paid special attention to the tires. I used Meguiar's Hot Rims.

After that I waxed with NXT Wax. Make sure you don't overapply. I over applied in some places and did some un-necessary extra buffing afterwards. I didn't clay because I washed it twice and I checked the car and there was no residue. I'm noob so hey, don't listen. Basically after letting all the wax sit I came back with 2 microfiber towels. One for the first buff, 1 for the second. When you rub it off it should feel smooth and slick.

Stoner's Invisible Glass

Meguiar's High Endurance Tire Shine

done

 

Some Questions;
1) When I clay do I need to clay the ENTIRE car or just the trouble
areas (ie spot treatment).

No, you'll have to clay the entire car. Some areas might need it more, however all of the car will need claying, including the glass, however do the glass last.

2) Are there any good claying tutorials? Is it easy? I've never done it before
and I'm actually a little nervous about rubbing a mold against my car.

http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=14

3) After claying should I wash again?

Yes.

4) Is waxing to messy to be done in my garage (so I can protect
against sun)?

If you have enough room to do it in your garage that would be the best place to do it.

5) Washing/Drying materials? I've heard different opinions on
what to use. For washing I'm thiking of getting Meguiars Lambs
Wool Wash Mitt.

for washing yes they are great

For drying Meguiars Microfiber Drying Towel.
Does this sound okay?
sounds good to me

6) Washing mitts and drying towels. Do I need more than one for
each washing session? How many uses do they get before I should
get new ones.

No you should be able to use one of each on the car. Depending how clean you keep them, it will determin how long they will last. Meguiars makes high quality products so, if you take care of them, they'll last.

Hope that helps,

Patrick
www.ShowShine.ca

 

My take on this:

 

Thanks donkeykang, ShowShine, and exceldetail. VERY helpful. I think I'm getting close to getting my paint care diploma.

Thanks for the link ShowShine.
Thanks exceldetail, great washing/claying tutorial. When I get my products I'll probably pick up Meguiars Deep Crystal System Polish for a post-clay pre-wax application. Jump in if you object.

A couple more questions.

After reading a few wash/polish/clay/wax tutorials almost all mention "dry with a microfiber towel" or "wipe off residue with a microfiber towel". But wait this a 4 step process...so do I need 4 microfiber towels? One for drying, one for wiping off clay residue, one for polishing, and one for waxing? If not how do I properly clean and dry a single towel between steps?

Heres a stupid question. I'm a little embarrassed asking but I figure its better to sound stupid asking rather than doing something dumb to my car and making IT look stupid.
Some tutorials mention "Wipe of with towel then buff", okay sure I understand to wipe off the gunk, but what do they mean by buff? Does buffing mean circular motion with the towel that I used to wipe off the gunk...but wait circles are a big No No right? I'm doing all this by hand btw so I don't have machine buffers.

Thanks again.

 

There is a special type of towel for drying which is a waffle weave microfiber so you would use this specifically for drying.

If you clay using an instant detailer, you would use a MF for that step. If you use soap water to clay, then just wash and dry with the waffle weave.

For every detailing step (i.e. compound, polish, cleaner, wax, etc...), you should use a diferent MF towel so you don't end up having compound (causes scratches) on the towel when you are trying to polish or wax... Remember, you are going from coarse to fine in your detailing steps so you don't want to mix the coarse in your final steps.

My opinion is never use a circular motion by hand on any step as it will create the swirls and more work. Always use a back and forth motion. Wipe then buff refers to wiping with the towel, then flip the towel to a clean side and buff back and forth.

Read this to avoid the biggest mistakes in detailing:
http://www.detailingdynamics.com/tipaug04.html

Cheers,
Mike

 

Kindred, no problem with using Megs deep crystal system, its good, and theres better, but your at the beginning stages, its a great place to start....Microfiber towels, 4-step, that only refers to process step, doesnt mean you only need 4 microfibers, your probably going to need more in the line of 10-12. Always make sure your using a clean surface when removing products i.e cleaner, polish, glaze, sealant. Dependant on the severity of cleaning needed, on average you may typically use a couple towels each for product removal. A couple for claying becauase there going to get wet, a couple for the deep cleansing, a couple for the polishing (You see where im going) so, your up to at least 8, and if you drop one, well, in the wash it goes. Have plenty on hand.....
Im with Mike, always use a back and forth motion while applying and removing products.

 

Once again the peaople at Acura-TL.com help a fellow TLer in need. Thank you MikeDDynamics and exceldetail for answering my specific questions. I hope this entire thread can help other noobs like me and encourage proper TL care. Now all I have to do is purchase my products and get to work! I will update as soon as I can. Thanks again.

 

Kindred97, see how long the NXT shine would last you. With the NXT, I'm sure the shine will look great but I don't think it will last very long even with the booster wax touch ups.

Check out the pics posted of other cars and those with an acrylic sealant and a pure Carnauba layer on top. It would give you shine and protection that would last much longer than NXT alone.

 

One thing I think you guys should consider is using a powerfull electric leaf blower to get most of the water off the car before final drying with a towel. This really helps during the winter months when the water is so cold it causes your fingers to go numb. I use the blower first, then what's left over is a piece of cake to dry with a waffle towel. The neighbors might think you're crazy..but so what!! Try it, it's great especially to get water out of pesky areas like door sills, gas filler area, and down inside the windshield wiper area. The thing to remember is just do it!! It will pay off in the end.