Cleaning & Polishing favorite products?

Vin

I would wait a couple months for the paint to settle. This is what ive always been told.

But, when you do get around to waxing it. I use both mothers wax and meguires. They both do an awesome job. Stoner products (invisible glass, more shine) are excellent products as well.

Congrats on the new ride!

If you want to stay over the counter, Meguires makes some pretty good polishes and waxes. I've used their NXT wax before and it works ok, just dusted a little too much for my liking and doesn't last very long.

I like Poorboy's World Natty's paste wax "blue". It is formulated for darker colored cars and goes on and comes off easier than any I've ever tried. But, like any Carnuba, it doesn't last a tremendous amount of time. They have other versions of the Natty's paste wax for lighter colors and such. It really is a great wax at a good price.

I've recently started using Optimum's Opti-Seal. It is a sealant rather than a Carnuba. You put it on by spraying it on the car and then spreading it with a sponge applicator, and that's it, no buffing it off. The stuff lasts forever and you wouldn't believe the shine! Here's a link to it...

http://www.danase.com/opbyop.html

Remember though, most of the shine comes from the prep work, even on a new car. I would recommend clay barring the car before doing anything to it to get any contaminents off of the paint, maybe even cleaning the paint after with something like Klasse All-in-one, then topping it off with either a good coat of sealant if you want long lasting protection, or a Carnuba if you want a really deep look, but maybe have to apply more often. There are other things you can do to really bring out a shine, but that would involve buying either a rotary buffer or a random orbital buffer.

Oh yeah, watch out for the Zaino guys, they will be stampeding in here any second!

ScottM said:

Oh yeah, watch out for the Zaino guys, they will be stampeding in here any second!

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I like the Zaino products, but from what I have seen, It is far more important that you prep properly and apply regularly. I was also under the impression that because the car is new, the paint is baked on and already cured. If that is the case, claybar immediately and get it protected.

Congrats on the new car!

ScottM said:

If you want to stay over the counter, Meguires makes some pretty good polishes and waxes. I've used their NXT wax before and it works ok, just dusted a little too much for my liking and doesn't last very long.

I like Poorboy's World Natty's paste wax "blue". It is formulated for darker colored cars and goes on and comes off easier than any I've ever tried. But, like any Carnuba, it doesn't last a tremendous amount of time. They have other versions of the Natty's paste wax for lighter colors and such. It really is a great wax at a good price.

Remember though, most of the shine comes from the prep work, even on a new car. I would recommend clay barring the car before doing anything to it to get any contaminents off of the paint, maybe even cleaning the paint after with something like Klasse All-in-one, then topping it off with either a good coat of sealant if you want long lasting protection, or a Carnuba if you want a really deep look, but maybe have to apply more often. There are other things you can do to really bring out a shine, but that would involve buying either a rotary buffer or a random orbital buffer.

Click to expand...

I use Natty's "blue" paste wax as well and it works with great results. I just clay barred the top of my car last week for the first time. Fairly easy to do. Takes some time, but then again I don't mind spending time for my baby to look good

Here is the link to the detailing threads on here.
http://forums.stangnet.com/forumdisplay.php?f=146

StangNet member justin is a guy who will answer any of your questions as he does detailing. I have ordered from him and will do so again in the future
http://www.obsessivedetail.com/about.html

my05gt said:

I like the Zaino products, but from what I have seen, It is far more important that you prep properly and apply regularly. I was also under the impression that because the car is new, the paint is baked on and already cured. If that is the case, claybar immediately and get it protected.

Congrats on the new car!

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I was teasing, Zaino makes great stuff, I just found some other things I like better. You're absolutely right though, it's all in the prep before the wax!

kooldawg6 said:

I use Natty's "blue" paste wax as well and it works with great results. I just clay barred the top of my car last week for the first time. Fairly easy to do. Takes some time, but then again I don't mind spending time for my baby to look good

Here is the link to the detailing threads on here.
http://forums.stangnet.com/forumdisplay.php?f=146

StangNet member justin is a guy who will answer any of your questions as he does detailing. I have ordered from him and will do so again in the future
http://www.obsessivedetail.com/about.html

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I love getting out there and spending some time in the garage getting the car all shiney! My wife comes out there and teases me all the time acting like she is putting fingerprints all over it or boob marks on the drivers side window while I'm in it. Ok, that I don't mind.

Justin does seem like a nice guy though, he's answered a few questions for me and seems extremely knowledgeable.

TheVin said:

Thanks Kooldawg, I did not know about the shine forum.

Gashog, Scott, 05gt: Thanks! I did not even know about most f those products.

To all the claybar fans: That looks a little like a micro abrasive compound, just from a quick glance... Like Jewelers rouge... Are you all sure that doesn't take any paint off?

Vin

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It will not take paint off. You definately want to be careful to make sure and keep the car lubricated while wiping the car down with the clay. Basically, most clay bars come in a kit that contain the lubricant you need. The lubricant is a lot like quick detailer that you spray on the car pretty liberally before applying the clay. If you don't keep enough lubricant on the car or you don't knead the clay between each wipe or 2 to expose fresh clay, you could potentially cause some light swirls because the clay literally pics up the dirt and grime off of the paint, so you want to be careful with it.

There are different types of clay out there, some are more harsh than others, but the Mothers kit and Clay Magic kit you can get at Autozone are pretty safe and you shouldn't have to worry about them.

Be careful with it and you'll be fine, tons of people clay their cars and it's considered an essential step during a "true" detail, not just a quick shine.

I bought the Meguiars clay bar kit from Auto Zone for $15. Includes 2 clay bars, storage container(for the clay), a bottle of quick detailer(lubricant), a trial size cleaner wax and a microfiber cloth

Wash, Prep, Wax
Wolfgang
http://www.wolfgangcarcare.com/

Wheels (Polished Aluminum)
Wenol
http://www.autogeek.net/wenol1.html

Tires
Black Magic Tire Wet Express
http://www.blackmagiccarcare.com/products.htm

Leather
Pinnacle Leather Cleaner/Condition
http://www.pinnaclewax.com/leathercare.html