You don't have to apply any real pressure to the clay. With the QD Lube it will glide over the finish and you will first feel a roughness to the surface and then after you have clayed an area ithe clay will began to move without any resistance at all. If you hold the clay with your finger tips barely extended beyond the edge of the clay you can feel the rough surface become smoother as you use the clay. This also allows you to keep a more even pressure on the clay by not pushing through it with your fingertips.

You can reuse the clay until you no longer can get a clean surface after kneading the clay. The learning curve on using clay is almost non-existant and you will be surprised how easy it is. Just use lots of QD lube.

 

Harley is right on...

The weight of your hand on the bar going across the paint is adequate. You need not 'push' or apply any direct downward pressure.


Reuse will depend upon the condition of the paint that you're 'cleaning' as well as how often you've used it. I typically like to use a 'white' colored clay like Meguiar's Mild so that I can actually 'see' the amount of crud in the clay. As it starts to get a bit more dingy looking, I'll snub it. There's no golden rule here but, you should get 'several' uses out of it...

 

Can't wait to try it this weekend.

 

Can you use Megs NXT Speed Detailer instead of the Quick Detailer?

 

Yep. That's about the only thing that Speed Detailer is good for in my opinion...

I've always found it to be a lousy (at best) product. Definitely not one of Meg's better items in my opinion.

 

I bought the SD to use between wax jobs. Is QD a good option to use?

 

I use the Meg's QD and have had excellent results with it. After I wash and dry my truck I go over it with the QD. I use one of the Meg's Dog bone shape MF sponges to apply and wipe it down. Our local Big Lots have the DB sponges right now in stock for about $3.00. In fact, if you live near a Big Lots, check out their other Meg's items. I picked up a wheel spoke brush, tire brush, interior brush, slide lock detail brush and a body brush. All for less than $5.00 each. Dollar General also has some of the Meg's items.

 

I'm not much on it honestly hoot02...

For me, it seemed to smear and wouldn't really ever clear up. I found myself having to 'rub' to remove the shadowing and smears and that totally negates the reason for using a QD spray (you don't want to have to scrub to get something like that off!) Further, I didn't think it had quite the lubricating qualities that I like to see in a QD spray. Similar to NXT SD, the Detailer line product called Last Touch isn't all that great either.

I have both and have used both but, I find myself going more and more back to the old standby - #34 Final Inspection (or a host of other QD sprays that I have -- 4 Star UGE, PB's S&W, FK1, Final Detail (even though I'm almost out) Meg's QD, etc).

-RP-

 

Unfortunately though, the reason those products are in those stores is a testament as to how well they sold... which is a testament to how good of a product some of them were.

While not all of them were awful -- I really liked the slide lock brush -- some weren't worth the plastic that was used to make them.

Also, I really prefer to use a nice microfiber towel to QD any vehicle... here's why.

More wiping surface.

With the MF sponges, you basically have two sides. With a larger MF towel folded into quarters, you have several -- typically 8. I will rotate my folds frequently to ensure that I'm not dragging the 'grime' that I've picked up from the paint all over other portions of the body. It's just more of a 'safety' thing from my perspective.

Further, I'm cut from the cloth that I will use one side of the towel to 'spread' the QD across the paint and the other side (the drier side) to lightly wipe off the excess. Meg's Director of Training was actually the one that got me into this habit after making an example out of me when I was out there for the Advanced 3-Day Course... I was only using one side and he pointed it out -- to everyone in the class. HA!

Sure, no one should use a QD spray to 'wash' their truck but, regardless, you will inherently pick up some stuff during a standard QD that could potentially harm the clear.

 

I quess alot of it is personal preference on what is used to apply and wipe down in any process. While I haven't had the pleasure of attending one of the Meg's classes like yourself, IMHO the method I use works for me. I do just use one side to apply and the other side to wipe down and lots of times I will use two of the DB MF sponges in the process. Regardless of the process you use, the product application is worth the time invested. To me it just adds another layer for the elements to have to penatrate before getting to the wax.

While the items that the discount stores are selling now may have not been a big seller for Meg's, they are worth taking a look at and seeing if you can use them in your arsenal of detailing equipment. I know the interior brush is a real useful brush since I recently used it to clean the carpet in my wife's Chry T&C . I can understand why the spoke brush didn't sell, but there may be some wheels out there it would work fine on. I tend to use the tire brush and body brushes for other applications. In fact, I used the body brush last evening to wash down my riding lawn mower.
Now I'm trying figure out what would be the best product to detail it before I put it up for the winter.

 

Very very true. One man's way is not always the best way. Agreed 110%.

Agreed. I like it as well. I do like that the brush is 'oval' shaped and fits well in the palm of one's hand. I use this one as well.

This was one that I didn't like at all. In fact, liked it so little that I tossed it after one use on a client car. *shrugs* Again though, like you mentioned, personal preference.

Ironically, you touched on the exact brushes that I did kind of like within this post. Some of the others -- like the long handle body brush, duster, wash mop, wide body brush, and pet hair extractor were better used as paper weights in my opinion. The pet hair extractor gets a slight 'nod' from me though... it's just so rare that I encounter a pet hair or 'lint' problem in a vehicle that it's kind of useless to me -- a ever so slightly damp hand ran across a fabric interior removes more in my opinion.

It's all in the opinion of the user though... some may love them. I just wasn't one of them.

 

Dishwashing soap and water followed by a quick buff and wax job. I've even used modeling clay with great success.

 

Yeah I've even used Battery Acid and Playdough But not on paint finish. You are kidding; Right?

 

Not kidding. My buddys body shop uses dish soap/water with Meguires clay and has for years with no issues. I was surprised how well the modeling clay worked. I know most of you shiney guys won't try it, but it works fine for me. My truck will rust out long before the paint loses its shine. Your mileage may vary.