To clay bar or not?

Depends on a lot of factors. Polishing and waxing by hand or machine?
I really take my time and rarely have a need to polish:

Washing & Drying - 1 hr 30 min
Clay Bar - 2 - 3 hours (All depending on how much you need it)
Waxing - 45 minutes to apply, 45 minutes to let set (If I'm using a sealant that requires this), and another hour to buff the wax off

 

I clayed my windows. wow. it's like I have a new windshield. I thought it was clean before but I guess not!

 

Thanks! Okay so it sounds like an all day affair to give her the full treatment. I wouldn't mind doing it as I do have a couple of light scratches I would like to take care of. Having a darker paint really shows any imperfections. I would probably buy a machine, I've heard trying to polish by hand is not nearly as effective. I imagine there are tons of tutorials on youtube for each step?

 

here's mine after clay and two coats Meg #21... that's a reflection of the pebbles in the concrete that you can see in the door. this sealer blew my mind. can't wait to get some wax on top.

 

can't remember if I mentioned it yet in this thread- but all the scratches under the door handles are GONE. all swirl marks- GONE. one 2 foot long scratch scratch in the hood from grit in my drying towel several months ago- GONE. I thought for sure it would take a buffer to get it out. if you have a surface reasonably free of major defects, I think anyone would be happy with the Megs 21.

 

It really can be an all day thing. Getting out fine scratches by hand like the ones that show up under door handles is pretty easy but if you are trying to get rid of swirl marks now we are talking paint correction. This is nearly impossible by hand but you can do it with a buffer

 

what is megs 21?

 

I've heard it mentioned that the Megs 21 is "pro grade" (whatever that means). well, I bought it a car quest auto parts store here in town and have seen it at other auto parts stores that carry the mirror glaze line of Meguires products. the second application definitely added to the first. the 2 foot long scratch wasn't completely gone after the first application. I'm now contemplating a third coat just for the protective qualities, as it clearly builds up (I don't doubt that it's already "sealed" after the 1st application). I've been told/read that the Meguires "NXT wax" is comparable, but maybe slightly inferior (found at most big box stores).

 

damn. I should have used this stuff instead of the mothers carnauba. Ill try it out before summer ends. Can i put this on directly, or do i need to wash my truck with dishsoap to strip the old wax?

 

I did use dish soap on mine before sealer just to be sure I applied the sealer to as clean of a surface as possible. i applied a coat of Meguires gold carnauba plus about a month ago. it was still beading nicely when I went ahead and washed it with the dish soap before the sealer application. I wanted to attempt to get off all wax that I could. whether I did or not, who knows. it didn't bead as nicely after the wash, but I bet there was still some on there. whatever was left probably dissolved into the sealer anyway. I can't say for sure, but I bet there's some kind of solvent type chemical in the sealer. when they make these products they know everyone isn't starting from absolute zero. but it's stated on the product that it contains no cleaners- so yeah, you wanna get all the wax off that you can. let me know if you have any other questions. happy to help.

 

I've been a carnauba guy my whole life. never really gave much thought to the sealers. carnauba has worked just fine and I enjoy the process. but then I started reading about guys doing wax over the sealer with great results and decided to give it a try.

basically, when the carnauba is on its last leg (4-6 weeks here in the summer), you don't need to worry about rushing out to put another coat on. if you do, great. if you don't, it's still protected by the sealer. the sealer has a great shine to it. but I still prefer the look of carnauba (less shine, but brings out the beauty of the paint a little more). with that said, I am looking forward to the longevity of the sealer (and I bet the wax goes on a lot easier).

I'll report back when I get the wax on top. maybe next week.

 

Using a glaze is a good idea before wax too. It acts as a filler to hide scratches and swirls. I just finished up my detail this weekend. Here is my recipe this round.

My truck is white and it turned out great! Very happy with the results.

Wash/Clay/Glaze/Wax

Poorboy's World White Diamond Car Shine 16oz

http://www.amazon.com/Poorboys-Whit...709965&sr=8-1&keywords=poorboys+white+diamond

Liquid Natty's Blue Wax 16 oz.

http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Nattys...35709960&sr=8-2&keywords=poorboys+nattys+blue

This side shows the shine a little better.

 

so i can use just the meg 21 on my truck and it will protect/look good?

 

yup! and it'll last a lot longer than carnauba.

 

Looks great!

 

thank you

 

personally, I wouldn't glaze before the Meg21 sealer. I just like the idea of it going on a totally clean surface and I'm more than happy with the result. under a wax, then yeah I might try a glaze as Tao Zero did. OP I actually think your previous application of the cleaner wax is in your favor, considering the Meg21 has no cleaning component to it. you've now got a nice clean surface to work with and wax doesn't last too long anyway, especially in the summer. give it a couple weeks in this sun, then give it another good wash or two, and I bet it will be primed for a couple coats of Meg21. it goes on and wipes off super easy- MUCH easier than any wax I've ever used.

 

no problem. I'm no pro detailer, but I did spend about three hours every evening last week researching this stuff- on this forum, but also on several other websites. and I talked to the guys at a paint shop in town. on the Internet... lots of conflicting opinions out there, lots of people talking garbage, but I also found some really good non-biased info on sites like autogeek and others. their forum is great. really have to sort through the info and make some educated guesses. everyone has their own routine and favorite products. I did a lot of reading- hours and hours- before settling on the Meg21/collinite combo. you might try the Meg and decide you like the carnauba-look better, but the trade off is longevity (from what I've determined). and based on what my two coats look like, I've no doubt this will protect much better than carnauba. I tested it in an inconspicuous spot to see if I could rub it really hard with a microfiber towel to create swirls- and I could not. if you apply it and you think you like the carnauba look better? throw a coat of wax on top (but don't use a "cleaner" wax- and also note that a lot of over the counter products are labeled "wax" but are actually synthetic sealers). I found the collinite on eBay for $18 with a free applicator and microfiber towel, and chose it because it is just a wax and has no cleaning component.

 

When I had my '04 Tacoma Lunar Mist? (Silver) I would clay then 1 layer of Klasse All in One/ 6 layers of Klasse Sealant (yes 6) then topped with S21 Carnauba. It would take me a week because each layer of Klasse needed 24 hours to cure. It looked insane! Looked like it was dipped in oil it had so much depth. It was a lot of work, but well worth it. I like white, it is much easier to maintain!