is it ok to use a wax right after cleaning?

G

gopedhead

New member
I'm very new to this, and i'm stomped as what to do.





I'm getting the basics down, but as far as good products to use. i dont know what to use. i have a few things i want to say and tell you guys about my car first.



the paint is still pretty good, brand new car w/o any swirls but the problem is i haven't washed it in a while.



i'm thinking about first



washing it



claying it



washing it



cleaning it (meguires) step #1



waxing it (meguires) step #3





Is it ok to do this kind of step? i dont think i will need to use the polish as i said the paint does not have one swirl mark or fine line scratches. maybe a few here and there, but very hard to spot.



i'm afraid to use teh polish because it will take too much clearcoat off teh car and i feel that it's not necessary. Is it necersary to polish before waxing?





Please, any feedback or oppionions woudl be greatly appreciated.



thanks guys.
 
I would replace your second washing with just a simple rinse. There's really no need to rewash your vehicle. Everything else in your method approach is fine.



Polish will not really remove a lot of your clear coat. It just depends on what tools/method you'll be using to polish your car. It's definitely suggested to polish/clean your paint before you put your LSP(last step product) on your paint.
 
Most polishes only take off a minimal amount of clearcoat, to the point where it's insignificant. If I'm not mistaken, polishing once a year or so will not deplete your clearcoat by the end of your car's life. However, if the paint it fine, then there is no reason to polish it. Make sure that when you wash, you use the 2 bucket method, use clean wash mitts, rinse out dirty mitts, use plenty of soap, use free-flow nozzle method to dry the car, and only dry by blotting, no wiping. These procedures insure a swirl-free wash. Improper washing is the main reason for swirls. If you don't know these terms, either ask or search on autopia. We'll be glad to help you.
 
Your routine sounds good.Don't be affraid to use the polish before waxing,(i assume it's the meguiars deep crystal system) because it is non abrasive,the paint will probably look better for using it,and it would be impossible to remove any clearcoat by using it,as the step 2 is a pure polish without abrasives.
 
The Megs DC paint cleaner is non abrasive. It will do a nice job of cleaning up the paint without taking out the swirls. It will not remove clearcoat, so yoiu should feel safe in using it.



As long as the paint is clean and particle free, you can wax right after washing, and anytime that you feel that it needs it. You do not have to use #1 except once, unless you run into some real baked on dirt, or if you get airborne particles stuck onto the paint. For the paint particles or overspray, you can use the clay and just wax.
 
so another question arises. should i just use all 3 steps from the meguires deep crystel? i WILL definately be clay baring my car becaue it definately has tar and tree sap on it and it wont come off w/ a car wash. but should i just wash teh car after the clay bar, rinse it after clay bar or use all three steps after clay bar, or just step 2 and 3 after claybar?





i bought the clay majic clay bar kit at auto zone and wanted to know if clay bar is acctually an abrasive that removes the clearcoat. is it more agressive than teh step 1 deep crystle of meguires?
 
Claybars do not remove any clearcoat. They just remove the surface contaminants that have stuck onto your paint. Polishing after claying cannot hurt. It will prep the surface nicely for your wax. I would go with the claying and the 3 steps. Once you get the first time done right and you maintain it by properly washing it, you won't have to clay/polish for a while.
 
thats what i figured. thats why i want to do it right now before i seal the whole car w/ containimanets under the wax.



My next main question is.



What towel shoudl i use for which process?



Wash - i will be using the meguires water magnet



clay - a microfiber plus (meguirs) ?????



cleaning - * i have no idea*



polishing - *i have no idea*



waxing - *i have no idea*





shoudl i use two towels for each process. one to apply, one to remove? or shoudl i apply these steps w/ an applicator pad? are applicator pads reusable?











Are there any other products that work better than meguires? give a better shine? what if i want to try a different wax later, is there a way to strip the wax w/ dawn? woudl that mean the paint is bare and i woudl have to clean it again?









I'm terribly sorry fro all the many newb questions. i really appreiciate all teh help im getting here from you guys.



Thanks!
 
is the last step of the meguires DC a pure carnaba wax? w/ no cleaning properties?



i know that meguires sells a bottle of "cleaner/wax" and wanted to know if this is the same. teh step 3 does not have any cleaner but just pure wax correct?
 
gopedhead- I apply stuff with foam pads or MF pads/towels. You can clean and reuse them but I only use stuff with the same product each time. I buff stuff off with MF towels.



The Deep Crystal cleaner is *very mildly* abrasive (this is straight from Meg's- Mike Pendleton in Product Development, I only learned this recently) but not enough that you need to worry. Ditto for their cleaner wax, which *is* different from the Deep Crystal wax (yeah, the DC wax is cleaner-free, just a "straight wax"). These products are so mildly abrasive that they're almost nonabrasive in practical use.



Don't use the cleaner wax with the other Deep Crystal stuff as it'll clean off Deep Crystal Step #2 Polish (which is nonabrasive, it's just a glaze).



DO NOT worry about taking off too much clear. It simply won't happen in your case (working by hand with mild products). Removing scratches/etc. ("marring") requires the removal of clear, it's a catch-22 situation but again, just don't worry about it. You could buy some Meg's Scratch-X for any nasty scratches, it's mild and fairly effective.



IMO there are a scad of products that'd work better, but they're not commonly available OTC. Try the Deep Crystal stuff and see how you like it, it's a very good way to start off with this stuff. If you find some Collinite brand wax you can get that instead of the Deep Crystal wax (it'll last a lot longer). Or Meg's #26 wax, it's pretty good too. But the first two steps of the Deep Crystal system are a good way to start.



To strip wax I'd use rubbing alcohol, but thinking about that is getting a bit ahead of yourself ;) No, Dawn doesn't strip a healthy coat of wax (at least it never did it for me).
 
I just did some claying after i got done washign the car adn boy did it make a difference, i took me too long to finish just the hood. i did use all three steps of the meguires after the clay and boy does ti feel good. it got too dark to finish teh rest and i can't see anything. i'll finish teh rest tomorrow.



HOwever, i'm using the clay magic blue compond and it doesnt' seem to take off too much. i had to keep making more passes on the paint to get rid of all those nasty tar spots and sap spots. is it ok to do that? or should i just make 4 passes and leave the black dots on there? what techniques do u guys use to flatten the clay as flat as possible? mine seems to have ridges so only parts of the clay will directly touch the paint surface.







one last thing to ask is it ok to put my foam pads in teh washign machine along w/ m y towels w/ liquid detergent?
 
gropedhead- Hard to say about putting the pads in the washer. I've done it without messing up the velcro but others weren't so lucky. It *does* seem that you can get them cleaner doing it by hand.



Keep claying until you get it clean (spots gone). Better to do it a long time with mild clay than to risk marring the paint with more aggressive clay. I pull my clay apart into small pieces that are easy to knead then I toss them out when they get dirty. It helps if you drop the clay too, you don't have to throw away the whole bar ;)
 
yea. haha. i learned teh hard way. i dropped teh whole bar and had to buy a new one. my pads do not have any velco. they are the meguires foam pads (high tech) i think the gold glass series.





my car is very dirty and boy will it take some time to finish the rest of the car. however, after using asll three steps. i cna still see very small scraches. like swirl marks but not. is this normal? shoudl i be able to see at least some very light scratching? nothing like swirls but very very light? whats the best approach to remove these next time i clay bar.?
 
IMO most vehicles, even well-detailed ones, have a bit of marring. It's only an issue if it bothers *you*. If so, then you'll have to use abrasive products to polish out the little scratches. I'd get a PC/Cyclo for this as doing it by hand will take forever and a day. I'd think long and hard about whether it's worth worrying about...
 
i can't see it unles i'm looking for it. liek i ahve to bend w/ the light and watch the micro maring at the very steep angle. i wont see it at all if i look at it from close. just under light at a specific angle.
 
I was a veteren of the DC and Mother's 3 step products. They offer a good start point into the basics of detailing. It is a good way of keeping the paint clean in a simple format. Like Accumulator says, in order to get swirling and light scratches out you will need to use more abrasive polishes, and either a Random Orbital (pc) buffer or a Rotary buffer. A PC is safer to use, and has less of a learning curve than the random. It will get most detailing jobs done short of sanding (and others have used it for wetsanding....its original purpose was to sand wood furniture).



My advice would be to stick around here awhile and pick up some useful tips on using a buffer, as well as the varied array of products for the endless pursuit of the "ultimate shine." Be prepared to be influenced.



As long as you've taken care of the immediate issues, then you should be in good shape right now.
 
Another thought that comes to mind: unless you're absolutely certain that you can wash/dry without marring, there's no point in worrying about minor flaws.
 
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