help

[mmoc7]

hey guys i recently purchased a 2005 black audi a4. my goal is to keep it looking new. My plan of actin is wash polish with deep crystal and 2x of gold class. My question is there anything more i need to be doing. I have used meguiars products in the past but now i'm hooked with them and the site so i'm addicted. I see most have a pc for detailing, i'm alittle scared to use it due to my lack of machine experience. must not the car is an everyday car and i also live in ny, so weather plays a role? hope you guys can help i know ya can>>i'm all ears...thanks again

[travisdecpn]

Here's a little list that may help you keep it clean

1. Wash with NXT or gold class w/wool mitt

2. Dry car completely with either a waffle weave or microfiber drying towel.

3. Clay car

4. wash entire vehicle again (optional)

5. Inspect service, if there are no scratch or marks you can go straight to DC #2. If there is a presence of swirling you may look into DC #1 or even #80 speed glaze.

6. Apply your first layer of gold class. Wait 24 hours and then apply your second layer.

As long as your car's paint is free of major swirling or scratches you should be fine doing these steps by hand. I hope this helps you a little bit.

[mmoc7]

so you clay you car after every wash? do you suggest getting the pc? thanks again the weather is supposed to get warm this weekend(34-36)so i can get in a detail

[Setec Astronomy]

No, you don't need to clay after every wash, only if the surface feels rough (you can feel little specks stuck to it). When you clay, just be careful to frequently check that the clay surface is clean, you don't want to drag contaminants that you have removed across the rest of your paint. If your car is new and it doesn't have any swirls, you can work by hand, you don't need the G100. If you do have swirls (which are easy to get on black), using the G100 (PC) will makes things a lot faster and easier. You don't need to be worried about your lack of "machine experience", the G100 is pretty foolproof. You just need to make sure not to bump any painted surfaces with the body or handle of the G100 and not drag the cord (or extension cord) over the paint.

And if you're going to wash your car when it's 34-36 out--you're braver than me!

[Mike Phillips]

Just to chime in here,

Hi mmoc7,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

(I recently posted the below reply to another thread but it seemed to fit in here quite nicely so I've copied and pasted and then added a few things)

You've received a lot good and helpful advice from some very experienced members of our forum, as mentioned, the dual action polisher is going to give you better results than what you can achieve using your hands and will take a lot of the work out of cleaning, polishing and applying waxes, even removing waxes.

It's quite easy to use and will always produce better and more consistent results than your hands.




While some of what has been mentioned and recommended has been about removing defects it's vitally important to learn how to prevent instilling swirls and scratches in the first place.

Because you're working on dark colored cars with clear coat finishes, I would recommend looking into purchasing a Grit Guard Insert and a high quality Lambs Wool Wash Mitt




Meguiar's can show you how to remove swirls, but it's more important to learn how to prevent them in the first place.

Taking ownership of the washing process is a good start. Avoid the mechanical car washes because the brushes can scratch the paint and often times they use a very strong chemicals to clean your car which also strip off any wax protection.

Using a high quality wash mitt with a premium quality car wash will make the job easy and maintain your car's finish. Also using a Grit Guard in your washing bucket will prevent re-introducing dirt and other contaminants you've previously removed back into the washing process.

NXT Car Wash with a Grit Guard in a 5-gallon bucket



The nicest looking finish in the world wont' stay that way if it's not washed carefully.

Mike