I've got this Turtle Wax Emerald Series car wax that has been sitting around since two years ago christmas, so I thought I should finally get around to waxing my car. Is there a special applicator I should use when applying it? Do I do small sections at a time? How do I get it to look nice? Sorry about all the questions, this is the first car I've ever waxed and I want it to turn out good.

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yellow 86 Camaro
LG4 700R4
Pioneer head unit
Kenwood speakers
Infinity Beta Digital 300 amp
2 Infinity Perfect 12s

 

I found this excellent article somewhere on the net a few months ago... there is more to it, if you want to e-mail me I'll send it to you... I have no idea who the author is, but it's too his credit:

WASHING and WAXING
An acquaintance of my recently had a body shop recommend Meguiar's Professional Mirror Glaze line for paint care. According to a service bulletin from Saturn, they recommend that owners not use the super-duper, long-term paint sealants. They recommend using a high quality, non-abrasive wax. It turns out that Saturn also recommends the Meguiar's Professional line as well. Unfortunately, after a bad wash job, his hood had kind of a whitish look to it. I used some of the #7 show car glaze from Meguiar's, followed with their #26 liquid yellow wax. The results were wonderful. The glaze looked as if it were "moisturizing"; the paint; it took on a sort of wet look. The label on the bottle says it puts back oils in the paint.. I followed with the wax. The final finish looks really nice again. The swirl marks were much less noticeable, and in subdued light, the paint has a beautiful wet look.

Meguiar's sells a swirl remover (#9), which is also a cleaner. I personally was not impressed with it. I think it's best if you use this product only if you machine apply. If you have red or a dark colored car, Meguiar's line may prove satisfactory. It is rather pricey, with the wax at $10 a bottle and the glaze at $8. There's enough in the bottles for 4 or 5 uses. The process is long, since it takes two steps, but both products go on/come off easily. I re-do the wax about every 3 months, and the glaze every 6 months (I put it down before I apply the wax). I found that it's best to let these products dry for about 10 minutes before removing them. Also, it's really important that the car be in the shade, since these products streak when applied on a hot surface. Local Pep Boys and Auto Zones carry these products. There is a whole line, including some plastic polishes/cleaners, oxidation removers, and scratch removers. The wax also comes in a paste form. Meguiar's also sells a consumer line of #26, called Carnuba Wax, and #7, called Deep Crystal. Both come in a maroon bottle. Both products are cheaper than their Mirror Glaze counterparts at around $5 each.

You might try a product called "Super Glaze"; from The Wax Shop. It's also a decent product, and much easier to use than the Meguiar's line. It isn't long lasting, though. If you need a good looking wax job in a hurry, try it. The main problem is it seems to wash off in just two car washings. Super Glaze is also good to use as a chemical-only cleaner, since it can often remove some stains on the paint without abrasives. If your car has minor hazing or some light scratches, or is in need of some light oxidation removal, KIT Scratch and Haze Remover does a reasonable job. . I think it's an easier product to use than #9, and it seems to be more effective in removing light haze and swirl marks than #9 when you only are working with hand application.

As for washing/drying, try a cotton chenille wash pad along with Meguiar's #62 Car Shampoo and Conditioner. Also, use lots of cool/cold water, and flush the debris/dirt off the pad often to keep the dirt on it from grinding into the paint and causing more swirl marks (red and dark colors show off swirls all too well). first dowse the car with lots of water, then gently wash in a linear pattern along the length of the car. That minimizes the swirl patterns. If your car has a good coat of wax on it, run moderate stream of water directly from the hose, and watch the water sheet off; this will save lots of drying time. Just spray rinsing will leave behind too much water and will make drying a pain.
For drying, a 100% cotton thick bath towel using straight line motions to dry. Use one side of the towel to get up most of the water, then the drier side to get up any remaining moisture. That will give you a practically spot-free wash and dry, with minimal scratching.

Application of the Carnuba Wax and Deep Crystal is fairly easy, although somewhat time consuming. Manual application on an SLx takes approximately 3-4 hours for both coats. Add to this the wash time, and the total process can take up to 4-5 hours.

For those who don't like spending big bucks on car products, here are two items that work very well and cost pennies: Bon Ami and Murphy's Oil Soap If you find your wipers are not cleaning the window completely, it may be grit on the windshield. Try cleaning it with Bon Ami. The mild abrasive will not scratch glass, but it will remove many road-debris that can cause the blades to ride over the dirt and wear prematurely. For the entire car, Murphy's Oil Soap does an excellent job of suspending dirt particles and letting them flush away. It also removes old wax, helping a new wax finish be even more lustrous.

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Kevin Irving
85 Trans Am WS-6, 305 TPI, custom burned '86 PROM with '87 "165"ECM, Accel Supercoil & 8.8 Wires, MSD 6AL, Aluminum Driveshaft, TB Coolant Bypass, Ported Plenum, Modified MAF, Syclone Fuel Pump, JET Airfoil

15.556 @ 86.65mph, Nov 10, 2000.... I know it sucks.. but it will get better!

http://www.geocities.com/transam85tpi/