hey guys im looking into buying a few detailing products in order to give my car a real nice look, while still being durable. I have done alot of searches and read my fair share of autopia but im still not sure exactly what i need. I know the first step SHOULD be to apply polish (not sure if ill do this just because im short on $$ right now), but after that iam not sure in what order i should apply the waxes. I know someone said that in order to achieve good durability with a good shine it would be best to layer a polymer wax (my choice would definately be NXT) and a carnuba (too many to decide!) and i think this is what i want to do. I'm not sure which to apply first-the carnuba wax or the polymer wax-and if this information is infact correct or if its BS.

I was thinking something like a polish if i could afford it, NXT, and either like Blitz wax or that P21s wax. Any thoughts?

 

I've been spending a lot of time over at the Autopia forums too, as well as the Meguiar's forums, and even went to the Meguaiar's clinic a week ago and learned a lot - that was a great experience.

So, here's what I would do if you are at all short on funds:

I'm assuming you're going to be doing all this by hand and not using something like the Porter Cable 7424 dual action polisher. If you later on find you can afford one of these, get one, they're awesome.

Anyway, the first thing you want to do is wash the car thoroughly, then clay bar the paint to remove all surface contaminants. You should be able to find the Meguiar's clay system at Target or Wal-Mart.

After you've clayed then you polish, or least clean the paint with something like Meg's Deep Crystal Polish. Doing this by hand will get tedious, and tiring, but you can remove fine swirls this way - with patience. If you have access to a shop that sells Meg's professional line, pick up a bottle of #80 - it's what I use with the Porter Cable to remove swirls from all my cars. Apply with a foam applicator (Meguiar's makes these too - jeez, I sound like a Meg's commercial LOL!) and always use a microfiber towel to remove. Do NOT let a polish dry - it will be a bugger to remove. You don't treat polishes and waxes/sealants the same way.

Once you've done this, then go ahead and seal with the NXT polymer sealant. It's great stuff and lasts a long time. Apply two coats, waiting at least 12 hours if at all possible. That isn't totally neccessary, but it will give the best possible results. Remember to wipe the car down with a quick detailer and a microfiber towel before putting the second coat on to remove any accumulated dust. And remember to apply thin coats! Way too many people apply waaaay too much product...Don't do it!! If you can't wait 12 hours between applications, go ahead and just put the second coat on right after the first.

I usually top with P21S, which is a pure Carnauba, but I only do this on my weekend toy because a pure Carnauba won't last very long at all. If I were you, and money was a little tight, I would skip the P21S and definitely get the polish instead. Everything is about the prep work here. Clay and polish are what actually give you the basis for your shine, not the wax or sealant - those are what give protection to the finish.

I spent 8 hours today detailing my weekend toy (not my RS) and it looks great. But a couple of weeks ago I did the RS too, and it looks great as well! I got it repainted a month ago and finally could put a good shine to it - and get rid of the swirls. Meg's #80 and the PC 7424 were a HUGE help with that!

OK, I've gone on long enough....now get to work, and let's see that baby shine!