(Newb) Heres what i use for waxing, please critic,add info etc.!!!

Cult Leader · 02-10-05, 08:25

I hand wax only with an applicator. I have an 02 galactic blue jetta so the paint is still in good condition. I wax twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. I am pleased with what i use but always searching for something better, im sure everyone knows how i feel. I would appreciate any feedback as i am new to the site. Basically i use bug&tar remover for the front bumper and lower areas of the car first. Then i use 1 coat of Meguiars Deep Crystal paint cleaner to remove any swirl marks / scratches / blemishes in the paint. I then follow up with 1 coat of Meguiars NXT generation tech wax with synthetic polymer formula.

Now im wondering do i need a 3rd coat of a carnauba wax?? would that give me an ever better shine??

I know there are 1000's of waxes and one person may say one waxing process is better then the next. Please any input would help me decide for myself of how i wanna go about enhanceing the shine of my car.

one last thing, i herd Zaino wax is truely one of the best, i even may look into as ill be waxing my car this spring. What kind of waxing process would i have to go through if i wanna use it??

I know i asked alot here but i would greatly appreciate all your respones, thanks Brian

6']['9 · 02-10-05, 08:31

are you planning on topping the NXT? or are you considering toppig the NXT and that would be the 3rd. If so you can do it and it should look good.
If you want to do things by hand its cool, just remember you may not be able to take out all imperfections by hand. The only way to go about enhancing your shine is knowing what you want. Do you want looks or durability? that will direct you in getting started. Zaino is pretty good you can refer to their site Zainobros.com for more info on that process and so forth.
Id say your shine isnt going to get any better topping it, unless you want to purchase a new collection of waxes, cleaner waxes and polishes. But so far it sounds like your steps are good. But if your more into removing paint imperfections and dont want to get a rotory look into a porter cable random polisher that will help lots.

Cult Leader · 02-10-05, 08:41

yeah im asking if the NXT needs to be topped with the carnauba wax or is the paint cleaner & NXT good enough??? Im looking to get a good shine as well as protection. I plan on keepin this car for awhile so i want it to look good and i wanna take care of it. IF the Zaino isnt much better then what i have then i wont go for it. I honestly dont care if i gotta buy new stuff, i just want whats good ya know

portable cable random polisher??? whats that?? guess ill have to do a search on it. Its better then those circular applicator pads?

MongooseGA · 02-10-05, 08:51

If you're using NXT twice a year, you're probably only getting about 2 months of total protection on your car. I've only used the DC2 product once, and I still had swirl marks afterwards. I wasn't expecting much out of it anyway. I would look into the Porter Cable. A search will tell you all you need to know on this topic.

Yes, much better than circular applicator pads, and unlike a rotary in the hands of a novice, won't burn your paint.

I HIGHLY reccomend downloading DavidB's E-Book availiable on this site. It will tell you everything you ever thought of asking, before you even know you want to ask it

Bence · 02-10-05, 09:24

Agreed with Mongoose. Your tiny swirls are very likely hiding invisibly under the NXT (for a couple of months). DC can not remove them all by hand, especially with only two cosmetic sessions a year.

There is a way to improve, enhance the shine of your car. And that is a full detail by (at least) a PC & better products.

Polishing is the key to make the paint wonderfully lustrous, perfect, while a wax is a friend who shows your meticulous work to the world. And you don't wanna cheat yourself, a friend and the world, do you?

tdekany · 02-10-05, 09:32

Since I also have a Galactic blue Jetta I post a picture of it with:

VW
EX-P
#16

lbls1 · 02-10-05, 10:16

Hmmm well my opinionated advice would be:

Stick to one medium, either natural or synthetic. Carnauba is a weird animal. It has an incredibly high potential for brilliance, yet I've seen examples where it's shine was hindered by using too many products/or polymer synthetics in a single application. You should look on the many posts here and first:

1. Select a good paint cleaner and polish. This is an important step, and will be the foundation in building your finish.
2. Develop your routine. Decide if you want to tackle a pc or if you prefer the hand method. I am partial to the old fashioned way, but you can get incredible results by using the right combo of pads and a machine. If your paint has issues where it will need extensive polishing, then you should definitely consider a machine polish.
3. Decide on the wax or sealant of your choice, and start with a even amount of a cover. I would not put on more than two coats of your finisher in either case. Build slowly. You should see results if you are consistent in keeping the car clean and maintaining the wax or poly's finish.

Good luck.

Scottwax · 02-10-05, 11:04

You should wax your car a minimum of once per season (4 times per year). NXT is a great looking wax, if you can find Meguiars #16, it looks terrific over NXT. I would also recommend purchasing a PC and a quart of Meguiars #80, which is a very user friendly swirl remover. It works very well with NXT and #16. On dark blue paint, that combo will have a very deep, liquid look.

hirosh · 02-11-05, 12:53

everyone has good advice.

Quote:

Originally posted by Cult Leader
yeah im asking if the NXT needs to be topped with the carnauba wax or is the paint cleaner & NXT good enough??? Im looking to get a good shine as well as protection. I plan on keepin this car for awhile so i want it to look good and i wanna take care of it. IF the Zaino isnt much better then what i have then i wont go for it. I honestly dont care if i gotta buy new stuff, i just want whats good ya know

portable cable random polisher??? whats that?? guess ill have to do a search on it. Its better then those circular applicator pads?

and whether the paint cleaner and NXT is enough, well, that's up to you. how do *you* like the look? if anything, try doing NXT twice, 12 hours between appliaction.

zaino is a good sealant. done properly, you can get a nice look that will last for some months. another good sealant is Klasse All-In-One (AIO) and Sealant Glaze (SG) are good and will last for some months too.

a porter cable random polisher (PC) basically mimics your hand motion yet is quite safe for your paint. it is good taking out some paint defects.

but before you buy anything, look around here. a good place to start is the 'learn' button at the top of the page. read the articles under the 'paint care' section. learning the techniques in these articles is a good way to get your car to look great. after that, it probably be good to start buying your supplies: a good wash mitt, two buckets, a waffle weave (WW) micro fiber (MF) towel or some similar MF towel for drying. also having a bunch of good MF towels on hand for removing polishes, sealants, waxes, etc is good to have too.
you also would want to pick up some clay, mother's is a good brand you can find locally. or you can always order one from one of the online stores.
next are some polishes, there are a lot of good different ones out there: meguiars, poorboy's SSR line, 1z, are some you might want to look into.
once you get the paint looking the way you want, you can use your NXT, or buy some Zaino or your sealant of choice. and if you want to, you can top it off with a wax.

good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Accumulator · 02-11-05, 11:12

Cult Leader- Welcome to Autopia!

As you've now heard quite a few times, it's all in the prep. The actual LSP (last step product, "wax") doesn't have all *that* much to do with it. People have done cars with NXT, *after the proper prep* that would just amaze you.

Doing more prep than is possible with the DC#1 will be the best thing you can try. Meguiar's, 3M, 1z, PoorBoy's, there are a lot of choices in polishes. Get the paint the way you like it *before* you wax, then let the wax protect that look and add some subtle touches.

Look at your paint under some really unforgiving light, such as in a gas station or a parking lot at night. See those tiny scratches? Even though they're not very visible in daylight or under fluorescent lights in a shop, they're what keeps your paint from looking its best.

lbls1 · 02-11-05, 07:46

The wax is the ingredient that counts however. Polishes will bring you to the threshold. The wax (or sealant) will add the "still" effects, and depending on the quality of wax, will magnify greatly the deep wet look. To me it is the most important step.

You must prep properly to help bring you to the optimal state to accept wax, but just as not enough prep will hinder the potential of a wax, an "ok" wax may make you want more when you compare its result to a spectacular finish of an excellent carnauba. The wax will make the difference between a good finish, a great finish, and an outstanding one IMO.

Edit: I finished reading your first post. When you first start out with the big cleaning, don't put on too much wax at first. As a few months progress, you can add more wax, but do it at one coat at a time. In reality you can add as much of a clearcoat ready carnauba as you like, but it will have to come off eventually. You should instead strive for the optimal finish that you want, and not necessarily to accumulate the most wax.