Newbie Detailer seeking advice please

[vdubpower]

On sunday i plan on having a go at my 98 Mercedes S500 brilliant silver in color.
I just purchased the 7336 and I only have the pad it came with. Unfortunately I dont have time to order a Meguiars pad but the next time i do my cars, I will do so.

So here is what i have to work with. The 7336 with the white pad it came with
Mothers clay bar
mothers cleaner wax 4oz, ( which came with the clay bar)
Megs NXT liquid

i have some new microfiber towels too.

OK so my questions are
DO i apply and remove the cleaner wax with the PC. How long do i let it sit. ?

Same question about the NXT, do i apply it with the pad i have and remove it as i am doing it. or apply to whole car then go back and use the PC to remove it, or just remove it with the cloth???

I kno i shouldnt mix products on the pad so which one should i use with the pad. ?

Unfortunatly this is all i wiill have to work with so please bear with me.thanks so much for advice

[Superior Shine]

What is the hurry?


Seems like you have a fine collection of cars. Don't skimp on quality.

[Ghettocivic]

Well for the cleaner wax, you should just do it by hand. The bottle that comes in the clay box is so small I don’t know if you can do a whole car with it. And you just work it in and then wipe it off. If you can id suggest you use #80#80 Speed Glaze I bet you will have alot better results with 80. As for the nxt you can use the pc, but I however like to apply it by hand with Even Coat Applicator it’s just a personal preference. So either way apply it wait until its set, then wipe it off. With the pc just apply it to one pannel and move on around the car. By the time you get back to where you started it should be set and you can start to remove it. If you have an ultimate bonnet use the pc it’s so much faster.

[Mike Phillips]

Another option would be to head out in the morning and pick up a bottle of Meguiar's ColorX. Suggested retail for this products is $8.00 and it will easily cover the entire car. Because the dual action polisher doesn't get tired, and offers a better polishing/cleaning action than your hand can offer, consider using your single pad with ColorX as your paint cleaner/polish/wax all-in-one and then come back and apply a coat of NXT Tech Wax afterwards by hand.

Let the dual action polisher do the work part, after that, applying a coating of NXT Tech wax over a cleaned and polished finish will be a breeze...

If you cannot get the ColorX, (it's fairly easy to find at most retail stores), you might look at M09 Swirl Remover, it's pretty easy t find also, I'm afraid Ghettocivic may be right in that 4 ounces of Mothers cleaner/wax will not be sufficient to do the entire car.

If getting more product is not an option, then after claying, use the cleaner/wax by machine on the horizontal surfaces, do the hood, then deck-lid and if you have enough, hit the roof last.

Then switch over to NXT Tech wax continuing with the same pad on the polisher. While this isn't recommended, it is doable and again, the dual action polisher will do a better job of cleaning and polishing and it won't get tired.

Best of luck...

[vdubpower]

is the number 7 mirror glaze meaning its a polish so it will take off some clear coat, or does it act like that Colorx and the cleaner wax

also whats teh opinion on the 3 step systems they sell at local stores , its a good price but is it any good. is it analogous to other products sold

and whats it mean by hook and loop?

thanks all, great info

[vdubpower]

also how tight should the nut on the PC be,

when i turn the machine on, it spinned only to the right, i thought it only ossilates ... i dunno?

[the other pc]

#7 has no cutting particles and does not remove paint. It’s a “pure polish” or “glaze” that’s intended to add oils that give the finish depth and luster. It is not a wax and does not leave a protective film.

I don’t know about the Mothers cleaner/wax specifically but in general cleaner/waxes contain chemical and mild abrasive cleaners that are designed to remove contaminants, oxidation, swirls, etching and stains. They will remove a very small amount of paint and leave a protective film.

ColorX is aggressive enough to remove fairly significant oxidation, swirls, etching and stains but mild enough to use often and won’t swirl the finish.

The Deep Crystal 3-step system is a good set of products and can produce excellent results. The caveat is that they’re intended to be usable by anybody on any finish. The cleaner is deliberately mild and not aggressive enough to remove defects from a neglected or abused finish.

You didn’t mention the condition of your paint. If it has some dirt and contaminants on the surface but has no defects a cleaner isn’t particularly necessary. You can wash, clay and wax and still get good results. If there are any defects then the cleaner in the cleaner/wax, ColorX or in a stand-alone product like ScratchX will be needed to remove them.

Even a finish that is in excellent overall shape will often have random, isolated defects here and there. I always keep a tube of ScratchX handy to deal with those before waxing.

The PC is supposed to spin as well as orbit. That’s why Meguiar’s calls it a “Dual Action” polisher.

I’ve never removed the backing plate on my PC so I don’t have a feel for how tight it should be but I would assume “snug” is fine. Power tools are usually designed so that the natural tendency is to tighten.

Hook and Loop is the technical name for what most people call “Velcro”. “Velcro” is a brand name for a particular manufacturer but many others make hook&loop. All are not created equal and I believe Meguiar’s uses real “Velcro” brand products.


PC.

[vdubpower]

excellent, i am gonna get started at this real soon.