We're picking up a new car tomorrow, it is a 2011 and has never been waxed. I have looked through my detailing stuff and I have Meguires NXT, Meguires Gold Class, and Mother's 3 step process of Pre Wax, Sealer/Glaze, and Carnuba wax (3 separate waxes). I also have an orbital buffer and foam pads for applying the wax.

Can anybody with experience tell me which of the waxes will be best, and which way of applying the wax would be best? This is a black car, so I don't want to take any chances and screw things up with the paint.

 

CLAY BAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And after that, i would do the 3 step

 

No...Dont clay bar a new car! Just coat it with Meguiars NXT paste, use an orbital buffer. It gives it a nice wet look and lasts a long time

 

Clay bar a brand new car? I dunno about that... If it were me i would wash the car real good, apply the Mother's 3 Step, but hold off on the Carnauba Wax. Use the Meguiars NXT instead, since it's a synthetic polymer wax ad will last longer. After that I would use the Carnauba since its a softer wax, meaning it won't last as long, but does give the paint a nice deep shine.


*Tip: S100 is a Carnauba Wax made for motorcycles that is way better than any store bought Carnauba Wax... It's about $20 in bike shops though...

 

Why wouldn't he clay bar it? Once the weather gets a little warmer I'll be using it on my '11 Mazda followed by some NXT!

 

Actually been doing this for over 30 plus years, Yes you should clay bar a new car, when the car comes from the factory, it contaminated with brake dust, some overspray (believe it or not) and environmental metals, Clay bar is a great way to get all of that off, including clay barring your windshield and all exterior plastics, than you will want to wash again, here are the steps you should follow.

1- wash
2- clay bar
3- wash again
4- wax
5- seal

 

I wouldnt clay bar a newer paint until after its first good coat of wax. If it's black definately do a thick coat of paste wax and it will be a good base for clay bar a few month down the road once the car is out in the elements. Clay is meant to strip the contaminents off that clung to the paint/clear coat due to weather conditions, I doubt there will be anything on a new car like that

 

Well, I appreciate the advice, however I am leery of the clay bar, so I am going to hold off on it. Unfortunately I do not have any pastes, all of my waxes are in bottle form. I guess I'll just have to lay it on nice and thick. Do I have to worry about swirl marks with the orbital buffer? That is a bit of a concern for me.

 

Come take a look at my car... lol

 

Only if you press too hard...

 

You wont get swirl marks as long as you dont let the pad dry out and you take the wax off by hand with a microfiber towel. Dont bother with a buffing pad to remove the wax with the buffer, it colgs quick, and streaks

 

Well....I'm not too familiar with the canadien weather so I'll trust ya!

 

lol it had plenty of contaminants before it even made it here onto the road!

 

Good call on the clay bar. I hate those things, cause people who don't know how to use them ruin finishes.
Bottle wax = Paste wax.
nothing like a good ol' fashioned hand wax. like the karate kid. I did my mothers Buick LaCrosse the day after she picked it up with Mothers California Gold. hand waxed it all the way.

Most new cars already have that "glassy" feel you'd get with a clay bar and IMO it would be completely worthless to use one. if your serious about getting defects out of paint and getting a great shine, Look for some Meguiars rubbing compound and use that with a buffing wheel, i've never had swirls and always a great shine.

 

lol....thats bad...you should have beat the dealership down man!

 

You couldn't really see it until a while later... it's all rail dust because after it came from Japan it came on the train all the way from B.C. It really starts to show up once those tiny bits of metal start to rust.... especially on a pearl white car. lol

 

good lord man!! That blows!

 

There is some silly advice here. You only need to clay the paint if you feel any surface contaminants. The best way to find out is to perform a "baggie test." To do the "baggie test" simply use a clean sandwich baggie by placing your hand inside the baggie and then feeling the horizontal surfaces like the hood, roof, and trunk lid. The film of plastic acts to intensify the surface texture created by contaminants bonded to the paint making it more dramatic to your sense of touch when you feel the paint through the baggie. One thing I will mention is that if it was transported by rail you will most likely need to clay the paint. The first step in the three step system you have is most likely a paint cleaner, which acts just as a clay bar. So if you aren't comfortable using a clay bar you can do that instead.

You should never put any product on thick. It's not bad, but makes it harder to remove and wastes the product. For the LSP (last step product) I'd go with the carnauba wax you have. As a matter of a fact, I'd use the entire three step process since that is what you have. There are many, many products out there and much more to "detailing" than washing, claying, and waxing. The biggest thing most never talk about is a paint correction. A paint correction is above most peoples comfort level, and something you should only do if you know what you are doing. For a brand new car chances are this is something that doesn't apply anyway.

I could write a book on the subject and do detailing as a weekend business so if you have any specific questions I'd be happy to help.

 

cant believe nobody asked...what kind of car and what got traded in? lol

 

thank god some one picked up on the containments from the factory!!!! clay bar will not hurt a brand new car.... it will only help. when in doubt when using the clay bar, use more quick detailer. 3 step that thing and enjoy!

klc good call on the baggie trick. i love it!

 

i agree 100%, i was a porter for a body shop in highschool. and the basic three products used we're a degreaser, a cleaner, and a compound or a wax, depending on what had been done.

 

All good advice, and thanks guys.

It's black and it's fast... something I've mentioned before, and there will be more than a few people jealous of it. I'm trying to keep it quiet it in case I don't get the check from my credit union for it tonight - I already got disappointed when I thought I was going to have it on Wednesday. Nothing is being traded in... we're up to 4 cars/trucks again.

Since I'm picking it up tonight (if the check comes), I'll probably have photos of it by the weekend.

 

A Kenyan?

 

I was gonna go there, but i didn't know how well that would have went over.

 

As I have stated before, I have been doing this for many many years, here is some info from a site

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...brand-new-car/