I know many people here have said that washing with Dawn will take off the wax. I had NXT on my car, used Dawn (a light blue color one) but the water was still beading. What's up?

Now, I'm wondering if it's safe to use Meg's Scratch X polish on my car...

 

Vincent:

Dawn works really well for traditional carnauba wax. NXT is a polymer and has more staying power than a carnauba wax. Try claying the car and then use a pre-wax cleaner. Any of the following should work to remove the last of the NXT:

Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion
P21S Paintwork Cleaner
Meg's #9 Swirl Remover
3M Swirl Remover

Good Luck!

 

Ah, I see.

Is Meg's #9 the same as their ScratchX? Or are they two completely different things? I really don't want to have to buy anything more... already spent like $25 on NXT and ScratchX.

 

Vtech is correct, any normal polishing routine will remove any previously applied protection, skip the dawn, it does more damage than good.....

 

Really? D'oh! Wish I had known that before hand... oh well, at least it was my first time (and only time) using Dawn on a car.

Now it's time to polish. Hope ScratchX works good...

 

Vincent:

Scratch X should remove the NXT. I think it is a little more aggressive than the products I listed above. I only use Scratch X on specific problem areas (not the whole care).

--->> Exceldetail, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here.....
I think the Paintwork Cleansing Lotion and the Paintwork Cleaner are the two least aggressive of the group I listed. They are made specifically to prep the paint for waxing.

The 3M and Meg's swirl removers are a little more aggressive for performing their intended purpose.

For what it's worth, Zaino recommends using 3M Swirl Remover if you need to clean the paint beyond the clay bar. He also recommends washing the car after using the 3M and before applying the polymer. I guess the polishes have oils in them that reduce the ability of the polymer to bind to the paint and therefore reduce the lifespan of the polymer on your car.

 

Hm... thanks. I won't be using it for the whole body again.

I am actually kinda dissappoint after applying and removing ScratchX. There is a lot of residue left (I tried serveral new, fresh from the store terry cloth pads). But applying NXT seems to have made them blend in with the wax. We'll see after I take of NXT... 25 minutes before I start removing it.

 

Yes, there both very mild chemical cleaners with mild abrasives....Sal Zaino rec. washing after 3M for the fact the 3M SMR does contain some fillers, which i think stand alone excellent....Its a beautiful swirl removal product IMO......Zaion needs a perfectly clean surface for proper bonding....And Megs makes so many SMR, i would nt know where to start ! I personally use #83 DACP and #80 Speed Glaze wich sounds like a glaze but is more of a polish and cleaner. It leaves the surface sqeaking clean.....

Vincent, I think Megs has small areas/repairs in mind with ScratchX...You may just need to resort to a bottle of swirl remover or polish, and apply with cotton for more bite, but remove with microfibers. It sounds like your leaving product behind !

 

I got those sumdges off, just had to use a little bit of water. My car looks great now! The swirls are almost invisable unless you look real closly. Thanks guys!

The only thing I noticed are some areas where the car didn't feel smooth. Gently rubbing around the area with a terry pad, I could feel it glide along and then It's in the same area (the pillars or whatever above the read windows, on each side of the roof) on both sides.

 

Vincent - That could be left over residue from the factory paint protection. I can't remember if the rear pillars had the white plastic or clear crap on them. Try rubbing that spot with a Clay Bar until it glides easily over the rough spot and doesn't catch anymore.

Just follow the directions for the clay bar and you should be good to go!

 

Seems like you need to clay bar your car. There are a couple brands of clay bar (Meguiars, Mothers, Clay Magic). Even though I'm strictly a Meguiars/Mothers product user..Clay Magic seemed to work the best for me while also being the cheapest out of all 3 clay bars.

Mothers Clay Bar: $15.99
Meguiars Quick Clay Bar: $12.99
Clay Magic: $9.99

..the reason that the Mothers Clay Bar kit is so expensive is that it contains the spray+clay+wax. But if you already have a good carnauba wax, I would suggest you going with the Meguiars or Clay Magic.

 

I've never clay barred before... do I have to take of the NXT? (Please say no.)

What's clay barring do anyway? I've seen it mentioned a lot.

 

Vincent - The clay bar will most likely remove the NXT. However, you will get much better results with your NXT if you Clay the entire vehicle and wash the car before applying the polymer. The clay bar removes surface contaminants from your paint that washing and light polishing can't remove.

Do the following to clay your car:

1. read the directions
But it basically goes like this:
2. spray a small area (1 to 2 square feet) with the included lubricant
3. lightly (little pressure) rub the clay bar in a straight back and forth motion. If it catches slightly, it is picking up contaminants on your paint. Keep rubbing until it glides smoothly over the paint surface. If it starts sticking, spray more lubricant.
4. wipe the just clayed area dry
5. move on to the next section
6. When the clay bar becomes dirty - stretch, fold and kneed it into itself until clean clay is seen.
7. If you drop it on the ground - THROW IT AWAY. Also, periodically check it for contaminants that can scratch the paint.

 

Yeesh... I think I'll stay away from the clay. The though of picking up something with the clay bar and then scratching my surface is just too much. I'm very happy with the results of a polish and NXT, so I think I'll stick with it.

 

how often should one clay anyways?
i may be a little harsh on the paint for frequent use... any comments?

 

hellasmania -

As long as you keep the paint adequately lubricated and the clay clean there is no risk of damaging the finish. The clay is non-abrasive and will not remove clear coat or paint. It simply pulls contaminants from the paint rather than removing a small layer to clean (like a rubbing compound).

Most recommend claying a vehicle one to two times a year.