How to maintain your car.

[MaximusZTS]

I was asked somequestions of at another site and did a small write up I want to share with you guys. There was a post that a guy made and hi listed his steps on how he detailed a Focus. his step were a bit off and I was tring to help clarify proper useage of the products used.

Originally Posted by MaximusZTS

Are these the steps you are talking about?

To simplify what he is doing

First he used a really good cleaner wax (People in the know call it #12 or A12, because that is the Meguiar's part number.) It is a really good product. but if you want a show car finish this is not the product for you.

Second he used some DC3 (Deep Crystal step 3) Which is a pure wax. which means it has not cleaners in it at all. It is a really good consumer wax. Because it is a Carnuba wax many professionals would use it as a final coat. but there are better waxes out there. Once again if you want a show car this is not the route I would take.

Third NXT Tech wax is IMO the best consumer wax available. Liquid or paste you can not go wrong. Many professionals would say that useing a Synthetic wax such as NXT on top of a Carnuba wax is not the best idea. Synthetic waxes are formulated to bond to paint not wax, and truth be told because it is a full synthetic "wax" it actually does not contain wax like the DC3 does. Therefore you have bonding issues. It is considered a Paint Sealant.

Fourth #7 Show Car Glaze is a wonderful pure polish. You want a show car, this is a must have to bring out the beauty and depth of gloss in you cars finish. However you would put this on before you applied any wax. It does not have any cleaning or protecting properties at all. It is a very oil rich product and those oils need to be worked into the paint surface, not on top of a wax.

Final Coat #26 Yellow wax is a very good strong wax. but as far as looks go it is not the best and most likly undid a lot of the previous waxes.

Now appling 4 waxes and a pure polish is a bit of an overkill. Odds are that the #7 did not penitrate the wax surface and not much was left behind. the #26 rubbed off most if not all of the NXT and the NXT rubbed off most of the DC3 because NXT does contain a chemical cleaner. Two thin coats of wax is all that is needed, and maybe a pure polish before like #7 depending on how much time you want to spend waxing your car.

Clay bar Is a must before you do any waxing or polishing. It will remove any "Above surface" contaminates. Such as fallout, paint overspray, tree sap, etc... So for sure, after you wash you want to clay.


There are 5 steps to making you car shine.

First Wash your car, dont scrub on it, just wash it really well using a PH balanced car soap. My fav is Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner





Second Clean or surface prep. here you will use the clay bar to remove any "Above surface" contaminates. I would reccomend Quik Clay System




Third Polish This is where you use a cleaner polish like ScratchX to remove "Below Surface" Contaminates. Such as Swirls, light scrathes, bird dropping etching, etc... Then you can apply a pure polish like #7.

ScratchX



M-07 Show Car Glaze



OR

Deep Crystal Polish



Fourth Protect this is where you will apply your waxes. Here I would use some NXT tech Wax. Apply one thin coat, let hase, and buff off. Then apply a second coat and repeat. Applying any more coats of wax will not do any good. You will just be buffing off previous coats as you apply new coats. the only real reason you need two coats to begin with is so that you can make sure you covered all you paint. You may have missed a spot of the wax was applied thin in one area. The second coat will help ensure you have a good soild coverage.

NXT Generation Tech Wax



Fifth Maintain Now that you have done all this work make sure it stays looking good. here is where you will use your spray waxes and quick detailer (QD) products. QD will remove any light dust and or finger prints off of your flawless finish. It is not a substitute for a wash however. Spray waxes will keep you base wax looking good and make you base wax last longer.

NXT Generation Spray Wax



Quik Detailer



Oh I almost forgot step 6.

Sixth Enjoy Take you car to a car show or just drive around and know you car looks better than 95% of the cars on the road. It is really great if you do this right after a rain adn you car is really outshining everything else.

Ask if you have any questions. Shawn.

[Sponsor]

[Lc_RS]

it seems youre a big Meguiar's fan...hehe
have you ever tried 3M products??
im about to have my Focus waxed, and have to decide between this brands.

[MaximusZTS]

Originally Posted by Lc_RS

it seems youre a big Meguiar's fan...hehe
have you ever tried 3M products??
im about to have my Focus waxed, and have to decide between this brands.

I am a Meguiar's fan. They have a full line of products and all of them work great together as a system. that is one of the main reasons I like them. I have used other brands of products (ie Mothers, 3M, etc...) and there are some really good products out there. But I find the Meguiar's has the most comprehensive (sp?) collection. I can always find a product for my needs with them. And they all work well.

[Lc_RS]

after this testimonial, Meguiars won another big fan!

[poppin3000]

hypothetically speaking, if your car has been sitting outside for ~ 3 years (californian weather--so dirt, dust, sun, and rain (no snow)--would this be a good approach to making the paint amazing again? Should I add in any extra steps? I can take detailed pics of the paint condition if that would help? thanks!!

also would it be advisable to use scratch X on the entire car? or is that only spot specific?

[MaximusZTS]

You will want to clay bar the car to start off. Then move in to polishing your car. (i.e. ScratchX) Will you be doing the work by hand or machine?

[poppin3000]

Originally Posted by MaximusZTS

You will want to clay bar the car to start off. Then move in to polishing your car. (i.e. ScratchX) Will you be doing the work by hand or machine?

I actually have access to an orbital buffer, but saving time isn't too huge of a priority for this, so if going by hand would be better than I can do that. By the way, how far is San Clemente from the Bay? Are us california foci having any meets soon?? lol, just curious. Thanks for your help!

[MaximusZTS]

Originally Posted by poppin3000

I actually have access to an orbital buffer, but saving time isn't too huge of a priority for this, so if going by hand would be better than I can do that.

Does your Orbital buffer look something like this?



Or like this?



The first one is only really good at applying waxes. IT dose just not have the power to remove below surface defects.

The second one the a Porter Cable unit often refered to as a PC. It is an industry standard tool for removing defects.

Originally Posted by poppin3000

By the way, how far is San Clemente from the Bay? Are us california foci having any meets soon?? lol, just curious. Thanks for your help!

San Clemente is near San Deigo. I think we are going to have a tech day/G2G in Febuary in the chino area. but I don;t know for sure yet.

[dirtbrown]

how often do u guys applie these products...
it seems as if its a waste of time
just wasting most of it....
most of those are pretty similar

[MaximusZTS]

Well the first post was takin from another thread post from a guy that applied 5 or 6 waxed. That is over kill and it is a waist of time. I then try to explain the proper way to go about maintaining your car.