need advice

[finalyzd]

After going on autogeek , I am so lost.

Right now I'm using in order. Meguairs gold class wash,meguiars clay kit(everysixmonths) there cleaner wax and finish it with. Nxt tech wax.

Now the car feels amazingly smooth but doesn't really have a deep wet paint look. What wax should I use? or what steps should I take. Should I strip the wax everytime I wash? And how. I usually was once a month its my daily driver. And I do everything by hand recommend me a buffer tool? I assume they do a faster and better job. Just looking for a new setup. Better wash , polish,prewax cleaner and wax. Also a metal polish for my aluminum wheels

 

[Glen871]

Is the paint in good shape and what color is it? A lot of people use the Porter Cable 7425 polisher but they do have a learning curve. You can try to use a glaze like EZ Creme Glaze after you use the clay bar and before applying a wax.

A glaze will give you a nice deep wet look to the paint and can be applied by hand. As far as waxes go, carnauba based waxes will give you more of a deep wet look than a sealant which nxt 2.0 is. If you wish to stick with Meguiars, you may want to try Meguiars #26 Hi-Tech Paste Wax whish is carnaube based.

Washing once a month doesn't seem like enough to me, especially on a daily driver. Once a week would be much better.

 

[finalyzd]

I don't mind washing once a week. And paint is in excellent condition and its a silver color. Which otc carnauba waxes are avaiilable?

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

You should be using a car wash concentrate to wash the car, not laundry detergent or dish detergent. They will strip all your wax work right off the surface. People swear by Zaino, but I've never used it myself. I just clay bar it once a year or so and use a carnauba paste wax.

 

[BigNick]

Silver is sometimes difficult to get the wet look... Try some Meguiar's #7 Glaze right before you wax... It's pretty easy to find, and a good value. I've had good results with it on my silver Chrysler 300.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Here's what I would use:
- Porter Cable dual action polisher 7424 (most cost effective)
- cutting pads
- polishing pads
- finishing pads
- Optimum Polish
- Poorboy's World White Diamond Show Glaze/Optimum Poli-Seal
- top with NXT or another sealant. I would use 4* UPP or Optimum Poliseal

- wash
- clay
- polish with cutting pad on speed 6
- polish with polishing pad on 5/6
- apply glaze with polishing pad
- apply sealant with finishing pad

The polishing steps are the most important. Then learn how to wash it properly so you don't induce swirls. Keep the Gold Class wash. Apply a couple layers of sealant. Then top with a carnauba if you want. S100 gives me a very nice wet look. Read up on machine polishing on Autopia. Paint prep is really the most important step to achieving a wet looking finish. There are a couple of pro detailers here who will probably give you better advice.

 

[Glen871]

Since silver is hard to get depth on some people will go for the brightest shine instead by using a sealant. If you decide to go that route you may want to consider skipping the glaze and using an all in one type cleaner/sealant such as Duragloss 501. I know people swear by it for white vehicles and they say it works almost as well on silver. It's marketed for boats but if you do a google search you'll see people have been using it on cars for many years now with great success. It works really well on wheels and windows too. It's got some pretty strong cleaners in it so you can skip any prewax cleaners. It's quite a versatile product and you can probably get it at your local NAPA store.

 

[RTexasF]

Surface preparation is the key not the final product applied. You can get depth and wetness on silver paint but the surface will have to be machine polished in several steps. It boils down to how much time and money do you want to spend on gaining the look you desire? It's pretty easy to drop $400-$500 (that's just to start) on buffer, pads, polishes, microfiber towels, etc., etc. Don't be fooled by the "starter kits" that have a buffer, 2-3 pads, and a couple of towels for $199......severely lacking in what you will actually need.

You can add to your current look by using a quality carnauba wax over the NXT (a sealant) 24 hours later. It won't do much for longevity but it will look warmer and reflect light better.

 

[Glen871]

RTexasF is right, surface preparation is the key. Perhaps you should consider taking your car to a professional detailer and have them polish it for you to get the desired wetness and depth. Then all you have to do is maintain the finish.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: Glen871
Perhaps you should consider taking your car to a professional detailer and have them polish it for you to get the desired wetness and depth. Then all you have to do is maintain the finish.


^^^^^This is exactly what I did.

Now I just wash it with Gold Class & microfiber wash pads/mitts, and put multiple coats of Collinite 845 & 476S on it.

Nice depth, shine, etc., and it is durable as well.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: finalyzd
After going on autogeek , I am so lost.

Right now I'm using in order. Meguairs gold class wash,meguiars clay kit(everysixmonths) there cleaner wax and finish it with. Nxt tech wax.


1st of all as others have said silver vehicles( any light vehicle really )are hard to get a real good shine on. Almost impossible really to do so and have it be as visually stunning as you see with dark vehicles. However, it can be done using some of the products you are already using. You just need to use them right however.

1 - wash your vehicle thoroughly using dish soap to strip all wax and grease off it( do not use dish soap as has eben stated unless you WANT to remove the wax ). You want it as clean and stripped down as possible this 1st time though to get it right.

2A - clay bar the vehicle if you desire.

- OR -

2B - use a cleaner wax if you want( note - you don't want to wax a vehicle and then try and use a cleaner wax over it - you use the cleaner wax as your first wax coat to "clean" but it does also apply a wax coat too ).

NOTE - I would not personally do both 2A and 2B. I would do one or the other and the condition of the vehicle's surface would determine which I choose. IF there are a ton of swirls and light scratches spend the $$$ to have it professionally buffed if you don't know how to do it yourself.

3 - now you can use a sealant/polish/glaze to add some depth to the color before your final top coat of wax if you wish( this will work better if you clay bar vs cleaner wax but still does work over cleaner wax ). I personally like 3M Imperial Hand Glaze.

4 - apply 1-2 coats of a good quality carnuba based wax like the Meguiars Gold Class you have used( Nxt Tech shines ok for a brief period but it does not last long at all ).

One other tip for you. The Meguiars Gold Class car wash soap is about the best soap I have ever used. It really cleans well but also helps keep the wax coat in good shape. Use that for regular maintenance and save the harsh soaps like dish soap for stripping old wax when needed.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: Glen871
Since silver is hard to get depth on some people will go for the brightest shine instead by using a sealant. If you decide to go that route you may want to consider skipping the glaze and using an all in one type cleaner/sealant such as Duragloss 501. I know people swear by it for white vehicles and they say it works almost as well on silver. It's marketed for boats but if you do a google search you'll see people have been using it on cars for many years now with great success. It works really well on wheels and windows too. It's got some pretty strong cleaners in it so you can skip any prewax cleaners. It's quite a versatile product and you can probably get it at your local NAPA store.


Works great on chrome trim also. I know a professional detailer who does incredible work that uses it for this purpose.