OK I am a newbie!! Question?

[Big j]

I bought a new 08 charger. I washed with Mcquires wash and applied NXT 2.0. The surface is as smooth as glass. Now I found this websight and saw I should have put on a Polish before I did that. So here we go. How can I redo this. Does the NXT need to be removed some how before I Wash again then Polish then NXT 2.0? Also what kinda weather should it be before I do this? Thanks guys!!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: OK I am a newbie!! Question?

First of all, welcome to MOL!

Now, about that polish.....

What's the condition of the paint on this new Charger (congrats on the new ride, by the way)? Is it badly swirled? What color is it? You may not need to polish yet, and since you said the finish is now smooth as glass you may not even need to clay it. Now, I would be a bit surprised to find that a brand spanking new car doesn't need these two steps, but stranger things have happened.

If you look at the finish in bright sunlight, specifically looking right at the reflection of the sun on the finish, do you see a bunch of what appear to be concentric rings - tiny little cobweb like scratches in the paint? If so, then you should use a polish of some sort, either something like M80 with a DA polisher or even Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner by hand (understand though that doing this by hand on a car as large as a Charger is not an easy task).

If you're really critical about the feel of the paint and in fact it is NOT smooth as glass, then you probably should clay before polishing.

The good news through all this is that you've begun the learning process and are on your way to keeping your finish looking great for a long time. Further good news is that if you decide you want to clay and/or polish then just wash the car and jump right into it. The process of claying or polishing will remove that fresh coat of NXT 2.0. If you decide to hold a month or two before doing this, you won't harm a thing by just having the NXT on the finish without doing the other steps. Be prepared though - if you do feel a bit of roughness and you do see some swirls, once you clay and polish and then put a new coat of NXT 2.0 that baby is going to knock your socks off!!

[Murr1525]

Re: OK I am a newbie!! Question?

Here are a few links, just to make sure you saw them as well.

As Mike mentioned, it would be hard to find a car that couldnt use claying and a bit of cleaning/polishing. Clay then ColorX would be a great to use for some quick prep if the car is in good shape, then followed up with your Nxt 2.0

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

[Sydster]

Re: OK I am a newbie!! Question?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: OK I am a newbie!! Question?

How does it look after the two coats of wax?

If you're happy with the results, just wait till you want to apply a wax again, wash the car, check for bonded contaminants (and if discovered, the clay) and then apply a polish, working the product with care and passion over the paint and then wipe if off, you could use a pure polish for this or a light cleaner/polish for some light cleaning action, (this will insure you're down to a fresh base to start with before applying wax.

For a pure polish you can use Deep Crystal Polish or #7 Show Car Glaze, and if you want to use a light cleaner/polish pick up a bottle of #9 Swirl Remover 2.0

Besides having the ability to remove very light swirls it's also a cleaner/polish and can be used by hand to gently clean the paint and then leave it polished and ready for wax.

No matter which product you decide to use, remember to shake the bottle well and work panel or section at a time removing the leftover residue before moving onto the next section or panel.

Remember, only waxes or paint sealants need to dry...

Which products need to dry before removing?