New to the Game

[caporajm]

Even though I've been detailing mine and my parents car for a couple years I feel I've been half a**ing detailing my cars.

I buy the best things.. I've got Gold class wash and wax, but I've heard a lot of talk about Clay Bars and other "pre-wax" products which I don't have.

My question is in order to complete the package, what else should I buy and use on my cars. I know I should use a clay bar now, but what about the "pre-wax"? (I'm using that term loosely because I forgot the actually term).

Also, how many hours do you spend on your cars doing what seems to be a 4 step process? And, not to sound like a girly-man, but doesn't your arm hurt after a while? I know hard work pays off.

Thanks!

[roushstage2]

I had never used clay before up until two months ago. ISo my first time with the clay was about 2 hours, but I also had alot of clearcoat overspray to get off. The about an hour each for the cleaner, polish, and wax. And yes, your arm will be like jelly when you are done. I do everything by hand.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: New to the Game

Originally posted by caporajm
Even though I've been detailing mine and my parents car for a couple years I feel I've been half a**ing detailing my cars.

I buy the best things.. I've got Gold class wash and wax, but I've heard a lot of talk about Clay Bars and other "pre-wax" products which I don't have.

My question is in order to complete the package, what else should I buy and use on my cars. I know I should use a clay bar now, but what about the "pre-wax"? (I'm using that term loosely because I forgot the actually term).

Also, how many hours do you spend on your cars doing what seems to be a 4 step process? And, not to sound like a girly-man, but doesn't your arm hurt after a while? I know hard work pays off.

Thanks!

Hi caporajm,

If the cars you're working on are daily drivers, then the paint is exposed to two kinds of dirt build-up,

• * Above Surface Bonded Contaminants
  * Below Surface Dirt In Paint

To remove above surface bonded contaminants, we use a relatively new product in the detailing world called detailing clay. The clay bar contains a special type of abrasive that won't scratch the paint but will in essence sand the contaminant that have bonded to the surface of the paint off restoring a smooth-as-brand-new-glass feel to it. This also has the effect to restore the paint original gloss because gloss is a result of smoothness.

To remove the dirt and other contaminants that build-up below the surface of your paint in the microscopic pores and surface imperfection, Meguiar's offers products we call paint cleaners. Meguiar's paint cleaners are intelligent replacements for old-fashioned rubbing and polishing compounds.

Unlike an old-fashioned rubbing or polishing compound which uses a mechanical abrasive that doesn't breakdown to clean paint by removing it, Meguiar's paint cleaners use both safe and effective chemical cleaners with diminishing abrasives to gently clean the paint by loosening dirt and other contaminants in the paint so they can be removed while our diminishing abrasive products gently abrade the finish removing oxidation and swirls and scratches.

The problem with old-fashion rubbing and polishing compounds for removing dirt in the paint and below surface defects like swirls and scratches is that because the abrasives don't breakdown while they may remove the defects, they leave the finish scratched and scoured looking. Modern clear coat finishes are much harder than traditional single-stage, non-clearcoat finishes like lacquers and enamels and even though clear coat finishes are typically harder, they still scratch very easily, we call this characteristic, scratch-sensitive.

To learn more about dirt in paint, here's an article you can read on the topic.

A Lesson From White Paint



If you would like to take your car's finish to its maximum potential, then using a multi-step process is the best way to go. This would include,

• * Washing to remove loose dirt and contaminants
  * Claying to remove above surface bonded contaminants
  * Cleaning with a paint cleaner to remove below surface defects, oxidation and dirt in paint
  * Polishing to restore a vibrant, clear, reflective and glossy finish
  * Protecting the finish by adding 1-2 thin coats of your favorite wax to lock in the results from your work

Below are some articles that will help you to understand what to do...

First read this if you haven't already, it will explain thoroughly Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Then read this, it will show you how to clay, clean, polish and wax your car's paint by hand... (The title is how to remove swirls but the process and the principals apply to removing any kind of defects or contaminants below the surface by hand)

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

This article discusses specifically how to remove defects by hand using ScratchX

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX


And then coming soon are these two articles...

How To Wash Your Car using the Two Bucket Method
How To Clay Paint


How long it will take you to detail one car will vary by the size of the car and the condition of the finish, the worse the finish, the longer the cleaning step will take. If you would like to reduce the time, energy and effort required to clean, polish and apply the wax while producing dramatically better results, then you should consider stepping up to machine polishing with a dual action polisher.



Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line


Hope this helps...