is this a good setup for rejuvenating my car?

[laser2kgt]

1. ph balanced wash and dry
2. claybar (which would be best?)
3. de-wax (3m of course)
4. wax (gold class for now)

my car is keyed, but its only in the clearcoat for the most part. i plan on trying out this setup. is it good? also, id like to try out the meguiars scratch-x. where do u all think it would work out the best? after step 3?

 

[rjstaaf]

There is no reason to de-wax your car. Automotive waxes are not like floor wax, they do not build up on paint. A good car wash product and claying will do the job. I like the Mothers clay bar kit because it is widely available but, the new Meguiars Quik Clay kit is also very good (you can tell it is the "new" one if the plastic wrap on the clay in the box has the Meguiars logo stamped all over it). Lastly, if you can feel the scratch from the keying with your fingernail than it is likely going to be very difficult to remove by hand even if it is only in the clear coat. You can try ScratchX, it may take several applications and lots of elbow grease but, if that doesn't work you are going to have to move to something more agressive. I would use ScratchX after the claying.

 

[laser2kgt]

thnx bob

 

[laser2kgt]

oh, bob i have another question. y do u suggest not to dewax the car? it said to dewax it in some article of a corvette issue i found in the mail. that saem article can be found in thedetailingbible.com. supposedly by removing old wax, u remove some of the damage the wax has taken that the paint would normally take such as swirls. i dont know.

 

[98CobraClone]

I had some major swirling going on and deep "stains" from leaves, bird poop, etc. I got the turtle wax rubbing compound followed by the polishing compound and a couple coats of mother's wax and it turned out better than factory. It was all done with an orbital buffer, seems to give a much better finish than by hand. If you're gonna go that route......take it very easy with any of the rubbing compounds or you could ruin your paint, but it keeps you from having to dewax, if that's what you're wanting to do.

 

[rjstaaf]

oh, bob i have another question. y do u suggest not to dewax the car? it said to dewax it in some article of a corvette issue i found in the mail. that saem article can be found in thedetailingbible.com. supposedly by removing old wax, u remove some of the damage the wax has taken that the paint would normally take such as swirls. i dont know.

Automotive wax just isn't that durable. From the time you apply it is already starting to dissapear. Some last as little as a month while others can last up to about 3 months and maybe just a tad longer. But, when a wax is done, it is gone. Automotive wax is not like floor wax, it cannot build up on your paint.

Typically swirls are not in the wax, they go down to the paint. If you have swirls than you will need to use an abrassive. In the consumer line which you should be able to find at most auto parts stores I would look for Meguiars Clear Coat Body Scrub Paint Cleaner. If you can't find it you might call them directly. In the professional line there is Meguiars #9 swirl mark remover. The professional line is a bit harder to find but, if you can find a local source it is like finding gold. Either of those products will go a long way towards removing light swirls and scratches, at the same time they will take off any wax that may still be on your paint.

If you want to invest a bit more in your paint you could look at the Porter Cable Dual Action Polisher. It will make defect removal much easier and is fool proof, you just can't mess up your paint with it. It will also allow you to use slightly more agressive paint cleaners (Meguiars 80s Body Shop Series, specifically 80-83) that just aren't very effective by hand. You can find more information on the machine at the following link.

http://www.properautocare.com/porcabpolac.html

Give it a try and let me know if you have any problems finding any of these products.