quick pre-wax cleaner question

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2 8

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I am claying, pre-wax cleaning, polishing and waxing my car.



I want to know if meguiar's cleaner wax is or is not a pre-wax cleaner?



The only pre wax cleaner I can find is mothers and I can't find it locally.



Should I use this after clay and before polish? I am going to use mequiar's ultimate compound for polishing and gold class for wax.



the car is a 96 vw cabrio and the paint has its share of light scratches and contaminants.
 
Meguiars Cleaner wax is sort of an AIO. It cleans, has mild polishing abilities and leaves behind an LSP. To be honest, you could get away with claying and then going straight to the polishing steps. Or to remove any prior wax, simply wash with Dawn, clay, then polish.
 
If you are polishing your car, I don't think that you need a pre-wax cleaner.



In fact (and I could be wrong with this) I think that Mother's pre-wax cleaner (and certain other "pre-wax" products) are slightly abrasive. So in effect, you would be polishing with an ultra-fine polish then following up with something aggressive (the UC). Meguiar's cleaner wax is a non-abrasive cleaner, I believe.



Either way, I don't see the need to use one of those before you use an abrasive polish, or the UC, after you've washed the car properly and clayed it.



If the defects aren't that bad, I would try a less agressive product like Megs SwirlX first, the theory being that you use the least agressive compound as possible. You can always switch to the UC if the SwirlX isn't doing the job. if you use the UC, you may want to use the SwirlX afterward to try to eliminate any marring caused by the UC or remaining defects.
 
OK, I am an idiot. The product I have is Meguiars deep crystal paint cleaner.



It seems that meg's steps has it in their line up to use prior to polish.



Also I though the UC was not an aggressive compound.



I tried to post a link to that crystal paint cleaner so my post is not showing up.
 
2 8 said:
OK, I am an idiot. The product I have is Meguiars deep crystal paint cleaner.



It seems that meg's steps has it in their line up to use prior to polish.
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Meguiar's suggests the use of Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner (DC1) prior to the application of Deep Crystal Polish (or any of their other "pure polishes"--what folks here on Autopia call "glazes"). If you intend to follow-up claying with an abrasive polish or compound, then there would be no need to use DC1.
 
do glazes help remove contaminants in the paint? If I am wanting to remove contaminants before polishing what should I use? There are weird marks in the paint that I assume are in the clear coat because the clay didn't remove them. Will my UC take care of what the DC1 would have?
 
Some glazes will clean but most of the time a Glaze is a product designed to "hide" imperfections with the use of fillers and impart a nice shine to the paint. UC is more aggressive than the DC1 but will finish down nicely, it will remove probably the majority of imperfections depending on pad type/machine etc. Are you doing this by hand or machine?
 
It depends on the surface. I think lots of people here rush to polish if there is oxidation when a paint cleaner will save them time and lots of dirty pads. If the paint is chalky, I always go for something with a strong chemical cleaner. Megs #66 is my favorite.



To the OP, find some ColorX or TW ICE liquid clay if you have oxidation. ColorX is a fantastic OTC cleaner that lays down a little bit of a sealant. You can top that with any of your favorite OTC wax and have no problems. TW ICE liquid clay is also a fantastic paint cleaner, it seems unconventional but it does a fantastic job of removing surface contaminants and oxidation. Its no clay replacement, but a fantastic paint cleaner.
 
doing it by hand. This car doesn't really have much oxidation.



so what is the difference between the product I have (meguir's deep clean) and the TW ICE, colorX and #66?
 
2 8 said:
doing it by hand. This car doesn't really have much oxidation.



so what is the difference between the product I have (meguir's deep clean) and the TW ICE, colorX and #66?
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ICE Clay is like a car wash with a strong paint cleaner and a very mild abrasive. Colorx is a mild polish, #66 is a bit more abrasive. The deep clean will remove oxidation, but it will not fix your swirls. The "polish" whish is really a glaze will do a good job at hiding the swirls.
 
I already have the deep clean stuff so I am going to use it.



Do you think I should use a glaze polish or the ultimate compound after it?



I guess for a glaze polish I would probably buy the meguiar's swirl x since I have seen it around town
 
2 8 said:
I already have the deep clean stuff so I am going to use it.
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I can't help but think "just because you have something, that doesn't mean you oughta use it for no other reason".



After claying, you *might* have a light clay/lube residue left on the paint, but that's not even all that likely if you wash/wipe/buff off the panels after claying.



I simply wouldn't bother doing anything between the claying and the Ultimate Compound unless you have a good reason, such as *really* significant oxidation.



Then follow the Ultimate Compound with a milder (but still abrasive) product to give a ready-to-wax finish.





Do you think I should use a glaze polish or the ultimate compound after it?
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Use the Ultimate Compound. Those "glaze polishes" are nonabrasive, and thus more likely to disappoint than to please IMO. All they do is hide some flaws, no permanent benefit from them. If you want to use such a thing, use it after you've done all the (abrasive) polishing and right before your wax.



..I guess for a glaze polish I would probably buy the meguiar's swirl x since I have seen it around town
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The Swirl-X (which would probably be a great choice for use after the Ultimate Compound, so yeah..buy that) is *NOT* a "glaze polish" because it does in fact contain abrasives.



Glaze polishes, which Meguiar's calls "pure polishes" are functionally nonabrasive, and that's quite significant. People use them with incorrect expectations and are then disappointed by their results.



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia! Cool mix of vehicles you have there.
 
Thanks. Those are good tips.



I did use the paint cleaner and it did help with a lot of areas. There was some oxidation and some other blemishes or sort.



I didn't use the ultimate compound much as it didn't seem to be doing much. I think I need a machine buffer to really make a difference. I used the scratch -X on some spots. Finished it off with gold class.



BTW the car is white. I guess I could post a pic.



Still learning.
 
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