Newbie questions with UQW

[number17]

Hi all,

Newbie into detailing and I have a few dumb questions ...

I have a black Mazda Miata and of course, with any black car, a thorough wash, polish and wax guarantees rain in the coming days. I went through the thorough wash, dry, clay bar, Ultimate Compound, Ultimate polish and Ultimate wax steps, had my car looking shinny clean .... for 3 days, then it rained and i got water stains all over the sides and the rear panels now.

- If I want to use Ultimate Quick Wax to do a 'quick wax' job, what should I do? Should I wash and dry the car again first (which isn't all that 'quick')? Or, can I just spray-wash the car with water, dry it, and use UQW to do a quick wax job? I am worried about scratching the paint with dust and sand and what not on the surface, but a thorough spray wash should get rid of most debris?

- When it comes time to do another 'full wax' job, in a month or so ... do I just do ultimate wax on top after a full wash and dry?

- And if I want to re-apply the Ulitmate compound in 2-3 months, do I need to do something to 'clean' the old wax and polish on the car? Or do I just apply the 3 steps again (UC, UP and UW) on top after a thorough wash and dry?


Thanks!

[Nick Winn]

Re: Newbie questions with UQW

Or, can I just spray-wash the car with water, dry it, and use UQW to do a quick wax job?

- When it comes time to do another 'full wax' job, in a month or so ... do I just do ultimate wax on top after a full wash and dry?

- And if I want to re-apply the Ulitmate compound in 2-3 months, do I need to do something to 'clean' the old wax and polish on the car? Or do I just apply the 3 steps again (UC, UP and UW) on top after a thorough wash and dry?


Thanks!

Hi number17,

In case you were referring to just using water to wash your car, this is not recommended!

Here are our recommendations when it comes to safely removing loose contaminants on the vehicle like dirt, dust & road grime:

• Light, Moderate, or Heavy level of loose contaminants on vehicle - Traditional Two Bucket Wash Method

• Light to Moderate Level of contaminates on vehicle- Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere - This product is what we refer to as an alternative to traditional washing or in this case a "waterless" wash. The combination of the design of the product, a premium microfiber towel like our Supreme Shine, and using good technique, the user can safely & effectively clean all exterior surfaces of their vehicle. More information can be referenced at the following below links:

Meguiar's Quik Tips Video Series - Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere

• Light amount of loose contaminants on vehicle - Any of our Quik Detailer Sprays can be used safely for light dust & light contaminant removal, in a mist on, wipe off type application, using a high quality microfiber towel. A33 Quik Detailer, Ultimate Quik Detailer, Gold Class Quik Detailer, etc.

Which ever method you end up using, if you would like, Ultimate Quik Wax can be applied after. Ultimate Quik Wax should be applied to a clean surface.

When you are ready to apply another coat of wax in a few months, all that is required is a clean surface to re-apply the wax. There is no additional preparation work required.

Ultimate Compound is used on an as needed basis. If you had to use Ultimate Compound to address defects in a few months, all that is required is a clean & cool to the touch surface. The Ultimate Compound will remove any wax on the surface, it is not require to "strip" or remove the wax.

Hope this helps!

- Nick

[The Guz]

Re: Newbie questions with UQW

You want to wash before using ultimate quik wax. You can use it as a drying aid or stand alone after washing the car. There are plenty of topics on how to use it as a drying aid.

Ultimate Wax should not wash off after a month. Rejuvenate it with UQW.

To answer your question on whether or not you have to use all 3 steps next time. I would recommend the test spot with the least aggressive combination and adjust from there.

[number17]

Re: Newbie questions with UQW

I see, thanks .... so to clean the water spots and stains on the car (even though it's just 3 days after the last wash, polish and wax) I still gotta do a full wash (and yes, I do do 2 buckets wash), dry eh?

I love black cars

[Top Gear]

Re: Newbie questions with UQW

Newbie into detailing and I have a few dumb questions ...

No dumb questions - we all learned this stuff the same way

I have a black Mazda Miata and of course, with any black car, a thorough wash, polish and wax guarantees rain in the coming days. I went through the thorough wash, dry, clay bar, Ultimate Compound, Ultimate polish and Ultimate wax steps, had my car looking shinny clean .... for 3 days, then it rained and i got water stains all over the sides and the rear panels now.

I usually look at the weather patterns, but in the end, it's going to happen on a daily driver. As Nicholas posted, there are a number of techniques we use to get back to "perfect". I keep a "California Duster", Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere, Gold Class Quik Wax, all at the ready.

The decision to do a full wash or to use waterless washing (with UWWA, not a QW) really depends on how much energy/time I have and how grimy the car is. If it's just a little dirt and not road grime, and if the wheels haven't been trashed from driving in the rain, I often just dust off the big stuff and use UWWA, ensuring good "towel management". I then usually follow with GCQW. This is not actually an "ideal" way of washing the car, but in the reality of life and everything that's going on, it's very convenient and even slightly fun. If the wheels are very dirty or if the car hasn't been washed in a month or two, waterless will dirty too many towels and I'll go for a full bucket wash with an MF mitt. I follow that with GCQW. Either way, I get a re-wax every few days or so, and as long as I've avoided rain driving, I can go many weeks or even months without even having to bucket wash. Eventually, though, no matter how careful you are, the spiderwebs/swirls and small scratches from driving and washing will indeed build up. The layers of polishing oils from the compound, polish and full wax will be weathered away and replaced by a protective but less luxurious layer of quik wax, and so a re-correction is needed.

When it comes time to do another 'full wax' job, in a month or so ... do I just do ultimate wax on top after a full wash and dry?

Yes, you can do that if it's enough. If it's not, then other steps are needed. You can't know that until the time comes, and it depends on the above maintenance.

And if I want to re-apply the Ulitmate compound in 2-3 months, do I need to do something to 'clean' the old wax and polish on the car?

No, they will all be gone anyway. You just need to start with a clean surface again, whether that means a full wash or doing section by section with UWWA and/or QD to clear it, as long as the surface is nicely clean, you're good to do what steps are needed. If you've kept up with UWWA and QW wiping along the way, you might very well be able to skip the claying as well, or use a light compounding pass to do "powered claying". However, if the finish is gone, dried out, and rough feeling after a wash, you'd better do the full deal: clay, compound, polish, wax.

So, it's all about deciding what's needed at the time, and that will take some experience with various situations in the context of your life and schedule.