I've read countless posts where people are using #9 this and #26 that but I can't find any of these numbers referenced on the Meguiar's website. Am I missing something? It sounds like people really like this stuff so I want to give it a try. Please point me in the right direction.

Thanx

 

Red Wing Nut - Believe me, I don't have the skills or knowledge that Rockpick has, but you can find #9 Swirl Remover and #26 on the Meguiar's hompage under The Professional Store and clicking on Professional Automotive Appearance Care. #9 will be listed under Polish, Swirl Remover, part # M-0916 for 16 ozs and #26 will be listed under Wax, High Tech Yellow Wax, part # M-2616 for 16 ozs. You can also visit Meguiar's Online.Com at http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/. This site is a forum that only discusses Meguar's products and has a wealth of knowledge. When you visit read the forum, you can read about #9 and #26 under the Professional Line. I've used both of these on my Red Screw, along with #7 Show Car Glaze and the results were great. Good luck.

 

wahooscrew,
Thanks. I think I've got it figured out. Maybe not. My truck is only 2 months old so I don't think I need #9 as I don't have any swirl marks. I'm looking for a deep shiney finish. What products do I need and in what order do I use them.

 

Try the new NXT wax by meguiars. then top it with #26

 

#26 is also a wax. Are you saying to put on one wax and then put the other wax on top of it? What would be the benefit of using 2 waxes? Is this something recommended by Meguiar's?

 

We're in the middle of another severe thunderstorm outbreak here so I'm going to monitor that situation. I'll post back shortly with a little clarification and maybe a little bit of help.

RP

 

Alrighty...

RWN,

From what you've described, you probably don't want to go with the #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 as it's probably not a product that you need. You see, #9 is specifically desigened to remove fine scratches and swirl marks while providing a very deep shine. Since you say that you don't have the swirls, I'd probably shun against this product.

Here's what I'd do...

1. Wash. This is, generally, a no-brainer but, here's a few tips. Utilize the two-bucket system (one bucket of clean/fresh water and one bucket of car wash solution mix). Once you've washed a single panel, go to your fresh water, rinse out your wash mitt and then go back to your soap bucket. This will help prevent cross-contamination of grit and the grime that you pull off of your truck with your good, soapy water. Second hint: When you're final rinsing your truck, take off the spray nozzle that you've been using and allow a constant, steady stream of water to flow across your paint. Start with the top of the truck and work your way downward. This will help to prevent pesky water marks and make your drying job TREMENDOUSLY easier.

2. Analyze your paint. At this point, your paint, in it's best form, should feel as smooth as glass. No rough touch should be felt as you glide your clean hand gently across the surface. If you do have a 'rough' feel, you may need to clay your vehicle.

3. Clay (if needed -- and I suspect that it will be needed). Clay is one of the best kept secrets in the detailing world in my opinion. It's VERY simple, relatively safe, and requires little to no effort to obtain great results. (if you need clay pointers, I can probably dig up some good/old threads that deal with clay... why re-invent the wheel when you can simply look it up?) LOL!

4. After clay, unfortunately, you may generate a few very fine scratches. This is because clay is slightly abrasive to the surface of the paint however; it is a necessary evil. If small scratches/swirls are seemingly present, you may want to consider a product like the aforementioned #9 to deal with those problems. This would be known as the polishing step. Again, if you need a pointer, give me a yell. One huge tip, follow the directions on the #9 bottle to the 'T' as then, and only then, will you really reap the rewards of this product.

5. You asked specifically about #26 early in the thread. #26 is a premium yellow carnauba wax blended with some polymers and other waxes. It is an extremely easy-to-use product in that it's very easy on and even easier off. Better yet, it can easily be applied by hand and is available in liquid or paste. Personally, this is still one of my favorite products on the market. On meguiars.com, you may find this product listed as M-2616 (Meguiar's #26 in a 16oz bottle for those of you attempting to decypher the code there). Personally, I'd hold on this product and follow Liny's instructions as I've had STELLAR results by utilizing that combo.

6. NXT. NXT is a synthetic wax (or sealant as many like to call it). NXT offers the newest/latest technology in surface protection from Meguiar's and personally, I think it's a KILLER product. It goes on VERY easy by hand and comes off just as easy. It offers a VERY light cleaning action (I stress the word very) and can be applied directly over the #9 that you may or may not have used earlier.

So, in recap.

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Polish
4. NXT
5. NXT
6. #26


To answer your question about layering...

Yes, this is a very common technique utilized in the detailing world to add an additional level of protection as well as an additional level of 'pop'. Trust me here, #26 looks GREAT on red colored vehicles and even better when it's on top of NXT. I recently utilized this system on my wife's 02 Accord that is Firepepper Red and it REALLY made it look good (better than anything I'd utilized in the past).


Also, you may note that step 4 & 5 in the recap are both NXT. This was intentional. The main reason for this is to make sure that you have even and uniform coverage across your paint. This is not only important from a protection standpoint but also from a optical quality standpoint. Be sure to wait around 30 minutes in-between applications of NXT as it does require a certain amount of 'cure' time.

Hmm, I think I covered the majority (if not all) of your questions that you've posted. I'm sure I've muddied the waters to a certain degree now and thus, I'll be standing by tomorrow evening (out of town tomorrow during the day on business) ready to field additional questions. In addition, we've got some guys on here that know a considerable amount more than I do (Intel, Boss, APT, just to name a few) and I have a feeling that they will chime in and add their advice to my mix as well.

Fire all missles!

RP

 

Hey Rockpick,

I've been a user of many of Meguiars products and like the performance very well. I'm also a member of Autopia and many of the members over there recommend using Meguiars #16 as a topper instead of #26. They say it gives more depth to the paint. Have you ever tried this and what's your opinion? I've used #26 and like it a lot, and recently have been using NXT with great success. I've been topping it with S100. Thanks for any input you can offer.

 

I've heard that #16 is an excellent product however; to date, I haven't tried it. Like you, I'm constantly dredging the boards at autopia, meguiarsonline, detailcity, showcargarage, and a few others and I'm hearing similar stories. In fact, there's been quite a buzz about it on meguiarsonline.com recently.

My personal opinion is that different products look better on different paint colors. I'd like to try #16 sometime but, for the time being, I think I've just about maxed out with depth with the NXT/#26 combo on my particular paint color. Also, I've heard mixed stories about the possibility of #16 going to that great big place in the sky where Final Detail and CitriGel have since gone. That's not a confirmed story but, it did come from a very credible source. Again, it's just an opinion and I might get 'wow'd' by #16 but, I think the NXT/#26 combo, for me, is going to be tough to beat!

It's on my wish list...

RP

 

Rockpick just has the enthusiasm and dedication that I no longer have. In short, following his steps is a great guideline.

Wash
Clay
polish
protect

If your paint is in very good condition with minimal swirls, then I'd use a paint cleaner. Meguairs has a great one if you are brand loyal, Medallion Paint Cleaner. It should be a little less work than #9 2.0.

Regarding layering, many people including myself have use a synthetic base and carnaurba topper. I would say it doesn't change the look much over jus tusing a coat or two of the carnaurba, though. The synthetic just adds protection if you let the topper wear off.

I would say the most impressive results with minimal effort are to wash, clay, paint cleaner, and carnauba wax. I can do that rather thoroughly in an evening after work, 3-4 hours leisurely.

IMHO, carnauba looks better than synthetic on dark color vehicles with the lighter colors looking more similar. Thus, for light colors, jsu tuse synthetic to get the longer protection per application.

 

Rockpick,

Thanks for the info. I'll have to give it a try.

 

Hey guys, After reading about some of these posts I ran out and bought #9, NXT, #26. I am applying #9 atm and I get this 'squeaking' sound when drying and I have some black on my towel when applying/drying. Good thing is im using this on my friends old black POS. Is this squeaking / black good or bad? Thanks in advance.

 

I'm familiar with the sound that you're describing...

My suggestion is that you rotate your towel much more frequently as it typically does that when the towel is 'loading up'. In short, the towel is full and doesn't have enough surface area to wipe off additional product. I'm making the assumption here that you're using a very high-pile 100% cotton terry towel (I mean bath towel quality... ultra-soft)?

Also, a big hint with #9 is to do the vehicle panel by panel. Don't go and apply it all the way across the entirety of the vehicle and then come back and try to remove it... it'll be a BEAST! Best case scenario, immediately after you've worked the product until it's just about dry, start removing it. You see, it doesn't have to dry to the surface for it to do all of it's work. You do, however, need to make totally sure that you remove ALL of the product from the paint prior to applying a protective layer such as NXT and/or #26.

Another hint, use Microfiber to remove wax/polish. I know they're pricey but, they're worth their weight in gold!

RP

 

Thanks for quick reply. Yes I have a high-pile of ultra soft towel. I also have MF towel but havent been using it to remove. I also am going panel by panel. I am almost done now its putting out a good shine. Kind of scared about the results I will get from NXTx2 and a 26. Wish me luck !

 

Don't be scared! You're going to love the results! You're doing the hard part right now... #9 isn't exactly the easiest product on the market to use but, it yields results that are WELL worth the effort.

The NXT and #26 will glide on and glide off even easier. Try the MF on these two products and enjoy.

RP