First time wash, clay and wax this weekend.

janus77 · 11-05-2009, 11:27 PM

Hi All,

Am wondering if you can give any novice a few tips. What i have is:

1. Meguires Quick Clay Kit
2. Armor All Car Wash
3. Meguires million dollar wax .
4. Meguires leather cleaner and conditioner.

So i'll kick off by spraying the car down with a hose to remove any surface dirt that will run off with water, then wash it down with car wash using a sponge starting from top to bottom, rinsing sponge after every panel in a 2nd bucket with clean water in it. Then i'll spray again with hose to remove suds, followed by a dry with the chamois. After drying i'll use the spray lube and clay to remove surface contaminants that have bonded. Following this i will again spray the car with the hose and chamois clean. Then i'll go over the car with the wax, applying and buffing off in sections.

Questions:
1. Is it better to do interior before or after the exterior?
2. Does wax go off? i've had this million dollar stuff for a few years.
3. I think there's some wax on the car already from the dealer, should i be trying to remove this before applying new wax?

Am not sure if there's anything else i need to be aware of, read that PDF on detailing, I'm not going to bother with Polishing even though there are some scratches.. i guess it will still look nice with a good wax.

Thanks!

jibaholic101 · 11-05-2009, 11:57 PM

1. doesnt matter, do the wheels before the paint always though
2. uhhh, poorly worded question
3. you could just wax on top of what you got, or if you really want to, get a strong degreaser to remove any agents, but then you usually have to finish off with a polish/sealant

janus77 · 11-06-2009, 12:11 AM

thks

dunston · 11-08-2009, 04:53 AM

I'd wash the car with a dish washing detergent like Dawn first and that will strip off any wax that has been applied to the car. Then use the claybar. If your wax is old, get something new. I'm a big fan of Zaino and Wolfgang. What color is your car? Polishing might make a very noticeable difference. Do it right the first time so you can look at your car and say, Wow, I did this.

janus77 · 11-08-2009, 11:20 PM

It's saphire black.

Actually in the end i just washed the car, then clayed the bonnet, and polished.. there are swirls all over the paint, but it still came up looking fantastic.

dunston · 11-09-2009, 03:43 AM

I just used some total Swiral remover 3.0 from wolfgang and its amazing stuff! Still have to apply the finishings glaze and paint sealant. It should look really good!

bozola · 11-09-2009, 12:39 PM

Most of my swirls got removed using the Griots' kit.

They also make a paint prep that removes wax.

11-05-2009, 11:27 PM	#1
janus77 Lieutenant 36 Rep 526 Posts Drives: 125i coupe Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sydney iTrader: (0)	First time wash, clay and wax this weekend. Hi All, Am wondering if you can give any novice a few tips. What i have is: 1. Meguires Quick Clay Kit 2. Armor All Car Wash 3. Meguires million dollar wax . 4. Meguires leather cleaner and conditioner. So i'll kick off by spraying the car down with a hose to remove any surface dirt that will run off with water, then wash it down with car wash using a sponge starting from top to bottom, rinsing sponge after every panel in a 2nd bucket with clean water in it. Then i'll spray again with hose to remove suds, followed by a dry with the chamois. After drying i'll use the spray lube and clay to remove surface contaminants that have bonded. Following this i will again spray the car with the hose and chamois clean. Then i'll go over the car with the wax, applying and buffing off in sections. Questions: 1. Is it better to do interior before or after the exterior? 2. Does wax go off? i've had this million dollar stuff for a few years. 3. I think there's some wax on the car already from the dealer, should i be trying to remove this before applying new wax? Am not sure if there's anything else i need to be aware of, read that PDF on detailing, I'm not going to bother with Polishing even though there are some scratches.. i guess it will still look nice with a good wax. Thanks! __________________ 125i, stick shift, M pack w/ 18's, 225/255 Z1's, saphire black, BMW CF rear spoiler, black interior, Midnight tint, business nav, sunroof, Injen intake, H&R sways.
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11-05-2009, 11:57 PM	#2
jibaholic101 Brigadier General 166 Rep 3,496 Posts Drives: women wild Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Charleston, SC iTrader: (0)	1. doesnt matter, do the wheels before the paint always though 2. uhhh, poorly worded question 3. you could just wax on top of what you got, or if you really want to, get a strong degreaser to remove any agents, but then you usually have to finish off with a polish/sealant __________________ some italian, german, and japanese ones; and on order more of the same
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11-06-2009, 12:11 AM	#3
janus77 Lieutenant 36 Rep 526 Posts Drives: 125i coupe Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sydney iTrader: (0)	thks __________________ 125i, stick shift, M pack w/ 18's, 225/255 Z1's, saphire black, BMW CF rear spoiler, black interior, Midnight tint, business nav, sunroof, Injen intake, H&R sways.
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11-08-2009, 04:53 AM	#4
dunston New Member 0 Rep 16 Posts Drives: 350Z for now Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Palm Springs, CA iTrader: (0)	I'd wash the car with a dish washing detergent like Dawn first and that will strip off any wax that has been applied to the car. Then use the claybar. If your wax is old, get something new. I'm a big fan of Zaino and Wolfgang. What color is your car? Polishing might make a very noticeable difference. Do it right the first time so you can look at your car and say, Wow, I did this.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-08-2009, 11:20 PM	#5
janus77 Lieutenant 36 Rep 526 Posts Drives: 125i coupe Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sydney iTrader: (0)	It's saphire black. Actually in the end i just washed the car, then clayed the bonnet, and polished.. there are swirls all over the paint, but it still came up looking fantastic. __________________ 125i, stick shift, M pack w/ 18's, 225/255 Z1's, saphire black, BMW CF rear spoiler, black interior, Midnight tint, business nav, sunroof, Injen intake, H&R sways.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-09-2009, 03:43 AM	#6
dunston New Member 0 Rep 16 Posts Drives: 350Z for now Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Palm Springs, CA iTrader: (0)	I just used some total Swiral remover 3.0 from wolfgang and its amazing stuff! Still have to apply the finishings glaze and paint sealant. It should look really good!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-09-2009, 12:39 PM	#7
bozola Unloved BMW Addict 91 Rep 1,185 Posts Drives: Z3 Coupe, 3 318Ti Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: King County WA iTrader: (0) Garage List 1999 Z3 Coupe [10.00] 1998 318Ti [0.00] 1998 318Ti [10.00] 2008 128i [9.00]	Most of my swirls got removed using the Griots' kit. They also make a paint prep that removes wax.
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