3M or Meguiars/wax steps?

[silk27106]

I`m very happy to see Autopia back on the net. You guys really help me out and I appreciate it! As soon as I get some base knowledge on detailing I will contribute more. However I need some advice............



I got Zaino but want to try another brand. What do you guys like? 3M or Meguiars and what specific products you use and in what order? I called a Meguiars rep and he recommends .......



shampoo, clay, shampoo again, deep crystal wash, show car glaze #7 then Gold Class. He then added you can top the Gold Class with the Hi-Tech Yellow wax for a "deeper" shine.



Would the 3M order be......?



shampoo

clay

shampoo again

SMR

perfect-it 2 fine cut rubbing compound

Pefect-it show car liquid wax



I know this is very subjective but tell me what you prefer..... 3M or Meguiars?



I want to wax both of my cars..... an 87` black(paint is in bad shape) and a 2001 black(good paint but millions of tiny mirco scratches in clear coat)



I don`t want a highly abrasive wax or polish......I assume the harsher the wax/polish the worse it is on removing the clear coat over time.



I want the best towels for drying and waxing....... Fieldcrest Cannon or Royal Velvet at bed bath and beyond?



Thanks in advance.

[Ken B]

I think you will find many brand prefferences, I will try to give you the common alternative for Zaino:



shampoo (no need to use alcohol to remove zaino because you are going to polish later)

clay

perfect-it 2 fine cut rubbing compound ** if needed

SMR

Paint cleaner (pinnacle, HD cleanse or ABC) to remove final hazing (if any)

Some polymer protectant (Klasse, #20) - repeat as desired

your choice of Wax



:)

[shaf]

Brand preferences will vary, but personally I find the whole concept of brand preferences limiting and meaningless. For example, many people love Meguiar`s stuff, but their clay is almost universally hated here. There are fans of both 3M and Meguiar`s abrasives and paint finishing products. Both make very very good products, but my advice is to just use whatever has the right characteristics for what you want. There isn`t a "better/worse" for 3M and Meguiar`s, just "different". I use both brands for different jobs.



Don`t be afraid to mix and match either - there are no real "systems" for these things (unlike Zaino`s Z1/ZFX though). As long as you know what the product is, how strong it is, and how it works, a glaze is a glaze, an abrasive is an abrasive, etc, etc.



In the 3M line, one popular product that you missed is IHG (imperial hand glaze) that is their counterpart to Meguiar`s #7. Insert this product just before a waxing step. A few people like 3M wax, but most others have been disappointed by it and prefer Meguiar`s #26.



Do a search for Meguiar`s DACP. This is another popular product that is stronger than a swirl remover, but works similarly. Meguiar`s #2 is roughly equivalent to 3M`s fine cut compound. Swirl removers are always very mild and fit in between fine cut polishes and glazes.



It sounds like you may need serious work and maybe some stronger polishes to perfect your two cars, but remember the general rule to start off gentle and move up to a stronger process if needed. Yes, this is a judgement call, so if something looks disasterous you don`t have to start too gentle. Unless your paint is already in good condition or you are an athelete, getting a PC machine will help immensely with major paint restoration jobs and give you better results.



Good luck, welcome back, hope this helps. :D

[Richt]

I thought gold glass wold remove number 7??