Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

[Glaivenside]

Hi everyone-

The hood of my truck has been a source of some trouble for me when detailing. It seems like whatever I'm doing (washing, quik detailing, quik wax, etc) the hood just doesn't react well. There's plenty of small scratches, swirls, etc. but it's an every day driver. More needs to be done to the entire vehicle to achieve perfection, but I'm just a beginner and again it's an every day driver. The nice thing about meguiars for me is that even though it's a 13 year old car, no garage, and an every day driver..with regular attention and maintenance, it stays looking better than 90% of the other cars on the road! Or at least that's what I think

Anyway..I decided to do a few steps from the cycle the other day. I washed(gold class), clayed w/ quik detailer(megs..i forget exactly which clay), compounded(megs ultimate compound), skipped polishing with M#7 because I've yet to really master how to use that oily stuff, and all it does is piss me off, and finally wax(megs ultimate liquid wax). I'm doing this all by hand so I set aside plenty of time for compounding. Got it looking and feeling pretty good..very smooth to the touch, and a noticeable difference. So I broke out the ultimate liquid wax along with the black meguiars (foam/sponge?) applicator. Using small amounts of wax, I applied a thin coat to the entire hood using a circular pattern up/down and all the way across. I tried to stay as straight as possible with each pass, also trying to slightly overlap so as not to leave any gaps. But it's also kind of difficult to see at times so..

So I let it dry for a bit..possibly not long enough. There's a fellow on here that did a writeup on ultimate liquid wax, he has a great looking orange avalanche. He suggested waxing the whole truck/car panel by panel, and by the time you get back around to the panel you started with, start wiping the wax off. So that kind of makes things easy, but I was only doing my hood this time. I feel dumb typing this because everyone raves about how easy it is to wipe this wax off. But man..there wasn't anything easy about it for me. I could see that it darkened my paint, which I guess is what it's supposed to do. But it definitely wasn't uniform over my whole hood, and left what looked like streaks and lines while i was trying to wipe it off. And it really wasn't easy coming off..I ended up rubbing pretty darn hard and Iunno..maybe I even wiped the wax right off? lol..i really don't know. I was so pissed I just drove home afterwards.

But I'm really not sure where I went wrong. Drying time? Not letting it dry long enough? Too long? Is my coat too thin/thick? Is it possible that my paint is a bad fit for this wax, and I should use a different kind like gold class or nxt? It was all done on a nice day in the shade, the car was nice and cool. Should I have just done another thin coat over it then tried again?

Sorry for the big wall of text, just wanted to be as thorough as possible. Any help would be great, and thanks very much for reading!

-Mike

[Murr1525]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

The liquid isnt necessarily as easy as others... or at least it is different.

People have had success either applying to a panel and removing right away, or applying to the whole car and then removing right away.

I applied to the whole car, then used a damp towel and a dry towel to remove, kind of like for RainX.

Since it is he next day, you may want to try QDing the hood.

You also could apply a second coat, and remove it with a damp towel, may help even things out.

I seem to recall that any streaking I got faded fairly soon.

Sometimes humidity messes with things, buy yeah, dont want to be rubbing hard.

[Glaivenside]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

The liquid isnt necessarily as easy as others... or at least it is different.

People have had success either applying to a panel and removing right away, or applying to the whole car and then removing right away.

I applied to the whole car, then used a damp towel and a dry towel to remove, kind of like for RainX.

Since it is he next day, you may want to try QDing the hood.

You also could apply a second coat, and remove it with a damp towel, may help even things out.

I seem to recall that any streaking I got faded fairly soon.

Sometimes humidity messes with things, buy yeah, dont want to be rubbing hard.

Great tips. I used a dry meguiars microfiber towel. I had not considered dampening it. I'll give that a shot. Are you suggesting that maybe paste wax is easier to use/remove?

Yeah I actually did this on labor day..so the next day(yesterday) I QD'd the hood, and rest of the truck. It looks and feels fine I guess, I just felt like i had to have done some damage to my wax job with how hard I was rubbing it off. The hood looks...alright, but it looks like a proper wax job would yield better results. Maybe I'm just being finnicky. Think I will take your suggestion and apply a second coat and try removing with a damp towel.

I didn't mention it in my first post but in response to your comment on humidity. It's something I constantly think about, but not sure how I could really get around it. I live in Louisiana where it is ALWAYS very very humid. Many days you can just go outside and start sweating without even moving around or doing work. So..it's nice to wait on dryer days but those are few and far between.

Thank you for responding

[Murr1525]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Well, the liquid version is kind of 'new technology'... the paste is too, but it is closer to traditional, as far as applying/removing. So that may or may not make it easier for you.

If you arent happy with it, of course Meguiars will guarantee it and exchange it, so that may help, rather than having to buy two $20 waxes to try...

But be sure to apply very thin.

How did the clay turn out on the hood?

[Murr1525]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Also... you have to apply the wax thin... but it will work best if you can get the applicator coated a bit.

When you start off, 1 small drop on the pad is going to be part absorbed, part applied, and generally uneven. Once the pad gets loaded up (like doing more of the car), 1 small drop may do a whole door....

[Glaivenside]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Well, the liquid version is kind of 'new technology'... the paste is too, but it is closer to traditional, as far as applying/removing. So that may or may not make it easier for you.

If you arent happy with it, of course Meguiars will guarantee it and exchange it, so that may help, rather than having to buy two $20 waxes to try...

But be sure to apply very thin.

How did the clay turn out on the hood?

I'm not a guy who returns things often lol. But yeah I hear you. I'll probably use up this bottle before trying anything new. I don't want to give up on it too quick, it's obviously working great for many people. So maybe I can add myself to that list with some more trial and error.

I have an issue with applying too much product many times..just a bad habit. I felt like this last coat was pretty thin but maybe not. I'll try to make it as thin as possible.

The clay..I think it turned out well. I used a small amount since I was just doing the hood. Used UQD and just clayed it little by little up and down and over the entire hood. I stayed in one area, keeping the surface wet with UQD until the clay would finally pass over the surface without resistance(or as close to without resistance as possible). Then I'd knead the clay back into itself and continue on. The surface looked hazy with residue from the clay afterwards so I did a full pass with UQD and wiped it off with a microfiber before compounding.

Initially I thought clay was supposed to be some kind of miracle product. Like removing big scratches and swirls. But I guess that's not the idea. For me, it's mostly in the feel. It makes detailing easier afterwards, and the contaminants it removes are right there on the clay for me to see. I can really feel a difference afterwards even if i can't see much of one.

[Detailing by M]

Try a different wax?
I carey 6 different waxes with me and sometimes one works better then others.
If it's not working, it's not working.
Trying to get one product to do what you want, to me, is a waste of time.

[Glaivenside]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Also... you have to apply the wax thin... but it will work best if you can get the applicator coated a bit.

When you start off, 1 small drop on the pad is going to be part absorbed, part applied, and generally uneven. Once the pad gets loaded up (like doing more of the car), 1 small drop may do a whole door....

Yeah I hear you on that. I'll keep that in mind. My natural instinct is to use alot I guess. Like for my hood I was doing one line...then I would apply another couple of small drops to the pad and do another line and so on. That was my idea of thin =/ So..sounds like I'm using way too much.

[Murr1525]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Yeah, clay wont do scratches or anything, just surface grit.

Is it a blue clay, or white one? Or red? Tend to want the regular QD, not UQD while claying as well.

As far as the wax, you may want a line around the pad to get it saturated... then just drops on the surface.

[Glaivenside]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Yeah, clay wont do scratches or anything, just surface grit.

Is it a blue clay, or white one? Or red? Tend to want the regular QD, not UQD while claying as well.

As far as the wax, you may want a line around the pad to get it saturated... then just drops on the surface.

White clay. Is that the right one to use? I admit I'm new to claying, and not familiar with the differences. Man I had that exact same thought. I was thinking about the 'coating' that UQD offers and thinking that I should go buy some regular QD for claying. But then I thought...Meguiars would never have me buy two different types of Quik Detailer, one for normal days, one for claying!! Not my dear sweet Meguiars.

Yeah I'll try the line around the pad

[Murr1525]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Now that UQW/GCSW is out, I think UQD is a bit lost as far as uses.

Yeah, white clay in the Smooth Surface Clay kit is the one to use. Or maybe you bought the 3 bar replacement pack?

Blue is ok too... dont want red.

[Glaivenside]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Now that UQW/GCSW is out, I think UQD is a bit lost as far as uses.

Yeah, white clay in the Smooth Surface Clay kit is the one to use. Or maybe you bought the 3 bar replacement pack?

Blue is ok too... dont want red.

Think so? That's an interesting opinion. Sounds like you're saying UQW is interchangable with UQD? Not sure what the other one is...Gold Class Synthetic Wax? o.O I'd like to hear more on why you say that UQD is a bit lost.

I use UQW after washes/in between real waxes. And that's it really. The rest of the time, I use UQD. It may come in handy for me more than other people, because it's a daily driver with no garage. Every morning I get up, my truck's horizonal panels are saturated with water/dew from sitting outside in this humidity. Then with the normal amounts of dust and dirt, there's very regularly a need for UQD to keep it looking nice.

Then if I don't have time to wash, or just don't feel like it and it's a bit dirtier than normal, I use Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere.

Yeah it's the smooth surface kit that I bought. And a good buy it was!

[Murr1525]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Not interchangeable. UQD is meant to remove light dust or bird droppings, and leave a little water repelling coating behind. Some people will use it after washing also for any left over drops.

QD can remove light dust/droppings more cheaply, and is also for claying.

And the UQW / Gold Class Spray Wax remove light water drops and leave a better coating behind if used after washing.

(Not getting into the Pro Line versions, but the trend still applies)

I mean, if you like it, then great. It just seems like its primary jobs are taken by other products. If you use a lot, you may prefer to buy the M135, and just re-fill your spray bottle.

[Glaivenside]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Not interchangeable. UQD is meant to remove light dust or bird droppings, and leave a little water repelling coating behind. Some people will use it after washing also for any left over drops.

QD can remove light dust/droppings more cheaply, and is also for claying.

And the UQW / Gold Class Spray Wax remove light water drops and leave a better coating behind if used after washing.

(Not getting into the Pro Line versions, but the trend still applies)

I mean, if you like it, then great. It just seems like its primary jobs are taken by other products. If you use a lot, you may prefer to buy the M135, and just re-fill your spray bottle.

Interesting! I use alot of Ultimate line products because their release time just happens to have coincided with the time I started to get more serious about detailing and maintenance.

That's how I use QD/UQD/Final Inspection, the way you described it. And with my suicide door windows, even after leaving them open for awhile and setting aside rags specifically to clean in all those crevices, water still comes trickling down once I'm done drying. So I use it to wipe off those water spots as well once they've dried.

I totally see what you're saying, and I guess it's just that extra water repelling coating UQD supposedly has that interests me? But QD never let me down either, and as I recall is an easier(might I say the easiest?) application/removal process with good results. Not sure if UQD leaves more of a shine than QD, but that's partially why I pay for it I guess.

Perhaps that coating really is obsolete when using UQW/GCSW after washing. Though some Gold Class products, along with some of my favorite Meguiars products(Perfect Clarity, Megs Microfiber Towels, Megs Applicator Pads) are difficult or impossible to come by where I'm at. So..ordering online is the only option there for me and consequently discourages me from experimenting with various products like gold class/nxt spray waxes and so on.

I see what you're saying though. Thanks for the tip. There may be no real need to spend the extra couple bucks on UQD. I definitely use alot, whether it's UQD or QD. Buying in mass would be a pretty good idea. I don't think of it too much, because as much as I use, it seems to last a good long while. If I had to ***** about one Megs product in particular that absolutely does not last for me, it's the Hot Shine Tire/Wheel Cleaner products. Those bottles are used up in two uses. That's no exaggeration.

Thanks so much for speaking with a beginner! Great tips and insight

[Murr1525]

Re: Trouble With Ultimate Liquid Wax

Hmm.. applying the wheel cleaner a bit heavy?

Never find pads or towels in stores...