You should smell #7 and #26, smells like straight up bananas lol, it looks like baby poo though haha

 

im not much for bananas

 

Yep... airplane glue and NXT, that's about it.

Ok, I'm done.

 

As far as dawn...it depends on how many coats of wax you have on the car or truck really. I don't know if I would use it on the OPs truck because it sounds like he doesn't have wax at all. But, on my car, where there are many different products and layers of waxes, polishes, glazes, whatever...it is very helpful.

Just get any wax really...something is better then nothing. Your not going for a show car finish, so just throw something on there to protect it and call it a day.

 

Yeah the main thing with Dawn is to not make a habit of using it, every once in a while will be fine but if thats all you use it will cause more harm than good

 

Oh for sure...I am just saying it helps break down wax and other protectants so you can put new ones on

 

I used the mcguire's nxt 2.0 tonight on my truck. Looks awesome. Also used some tire shine. Truck looks great guys. Thanks for all of the help. I spent a total of about 2 1/2 hours cleaning the truck.

 

i did all mine today too....same stuff (employee discount...i got it for about 10 bucks)


EPIC results

i'll prolly ***** some pics when i get a chance

 

POST PICS!!! and Im glad you had a good experience

 

I'm a Mother's guy. If your finish is weathered, I recommend Mother's 3 step system, but that requires time and elbow grease. If you're not into that, any synthetic wax will be good enough (eg Mother's FX Synwax) . Since you're new to this, stay away from natural carnaubas. Although carnauba is the toughest and longest lasting wax, it can be very hard to remove if applied incorrectly or left on too long.

Wash & dry first. Then before you wax, use Mother's Back to Black (or any other plastic & rubber dressing) on all your black plastic trim. Doing that first will keep the wax from sticking and giving you that chalky white look if you accidentally get some on the plastic or rubber.

If you're prepared to do the whole nine yards, I'd start with a clay bar, but that might be overkill for you. Otherwise, start with the Step 1 pre-wax cleaner, then the Step 2 sealer glaze. Since you're new to waxing, instead of the step 3 carnauba wax, I recommend Mothers FX Synwax. It goes on easy and, more importantly, it comes off easy, even if you leave it on for a while. You can apply it to the whole truck, then come back and buff it off. You cannot do that with natural carnauba

Go get yourself a bunch of microfibre towels to rub off the different products. I just did my first buff & wax on my new '09 and used 4 small towels each time around the truck. Fold each towel into 4. That gives you 8 areas to buff with. switch to a clean spot on the towel often. It makes removal of polishes and waxes much easier.

 

So, if I inderstand correctly, to get your car protected and shined up real nice, you should go:

1) Cleaner
2) Clay Bar
3) Wax

Am I right?

Sorry, I'm a noob with all the detailing and paint stuff.

 

It depends on the condition of the paint right now.

First thing to do is a proper wash. Once you've rinsed it off, gently run the tips of your fingers over the paint. Do you feel little gritty bumps or rough spots like stuff stuck to the paint? If so, then your next step should be clay bar. If you don't feel the grit in the paint, then a cleaner would probably be sufficient.

Before you use a cleaner or subsequent polish and wax, prep all of the black plastic and rubber trim with a dressing. A couple of coats will really help keep any wax that accidentally gets on it from sticking and drying into that, all too familiar, chalky white residue.

Next step is either polish or wax. If the finish is dull, weathered or spider webbed, a good polish will bring back the shine. Finish off with a good wax to protect all that work you just did. You should not have to clay/clean more than once a year as long as you maintain that protective coating of wax. Easily done with a spray on wax after washing and new wax applications every couple of months.

Take some time and read some of the sticky threads here... Wax Forum. It's a Mother's site so they refer to Mother's products almost exclusively, but the advice is sound regardless of who's products you use.

FYI...I detailed my new '09 just a couple weeks ago after having it home for only a week. I could feel grit all over the hood and roof. I did clay, cleaner, & 2 coats of wax. Smooth as glass now.

 

No need for the cleaner.

1) Wash
2) Clay bar if needed
3) Polish if needed
4) Wax

 

shouldnt matter what kind you use, wax is wax

 

I disagree, I've used a few different kind of waxes and you can tell the difference between with ease of use, depth of shine and how long it last. My favorite by far is Meguiars Mirror Glaze #26 and Meguiars NXT 2.0

 

I also disagree, but maybe not for the same reason. For someone who's not a detailing geek and isn't planning on becoming one, wax is wax...to an extent. There's a significant difference between natural carnauba and synthetics when it comes to ease of application and removal. The detailing newbie should steer clear of the natural stuff and stick with the synthetics. Any of the brand name synth's will be good enough for that person.

 

Agree 100%, for those that just want it to shine good and protect the paint synthetic is the way to go. Easy to apply and remove, works great and lasts a long time.

 

I never understood why people buy Mothers products....they are overpriced and you can get much better for the money.

Try looking on autogeek.net for Detailing 101 and pretty much a How-To for everything that has to do with detailing. The best OTC wax is Megs NXT by far but there are other waxes out there.

I use...depending on color and condition...Satin Gloss(what I currently have on my car), Fuzion, Wet Obsession, and of course the Menz and Pinnacle products. I also like DoDo Juice. Just know that there is A TON of better waxes out there.

As for using a carnauba wax, as long as you do it in the shade or on a cool surface, you will be just fine. Satin Gloss is a carnauba wax, and I apply it in DIRECT SUNLIGHT on my car, the bottle says to, and it comes off like a dream.

Get on autogeek.net and look around. Like I said, tons of How-To articles and just general knowledge about detailing.

 

I've heard good stuff about Wet Obsession, I'll pick some up once I run out of what I have now.

 

For Reference...

Moms car...now totalled...but using Wet Obsession



And my car...using Satin Gloss...keep in mind this is car has a ton of metallic in it

 

Not trying to start an argument here. I'm just curious. How are Mother's products priced compared to Meguires in the US?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not averse to trying other stuff. The only reason I buy Mother's is because they are reasonably priced and I like their performance. After reading all the NXT posts here, I stopped by the store I buy my car stuff at and I found Meguires waxes to be 50% to 100% more. Unfortunately, NXT costs $30. Tough for me to justify when Mother's FX Synwax is only $12. Here's another comparison; Megs 3 step is $45 total, while Mom's is only $32. Almost everything compares like that.

Maybe one company or both have different pricing strategies in Canada. Then again it could be the retailer.

 

Theres more in the NXT bottle though. Meguiars is more expensive but in my opinion its a better quality product. I get much better results using the Meguiers combo that I do than the Mothers products I have tried. But if it works for you thats great, I'm not saying its a bad product, I just like Meguiers better.