Sealant

Thats good to know.....I bought the Mother's California Clay Bar Kit. It comes with 2 bars, the Showtime spray, and a microfiber towel. I think it was 24.99

 

That is not true that clay is just clay. I have used Meguiars, Pinnacle, and a couple different ones from Adams. The ones from Adams were a ton better than Meguiars or the Pinnacle. Not all clay comes from US. by the way, the patents have run out.

 

So...after I clay....can I go straight to putting the sealant on?

 

I agree, M21 is a great product. It is basically a professional version of NXT. The difference being that the M21 is formulated for rotary application in addition to DA/hand application. NXT is easier to find and will give you the same results. I learned this from Megs employee Michael Stoops on the Meguires online forum.

 

I have used NXT before and was not impressed. Better sealants out there for longevity and pop.

 

They tell you right on the Meguires online forum that Ultimate liquid/paste wax is better than NXT in most instances. The Ultimates are newer and have increased longevity. Although, it sounds like a lot of people have good results with NXT on dark colors. Some faithful fans out there. I get the feeling NXT is somewhat outdated. As you said, better stuff out there now.

 

Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) also works, but it will strip wax. Use a 50/50 dilution with water on the corner of a microfiber (or rub very lightly with another type of towel if you don't have microfiber). If it's just a little spot, I commonly use a 100% cotton cotton ball so I don't ruin a microfiber. Use 90% IPA straight if the sap is stubborn and not widespread. Dab it a couple times and it should wipe right off. Have a damp towel/APC handy to immediately wipe off the alcohol. I don't like to let the IPA sit there long at all. but it works very well on some saps. This will also strip any LSP that was applied.

Meguires recommends a 10-20% IPA solution for paint cleaning purposes iirc. A lot of guys use 50/50 but that's awfully strong. Important to note the concentration of the IPA you are starting with. I know it's sold in 90% and 70% pre-diluted.