Hi all i'm new to the detailing and have a few questions. I've been searching and reading and see that RockPick is the meguiars man to talk too. So I'll gear this towards him. Rock I'm using the 3 step meguiars to do my detailing, but since its new I figured I'd skip the cleaner. Should I use the cleaner or not. Then after I polish it I was wondering if I should put the #3 meguiars carnuba or #26. Also if I wanted to add the synthetic NXT when would I add this too it. Thanks for any helpfull info.

Ski

 

I got another question. I read about people doing layers, after 24 hours, are you supposed to wash your vehicle again before applying the other layer. I guess if you vehicle is garage kept you wouldn't have too.

 

Hey ski, next dyno day I will bring my detailing supplies and show you how to clean that nice truck properly
I wash mine, dry it good, than use either the #26 yellow wax, or if I am lazy I use the new Tech wax....I apply it with my Porter Cable and remove it with a microfiber towel.....I did use some of the Scratch-x and the polish before waxing it right before the dyno session.....

 

Rather than the cleaner, have you considered a clay bar treatment? This is going to do a MUCH better job than the cleaner can do with any bonded contaminants. I'd probably skip the cleaner step on an 05' but, that's just me.

#26 or Step 3... either or. My personal opinion is that #26 is one of the best carnauba based waxes on the market and really adds some nice depth. Further, for a carnauba, it's pretty durable. By the same token, DC Step 3 isn't a bad product. If you own one or the other, don't buy the other for the sake of this conversation....

NXT should be used BEFORE the 26/3. In short, you'll want the carnauba product to be your VERY last step. Further, you're going to want to allow a 12-24 hour 'cure time' for NXT as it's a full synthetic. You'll probably want to go with two coats of NXT (some of the first will be removed as NXT has a very light cleaner to it but, this will ensure uniform and complete coverage -- I always go with, at least, two coats of whatever LSP that I use (LSP - last step product)).

As for the 24-hour cure time... don't worry with washing your vehicle again unless you're leaving it outside in an extremely dusty area. While it certainly won't hurt, if you're keeping the truck in the garage, you're fine.

RP

 

Thanks for the info. I wish I had a garage to keep my truck in, but unfortunately I don't. That would be great Marc. Now I really can't wait until the next dyno day. I just hope it won't be on one of my travel days. They are starting to send us down to new orleans area to help out. I volunteered but just waiting my turn. I'll be in quantico from Oct 10-14, it would be great if the dyno day is on the 15. I would just take my truck to quantico with me, It would also mean the wife can't drive it hehe. Once you show me how the pc works, I'll probably end up buying one.
As for the waxing I took the 1st, and 3rd step back and got the 26. Since i'm at my parents house I just used the polish and then 26 on my truck. I did use the nxt 2 weeks prior though. I was wondering if I should put another coat of the 26 on tomorrow, or would that just be waste.

 

Absolutely no waste. In fact, just for your own benefit... apply #26 to half of your hood or half of your tailgate before applying it to everything... stand back and make some observations...

I think you'll notice a deeper, richer, better looking finish. Synthetics, in my opinion, simply don't yield the looks that a good carnauba wax (like #16 or #26) can yield. On the flip side though, they don't have the durability of a synthetic...

RP

 

I feel the same way!

A lot of people, including myself, like to apply a coat or two of synthetic wax as a base, and then apply a coat of two of a great carnauba as a topper. This way, you get the added "protection" of the synthetic, and the added "looks" of the carnauba.

As a matter of fact, the carnauba may actually "protect" the synthetic coats a bit, which should enhance the overall protetction. Of course, the carnauba that is being used as a topper must have minimum, or no cleaning ability for this to work.

This is why I'm growing particularly fond of the new Mothers' FX Synwax and Reflections Top Coat combo. The Synwax is a very good synthetic wax. The Top Coat is a polymer/carnauba blend with NO cleaning ability. With that combo, I'm able to retain some of the clarity and brightness of the synthetic product, and also gain some of the best carnauba attributes... depth and gloss.

 

I agree with boss. I put two coats of NXT on my 05 supercrew and then followed with two coat of TopCoat. Everyone has been asking what I use on my truck and when setting in a parking lot no other vehicles compare. Has a very wet look and is really smooth. Next I'm going to try either Synwax or the Reflections wax with the TopCoat.

Boss have you tried the Reflections Wax? How is is different than the Synwax? They sound very similiar.

 

I followed Rockpick's suggestions from a different post about the 3 step process and I'm very happy with the results Just wanted to say thanks Rockpick!

 

FX4Crew,

Yes I have. The Reflections Wax is also a very good product. I like it better than the old Reflections. However, I like the Synwax just a tad more... at least when used in combination with the Top Coat on the vehicles I have tried them on.

You are correct, they are similar. Both the Reflections wax and Synwax are polymers, and both contain a slight amount of cleaning ability. The Top Coat is a polymer/carnauba blend, and has NO cleaning ability... hence the reason it can be layered to an extent.

To me, there is a noticeable difference in appearance between the Synwax and the Reflections Wax. The Synwax is clearer and brighter, while the Reflections is a bit warmer and softer looking. Keep in mind that I haven't compared all these products on ALL colors. I just happen to feel that the Synwax/Top Coat combo gives me a "unique" look that I don't see with other products.

If I were you, I would try them both, as your "eye" may be different than mine.

 

Looks sharp Dk... Glad to have helped.

RP

 

Just thought I would add a couple of comments -

#26 is certainly good stuff, though to me should be used as the final topper & maintenance coat over a good clean, flat base and then something that lasts a little longer (like a poly), especially in hot, sunny areas.

I've used several polymer sealants and pretty much ended up settling with UPP topped with either #26 or S100 (the stuff you get @ the Harley dealers).

What I cant stress enough is gettting the prep right before the poly & wax, else all that work wont last 5 minutes as all the swirls & blemishes come back through.

As for paint cleaning ... I've found 'paint cleaners' as such to be wayyy too mild to fix even simple problems and usually end up going back to something like DA Cleaner Polish or even Diamond Cut (I'm working on brush scratches on a 2000 Supercrew right now), but regardless of severity it all needs fixing before any wax/sealant etc is laid over the top.

As for my experience?
I used to detail professionally until someone offered me more money to do something else, I've pretty much dealt with every kind of 'problem' (both inside & out of a vehicle) there is!



Nice forum btw.