Clay, Polish, Wax OR Clay, Cleaner Wax

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We have a 2008 with Gray Mica paint. It's in decent shape but I'd like to use a Polish or Cleaner Wax on it but not do a compound step.

Would it be better to do Meg's Clay -> Meg's Ultimate Polish -> Meg's Ultimate Liquid Wax -OR- Meg's Clay -> Meg's Cleaner Wax?

I'm new to this so any thoughts or tips are appreciated.

I already own the Meg's Clay and Ultimate Liquid Wax.
 
Clay first, make sure you use a lubricant for the Clay and THROW THE CLAY AWAY IF YOU DROP IT. I like to break the clay up into smaller pieces so I'm not out a whole bar if I butterfinger it.

Polish followed by wax will always give you a better result than a cleaner wax.
 
I did the Clay -> Ult Polish -> Ult Wax on a gray Lexus I had and it looked amazing. Even a year later the water would still bead and a rain shower would make the car look like it went through a car wash. I'm glad I took the time to run through all 3 steps.
 
Originally Posted By: 09_GXP
I did the Clay -> Ult Polish -> Ult Wax on a gray Lexus I had and it looked amazing. Even a year later the water would still bead and a rain shower would make the car look like it went through a car wash. I'm glad I took the time to run through all 3 steps.


Good to hear! I'll go that route. Did you apply the polish and wax by hand? That's what I'll be doing. Will the Ultimate Polish stain trim?
 
Depends on the paint. A cleaner wax is just abrasive enough to get rid of things like tar splatter and light sap or bug grime.

A dedicated polish could have more bite depending on the brand. In some cases a polish can have enough effect to remove light swirls.

If time is a factor, clay and then cleaner wax is fine for most people.

But if you have time to polish before wax then you may also have time to do a light compounding.

The multi step stuff (clay, compound, polish, wax) for me is once a year or every other year. The in-between jobs will usually be with an all in one product if the finish seems to be losing its richness.
 
I wouldn't use a polish by hand. Instead try a good cleaner wax, Megs has a decent one.

So first clay the car. Afterwards wipe the car down with rubbing alcohol(ipa) and a soft microfiber. This will help prep the surface and remove any oils, residue to help the wax form maximum adhesion(bonding) to the paint. It should also help durability of the protection that is applied.

If you haven't used the clay yet I'd return it and get the Surf City Clayzilla available at Walmart for $23 or so. If you drop it, simply rinse and you're good to go. Lasts a while.

https://www.amazon.com/Surf-City-Garage-...+city+clayzilla
 
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I hadn't seen that one from Surf City SatinSilver. Thanks for the tip
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Using a dedicated polish and a seperate paint sealant should net you better over all results. I've used the Megs UP before the UPW and it looked fantastic. I've also used their cleaner wax which turns out very nice but doesn't hold up very long.

FWIW, Meg's UP is not aggressive at all. I've heard of more people going with Ultimate Compound before wax than just the Ultimate Polish but I haven't tried that yet.

Are you doing this by hand or with a machine?
 
Originally Posted By: buck91


Are you doing this by hand or with a machine?


All by hand. I'm thinking that I'll:

Clay Bar the whole car -> then hit a few light scratches with Scratch X 2.0 -> Meg's UP whole car -> Meg's ULW whole car.
 
FWIW, I love Meg's polishes (my two favorites are their M105 and M205), but their sealants don't last. For that I would go with either Duragloss or Collinite...
 
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Originally Posted By: grampi
FWIW, I love Meg's polishes (my two favorites are their M105 and M205), but their sealants don't last. For that I would go with either Duragloss or Collinite...


Thanks! Are either of those the professional equivalent of Ultimate Polish?
 
Originally Posted By: SavagePatch
Originally Posted By: grampi
FWIW, I love Meg's polishes (my two favorites are their M105 and M205), but their sealants don't last. For that I would go with either Duragloss or Collinite...


Thanks! Are either of those the professional equivalent of Ultimate Polish?


I don't think so. I think the 105 is a bit more abrasive than the Ultimate, and the 205 is a finishing polish...
 
Check into Meg's "White Wax". It is a cleaner wax with a good load of abrasives. Mr. Stoops has a thread on Meg's forum where he corrected a van with just this wax.
 
Originally Posted By: Tempest
Check into Meg's "White Wax". It is a cleaner wax with a good load of abrasives. Mr. Stoops has a thread on Meg's forum where he corrected a van with just this wax.


Will do. Thanks for the tip! BTW is the "Black Wax" a cleaner wax too? I'd consider our Galaxy Grey Mica to be a dark paint if that matters...
 
Originally Posted By: SavagePatch
Originally Posted By: Tempest
Check into Meg's "White Wax". It is a cleaner wax with a good load of abrasives. Mr. Stoops has a thread on Meg's forum where he corrected a van with just this wax.


Will do. Thanks for the tip! BTW is the "Black Wax" a cleaner wax too? I'd consider our Galaxy Grey Mica to be a dark paint if that matters...

Yes- but my understanding is that White Wax contains a strong abrasive package than their Black Wax.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: SavagePatch
Ok, found this pic. Seems to clear things up a bit about the differences between Meg's Cleaner, White, and Black waxes:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/2060/medium/waxcomparison.png

According to this image if I've already washed and used a Clay bar then the Black Wax would be my best final step. Maybe?

No, those are merely 3 different routes that you can take.
Just seems to imply of the three the Black Wax is the better grade and will ldo a better job.
 
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