claybar, wax, sealer...where do i start?
10-18-2006, 10:54 PM
#1
claybar, wax, sealer...where do i start? i really want to get into detailing my car, but where do i start? all of the threads i have found are dealing with people who already know what they are doing...they don't aply to me 
all i see are numbers of polishes and stuff and they make no sense to me. can someone give me a detailing for dummies? what things do i need to do and in what order? thanks in advance...
all i see are numbers of polishes and stuff and they make no sense to me. can someone give me a detailing for dummies? what things do i need to do and in what order? thanks in advance... 
10-18-2006, 11:22 PM
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You can learn all about the right way here......
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc
Detailed instructions on how to and products you'll need. Zaino is great....just follow the instructions on striping you wax off with Dawn and clay baring before applying the Zaino. Those first two steps are key to everything else. Notice the shine....
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc
Detailed instructions on how to and products you'll need. Zaino is great....just follow the instructions on striping you wax off with Dawn and clay baring before applying the Zaino. Those first two steps are key to everything else. Notice the shine....
10-19-2006, 12:13 AM
#4
alright so i picked up that i need to wash car with dish soap/ dawn to get off old wax etc...then claybar it(are all claybars the same?). From there do i just apply wax of choice? from what i hear meguairs nxt is really good..thats what im thinking... i don't think im going to jump one the Zaino bandwagon until i get alittle experience under my belt. I don't want to spend the moeny for it and not even be doing it right.
10-19-2006, 01:23 AM
#5
When I think detailing, I'm not thinking wash/wax. I'm thinking about someone who took the time to polish the paint. Actually, a site I would suggest is properautocare.com If you check out that site, they have written explanations in simple wording about what a wax is, what polish is, what a claybar is and does. So check that out. Also, I've not been there myself, but I know Meguiars runs a forum about car detailing.
Anyway, yeah car wash - cleans car. Clay, removes junk from your paint, once you use one you'll know what I mean. It will also strip wax off. Wash again. Polish ... there are many grades of it all with degrees of abrasiveness to remove layers of clearcoat, thereby erasing scratches to a certain depth. Wax is a protectant. Wax is a protectant. Yes, I typed that sentence out twice for a reason. (Tons of posts about what wax people should use but it's not what they need. Hence the reason you'll need to understand the difference.) I know that a simple wash/wax will add some gloss but that's all. If you want a real job done then you'll need the polish.
Now in my case, a couple weekends ago I tried to do the whole shebang and what I bought wasn't abrasive enough to accomplish removal of all my fine scratches; compliments of black paint. So I won't claim to know a lot about this, but I can tell you enough to get you started.
Depending on how much you want to get into it, you'll be spending a lot of money in supplies and a lot of time to get it done. But when you step back after finishing, oh boy.
Anyway, yeah car wash - cleans car. Clay, removes junk from your paint, once you use one you'll know what I mean. It will also strip wax off. Wash again. Polish ... there are many grades of it all with degrees of abrasiveness to remove layers of clearcoat, thereby erasing scratches to a certain depth. Wax is a protectant. Wax is a protectant. Yes, I typed that sentence out twice for a reason. (Tons of posts about what wax people should use but it's not what they need. Hence the reason you'll need to understand the difference.) I know that a simple wash/wax will add some gloss but that's all. If you want a real job done then you'll need the polish.
Now in my case, a couple weekends ago I tried to do the whole shebang and what I bought wasn't abrasive enough to accomplish removal of all my fine scratches; compliments of black paint. So I won't claim to know a lot about this, but I can tell you enough to get you started.
Depending on how much you want to get into it, you'll be spending a lot of money in supplies and a lot of time to get it done. But when you step back after finishing, oh boy.
10-19-2006, 01:47 AM
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you do NOT want to use dawn often. I prefer to use the zaino Z7 car wash and then claybar, claybar will get everything out of the paint including your wax coat. then use polish then wax. zaino is a great "show" polish but it will not get out swirl marks. poorboys makes some great products to use with a porter cable to get out swirls, scratches, everything. i just got a porter cable today so my plan is to wash with Z7, claybar the whole car, use poorboys ssr2.5 where needed and ssr1 on the car to get out swirls and scratches with the porter cable, then apply by hand a few coats of zaino with zfx, then apply a good coat of wax to protect everything i just did. if you really want your paint to come to life, pick up a porter cable either the 7424 or the 7336(7336 can be picked up at lowes). they are the same product except a slight difference in the counter weight of the 2. they both do the exact same job so it doesnt really matter which you get. to get all the products you need, your gonna need a good $300-$400. good luck!!! btw... dont touch your car with any towel other than microfiber.
10-19-2006, 07:27 AM
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before you start .. go do a ton of reading .. places I would recommend
autopia.org
Meguiarsonline.com
You can get as crazy as you want to, as far as spending money .. some of us on here have several hundred dollars tied up in microfiber towels alone ..
BUT, you don't have to spend a lot of money to take care of your paint correctly ..
use a good car wash shampoo
use a good chenile or lambs wool wash mitt
use the two bucket method to wash, with a grit guard if possible
dry with a blower, then a Waffle Weave microfiber
use only high quiality microfober towels on your paint
Clay when needed (all clays are basically the same, just make sure you get a detailing clay, and not an agressive body shop clay) Meg's. Mothers, Zaino, Clay Magic will all work fine
As for what is the best wax / polish, etc.. well .. that is a discussion that will go on forever .. the correct answer is that there isn't really a single "Best" one .. each of us likes different things, for different reasons .. those of use with lots of experience use different products for different applications, colors, etc.
The best answer is find something that is high quality (not to be confused with high $$), learn how to use it correctly, then use it often.
Meguairs and Mother's are two of the easiest to start with simply because of their availability.. Meg's NXT, Mother's syn wax are both very good synthetics, Mother's Pure Carnuba is a great carnuba ..
as for how to use the products, the sites already mentioned are a good place to learn .. READ .. and remember .. there is no best answer .. anyone that tells you "This is the best, nothing else can touch it" probably has an agenda somewhere .. if they tell you they prefer something .. ask them why ..
Proper prep, techique, equipment and proper product are the most important ingredients to making your paint pop. If you learn HOW to do it correctly, your paint will look great, regardless of what you are using on it ..
when I say proper product, I don't mean brand.. I mean level of cut in the polish, etc.
Meg's, Mother's, Poor Boys, Menzerna, Zaino, Pinnacle, and a bunch of others all stay in business because their products work ..
There are tons of places online to buy products .. most of them will have some kind of bundled discount if you want to buy a PC.. just do your research .. don't take the advice of just one person or site ..
most of all .. enjoy .. it shoudl be fun .. not something you dread doing ..
and add me to the list of people that say you shouldn't wash your car with Dawn, for any reason .. there are better options.. will one time cause damage, probably not .. but it is just too harsh on everything, paint, rubber, plastics ..
autopia.org
Meguiarsonline.com
You can get as crazy as you want to, as far as spending money .. some of us on here have several hundred dollars tied up in microfiber towels alone ..
BUT, you don't have to spend a lot of money to take care of your paint correctly ..
use a good car wash shampoo
use a good chenile or lambs wool wash mitt
use the two bucket method to wash, with a grit guard if possible
dry with a blower, then a Waffle Weave microfiber
use only high quiality microfober towels on your paint
Clay when needed (all clays are basically the same, just make sure you get a detailing clay, and not an agressive body shop clay) Meg's. Mothers, Zaino, Clay Magic will all work fine
As for what is the best wax / polish, etc.. well .. that is a discussion that will go on forever .. the correct answer is that there isn't really a single "Best" one .. each of us likes different things, for different reasons .. those of use with lots of experience use different products for different applications, colors, etc.
The best answer is find something that is high quality (not to be confused with high $$), learn how to use it correctly, then use it often.
Meguairs and Mother's are two of the easiest to start with simply because of their availability.. Meg's NXT, Mother's syn wax are both very good synthetics, Mother's Pure Carnuba is a great carnuba ..
as for how to use the products, the sites already mentioned are a good place to learn .. READ .. and remember .. there is no best answer .. anyone that tells you "This is the best, nothing else can touch it" probably has an agenda somewhere .. if they tell you they prefer something .. ask them why ..
Proper prep, techique, equipment and proper product are the most important ingredients to making your paint pop. If you learn HOW to do it correctly, your paint will look great, regardless of what you are using on it ..
when I say proper product, I don't mean brand.. I mean level of cut in the polish, etc.
Meg's, Mother's, Poor Boys, Menzerna, Zaino, Pinnacle, and a bunch of others all stay in business because their products work ..
There are tons of places online to buy products .. most of them will have some kind of bundled discount if you want to buy a PC.. just do your research .. don't take the advice of just one person or site ..
most of all .. enjoy .. it shoudl be fun .. not something you dread doing ..
and add me to the list of people that say you shouldn't wash your car with Dawn, for any reason .. there are better options.. will one time cause damage, probably not .. but it is just too harsh on everything, paint, rubber, plastics ..
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10-19-2006, 09:29 AM
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Zaino's may seem expensive, but in reality you use so little per application that it is actually cheap in the long run (JMHO). Just a thought.....oh, and one of the best things about Zaino is the ease of washing your car after you've applied some coats of wax......just pre-rinsing before washing gets most of the dirt off. Takes 1/3 the time it used too. 
10-19-2006, 11:27 AM
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They just told you, there are a VARIETY of polishes depending on what you want done, i.e.
Intensive Polishes/Compounds: Contain heavy cutters/abrasives, little paint nourishers
Medium polishes/light cleaners: Light abrasives, some paint nourishing
Finishing polishes/Glazes (aka "pure polishes"): NO cleaners, just makes paint look beautiful...
This depends on what you want done... If your paint is PERFECT (no scratches/swirls), you'd only want to use a pure polish.
Then, wax/seal all your hard work in... Couple of posts above, SmokeySS posted "Wax is a protectant." That's all it is.
Intensive Polishes/Compounds: Contain heavy cutters/abrasives, little paint nourishers
Medium polishes/light cleaners: Light abrasives, some paint nourishing
Finishing polishes/Glazes (aka "pure polishes"): NO cleaners, just makes paint look beautiful...
This depends on what you want done... If your paint is PERFECT (no scratches/swirls), you'd only want to use a pure polish.
Then, wax/seal all your hard work in... Couple of posts above, SmokeySS posted "Wax is a protectant." That's all it is.
10-19-2006, 12:17 PM
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zaino is a polish, it just doesnt do any cutting meaning it will not get swirls outs and other imperfections. it will make your car shiny as hell though!!!
10-20-2006, 11:58 AM
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zaino is labeled as a polish, but it does protect the paint.
it is probably one of the most durable products out there. durable meaning it iwll take rain, snow, salt ad any other elements of mother nature and still provide protection, ( i.e. like beading water )
i also suggest autopia.org,
tons of information there.
it is probably one of the most durable products out there. durable meaning it iwll take rain, snow, salt ad any other elements of mother nature and still provide protection, ( i.e. like beading water )
i also suggest autopia.org,
tons of information there.
