Newbie Detailing Path?

[EddieAllen]

Hi everyone,
I never realized that there was a forum here lol. Love Meguiars products.. I am trying to get some direction as far as products that are best to use to totally detail my car. I bought the car (05 WRX - Black) around last yr at this time. As it stands now I have lot of swirl marks, few water spot but not real bad.

My question is what method of madness do I take:

I finally picked up a porter cable DA and the following:

Black pad
Yellow Pad
Orange Pad
White PAd
Lambwool Pad
as well as buffer pad covers and MF towels.

The steps I play so far:

Wash car (Dawn? to remove all existing oils/wax)
Clay Bar
Wash Again

this is where I am needing advice:

Polish then wax then a sealant or is polish and wax enough?

I have a whole day set forth to take this on and just looking for some direction.

Thanks for the info

Eddie

[sneek]

you could go eather way
you could go polish then just wax
polish wax sealant x2
polish -> sealant x2

also dont use dawn try NXT wash or DC wash

[Tim Lingor]

Hey Eddie,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

Here is some information from our very own Mike Phillips that should get you started!!

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
(Posted in the The Information Station)

What's the difference between polish and wax?
(Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle)

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between a polish, and a wax. Many companies are marketing waxes and paint protectants as polishes and glazes and the terms have become almost interchangeable.

Professionals know there is a big difference.

Meguiar's is a true polish manufacture. That is, unlike many of our competitors that can only offer you a few products for cars with cured paint, Meguiar's product range runs from the highest quality finishing papers in the industry, to state-of-the-art pure synthetic paint protectants, to everything in-between.

Example: Most companies only offer the following products:

* Car wash
* Pre-wax cleaner
* One or two waxes (usually some type of natural wax or polymer/silicone synthetic protectant)
* Multi-surface vinyl protectant

And sometimes one or more of the following:

* Some type of wheel cleaner, leather treatment, or tire dressing.


Because they offer such a limited selection, and often times don't even manufacture the products themselves, they really have no expertise when it comes to formulating complex products that professionals require as an intricate part of performing their job duties as skilled craftsman. This is why frequently you will see a product whose purpose is to protect the paint labeled as a polish.

Instead of merely defining the difference between a polish and a wax, below you will find the Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle and the products and procedures for each of the 5 steps.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle


The 5-step paint care cycle outlines the 5 basic but important procedures and the accompanying products that enable you to restore and maintain a show car shine on your car's finish.

Below are the 5 categories of products including pure polishes and cleaner/polishes as they are placed in the 5-step paint care cycle.

The 5-Step Paint Care Cycle includes:

Step-1 Washing


Washing removes loose surface dirt and loose contaminants that have not yet bonded to the surface. All Meguiar's wash products are specially formulated to clean well without stripping wax protection or dulling and drying out all paint types. All Meguiar's washes also contain special conditioning agents that leave behind a slick, high gloss surface.

Because most people wash their car more than any other procedure, it's important to use a car wash solution that is specifically formulated for the unique chemistry used to make modern clear coats. Above all, avoid using common dish washing detergents because these products are extremely harsh and tend to dull the finish down with each use. Dish soaps are also hard on other materials and components such as rubber, vinyl and plastics, remember, when you wash your car with dish soap everything is subjected to the dulling and drying effects high alkaline soaps cause to your vehicle.



Step-2 Cleaning or Surface Prep


Surface Prep includes both paint cleaning (not to be confused with the washing step), and claying the finish (with a clay bar). To help you accomplish these two steps, Meguiar's offers a number of safe but effective paint cleaners and an easy to use clay bar kit that includes everything you need to clay your car's finish.

Paint Cleaners
This includes highly specialized Compounds and Paint Cleaners, which utilize both microscopic and macroscopic diminishing abrasives? technology. Meguiar's has pioneered and led the industry in diminishing abrasive technology since 1901. Over the course of these many years, Meguiar's has developed more formulas than any other company for performing the delicate procedure of removing a defect in the paint, while at the same time, removing as little paint as humanly possible during the process.

Meguiar's diminishing abrasive technology is one of Meguiar's most guarded secrets that is so highly sought after by our competitors and which completely separates us from the rest of the competition when you look at the results with your own two eyes. Our abrasive products, correctly used, leave the surface looking as though it were just polished, not as though it were just scoured with a compounded.

Out of all the procedures in the 5-step paint care cycle, cleaning is the most important procedure because the results from your cleaning step will determine the end result for the polishing and protecting steps.

"A surface won't go clear until it comes clean"

It is vitally important that all bonded contaminants, surface imperfections, oxidation, pore-embedding stains, and built-up road grime, etc. first be removed in order to bring the finish to it's highest potential for clarity, gloss, depth and shine.

Applying a wax, whether it's synthetic, natural or a blend of both, to a neglected surface that has not been properly cleaned and then polished, will merely act to seal or lock the contaminants to the finish, and will do nothing to improve, or remove the other defects and in most cases will only marginally improve gloss, shine and reflectivity.


Clay Bar Technology
Clay bar technology evolved as a natural reaction to the need that arose for a way to safely remove bonded contaminants from clear coat paints without resorting to traditional rubbing or polishing compounds and the resulting scratches caused by the sharp, hard abrasive typically used in these formulas.

In the old days, if you found overspray or any type of unwanted substance on the hood, roof or deck lid of your car that washing didn't remove, you could simply go to the garage and grab any old compound, and together with a rag, you could quickly remove the offending contaminants. After that you could simply apply just about any companies wax and presto-chango, the problem was gone.

Not so simple anymore.

If your were to perform that same procedure to a modern clear coat today, you would see a horrible looking scratched-up mess everywhere you applied the compound, and the wax would do nothing to cover the scratches up.


Enter the Clay bar
Clay bars are non-abrasive bars of synthetic clay called Polyclay. They are somewhat like a high-tech version of Play-Doh?. They work in three easy steps:

1) - First you mold the clay bar into a pancake-looking flat wafer
2) - Second you lubricate the finish with a spray lubricant like Meguiar's Quik Detailer
3) - Third you then rub the clay bar back and forth across the paint (somewhat like a bar of soap against your arm)

That's it! You are now claying your car's finish. As you're doing this, the clay bar will grab onto, lift, and pullout the contaminants that have bonded to the surface of your finish.

Generally speaking for most cars, only the horizontal surfaces need to be clayed, as it is the horizontal surfaces that contaminants tend to land on and if not removed within a reasonable period of time will then bond tightly to the surface. For extremely neglected vehicles, you can always evaluate the vertical surfaces and if need be, clay them too.

One important thing to keep in mind, if a vehicle's finish has bonded contaminants, it is highly likely that it also has below surface defects, for example, pore-embedding stains. For this reason, Meguiar's recommends for best possible results, always use a paint cleaner after claying to insure the finish is clean both on top of the surface as well as below the surface.



Step-3 Polishing



Meguiar's offers two types of polishes, Cleaner Polishes and Pure Polishes. Cleaner Polishes are for removing very light or fine defects while restoring a crystal clear, smooth high gloss surface. Pure polishes are for finishes already in excellent condition and are for the purpose or creating brilliant high gloss with deep dark reflections.

If you look in Webster's Dictionary under the word polish, one of the definitions they include reads like this:

"A preparation that is used to produce gloss, and often color for the protection and decoration of a surface."

This definition best describes Meguiar's Pure Polishes. Meguiar's pure polishes are designed to create brilliant high gloss while preparing the surface for the application of a protective coating. Meguiar's pure polishes accomplish this without the use of abrasives.


Another definition found in Webster's Dictionary for polish is,

"To make smooth and glossy by friction."

This definition best describes Meguiar's Cleaner/Polishes. Meguiar's cleaner polishes are formulated to very gently abrade the surface with Meguiar's Diminishing Abrasive TM and Buffered Abrasive TM technology to remove the finest defects and create a perfectly smooth, high gloss finish.

Depending on what type of paint you're working on, traditional paints like lacquers and enamels, or catalyzed clear coats, Meguiar's has the products specifically designed to work on both types of paints, not to mention many other surfaces such as plastics and polyester resins (Fiberglas Gel-coats).


Meguiar's Trade Secret Polishing Oils
The trade secret oils Meguiar's uses in both types of polishes are unique to the industry and to this day have never been surpassed for creating deep, dark reflections and brilliant high gloss by any of our competitors in over 100 years.

The oils Meguiar's uses are also important in maintaining the original condition of the paint by filling in the naturally occurring microscopic pores and surface imperfections thus preventing detrimental substances and elements as simple as water, or worse, acid-rain, from entering into these pores and microscopic surface imperfections thus causing oxidation and chemical etching. These oils act to replace the original resins as they wear away through natural processes.

When paint is new, it is the most impermeable it will ever be, this means it is a very smooth non-porous, continuous film. With age, exposure to the environment and micro-scratching caused by day-in, day-out wear and tear, your paint develops micro-fissures in the surface along with other defects. These micro-fissures and other defects act to make the continuous film or coating of paint more porous. As this happens, your car's finish becomes more vulnerable to corrosive elements that will attack and degrade your finish.


Remember, waxes, synthetic or otherwise, are meant to be Sacrificial Barriers with the intended purpose sealing the surface, while blocking those things that would attack your paint, from coming into direct contact with the paint.

"Waxes protect your finish by sacrificing themselves so that your paint doesn't have to"

An analogy is your skin. In the same way you can clean, polish and protect your skin, you can clean, polish and protect your car's finish. Soap can be used to clean your skin and remove dirt from the pores. Skin lotions can be used to moisturize your skin, conditioning it and making it more clear and beautiful. Protection products like lotions used to protect hands from exposure to chemicals and UV protectants can be applied to help protect your skin from the things that would attack your skin if these harmful things could come into direct contact with your skin.

While human skin and automotive paint are very different, the analogy is very similar. With Meguiar's, you can:

* Wash your car's finish to remove unwanted and accumulated dirt contaminants
* Clean your paint with our special paint cleaners and cleaner/polishes
* Polish your paint with our pure polishes to create unequaled beauty
* Protect your paint with our advanced paint protection products
* Maintain your car's finish using our fast and easy to use maintenance products.


The unique thing about Meguiar's highly specialized trade secret oils is their ability to restore and maintain the Optical Clarity of both single stage and clear coat paints in a way that waxes alone cannot match, (both natural and synthetic), the results of which are demonstrated in side-by-side comparisons.


Step-4 Protecting


Paint protection products (waxes by any other name), whether they are based on natural ingredients or synthetic ingredients (or a blend of both) provide a protective film, or Sacrificial Barrier (as mentioned above) against Mother Nature and other detrimental or corrosive substances. Without this sacrificial barrier, your finish is susceptible to attack at any time, as harmful or corrosive substances come into direct contact with the surface.

This brings up the topic of Water Beading. While most people use the visual indicator of water beading on the surface to mean their finish is protected... it is actually only an indicator of High Surface Tension.

High Surface Tension does not automatically mean the coating that has been applied is actually providing any real or meaningful protective characteristics.

Meguiar's R & D department has decades of expertise in creating the most advanced polymer-based formula's made from state-of-the-art engineered synthetic polymers, which are able to evenly cross-link very tightly to the surface and offer real protection on a multitude of surfaces against a multitude of attacks. Our products can also achieve optimal cross-linking within 15 to 20 minutes after application allowing the excess product to be removed shortly thereafter.

Some of Meguiar's polymer-based waxes include:

Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax
#20 Polymer Sealant
Medallion Premium Paint Protection
Gold Class Clear Coat Car Wax
Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax
Marine Flagship


Even our Spray Waxes contain high performance, engineered synthetic polymers, as do some of our Car Wash products.

Besides acting as sacrificial barriers to protect the underlying surface, a premium wax can also increase the visual appearance of a finish. Many of Meguiar's waxes will not only provide better protection than the competition, but will also:

* Increase optical clarity and distinction of image (D.O.I.)
* Enhance and increase the reflective characteristics of medium to dark color finishes
* Add shine and slickness
* Create wet-looking gloss
* Fill-in and hide swirls and scratches
* Provide the most UV protection available
* Offer water sheeting action, or water beading action (depending on the wax)


Choosing the right wax for your finish and your unique circumstances is something our Surface Care Experts would love to help you determine. Just call our Customer Care Hotline and talk to a knowledgeable technician to help you make the right choice.



Step-5 Maintaining


Maintenance products, like our Quik Detailer, and our Quik Wax, allow you quickly clean your car and restore that just waxed look in just a matter of minutes... practically anywhere.



Meguiar's Quik Detailer removes fresh contaminants before they have a chance to bond or etch into the surface.

Meguiar's Quik Wax quickly and easily boosts your already existing wax protection while turning your finish dramatically darker and increasing shine and gloss.



Meguiar's actually invented the concept of a mist and wipe product for consumers back in the early-80's with the introduction of their mist & wipe product called "Trigger Wash"

As leaders and experts in the surface care industry, we have a history of creating new products, such as mist & wipe products like our Quik Detailer and M-34 Final Inspection to help our customers maintain and beautify their vehicles.

In keeping with that history, we have just introduced a brand new spray wax that produces similar results as Meguiar's Quik Wax. It's actually a part of Meguiar's NXT Generation line of products based upon Meguiar's ESP Technology (Engineered Synthetic Polymers) and is a companion product to Meguiar's new NXT Tech Wax it's called NXT Spray Wax.






Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle clearly demonstrates there are 5 basic steps to professional and intelligent car care.

Using the correct Meguiar's products and the right technique, you can remove scratches and swirls that have accumulated from years of neglect to successfully restore a flawless, show car finish as demonstrated here on a 1991 BMW E34 M5. The left side is untouched, while the right side has been professionally restored using all Meguiar's products.




The 5-Step Paint Care Cycle enables you to understand exactly what a product is not just by the name on the label, but by the results the product accomplishes according to the 5 different groups of procedures outlined in the 5-Step Paint Care Cycle.

If a product is labeled a polish, but in fact is used to protect the paint, then you know it's a wax or a paint protectant and not an actual polish in the true sense of the definition of the word.

Here at Meguiar's we manufacture some very complex products, of which polishes and waxes are only a small portion of our complete line.

I hope this info helps!

Tim

[ebevo]

arghhh i just wasted 1 hour typing my reply...might want to check the forum functionality since soon as i hit reply it said i need to login again...hence my reply went out the door

very briefly...i carpool to work(inland empire, California) and at most drive 3 times the entire week...when parked at work my vehicle doesn't have a cover over it...on a top of a tall hill maybe 1/2 mile away from a freeway...when at home it's always in the garage

so the process I plan to do in the next few days

1) wash
2) dry
3) clay bar (does the car need to be completely dry or just clean?)
4) paint polish (can i apply the polish right after the clay bar?)
5) wax, 2nd coat of wax (can i apply the wax right after the polish?), (how can i tell when is it time to apply the 2nd coat?)

maintenance phase

1) wash
2) dry
3) apply quick mist spray

when do i know that i need to do the 5 step detail process again? i bought the vehicle back in Aug, done a wash, dry, and wax in October, other than that it's been wash, dry, quick spray since then

After the 1st wash after the wax it didn't feel slick anyone...sure the water beaded right off...it just when I touch the car after that 1st wash it wasn't as slick as before

when i run my hand over the surface i don't feel any bumps or visually see any spots still clinging onto the paint after a wash and dry

the clay bar is there a way to soften it up...i watched my friend use it and it was tough as a brick out of the new package and throught out the process...even soaking the bar in the bar solution didn't help...made remolding PITA

thanks

[ebevo]

no doubt something is fishy about the reply button in this thread at least...i couldn't preview my post...so i just said screw it...just submit it...forum kept asking for my login

basically i had do use the search button to get to this thread...then thank DEAR GOD ALL MIGHTY copied and pasted my reply from a text editor and finally it went through

meh btw need a not cool smilie some where

[Murr1525]

Well, just to fix your 5-step process, yo uare probably going to want it to look more like this:

1. Wash
2. Clay as needed
3. Clean
4. Polish
5. Wax

To break down the steps a little further:
1. Wash - Be sure to use a good quality car wash, and 2-bucket system. Get at least one grit guard if possible. I like Gold Class, or Nxt wash.

2. Clay - When I have used clay, it is certainly stiffer than play dough. I am not sure how that compares to your friends, but it isnt soft and gooey. Be sure to use plenty of QD. I dont dry the car completly, I try and keep everything wet, then give a good rinse down and completly dry after claying.

3. Clean - If you paint is in good shape, no swirls, etc, you can use just a mild cleaner like Deep Crystal (DC) #1.

4. Polish - DC#2 is a nice and easy to use polish.

5. Wax - You can wax right after polishing, but try and wait at least 15 minutes in between coats of wax. 12 hours is best, but we cant all wait that long. What sort of wax did you use last time? I like Nxt, though eagerly awaiting a smaller size of #21.

Generaly, all 5 steps need done maybe 4 -5 times a year, depending on conditions in your area. Being garaged so much, you should see good endurance from wax.

If you like to detail your car more often, or are short on time, etc, I would recomend ColorX. It is quick and easy, as I have to park outside and drive everyday. Using that, your detail would look like:

1. Wash
2. Clay as needed
3. ColorX
4. Coat of Nxt

I hope that answers some questions... or ask away some more

and

[Magic]

1) wash
2) dry
3) clay bar (does the car need to be completely dry or just clean?)
4) paint polish (can i apply the polish right after the clay bar?)
5) wax, 2nd coat of wax (can i apply the wax right after the polish?), (how can i tell when is it time to apply the 2nd coat?)

Don't forget to use a cleaner between steps 3 and 4. Clay removes above finish contaminents, where a cleaner removes below surface contaminents, both above and below contaminents need to be removed for a true glossy appearence. DC1 works good as Murr1525 has stated.

[Pete-FWA]

Originally posted by ebevo
arghhh i just wasted 1 hour typing my reply...might want to check the forum functionality since soon as i hit reply it said i need to login again...hence my reply went out the door

That's happened to me, even on shorter replies. When it does, click "Back" and your reply will be there again. Copy it, then go forward with your log in and then paste your reply.

[ebevo]

thanx everyone for the welcome and tips

I used the DC#3 step "carnauba wax" on the wax job on october

Okay here are the products I have

Meguiars claybar + detail spray package
DC#2 polish
DC#3 carnauba wax

I bought the Meguiars cleaner wax bottle. It doesn't have a step # on it like the rest do. Is this really step#1? If not then where does this product fix into the cleaning steps? Or should I return this one and try to find DC#1 which walmart didn't have in stock?

clay bar cutting question i have is...i read a post that suggested cutting the bar into sections in case of a drop...how should i cut the pieces in terms of where i make the cuts and how many pieces?

btw when i did try to recover my reply that i lost with the back button it just brought me back to the thread before i started typing my reply

so i'm training myself to highlight all and hit ctrl+C before i hit reply

[SiriusRIMZ]

Here's my detail lineup...

NXT Wash
Quik Clay+ Agressive Clay on Wheels.
Rinse down (Gets the clay residue off)
Scratch-X Spots
DC#2
NXT (or M16, if I feel ambitious)
and a Topper, which is Often another layer of NXT, but I have a small sample of #21 I am using at the moment.

Then for my weekly wash...

NXT Wash
Quik detalier
Spray Wax

[Murr1525]

The DC System has 3 steps:

1. DC#1 - Paint Cleaner
2. DC#2 - Polish
3. DC#3 - Wax

The Cleaner Wax contains all 3 steps in one bottle. Naturaly, an all-in-one product wont be as effective as separate steps, but has a time savings.

If you really want to use the Cleaner-Wax, I wouldnt worry so much about polish, and just do:

1. CLeaner Wax
2. DC#3 - Wax

This way you will save some time, and get 2 coats of wax. I do enjoy ColorX as a cleaner wax, but yo ucan use whichever.

FOr the clay, I usualy cut into 4 pieces. Some people like 3 pieces, so they are a little bigger. But I just go with 4 kind of even pieces. Then smush it out into a wafer. A pair of scissors or old knfe works fine.

[ebevo]

i did it wahooo

what a way to start the new year...process spanned 2 days

my neighborhood was busy with guests visiting/celebrating the new year's and i just got constant stares...probably thought i was nuts since it was raining those 2 days...but i timed it right such that was in my garage just being a busy bee detailing

1st day

1) wash
2) clay
3) DC #1 paint cleaner
4) DC #2 polish
5) DC #3 carnauba wax
6) wax rims

2nd day

1) 2nd coat of DC #3 carnauba wax
2) 2nd coat of wax for the rims
3) armor sprayed outside vinyl/black rubber portions

i couldn't believe the amount of orange crud the clay bar picked up

towards the end i placed the bottle of wax on my sunroof and it started to slide off the glass...talk about ultra slick

SiriusRIMZ i like your follow up car wash method and will start to do that thanx

can anyone tell me how can i determine when it's time to redo the clay bar, painter cleaner, polish, and carnauba wax steps again...bascially trying to figure out when the step #5 maintaining step is no longer good enough for my car?

btw my wrist are sore now

[SiriusRIMZ]

Congrats on your first legnthy detail. Nothing is more satisfying than a clean car you cleaned yourself.

The longevity of waxes and polishes really depends on personal peference and where you live.

If you live in an area with little enviromental fallout and your car is garaged, then you wont need to repeat this much. On the other hand, I live in a large metroplex, and I park my truck outside 24/7.

I find I need to clay about 3 times a year, or when I feel the surface of my paint no-longer smooth as glass.

I do a wash and or QD session when I feel my car needs it, if I can tell the water is no longer beading up, I do a full wash and wax.

I normally do a complete wash and wax once every two months. Inbetween I'll use spray wax. You'll find yourself needing less full detail jobs the more you maintain your car, I went from every two weeks, to every two months, and now longer since I have more products at my disposal.