I have a wax question..

[queens guy]

Hello all new to site and wanted to get some basic information. I have a 2011 Nissan Maurano black on black which my wife drives as a daily driver. Car is left outside and almost everyday has bird poo on the car.

Paint looks “good” with swirls etc. I bought a beginner kit from Chemical guys last year which had some wax, shampoo, spray polisher, buckets, micro towels etc… Here is what I bought now:

Chemical Guys all purpose cleaner
Chemical Guys Signature Series Glass Cleaner
Chemical Guys clay bar Light Duty
Porter Cable 7424XP with heavy-duty 5-inch hook and loop backing plate
Meguiar’s Ultra cut Compound
Meguiar’s Ultra finishing Polish
Meguiar's M2164 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 - 64 oz.


I plan on washing-clay-compound-polish-seal when my items get to me.

Here are the questions I have:

Are the steps in the correct order: (wash-clay-compound-polish-seal) ?

After the first time I do the wash-clay-compound-polish-seal, for the next time if the paint hold up do I just wash-polish-seal ?

Is there a need to “ wax” at all with the polish? Being that Meguiar’s Ultra cut compound is so aggressive should I only use it like 2 times a year or on extreme need?

[dwg51357]

Re: I have a wax question..

I also have a black car, so have experience with the unforgiving nature of black paint. Black is downright gorgeous when done right, but can show any imperfections in bright sun. Here's the procedure I use in spring for mine (thanks to all here who helped me with tips): wash, clay, SwirlX, polish (Megs Ultimate Polish), wax (Megs Ultimate Paste Wax), using the PC. For the rest of the season, I will wax only occasionally. Then in the fall, polish and wax again.

Compound might be a bit much for your finish if it's showing only a bit of swirling. The rule of thumb is to start with the least aggressive product. You might try using polish first and see if it gets the finish you way you want. If not, you can try something more aggressive.

You do need to wax after polish because polish doesn't "seal."

A couple of tips I've picked up: 1) With a black car, it's essential to use the proper technique with the PC; otherwise, you'll see hazing, etc. 2) Applying carnuba wax on top of synthetic wax will make the black finish richer and deeper. I put on two coats of UPW, then a coat of Megs Gold Class - a lot of extra work, but the difference is noticeable.

Good luck!

[Murr1525]

Re: I have a wax question..

Well, wax has the protective properties, not the polish. So you would want to wax after.

As for the Ultra Cut Compound, you would just use it if needed. Hopefully not doing something that causes swirls, etc often.

[C8N]

Re: I have a wax question..

Wash
Clay
Compound
Polish
Seal

After this, your maintenance wash should be just a straight forward wash and dry and perhaps use Meg's Ultimate Quik Wax during or after the drying process.
You should seal when the sealant has diminished. Many go by the water beading and/or sheeting test.
Clay as needed and a baggie test will let you know.
M205 has a bit of cut to it so you should refrain from using this all the time. If you are really particular in the way your car looks, perhaps you might want to look into a pure polish like M07 Show Car Glaze.

Polish and Wax are 2 different things. You polish for the shine and wax to protect the finish and lock in that shine.

As for the bird poops, you want to get rid of that as soon as possible and you want to be careful when removing.
Bird droppings have acid that will etch into your paint if left alone for a x period of time. Also you want to be careful when removing because birds have pebbles in their digesting tract and that is often excreted along in their feces.
My neighbors think I am crazy when I use my leaf blower to blow away bird droppings, bugs and etc off my car. But let's see who gets the last laugh... HA!

[queens guy]

Re: I have a wax question..

thanks for the replies guys I appreciate it. Looks like I bought a whole gallon worth of sealant and I did not need that much. what is the preferred wax spray or paste? keep in mind i do use a PA.

[Murr1525]

Re: I have a wax question..

Liquid/Paste waxes would be your main coat.

Then you wold use a spray wax after future washings to boost things back up.

[queens guy]

Re: I have a wax question..

Liquid/Paste waxes would be your main coat.

Then you wold use a spray wax after future washings to boost things back up.

perfect so I need t pick up both paste wax and spray wax. Any recommendations as there are so many ?

[C8N]

Re: I have a wax question..

If you already have M21, as far as protection wise, you do not need another paste wax.
Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax is a spray wax that you can pick up at a local auto parts story or even at Walmart.
I use a ton of spray wax so I bought a gallon size of D156 which is basically the same in the detailer's line.

[groundskeeper willie]

Re: I have a wax question..

here is my step by step...

Step 1 Washing
As far as washing goes, you need to look at it as an entire project. I’m not sure what you used to do in the past, but here is some advice I think will serve you great.
First and foremost, you have to wash the car frequently (once or twice a week) and while doing so, you want to try and limit the amount of contact with the vehicle that will cause scratching or swirls. To do so is pretty easy but you can’t take shortcuts. I recommend the 2 bucket wash method. You can Google it for different variations, but the key is one wash bucket, one rinse bucket and two grit guards. Grit guards will protect your wash media from picking up debris from your wash waster, and the soap will take the debris down to below the guard, minimizing the risk of scratches. Simply hose the vehicle down, and section by section wash the car. Every time you need more soap on your wash medium, rinse your wash medium in the rinse bucket and agitate it against the grit guard. Then back to the wash bucket and on to the vehicle again. Repeat. Also make sure you have a nice soft wash medium like a chenille microfiber wash mitt, or a wool wash mitt.

If this is a pre polish wash, I recommend using Dawn dish soap...you don’t care if it will strip the wax, because you really want to degrease the paint anyhow...but this should be the only time you use Dawn, unless you are starting this process all over again.

For the maintenance wash, look for some good quality high lubricity car wash soap such as Hyper Wash or Megs 62 Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner.

Step 2 Decontaminate

Next, I suggest using a product called IronX. This stuff is amazing, but the smell is horrific. It is great at dissolving all iron particles, and other paint contaminants and will really make the claying step easier.

Once prepped with Iron X, now you can clay the paint. Use a high quality clay bar and clay lube. This is a necessary step to ensure all of the contaminants are off the paint. The last thing you want to do is grind them into the paint and cause more swirls or even worse, scratches.

As like many of the steps, there are many variations, and the clay bar is no different, but I would recommend sticking to traditional clay bar like the one you have. The speedy prep towel, or nanoskin towel or pad are like clay alternatives, but sometimes are quite aggressive.

Step 3 Remove Swirls/Polish

Once clayed and cleaned, machine polish the paint to remove the swirls. Sometimes if the swirls are bad, they will need a heavier compound, but you should be able to use a good polish like M205. If the paint is a bit worse, I would suggest to use the M105, but try the 205 first on a more aggressive pad before jumping to the 105.

As far as pads go, you will need a couple oranges for the aggressive cutting and either some whites or greens or blues for the polishing (these are Buff and Shine Pads I’m referring to). You need to clean them often, and I suggest a few of each colour because they do get dirty. I suggest 10 pads.

Wipe all polishing oils with Megs 34 Final Inspection, Preps All or eraser.


Step 4 Sealant/Wax/Coating

This step can be done either by machine or hand depending on the products chosen. The machine just spreads the wax/sealant out faster and thinner. Remember, thin is in...Do multiple thin coats instead of one thick coat. The residue is hard to remove. But I do not suggest using a machine to spread a coating like cquartz or opti coat.

For a sealant, I highly recommend Menzerna Powerlock, however, the M21 you have is pretty good, expect to get anywhere from 12 to 18 months protection, and this can be topped with a carnauba wax if so desired to give you more longevity. Or consider one of the many permanenet or semi permanent coatings/sealants.


Step 5 Maintenance

Once protected, wash the car using the above method as necessary, but using a gentle and highly lubricated shampoo like Hyper Wash or Megs 62, and look to freshen the paint after washing and drying with a product like M34 or M135 synthetic spray detailer. Although, Duragloss AquaWax is my personal favorite.

Also for drying, I recommend using your leaf blower. It is a great way to dry your car...it blows the water out of all the crevices and prevents water spotting, which will etch the paint and bring you back to step 2 very quickly. I would also recommend using a high quality waffle weave towel for the spots left by the leaf blower with one of the drying aids listed above.

My all time every time recommendation is to consider a coating when possible, but I only like to recommend permanent coatings when you have access to a machine polisher. The final finish depends on the prep work, and without a machine, id skip the permanent coating route and just take your time by hand with less permanent option.

[BillE]

Re: I have a wax question..

Always do a test spot first, starting with the least aggressive combination (pads/product) and working up.

Remember, just take your time...you're not in a race.

Bill

[queens guy]

Re: I have a wax question..

Excited my PA, pads and mag stuff came in yesterday. With 4 day weekend starting tomorrow I hope to receive my Dr. Color so I can start working on my chips and deep scratches.

[Murr1525]

Re: I have a wax question..

Just have to watch since you dont want to apply the paint over wax, and dont want to wax over fresh paint....