[uglydimple12]

Just like the subtitle says, I just got myself a claybar, polish, and wax.. I am looking for a good guide that I can follow..



I was told that I should wash the vehicle and then dry it prior to doing the rest.. for the rest, I should do claybar, polish, then wax in this order.. Am I correct?



I plan on doing some scratch removal process as well (my dad's f150 got some scratches)



I will be doing my parents' 02 Explorer and 04 F150.. along with my 04 Explorer..



Let me know if you know of a guide or if you got any tips, it would be very much appreciated, thanks!



P.S. I even tried looking thru the DIY section on this forum, I could not find a guide for washing or detailing.. let me know if I overlooked it. thanks again

 

[Stillaford]

Here's some videos off of YouTube:

and a step by step guide:

How to Claybar



I'm sure the wax and polish you can handle on your own. Not sure what order those go in. If I had to guess I would think wax first and then polish, but...

 

[IAmTodd]

Before you even think about touching the paint do a lot of reading around autopia.org. There is a lot of fantastic information on there.



Please list the products you have purchased. The terms polish and wax are often mis-used, specifics will help develop a plan. What equipment do you currently posses?

 

[dvorak]

Alway polish before wax, otherwise the polish removes the wax.



Polish creates the shine, the wax is a hard protection for your paint afterwards.

 

[Stillaford]

Damn I should have polished my truck before the last waxing. It still looks good, except I haven't had time for a wash in the last two weeks and after all the rain we had last week it's dirtier than hell!

 

[uglydimple12]

Before you even think about touching the paint do a lot of reading around autopia.org. There is a lot of fantastic information on there.



Please list the products you have purchased. The terms polish and wax are often mis-used, specifics will help develop a plan. What equipment do you currently posses?

sure thing let me grab the products and let you know what do I have exactly.. I know for sure that I DO have polish and wax ha..



I'll check out autopia.org

Alway polish before wax, otherwise the polish removes the wax.



Polish creates the shine, the wax is a hard protection for your paint afterwards.

thought so..



should I wash the car beforehand??

 

[uglydimple12]

ok here is what products I ve gotten for our vehicles:



Polish: Nu Finish: Once a year car polish



Claybar: Turtle Wax Ice Clay Bar Kit



Wax: Meguiar's Direct NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0



I know that I got those products from different brands, I think that mixing brands wont affect anything, but please correct me if I am wrong, I can easily return some of them and get the right ones..



Let me know what do you think. thanks



P.S. For my next purchase I am going to go with Zaino's kit, just that my dad offered to buy all of those stuff up above for now since I made a deal with him that I will do his 2 vehicles if he buy all of the products lol.. (good deal isnt it? hah)

 

[kbkid]

Autopia has a wealth of knowledge and you could easily spend hours reading on their website.

 

[uglydimple12]

yeah.. I just spent an hour reading bunch of tutorials and tips on autopia.org and now I would say I am scared to use the products I just bought ha.. But no way in hell I am going to be able to afford all of those sh-it that autopia recommends for top quality finish..



I would say I am anal, but not THAT anal ha.. I would like to detail my vehicle but not that much of attention to detail if you know what I mean? I think I will just go ahead and use what I have bought and hopefully I will be able to pull it off..



Also, I am not too worried since my explorer is pretty much a daily driver so I dont want to spend hundreds on those Sonus products and get my paint dirty in no time. No doubt I would invest in those Sonus products if I had a show vehicle..



I think I will be able to get away with impressive results with Zaino's products when I have the extra cash to shell out..



What do you guys think?



P.S. Thanks for referring me to this site, very nice site nonetheless! I definitely will be checking back into that site to find some more tips..

 

[dvorak]

Always wash the car before starting the polish. Otherwise you might scratch the paint.



Also, if you are waxing without a polish done before, the waxing is much harder work and takes longer time. Also, if you polish often the polish is easy to do. The polish can be really exhausting when the paint is dirty

 

[IAmTodd]

When I first started I picked up Menzerna products, a DA polisher, and proper pads. The results are amazing. It really is worth the money spent. I do see where you are coming from. There isn't a whole lot to be afraid of when you are doing it by hand. Just make sure to be very even with your work.

 

[uglydimple12]

When I first started I picked up Menzerna products, a DA polisher, and proper pads. The results are amazing. It really is worth the money spent. I do see where you are coming from. There isn't a whole lot to be afraid of when you are doing it by hand. Just make sure to be very even with your work.

Yeah I think I will be fine, I will check back if I need help..



thanks Todd!



(I gotta get my expo shiny and take some pics so it would be the ROTM winner next month hehe)



P.S. I am gonna paint the hubs of my rotors black and then paint the calipers silver

 

[dvorak]

No problems doing it by hand, I always do it!



Just let the car dry before you start polishing.



It's easy doing it by hand, you'll get it in notime! Good luck mate!

 

[uglydimple12]

great to hear



thanks!

 

[Rob]

I'm going to pin this thread, already some great info.

 

[uglydimple12]

I m wondering if I am required to do wax after polishing my vehicle?



One thing I have noticed about Turtle Wax ICE products:



The ICE line does have clay bar, polish, n all that.. but they dont have any wax, apparently they are considering their polish product as a wax??



I am kind of confused with the term "polish"?



I thought that polish will remove all of the wax that is on your vehicle therefore you will have to apply new wax on it or you can just polish it again or what?



Also, I am trying to see what does spray detailer do exactly?? is it like a wax or some kind of formula that cleans you vehicles in little time and still look good?

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

One thing I have noticed about Turtle Wax ICE products:



The ICE line does have clay bar, polish, n all that.. but they dont have any wax, apparently they are considering their polish product as a wax??

The ICE line is a pretty good over-the-counter (OTC) line. I've heard some good things about it on Autopia. Their wax is not a polish. If you want a good OTC wax you could use Meguiars NXT 2.0.

I thought that polish will remove all of the wax that is on your vehicle therefore you will have to apply new wax on it or you can just polish it again or what?

Polishing does remove old wax. If you wax it then polish the paint right after, you will need to wax again.

Also, I am trying to see what does spray detailer do exactly?? is it like a wax or some kind of formula that cleans you vehicles in little time and still look good?

Quick detail spray should be used when using clay bar. It lubes the surface so the clay won't stick to the paint and won't add any additional scratching or marring to the paint. AFter a complete detail has been completed, quick detail spray can be used to clean the paint if it has light dust/dirt on the surface. This can be used in lieu of washing.



I hope this helps.

 

[uglydimple12]

^^ many thanks for all of the answers!



okay I think I am covered with everything now.. but one thing I am still unsure about..



If you are saying wax is not required but I can just use it to protect the paint and add some more shine.. so if i choose not to use wax, then my paint will be unprotected? which is a bad thing? what would happen if I dont use the wax? (you said polishing is all about prepping the surface for a coat of wax or sealant which made it sound like wax is required lol)



From my own mindset, I always have considered polish as primer (in painting) which means it is a prep for the next coat.. and then wax would be the actual paint that goes over the polish (just like going over primer when painting) but apparently I am thinking about it in a wrong way lol?



I am itching to go back to store and return everything and then buy everything made by ICE, but for the wax I already got the meguiars NXT 2.0..

 

[CDW6212R]

Do be careful with different brands of products, because they do mix up their definitions of products. A polish isn't always a no abrasive product, some brands do have abrasives in their polish. That's the best reason to stick with a brand or group of products that you are used to.



Wax is just about the one thing which always means no abrasive, and for protective use. Glaze is a common last product to use for the final step, for the highest gloss. A glaze should be a very light simple product that is extremely easy to apply and remove. I've done that kind of product in less than five minutes, total time for application and removal. That happens when the entire finish is done, cleaned and waxed, and the glaze is bam, bam, on and off. That's the equivalent as the spray and washing chemicals that people buy thinking that it's all they need ever. They wash the car with it and figure that they never need manual waxing etc. The same goes for a spray on product, no matter what they call it, it's a final step product, not a wax or cleaner.



I need to get a car worthy of a real detail, finish not worn out.

 

[IAmTodd]

By definition a polish should have materials in it to remove paint, abrasives as Don said. Many people get the terms mixed up and often products are marketed wrong.



Make sure to research the brands and process as well. Mernzerna works as follows, Polish>Glaze>Seal. Don's products seems to work in a slightly different fashion.