How do you wax a car? (My first time)
06-10-2007, 08:31 AM
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How do you wax a car? (My first time) I want to know what are all the steps in the process of waxing a car? Ive never done it before and this is going to be my first time doing it. What all will I need? Whats the best brand names out there? If somebody could give me a detailed process of waxing a car, that would be great. I tried to do a search, but it said "Server is unavailable."
06-10-2007, 09:51 AM
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1. wash Mothers,meguiars,turtle wax, car soap.
2. rinse.
3. Its better to use fresh car soap to clay bar a car. Mothers,meguiars kit.
do not drop the bar on the ground. Go in one direction with the bar.
4. Rinse the car.
5. dry the car.
6. Use a cleaner wax,sealer/glaze,wax. Mothers 3 step system is my pick. take off Either by hand or buffer is better with a micro fiber towel/bonnet.
7. Use a micro fiber towel with a quick detailer.
2. rinse.
3. Its better to use fresh car soap to clay bar a car. Mothers,meguiars kit.
do not drop the bar on the ground. Go in one direction with the bar.
4. Rinse the car.
5. dry the car.
6. Use a cleaner wax,sealer/glaze,wax. Mothers 3 step system is my pick. take off Either by hand or buffer is better with a micro fiber towel/bonnet.
7. Use a micro fiber towel with a quick detailer.
06-10-2007, 10:06 AM
#3
^that is a full detail......if you're just wanting a quick wax, just wash the car, full dry it (blow the water out from the crack too so it doesnt drip out later). now time for wax....make sure the car is out of direct sunlight. get the wax on an applicator, work onto the paint in circular motions. let the wax dry to a haze (it will look very cloudy and milky) and wipe it off with a microfiber towel. anything other than microfiber will usually scratch the paint so this is very important. turn to the towel over every now and then to a resh surface, because the dried wax will build up on he towel and make it hard to remove it.
after the waax is removed, you may have dust and residue left on top of the paint (its only dried up wax). you can now wipe this off with a duster or another microfiber towel. good luck, it shoudnt take more than 2 hours to do all this
after the waax is removed, you may have dust and residue left on top of the paint (its only dried up wax). you can now wipe this off with a duster or another microfiber towel. good luck, it shoudnt take more than 2 hours to do all this
Last edited by kyles2000z; 06-10-2007 at 10:31 AM.
06-10-2007, 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by 2001somws.6
6. Use a cleaner wax,sealer/glaze,wax. Mothers 3 step system is my pick.
Do the three step! It's lengthy, but well worth it, my paint is like glass now!
06-10-2007, 08:53 PM
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My friend used the three step on his truck. looks like new paint...my car was repainted 6 months ago, will the 3 step system look much better than just a wax application? sorry to hijack!
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06-06-2008, 01:15 PM
#12
Well, let me clear up a lot of misinformation in here... (not trying to pick on anyone, just trying to clear things up)
Re: 2001somws.6
A cleaner wax should be a last step, or next to last step, in the waxing process. Its purpose is to clean and leave protection at the same time (for example, you would use this if you wanted to clear up some oxidation or light contamination removal without having to do another step afterwards for protection). Using a glaze after this will do nothing as a glaze is just a filler and there is nothing to fill on top of wax. I don't personally ever use a glaze as its only purpose is to hide things, not fix them, but that is up to each individual.
Re: Kyles200z
It is better to use a back and forth motion for applying anything by hand. While waxing with a proper pad should never cause marring, if it were to do so in a scenario where you are only using back and forth motions, it will be less noticeable.
Re: Iron Head
Be careful with this statement. If he is referring to an actual orbital buffer (aka, a rotary) it is VERY easy to burn through the paint. However, if he is referring to an orbital as a random orbital, then it is a lot harder to do so (particularly if it's a cheap one from wally world or something of the likes).
Rather than give specific recommendations of what to use, I'll just speak on what the process should be, letting you choose what products you want to use:
1. Wash the car of all easy to remove surface contaminants
- This means using a soap meant to remove as much as possible on the surface, such as Dawn or another liquid detergent. Using something like Meguiar's Gold Class, which is formulated to try and leave the existing protection on there, will not help and is just a waste when you know you are going to add protection later.
2. Get rid of the rest of the contaminants that a wash with soap and water will not remove
- This step involves a clay bar. Any clay bar kit from the store will do you just fine. Just make sure to keep each area well lubed while running the clay bar across the surface, and only use back and forth motions so as not to induce any more swirling than already exists.
3. Polishing (optional)
- If your car has swirling/scratches, this is the step that removes them. This is where you will need a random orbital (or a rotary for the experienced) in order to achieve worthwhile results. If you are not going to use a machine but still want to remove some light oxidation/swirls, then you can use something like ScratchX or Zaino AIO (which I don't actually recommend b/c it just hides a lot of things, but it's better than nothing).
4. Waxing (or sealing)
- You have two choices here - a wax or a sealant. A wax will add depth and richness to the paint while a sealant will add more reflectivity and sharpness. It all depends on the color of the paint, whether it has metallic flake, and what look you are going for. This is a completely personal preference and opinions will vary on which is the "best". However, keep in mind that sealants generally last longer than waxes, due to their composition. An example of a sealant found in stores would be Meguiar's #21 (or NXT 2.0 which is pretty much a sealant) while a wax would be Meguiar's #26.
I think that's about it for the basics. Good luck.
Re: 2001somws.6
A cleaner wax should be a last step, or next to last step, in the waxing process. Its purpose is to clean and leave protection at the same time (for example, you would use this if you wanted to clear up some oxidation or light contamination removal without having to do another step afterwards for protection). Using a glaze after this will do nothing as a glaze is just a filler and there is nothing to fill on top of wax. I don't personally ever use a glaze as its only purpose is to hide things, not fix them, but that is up to each individual.
Re: Kyles200z
It is better to use a back and forth motion for applying anything by hand. While waxing with a proper pad should never cause marring, if it were to do so in a scenario where you are only using back and forth motions, it will be less noticeable.
Re: Iron Head
Be careful with this statement. If he is referring to an actual orbital buffer (aka, a rotary) it is VERY easy to burn through the paint. However, if he is referring to an orbital as a random orbital, then it is a lot harder to do so (particularly if it's a cheap one from wally world or something of the likes).
Rather than give specific recommendations of what to use, I'll just speak on what the process should be, letting you choose what products you want to use:
1. Wash the car of all easy to remove surface contaminants
- This means using a soap meant to remove as much as possible on the surface, such as Dawn or another liquid detergent. Using something like Meguiar's Gold Class, which is formulated to try and leave the existing protection on there, will not help and is just a waste when you know you are going to add protection later.
2. Get rid of the rest of the contaminants that a wash with soap and water will not remove
- This step involves a clay bar. Any clay bar kit from the store will do you just fine. Just make sure to keep each area well lubed while running the clay bar across the surface, and only use back and forth motions so as not to induce any more swirling than already exists.
3. Polishing (optional)
- If your car has swirling/scratches, this is the step that removes them. This is where you will need a random orbital (or a rotary for the experienced) in order to achieve worthwhile results. If you are not going to use a machine but still want to remove some light oxidation/swirls, then you can use something like ScratchX or Zaino AIO (which I don't actually recommend b/c it just hides a lot of things, but it's better than nothing).
4. Waxing (or sealing)
- You have two choices here - a wax or a sealant. A wax will add depth and richness to the paint while a sealant will add more reflectivity and sharpness. It all depends on the color of the paint, whether it has metallic flake, and what look you are going for. This is a completely personal preference and opinions will vary on which is the "best". However, keep in mind that sealants generally last longer than waxes, due to their composition. An example of a sealant found in stores would be Meguiar's #21 (or NXT 2.0 which is pretty much a sealant) while a wax would be Meguiar's #26.
I think that's about it for the basics. Good luck.
06-06-2008, 07:23 PM
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^^^ you beat me to it. i was just about to say everything that you just said. i have a writeup for a rotary buts only for either the experianced or some one that has access to getting some junk panels to practice on. personally i would learn the zaino method. i think its a great thing to use and you get an excellent finish out of it. you can always use the 3 step process but the better you want your car to look the more work that needs to go into it.
06-06-2008, 08:43 PM
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I personally like to compound the entire car first to get all the blemishes out and then start the waxing process.....be careful, that **** gets everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!
06-07-2008, 08:50 AM
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Well, let me clear up a lot of misinformation in here... (not trying to pick on anyone, just trying to clear things up)
Re: 2001somws.6
A cleaner wax should be a last step, or next to last step, in the waxing process. Its purpose is to clean and leave protection at the same time (for example, you would use this if you wanted to clear up some oxidation or light contamination removal without having to do another step afterwards for protection). Using a glaze after this will do nothing as a glaze is just a filler and there is nothing to fill on top of wax. I don't personally ever use a glaze as its only purpose is to hide things, not fix them, but that is up to each individual.
Re: Kyles200z
It is better to use a back and forth motion for applying anything by hand. While waxing with a proper pad should never cause marring, if it were to do so in a scenario where you are only using back and forth motions, it will be less noticeable.
Re: Iron Head
Be careful with this statement. If he is referring to an actual orbital buffer (aka, a rotary) it is VERY easy to burn through the paint. However, if he is referring to an orbital as a random orbital, then it is a lot harder to do so (particularly if it's a cheap one from wally world or something of the likes).
Rather than give specific recommendations of what to use, I'll just speak on what the process should be, letting you choose what products you want to use:
1. Wash the car of all easy to remove surface contaminants
- This means using a soap meant to remove as much as possible on the surface, such as Dawn or another liquid detergent. Using something like Meguiar's Gold Class, which is formulated to try and leave the existing protection on there, will not help and is just a waste when you know you are going to add protection later.
2. Get rid of the rest of the contaminants that a wash with soap and water will not remove
- This step involves a clay bar. Any clay bar kit from the store will do you just fine. Just make sure to keep each area well lubed while running the clay bar across the surface, and only use back and forth motions so as not to induce any more swirling than already exists.
3. Polishing (optional)
- If your car has swirling/scratches, this is the step that removes them. This is where you will need a random orbital (or a rotary for the experienced) in order to achieve worthwhile results. If you are not going to use a machine but still want to remove some light oxidation/swirls, then you can use something like ScratchX or Zaino AIO (which I don't actually recommend b/c it just hides a lot of things, but it's better than nothing).
4. Waxing (or sealing)
- You have two choices here - a wax or a sealant. A wax will add depth and richness to the paint while a sealant will add more reflectivity and sharpness. It all depends on the color of the paint, whether it has metallic flake, and what look you are going for. This is a completely personal preference and opinions will vary on which is the "best". However, keep in mind that sealants generally last longer than waxes, due to their composition. An example of a sealant found in stores would be Meguiar's #21 (or NXT 2.0 which is pretty much a sealant) while a wax would be Meguiar's #26.
I think that's about it for the basics. Good luck.
Re: 2001somws.6
A cleaner wax should be a last step, or next to last step, in the waxing process. Its purpose is to clean and leave protection at the same time (for example, you would use this if you wanted to clear up some oxidation or light contamination removal without having to do another step afterwards for protection). Using a glaze after this will do nothing as a glaze is just a filler and there is nothing to fill on top of wax. I don't personally ever use a glaze as its only purpose is to hide things, not fix them, but that is up to each individual.
Re: Kyles200z
It is better to use a back and forth motion for applying anything by hand. While waxing with a proper pad should never cause marring, if it were to do so in a scenario where you are only using back and forth motions, it will be less noticeable.
Re: Iron Head
Be careful with this statement. If he is referring to an actual orbital buffer (aka, a rotary) it is VERY easy to burn through the paint. However, if he is referring to an orbital as a random orbital, then it is a lot harder to do so (particularly if it's a cheap one from wally world or something of the likes).
Rather than give specific recommendations of what to use, I'll just speak on what the process should be, letting you choose what products you want to use:
1. Wash the car of all easy to remove surface contaminants
- This means using a soap meant to remove as much as possible on the surface, such as Dawn or another liquid detergent. Using something like Meguiar's Gold Class, which is formulated to try and leave the existing protection on there, will not help and is just a waste when you know you are going to add protection later.
2. Get rid of the rest of the contaminants that a wash with soap and water will not remove
- This step involves a clay bar. Any clay bar kit from the store will do you just fine. Just make sure to keep each area well lubed while running the clay bar across the surface, and only use back and forth motions so as not to induce any more swirling than already exists.
3. Polishing (optional)
- If your car has swirling/scratches, this is the step that removes them. This is where you will need a random orbital (or a rotary for the experienced) in order to achieve worthwhile results. If you are not going to use a machine but still want to remove some light oxidation/swirls, then you can use something like ScratchX or Zaino AIO (which I don't actually recommend b/c it just hides a lot of things, but it's better than nothing).
4. Waxing (or sealing)
- You have two choices here - a wax or a sealant. A wax will add depth and richness to the paint while a sealant will add more reflectivity and sharpness. It all depends on the color of the paint, whether it has metallic flake, and what look you are going for. This is a completely personal preference and opinions will vary on which is the "best". However, keep in mind that sealants generally last longer than waxes, due to their composition. An example of a sealant found in stores would be Meguiar's #21 (or NXT 2.0 which is pretty much a sealant) while a wax would be Meguiar's #26.
I think that's about it for the basics. Good luck.
So take a white car that has so much inbeded dirt that it just wont come of with a wash or the clay because clay does not take it all off. But using a step 1 the cleaner wax will and does. On the mothers bottle of there 1st step says prepares finish,cleans &polishes,removes old wax. So how does that leave some protection? A sealer&glaze step 2 polihes in depth luster and fills & hides imperfections. Some may have impererfections in there paint but it still gives the car the wet and depth in the paint. And if this has never been done to the car it should be used in order.
