Hey guys... since my auto experience is limited...gotta ask

I was going to give my first wash to the car... went to a local target to buy some stuff and realized not only that I had no idea what I was going to do but also there were a ton of different brands and products...:thinking: anyways? my MAIN issue is..should I polish and then wax it, or just wax it??? (by the way, which is the best wax around? I saw the turtle wax bernauba one and a Mcguairs or something like that that seem to be the better ones)


thanks for your help/comprehension/cooperation

 

Polish and wax if you have the time, otherwise, you can use a good cleaner/wax to accomplish the same thing in less time. As for what's the best wax to use, that's subjective. Meguiars, Mothers, those are good products. Personally, I use Zymol, it's probably the best cleaner/wax on the market, it's easy to apply and remove, smells good, is excellent at removing/hiding swirl marks, gives a deep, glossy look to the paint.

 

Since your car is new you won't have to worry about damaged paint. So I recommend that you use Meguiars Mirror Glaze Show Car Glaze #7 and Meguiars Mirror Glaze Yellow Tech Wax #26.

Just wash your car. Dry it with a clean 100% cotton bath towel, apply the polish, remove it with a 100% terry cloth towel, then apply the wax and remove it with a 100% terry cloth towel.

Get these at your local auto store like Pepboys, Autozone or Kragen.

I recommend Meguiars.:thumbup:

If you want to know more go to www.meguiars.com they have tons of information and what you should know.:thumbup:

 

I second meguiars also. They're make some of the best car products IMO. Since we're on the subject, something that people with older cars like mine should consider is a clay bar, if you've never tried it. It's the best thing to get off dirt and paint-overspray that has accumulated on the surface and cannot simply be waxed or washed off. It's one of the most incredible car products I have used(besides a leather chamosis). Meguiars or Mothers both are good for this.

 

Actually for the Clay bar kit. I recommend Clay Magic which you can get at Autozone. The bar is made in Japan and so many people say it works better then Mother's. I've used Mothers and its great, but I recently got Clay Magic to how much better it can be.:thumbup:

 

Clay Magic's my favorite clay bar. Since your car is new, I'm pretty sure that it's all silicone'd up by the dealer to make it look shiny. I'd reccomend washing it with something like Meguiars Gold Class Soap, or some other soap. All soap's are very similar. Dry with terry cloth bath towels. I would then polish it with a glaze such as Meguiars # 7 Show Car Glaze, and then wax it with something like Meguiars # 26 Liquid Wax. All these products can be found at Autozone, Discount Auto Parts, and some Wal-Mart's and Target's. Claybar's are good to use once a year followed by a swirl remover and then polish and wax. I usually wash once a week, polish every 4 weeks, and wax every two weeks. I use S100 wax. It's a Caranuba wax, so it doesn't last as long as some sealant's, but it puts out probably the best shine I've ever seen for with using a wax. Klasse, S100/P21S, Meguiars, Mothers are all good brands. Klasse is a sealant type of wax that lasts longer than a caranuba, but you can still top the Klasse with something like Meguiars # 26, or S100 and get an AMAZING shine. For swirl removal, which should only be done maybe twice a month, a buffer is definately a BIG help. 3M Swirl Mark Remover, Meguiars Dual Action Cleaner Polish, or Meguiars #9 Swirl Remover are all great products for that. They can all be found at stores like Pep Boys, and detailing stores. So here goes, one last time.

Wash - Once a week, quick detailer used right after drying helps the shine a lot.
Wax - For you, the casual cleaner, every month is good.
Polish - Once or twice every two months.
Swirl Removal (followed by polish/wax) - Every 6 months or so.
Claybar (followed by swirl removal/polish/wax) - Once a year.

www.autopia.org is a great learning tool on detailing. Good luck with a nice new car, hope I helped.

 

u guys really dry your cars with 100% terry cloth towels?? i wouldnt ever be able to get my car dry without a chamois or an absorber (what i've been using for the last 5 years).

i used to wash my accord once a week, wax (last 2 steps of 3 step meguier's), clay bar maybe once a year.

you dont really need to wax your car until the water beads larger than a quarter

 

No I dry with 100% cotton bath towels it is great at absorbing water. I remove polish and wax with 100% terry cloth towels.

 

I just renewed the crappy finish on my 94 that i bought this winter....seems the owner didnt take care of it well, so it had swirl marks and the whole nine....i washed, dryed with bathtowel (terry), clay bar, meguiars dual action cleaner/polish, glaze #6 (professional body shop line), hi-tech yellow wax #26....ill say that I was REALLY IMPRESSED at how deep the paint looked

Ill just say that taking the time to take care of your new finish is DEFINITLY worth doing it the right way and with the right products.....

 

My gear...

Wash - Turtle Wax Car Wash (blah)
Claybar - Zaino
Wax - Zymol
Polish/Swirl Mark Remover - Zaino Z2 and Z5
Remove wax - microfiber cloth
Drying - Absorber and bath towels, aka nice terry cloth (if they're good enough for you, they're good enough for your car)

i also hear that S100 is good. Meguairs is only good when you use the professional yellow bottle line. Nothing less than these products go on my car.