So many products, I've got a headache

stevenshizzle · 03-27-2007, 01:47 PM

My car is 7 months old. It made it through a St. Louis winter. I want to rejuvinate it to look like it did when I first bought it.

I washed it in the fall and took great care of the paint, no scratches whatsoever!

Now, I'd like to do a full treatment, but I am unsure of what products I need to use and how exactly to use them. I intend on using all Meguiars products.

I'm know I need to wash > claybar > wash to start off with.

After that, I am at a loss. Do I use a polish or a paint cleaner or both? Do I use a synthetic and then a carnuba? What's the difference between polish and cleaner? What about a sealant? Is that the same thing as a synthetic?

Last time I checked, I didn't have swirls at all. The only thing I probably have on my car is dirt and grime. I have a habanero red.

I did search, but I need to ask the question specific to my situation. Thanks in advance.

06 Civic Ex · 03-27-2007, 02:24 PM

well first i would wash it with dawn solution to remove alot of grime alot of people say omg nooo but once wont kill ya.

then you can use a soap like meguiars gold class often can be purchased at costco on the cheap.
claybar you can use meguiars smooth surface it comes with 2 bars of clay 1 decent towel and qd. or you can look into chemical guys they have awesome combos.
wash again with w/e car soap you pick.
a sealent is synthtic protection where caranuba wax is wax in itself pretty much. synthetic like klasse sealent glaze often last 6 months where as wax lasts 3 months as a daily driver. polish is to prep the surface. there is many polishes out there that are easy to use.
i would polish then top with klasse all in one then wipe on wipe off
klasse sg let it cure for a long time remove with qd becuase it will be hard to remove other wise. then top it with poorboys natty wax. on your habi i would use poorboys natty blue

stevenshizzle · 03-27-2007, 05:36 PM

Well I went out and bought the Meguiars 3 step DeepCrystal. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but here's how I plan on going about my cleaning. It's a little more difficult because I live in an apartment, so I would have to drive to the car wash. This makes it that much more painful, but still worth it.

1. interior detail
2. wash with Meguiar's DeepCrystal car wash
3. clay bar w/ quick detailer as lubricant
4. Meguiar's DeepCrystal Paint Cleaner
5. wash
6. Meguiar's DeepCrystal Polish
7. detailed wash to include Stoner invisible glass on windows, final wheel cleaning, meguiars nxt insane shine tire coating, door jams, etc
8. meguiars carnuba wax, two coats

If this sounds right then good. As far as the polish and cleaner go, how many pads could I expect to use? I wipe them off immediately after application right?

Any suggestions or comments would be really appreciated. I'll post pictures this weekend. Thanks for helping a brotha represent with a nice looking Si.

etml12 · 03-27-2007, 05:53 PM

Since you stated that there is no significant marring there really is no need to polish. A paint cleaner sounds to be more than appropriate. Polishes generaly remove or reduce the visibility of scratches or spiderwebing via mechnical or chemical means. I will also stay within the constraints of only Megs products as requested (be prepared for all kinds of product suggestions). First question to ask is what is your final goal? Ultimate protection? Asthetics? How involved are you willing to get? These questions will all affect your products and methods.

A synthetic sealant generally results in a very reflective surface while carnauba gives a deep wet look. However, synthetic sealants generally last longer. Since its summer time I tend to go with carnauba only (I prefer the look). #26 is a very good carnauba by Megs. If you want both extended protection and the looks of a wax, go ahead and layer #20, a sealant, topped with the #26.

I realize that there is significant confusion concerning the various products and this is due to the loose use of terms like polish, cleaner, etc. and the fact that some produxts (i.e. NXT) that are essentially waxes with some cleaning ability that are boosted by polymers. Unless your looking to cut corners, keep it simple and only use products with a specific function such as a paint cleaner, polish, or pure sealants/waxes.

06 Civic Ex · 03-27-2007, 07:14 PM

u cant do 2 layers of nxt btw because it is a cleaner wax. you can double gold class but i feel that neither of these waxes are durable

stevenshizzle · 03-27-2007, 07:15 PM

Fantastic so I'll just use a paint cleaner. I didn't think I would need polish. Can I apply the polish right after claybar or do i need to wash and then clean? I am aiming for asthetics, while maintaining paint quality. I have no problem waxing once every 1-2 months with the carnauba.

Maybe when I'm done with all of this wax and what not, I'll try your #20 followed by #26 suggestion. Thank you!

06 Civic Ex · 03-27-2007, 07:38 PM

i bet you have some swirls.. if you get your car under heavy lighting you will see it much better. i would polish

stevenshizzle · 03-27-2007, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 06 Civic Ex

i bet you have some swirls.. if you get your car under heavy lighting you will see it much better. i would polish

if i have any swirls i'll polish for sure!

06 Civic Ex · 03-27-2007, 08:10 PM

why not just do the full 3 steps its not a complicated process. you will enjoy the look later on. prep is everything

stevenshizzle · 03-27-2007, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 06 Civic Ex

why not just do the full 3 steps its not a complicated process. you will enjoy the look later on. prep is everything

very well. can i clay bar and clean directly after or must i wash after clay bar?

06 Civic Ex · 03-27-2007, 08:27 PM

i usually wash after claybar.

stevenshizzle · 03-27-2007, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 06 Civic Ex

i usually wash after claybar.

that's 4 washes! You see, I have to go to a coin op. I'm an apartment dweller. Usually I rinse the car, wash the horizontal surfaces, then I rise, wash vertical surfaces, then i rinse. that's $1.50 x 3 = $4.50. I'm afraid of letting the soap dry that's why i rinse 3 times, or else I'd only do it twice. What do you think?

Do they make an adapter for my kitchen sink? Does it provide enough pressure? Im scared.

06 Civic Ex · 03-27-2007, 09:10 PM

kitchen wont have enough pressure.

the inital wash to remove grime and dirt
you can claybar after drying.
then rewash afterwards

stevenshizzle · 03-27-2007, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 06 Civic Ex

kitchen wont have enough pressure.

the inital wash to remove grime and dirt
you can claybar after drying.
then rewash afterwards

I still have to wash 4 times. Once at beginning, once after claybar, once after clean, once after polish.

You think it's okay if the soap dries a little but i still rinse it off?

etml12 · 03-27-2007, 11:04 PM

^^ You sound like a perfect candidate for some ONR (Optimum No Rinse wash)! It can be used to wash, as a QD, and as a clay lubricant.

P.S. Unless i see a trememdous amount of contamination being removed during claying or the clay starts to deteriorate and crumble then I forgo the extra wash. That is, only if you plan to polish.

06 Civic Ex · 03-28-2007, 12:00 AM

yea

ONR is an apartment dwellers dream/best friend. its top notch and it isnt that expensive

http://autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html i got it in the 128 oz version. if u order off there i got coupon codes

antiprnt · 03-28-2007, 01:49 AM

Gotta love the ONR. Might wanna pick up some optimum poli-seal from autogeek on the way too. It's a All-in-one product. It's a light polish, paint cleaner and also leaves protection. Durability is about 2-3 months. Has a carnauba look to it. Can even top with with #26 for added depth.

8thCivicNut · 03-28-2007, 12:22 PM

Washing your car with Dawn will strip all the wax off your car. Zaino is what I use and thats what they say to do before using their products for the first time.
I wash, clay, then wax. Rewashing after you clay is not necessary because of the lubricant you use with your clay. Ive never rewashed in over a year and my car looks spotless.

stevenshizzle · 03-30-2007, 08:18 PM

I guess I'll buy some dawn tomorrow.

nevarez_ga · 04-03-2007, 12:06 AM

Hi guys I just picked up my 07 Si today, everybody's talking about Meguiars, Mothers, Ziano, etc. The other day I went to Walmart, right to the car section to see what's new (as usual), as soon as I got there I noticed some DuPont products, DuPont washing shampoo, Wax and Spray Wax, then I remembered.... DuPont is famous for Paint, Teflon and a lot of paint related stuff so I tought, well this must be the best product, though it wasn't expensive. I went home with the shampoo, tried it and It looked very well. So before I but the wax, has anyone used it before?? Do you recommend this over Meguiars?

03-27-2007, 01:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
stevenshizzle Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belleville, IL Age: 23 Posts: 793 Steven iTrader: 0 / 0%	So many products, I've got a headache My car is 7 months old. It made it through a St. Louis winter. I want to rejuvinate it to look like it did when I first bought it. I washed it in the fall and took great care of the paint, no scratches whatsoever! Now, I'd like to do a full treatment, but I am unsure of what products I need to use and how exactly to use them. I intend on using all Meguiars products. I'm know I need to wash > claybar > wash to start off with. After that, I am at a loss. Do I use a polish or a paint cleaner or both? Do I use a synthetic and then a carnuba? What's the difference between polish and cleaner? What about a sealant? Is that the same thing as a synthetic? Last time I checked, I didn't have swirls at all. The only thing I probably have on my car is dirt and grime. I have a habanero red. I did search, but I need to ask the question specific to my situation. Thanks in advance.

03-28-2007, 01:49 AM	#17 (permalink)
antiprnt Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: manatee county, fl Age: 24 Posts: 37 iTrader: 0 / 0%	onr Gotta love the ONR. Might wanna pick up some optimum poli-seal from autogeek on the way too. It's a All-in-one product. It's a light polish, paint cleaner and also leaves protection. Durability is about 2-3 months. Has a carnauba look to it. Can even top with with #26 for added depth.

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03-27-2007, 02:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
06 Civic Ex Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bebotville Age: 19 Posts: 33,578 Nuno iTrader: 7 / 100%	well first i would wash it with dawn solution to remove alot of grime alot of people say omg nooo but once wont kill ya. then you can use a soap like meguiars gold class often can be purchased at costco on the cheap. claybar you can use meguiars smooth surface it comes with 2 bars of clay 1 decent towel and qd. or you can look into chemical guys they have awesome combos. wash again with w/e car soap you pick. a sealent is synthtic protection where caranuba wax is wax in itself pretty much. synthetic like klasse sealent glaze often last 6 months where as wax lasts 3 months as a daily driver. polish is to prep the surface. there is many polishes out there that are easy to use. i would polish then top with klasse all in one then wipe on wipe off klasse sg let it cure for a long time remove with qd becuase it will be hard to remove other wise. then top it with poorboys natty wax. on your habi i would use poorboys natty blue

03-27-2007, 05:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
stevenshizzle Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belleville, IL Age: 23 Posts: 793 Steven iTrader: 0 / 0%	Well I went out and bought the Meguiars 3 step DeepCrystal. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but here's how I plan on going about my cleaning. It's a little more difficult because I live in an apartment, so I would have to drive to the car wash. This makes it that much more painful, but still worth it. 1. interior detail 2. wash with Meguiar's DeepCrystal car wash 3. clay bar w/ quick detailer as lubricant 4. Meguiar's DeepCrystal Paint Cleaner 5. wash 6. Meguiar's DeepCrystal Polish 7. detailed wash to include Stoner invisible glass on windows, final wheel cleaning, meguiars nxt insane shine tire coating, door jams, etc 8. meguiars carnuba wax, two coats If this sounds right then good. As far as the polish and cleaner go, how many pads could I expect to use? I wipe them off immediately after application right? Any suggestions or comments would be really appreciated. I'll post pictures this weekend. Thanks for helping a brotha represent with a nice looking Si.

03-27-2007, 05:53 PM	#4 (permalink)
etml12 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 104 iTrader: 0 / 50%	Since you stated that there is no significant marring there really is no need to polish. A paint cleaner sounds to be more than appropriate. Polishes generaly remove or reduce the visibility of scratches or spiderwebing via mechnical or chemical means. I will also stay within the constraints of only Megs products as requested (be prepared for all kinds of product suggestions). First question to ask is what is your final goal? Ultimate protection? Asthetics? How involved are you willing to get? These questions will all affect your products and methods. A synthetic sealant generally results in a very reflective surface while carnauba gives a deep wet look. However, synthetic sealants generally last longer. Since its summer time I tend to go with carnauba only (I prefer the look). #26 is a very good carnauba by Megs. If you want both extended protection and the looks of a wax, go ahead and layer #20, a sealant, topped with the #26. I realize that there is significant confusion concerning the various products and this is due to the loose use of terms like polish, cleaner, etc. and the fact that some produxts (i.e. NXT) that are essentially waxes with some cleaning ability that are boosted by polymers. Unless your looking to cut corners, keep it simple and only use products with a specific function such as a paint cleaner, polish, or pure sealants/waxes.

03-27-2007, 07:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
06 Civic Ex Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bebotville Age: 19 Posts: 33,578 Nuno iTrader: 7 / 100%	u cant do 2 layers of nxt btw because it is a cleaner wax. you can double gold class but i feel that neither of these waxes are durable

03-27-2007, 07:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
stevenshizzle Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belleville, IL Age: 23 Posts: 793 Steven iTrader: 0 / 0%	Fantastic so I'll just use a paint cleaner. I didn't think I would need polish. Can I apply the polish right after claybar or do i need to wash and then clean? I am aiming for asthetics, while maintaining paint quality. I have no problem waxing once every 1-2 months with the carnauba. Maybe when I'm done with all of this wax and what not, I'll try your #20 followed by #26 suggestion. Thank you!

03-27-2007, 07:38 PM	#7 (permalink)
06 Civic Ex Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bebotville Age: 19 Posts: 33,578 Nuno iTrader: 7 / 100%	i bet you have some swirls.. if you get your car under heavy lighting you will see it much better. i would polish

03-27-2007, 08:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
06 Civic Ex Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bebotville Age: 19 Posts: 33,578 Nuno iTrader: 7 / 100%	why not just do the full 3 steps its not a complicated process. you will enjoy the look later on. prep is everything

03-27-2007, 08:27 PM	#11 (permalink)
06 Civic Ex Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bebotville Age: 19 Posts: 33,578 Nuno iTrader: 7 / 100%	i usually wash after claybar.

03-27-2007, 09:10 PM	#13 (permalink)
06 Civic Ex Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bebotville Age: 19 Posts: 33,578 Nuno iTrader: 7 / 100%	kitchen wont have enough pressure. the inital wash to remove grime and dirt you can claybar after drying. then rewash afterwards

03-27-2007, 11:04 PM	#15 (permalink)
etml12 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 104 iTrader: 0 / 50%	^^ You sound like a perfect candidate for some ONR (Optimum No Rinse wash)! It can be used to wash, as a QD, and as a clay lubricant. P.S. Unless i see a trememdous amount of contamination being removed during claying or the clay starts to deteriorate and crumble then I forgo the extra wash. That is, only if you plan to polish.

03-28-2007, 12:00 AM	#16 (permalink)
06 Civic Ex Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bebotville Age: 19 Posts: 33,578 Nuno iTrader: 7 / 100%	yea ONR is an apartment dwellers dream/best friend. its top notch and it isnt that expensive http://autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html i got it in the 128 oz version. if u order off there i got coupon codes

03-28-2007, 12:22 PM	#18 (permalink)
8thCivicNut Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 378 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Washing your car with Dawn will strip all the wax off your car. Zaino is what I use and thats what they say to do before using their products for the first time. I wash, clay, then wax. Rewashing after you clay is not necessary because of the lubricant you use with your clay. Ive never rewashed in over a year and my car looks spotless.

03-30-2007, 08:18 PM	#19 (permalink)
stevenshizzle Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belleville, IL Age: 23 Posts: 793 Steven iTrader: 0 / 0%	I guess I'll buy some dawn tomorrow.

04-03-2007, 12:06 AM	#20 (permalink)
nevarez_ga Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Age: 21 Posts: 65 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Hi guys I just picked up my 07 Si today, everybody's talking about Meguiars, Mothers, Ziano, etc. The other day I went to Walmart, right to the car section to see what's new (as usual), as soon as I got there I noticed some DuPont products, DuPont washing shampoo, Wax and Spray Wax, then I remembered.... DuPont is famous for Paint, Teflon and a lot of paint related stuff so I tought, well this must be the best product, though it wasn't expensive. I went home with the shampoo, tried it and It looked very well. So before I but the wax, has anyone used it before?? Do you recommend this over Meguiars?