Hey guys, I used to use gold class as my wax of choice after my usual surface prep, but realized that I wax so often during the warmer months (I find it enjoyable since I don't have a space to detail the car down at school) that I switched over to #26 yellow tech wax. Obviously this isn't a synthetic, so the durability isn't quite the same as gold class but this wax seems to get a deeper shine and more of a "wet" look since it's a yellow wax. Before anyone mentions it, i've tried zaino but it's simply easier for me to find these products and with the amount of time I spend waxing the durability isn't really much of an issue for me.

Since i'll be getting out for the summer in about a month, these are the questions that have come up in my mind:

Car has mild scratching/swirling in some areas from general daily driving but the hood has always been a bit of a problem (damn soft gm paint), would stripping all wax then polishing with 3m 39009 via 6" orbital be enough? I'm not familiar with how heavy a cut this stuff has since I only used it once in a very small area (and by hand, not buffer), so I don't know if I should prepare myself for having to go with some 3m rubbing compound or not.

I hear a lot about the porter cable. What makes it better than a standard 6" random orbital? I do all my glazing/waxing by hand and only use the buffer for polishing, so i'm not sure how much i'd need this.

After prepping the surface with the 3m, I planned on doing a coat of mcguire's #6 cleaner wax, then a coat of #7 glaze, and finally 2 coats of #26 yellow tech to finish it off. How much 'better' will the appearance of the car be over just doing something more simple like a few coats of nxt directly after the polishing? I've used the cleaner/yellow wax combo before with very impressive results, but now i'll be throwing in the glaze for some added depth. Since my car is a 98, a little bit of spiderwebbing has developed by now. I'm a perfectionist though...will the glaze help hide this a bit? I know the only way to truly remove spiderwebbing is with a repaint, I just can't afford that on a college budget. Again, i'm not as concerned with durability as I am with the quality and depth of the shine on my black paint .

Comments, suggestions, tips, etc. all welcome...TIA!

 

the thing about the Porter is that you can give it to a little kid and they can't "burn" the paint so it is perfect for the beginner but doesn't have all that much power to it

 

here ya go i did this to a friends z28

wash
clay
menzerna ipx2
meguiars hand polish
meguiars nxt
before
http://community.webshots.com/script...ecurity=MWFfJl
after
http://community.webshots.com/script...ecurity=MjMsIT
http://community.webshots.com/script...ecurity=gchCEp
i used a porter cable so you may need that to remove the scratches like i did
id first wash clay, dual action cleaner polish, meguiars #9, #7 then NXT on top of that you can do the 26 but you will be satisfied with just the 9 7 26 but i think the nxt adds more protection and durability along with the glossyness of a polymer synthetic. not like the 26 which would add some warmth to the vehicles appearance.
good luck

 

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Thank you.

 

well the car gets waxed once every week or two in the summer time when i'm home, so i'm trying to avoid synthetics if they don't give a better shine in any way. durability isn't an issue for me.

 

If durability isn't an issue then by all means use a carnauba. I wouldn't use Gold Class though, in the grand scheme of things it isn't that great at all. Do your polishing and prep work and then pick yourself up some S100 or P21S carnauba paste wax. They are great waxes with incredible bang for the buck - they have no cleaners, look spectacular, and are quite durable for a carnauba. Gold Class has barely any carnauba content (and the carnauba it has is yellow - not ivory), it contains cleaners, it contains silicones, and it is rather smeary and not very durable. Don't get me wrong - properly used it can look pretty darn good, but just wanted to let you know for a few bucks more you can do alot better.

-Tom

 

Well, like I said I switched from the gold class over to the yellow wax carnauba. Still isn't the same as an ivory wax as you stated, but is much better than the gold class in my opinion.

Am I pretty on-point with the 3m, cleaner wax, glaze, then carnauba though for a great looking finish? Like I said, the cleaner/carnauba combo yielded GREAT results, i'm just trying to get rid of those final swirls and spiderwebs that nobody notices but myself . Will the 3m and glaze have a rather significant impact?

Thanks again!

 

blk98bird - you're pretty on-target there. Make sure you use the proper pad for the application with your polisher and make sure you use microfiber towels. The 3m and glaze will have a much greater impact than cleaner wax will.

Be advised, however, that your choice of products is a bit filler and oil-rich - not a bad thing, but your results may come out looking even better than they truly are because of the fillers, and you may see them degrade a little as the fillers wear off.

Good luck and keep us in the loop !!



Tom

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/128017324uJNthk/1

there ya go

 

Thanks for the info Tom. For the 3m polishing should I use a foam pad? For waxing i've always used a small dampened 100% cotton royal velvet towel (I cut them into various sizes) for application, then another towel of the same type for removal, followed by a microfiber towel (and sometimes some detailing spray) for a final whipe to make sure any oils/residues left behind are gone.

Sound good, or should I change this up a little?

edit: forgot to add...is it your opinion that I should skip the cleaner wax step all together since i'm using a mild abrasive like the 3m 39009 to polish the finish once it has been stripped with dawn? Also, can anyone toss some input in as to why something like the porter cable would be better than my more inexspensive craftsman 6"? I'm thinking of switching, but not sure if it's a big enough difference to justify the cost...

 

Tell you a good combo megs 82,81,26 sometimes I use nxt insteed of 26 I like the 26 my car is red so the 26 gives it a rich wet look.