New here! Rate my products and some questions

[FLAteam]

Hi, I`ve been on Autopia for about 1 year, but its only recently that I joined as a member (this is my first post). I can`t post pictures of the products that I have (I don`t have 10 posts yet). I drive a black 96 Honda Civic hatchback and it was repainted to a glossy black before I bought it. Here`s what I have now:



Polishes

TurtleWax Polishing Compound (Green tub)

Meguiar`s Deep Crystal Polish

Mothers Reflections Premium Polish

Mothers California Gold Scratch Remover



Waxes

Dupont Teflon Car Wax

Meguiar`s NXT generation Tech Wax bottle

Mothers California Gold Carnauba Cleaner Wax (came with Clay bar)



Clay Bar

Mothers California Gold Clay Bar



Quick Detailers/Lubricants

Mothers California Gold Showtime spray (came with Clay bar)

Clay magic Clay lube



13 Microfiber cloths

3 Terry Towels

8 Meguiar`s Yellow applicators (and 1 green from NXT)

1 thick, big yellow sponge for washing



Also, what order should I use these products? The last time I used (in order):



Armor-All Car Wash

Drying with terry towels

Clay Magic with lube

Meguiar`s Deep Crystal Polish

Dupont Teflon Car Wax



(I only had these products at the time)



So, here`s a few questions that I was wondering if you guys could help me with:

1. What`s the best stuff to use from what I`ve got?

2. What order should I use them in?

3. How well does the Scratch Remover (Mothers) work? Would using one of the above polishes work better?

4. What can I do with the leftover Clay Magic lube?

5. What are the dangers of some of these products to my paint (ie. Turtlewax Polishing compound being highly abrasive)?



I know this is a pretty long post, but I hope someone can help me out here!



Thanks!

[EclassBenz]

you should be able to lube the mothers clay with the leftover clay magic lube

[FitSport]

I would double-check on that Mother`s Scratch Remover. I think it`s just a filler-type polish. For the wax, I`m leaning towards the Meg`s NXT. You could probably prep the paint with the Mother`s Cleaner Wax, and then apply Meg`s NXT on top. :)

[MatrixXRS]

First, welcome to Autopia!



Based on the list, I`d probably do something like the following:



1. Armor All Car Wash (with a wash mitt, you never mentioned one in your list)

2. Mothers California Gold Clay Bar w/ Clay Magic Lube (until it runs out, then the Showtime)

3. Armor All Car Wash (if there`s a lot of leftover residue from the claying process)

4. Meguiar`s Deep Crystal Polish

5. Meguiar`s NXT x2 (to ensure even coverage)



Never used the Mothers Scratch Remover, so can`t comment on that. To your list I`d add a few more microfibers. You`ll want more than one to remove the polish and wax from your vehicle. You can pick up decent ones from Wal-Mart or Target. The terry towels might work O.K. for drying, if they`re large enough (you never said what kind of vehicle). You can use the Meguiar`s applicators for the DC polish and NXT, just be sure to use a different one for each.



Hope that helps. Have fun!

[imported_themightytimmah]

I`d say:



1. Armor All Car Wash (with a wash mitt, you never mentioned one in your list)

2. Mothers California Gold Clay Bar w/ Clay Magic Lube

3. Wipe down with showtime and a MF towel

4. Reflections Polish

5. Meguiar`s NXT



Whereabouts in FL are you located?

[FLAteam]

I`m located in Orlando, FL. I actually use a big, thick, dark yellow sponge for the wash.



Thanks for the warm welcome. I drive a black (oh no!) 96 Honda Civic hatchback, so I don`t need to cover too much area. The scratches on the doors and bumpers hurt the most though. I believe it was recently repainted when i first bought it, so it has a glossy black paint. After drying, it scares me because my towel gets dirty and I don`t know if its paint or dirt.

[FLAteam]

I added some microfiber to my collection today! i`ll try to get some more posts and then i can post pictures of my car from a few months ago when I did my first detailing job.

[WordOfMouth]

I`d ditch the sponge real quick; a good MF works for me. I don`t trust all the pockets on a sponge.

[imported_themightytimmah]

I`m located in Orlando, FL. I actually use a big, thick, dark yellow sponge for the wash. After drying, it scares me because my towel gets dirty and I don`t know if its paint or dirt.



Oh man, that is not so good. In the long run, you`ll want to use sheepskin wash mitts and improve your wash so that dirt is not picked up on the drying towel (it causes swirling). In the short run, try a spritz per panel of showtime before drying.

[FLAteam]

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that i don`t really have a driveway and hose to wash the car...i can only to coin op places for normal washes...