About to claybar my car.
03-13-2006, 09:27 PM
#1
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About to claybar my car. I have a couple of questions. I have meguiers NXT car wax, and Scratch X to remove some of the swirl marks. I wash, claybar, wash again then would I use the NXT wax or the Scratch-X first.
Also do I need to polish the car with maybe a polish prior to using NXT?
if so what brand.
Thats all I need help on.
thanks
Nate
Oh yeah I searched and couldn't find the exact answers to my questions.
Also do I need to polish the car with maybe a polish prior to using NXT?
if so what brand.
Thats all I need help on.
thanks
Nate
Oh yeah I searched and couldn't find the exact answers to my questions.
03-13-2006, 09:38 PM
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I'd use the polish after the 2nd wash, and before the waxing. I cant comment on when to use the ScratchX being Ive never used the stuff. But I'd assume you would use it before, or after the polish yet before waxing.
Meguiars has a good polish in their professional series. Its called #7 - Show Car Glaze, IIRC. I use it, and its just as easy as any other Meguiars product.
Meguiars has a good polish in their professional series. Its called #7 - Show Car Glaze, IIRC. I use it, and its just as easy as any other Meguiars product.
03-13-2006, 10:29 PM
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I use zaino but the cleaning process is the same no matter what the product.
1.claybar-mix 1/2 cap car soap with 12-16 ounces water in spray bottle. never claybar on a dry surface, paint can never be too wet.
2.wash with dawn to remove all wax and get down to bare paint. take the time to get all waterspots off when drying.
3.I wash car with regular car soap after dawn. dont think this has to be done though. whether you wash once or twice you need to wash car right after you are done with claybar.
dry car with a leafblower
4.polish car with desired # of coats
5. use any swirl mark remover
zaino recommends putting swirl remover right on top of polish, but i dont know if this is safe for all polishes. if you try this remember it takes twice as long to dry.
6. wax car with desired # of coats
plan on the car being in the garage for at least a weekend because you need to let the car sit between coats to let the previous coat expand and take full effect on your paint. time depends on the temperature. the warmer it is the less time you have to wait. I wait at least 3 hours between coats in the summer time, 5-7 around this time of year. I am just north of you in Ft. Wayne.
use only white 100% cotton towels. I use bath size towels so you are always wipping wax off with a clean part of the towel. wash towels first in liquid detergent and rinse twice. no bleach or fabric softener cut the stitched ends of the towels even though they will frey a little. possible scratching may occur.
I know this sounds like a lot but it is well worth it especially if your car is black. This is my process and I have a black car, its as close to glass as i
can get. hope this helps and enjoy the forearm workout.
1.claybar-mix 1/2 cap car soap with 12-16 ounces water in spray bottle. never claybar on a dry surface, paint can never be too wet.
2.wash with dawn to remove all wax and get down to bare paint. take the time to get all waterspots off when drying.
3.I wash car with regular car soap after dawn. dont think this has to be done though. whether you wash once or twice you need to wash car right after you are done with claybar.
dry car with a leafblower
4.polish car with desired # of coats
5. use any swirl mark remover
zaino recommends putting swirl remover right on top of polish, but i dont know if this is safe for all polishes. if you try this remember it takes twice as long to dry.
6. wax car with desired # of coats
plan on the car being in the garage for at least a weekend because you need to let the car sit between coats to let the previous coat expand and take full effect on your paint. time depends on the temperature. the warmer it is the less time you have to wait. I wait at least 3 hours between coats in the summer time, 5-7 around this time of year. I am just north of you in Ft. Wayne.
use only white 100% cotton towels. I use bath size towels so you are always wipping wax off with a clean part of the towel. wash towels first in liquid detergent and rinse twice. no bleach or fabric softener cut the stitched ends of the towels even though they will frey a little. possible scratching may occur.
I know this sounds like a lot but it is well worth it especially if your car is black. This is my process and I have a black car, its as close to glass as i
can get. hope this helps and enjoy the forearm workout.
03-14-2006, 08:13 AM
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Oh man thanks for the reply I didn't know I had to wait for the wax to expand.. So I polish.. let sit for a few hours then wipe off.. or do I put it on, let it dry, wipe off, then let it sit.
03-14-2006, 02:27 PM
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Wax/polish, let it slightly haze, then wipe off. If you want to put an additional coat on, then you should wait a bit to let it "breathe" and expand. *DO NOT* let the polish or wax sit for hours on end!!! It will become a major PITA to remove.
Although it depends on who you talk with as to how long you should wait, I'd say 30-45 minutes at the least inbetween coats.
Although it depends on who you talk with as to how long you should wait, I'd say 30-45 minutes at the least inbetween coats.
03-14-2006, 04:35 PM
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And a fun project it is!
I just did my mom's benz.....took me 4 hours just to clay it. Since it has "Nano paint" on it, I didn't need to do any polishing, so I went straight for the Zaino Z2 Pro and applied 3 coats of that with a coat of Z6 Spray in between. Taking in consideration all the drying time and time between coats, I spend 8 hours on the car just to apply the 3 coats of Z2 Pro.
Car detailing......definitely a labor of love. The Benz looks great now, I did my car a month before, and thanks to the clay and zaino, it still feels slicker than a baby's butt.
Good luck man!
I just did my mom's benz.....took me 4 hours just to clay it. Since it has "Nano paint" on it, I didn't need to do any polishing, so I went straight for the Zaino Z2 Pro and applied 3 coats of that with a coat of Z6 Spray in between. Taking in consideration all the drying time and time between coats, I spend 8 hours on the car just to apply the 3 coats of Z2 Pro.
Car detailing......definitely a labor of love. The Benz looks great now, I did my car a month before, and thanks to the clay and zaino, it still feels slicker than a baby's butt.
Good luck man!
