Just finished waxing...few questions

[Poopie D]

I just finished waxing my black, 02 GT. The previous owner never waxed and must have washed the car with steel wool. There were so many swirl marks and scratches I was not hoping for much success.

I called Meguiars and the advised me to go with a Clay Bar, then Scratch-X, then Gold Class. I asked the guy if I should go with Clay Bar, 9, 7, 26 but he said that was not necessary as there was enough polish in the Scratch-X and Gold Class.

Overall I am happy with the result although I have seen better. The Scratch-X performed better than expected.

The thing that bugged me was the amount of buffing it took me to get off both products. The Gold Class was not coming off with my orbital and left a strange film that was almost impossible to get off. I tried buffing while it was still a bit wet, then I let it dry longer...same result. It took me 6 hours to finish all three steps by hand.

I was wondering if I did something wrong? Is number 26 easier to take off than Gold Class? When should I reapply more wax? Do I have to do the Scratch-X or number 9 everytime I wax?

Thanks!

 

[rjstaaf]

With most products when you see a haze or film it is due to using too much product. It is far better to do 2 very thin applications rather than 1 thick one. Personally I would throw the orbital in the trash and just do it by hand. Orbitals typically cause you to use way too much product and the bonnets for them aren't that great and usually cause swirls themselves.

The main reason the tech at Meguiars didn't recommend #9,#7 and #26 is because those are part of the professional line and they don't recommend them to consumers generally. There is no reason you can't use them though. Gold Class and #26 will give you a very similar look. They both darken the paint somewhat and give a nice deep, rich wet look. I wouldn't say that #26 is any easier to remove than Gold Class.

Here is a good thread on Meguiars forums about the differences between Gold Class and #26. http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=243

The only reason you would need to use ScratchX or #9 is if there are swirls, scratches or other blemishes to remove. It is not necessary to use them every time.

 

[00GTblkvert]

Try Meguiars new NXT tech wax, this is their newest stuff and it works great. I have a black car and the shine was outstanding and it also helps hide imperfections in the paint. Great wax.
Check out www.meguiars.com for info and tips.

 

[nocaratall]

ill second the NXT.

 

[sc01gt]

nxt easy on easy off. The scratch X is not a scratch remover more like a filler and it will be removed as the wax is worn away. Something like that.

 

[rjstaaf]

Actually ScratchX is a scratch remover, it does contain abrassives. It also contains oils that act as a filler as do most of the consumer level abrassive paint cleaners that most companies sell. They are made that way so that any blemishes that aren't removed will at least be hidden or lessened by the oils.

 

[00GTblkvert]

Meguiars has a new product called Color X that is supposed to be good at hiding swirls and scratch's. On their site they say color x then nxt. Sounds like a good combo.

 

[rjstaaf]

ColorX is a cleaner wax. It is a polymer/wax blend. It is not really designed to hide swirls or scratches. It is actually more abrassive than the current Meguiars Cleaner Wax in the purple bottles. It is specifically for cars with paint problems like oxidation or light swirls. It is really designed to remove defects rather than hide them. It does contain some oils but, not enough to effectively hide anything.