Question...

[rdfisch]

Question for Mike (others feel free to comment too…)

In June I purchased a 2005 GMC Sierra (Sport Red Metallic.) The day I picked up the truck I was very disappointed with the paint, It felt rough and didn’t appear to have much depth. I told the dealer (I used to work for this dealer long ago detailing cars) that I wasn’t happy and he offered to have one of his car washer’s wax it for me. I declined (knowing these are high school kids who aren’t very skilled) and asked if I could do it myself in their shop. The products they had were Auto Armor (which I have never been impressed with as I used to use when I worked at the dealership) and a product called Race Glaze polish and Sealant. I decided to use the Race Glaze and was moderatly happy with the appearance, but I still thought the paint should “pop” more. So I investigated a bunch of products and that is when I discovered the Forum on Meguiars.com. I have used Meguiar’s products in the past but this site showed me the correct steps, etc. After seeing suggestions on the Forum I decided to use the 5-Step process (Wash, Clay, Clean, Polish, Wax.) I used the Deep System Cleaner and Polish and topped it with NXT Tech wax. I was pretty happy with the results, but still thought I could do something to get more depth of color, gloss and wet shine appearance. Recently I had a dent removed by a paintless dent removal company, when they finished their work, the buffed the area leaving swirls in the paint . Since I am going to have to try to remove the swirls in this area, I decided now would be a good time to go over the whole truck again. I have been researching the Forum and decided to try the BSP Hand Polish topped with the High Tech Yellow Wax (all applied by hand.)

My Questions:
1.) Does that sound like a good combination?
2.) Should I use the Deep System cleaner again? (should I repeat all 5 steps?)
3.) How many coats of Polish and Wax should I use?
4.) Would NXT wax after the High Tech Yellow Wax give any added benefits?
5.) Are there any other products that you would suggest?

I am sure I have more questions... just can't think of them.
Thanks!!!

[Mike Phillips]

Hi rdfisch,

Since you say the finish feels rough, the first thing you should do is clay all of the paint. this will insure you're starting off with a fresh, clean base.

For any swirls or scratches, first read this,

What it Means to Remove a Scratch


You're going to either want to go over the entire truck with ScratchX
How To Remove Swirls By Hand

Or invest in a dual action polisher and go over the entire finish with a dual action polisher
Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line


You should really consider investing in everything you'll need to machine polish the paint on this truck by machine, you cannot duplicate the results you can achieve by machine with your hands and it will definitely cut down the amount of time and energy to restore and maintain this rig.