A few newb quesitons. All answers wlcomed.

[Whitethunder46]

Hey ya'll, a few questions:

1. If you are planning on polishing and/or waxing a vehicle, is it ok to use a dish detergent? I know this strips wax and such, but wouldn't this be good if you are going to re-wax or polish? Is this CC safe or anything I should be worried about?

2. How important is it to clay bar before you are going to use a heavy polishing compound and a cutting pad? Aren't you basically doing the same thing with polishing as the clay bar? I've heard of people clay barring after polishing, is this necessary?

3. After polishing you then apply a nice sealant. For added shine you can apply a carnauba wax on top of the sealant, correct? I know you shouldn't do a glaze after polishing and before a sealant for bonding puproses, but is it ok to do a glaze on top of the sealant then a carnauba? Would there be just the same "wet look" with a glaze and carnauba on top of a sealant as there would be if there was a glaze and carnauba on top of the paint itself without a sealant.

4. What is the longest lasting tire dressing you have experienced? Not necessarily best shine, but a long lasting dressing that can last a couple weeks or more through highway driving and rain. Is just about any tire gel a good choice and best choice?


Thanks a lot guys, this is a great forum for detailing needs and hope to be a part of it for a long time!!

[aschultz91]

1.) Yeah dawn dishsoap will work and should strip most of the old wax. If your are planning on polishing though, dont waste your time because the polish will take all of the old waxes/sealants off.

2.) Depending on what condition your paint is in you may or may not NEED to claybar. I always find it better to clay bar though because if makes everything go on and off easier and it pulls out some contaminates that polishing wouldnt. Try the bag test to see if you need to clay(put your hand inside a plastic bag and rub it on the washed surface and see if you feel any bumps or if the bag slides smoothly)

3.) Sealants give you a good reflection and wet look and canubas give you depth and make it shine even more. You probably should do a glaze after sealant because i probably has some tiny abrasives possibly that would strip the sealant. I would just use a sealant and wax or glaze + canuba.

4.) For tire dressings i use Meguiars NXT which seems to work very well. I havent used alot but it seems to work pretty well. Im sure there is better ones out there but i am yet to use one.

Hope this helps!

[Whitethunder46]

Originally Posted by aschultz91

1.) Yeah dawn dishsoap will work and should strip most of the old wax. If your are planning on polishing though, dont waste your time because the polish will take all of the old waxes/sealants off.

2.) Depending on what condition your paint is in you may or may not NEED to claybar. I always find it better to clay bar though because if makes everything go on and off easier and it pulls out some contaminates that polishing wouldnt. Try the bag test to see if you need to clay(put your hand inside a plastic bag and rub it on the washed surface and see if you feel any bumps or if the bag slides smoothly)

3.) Sealants give you a good reflection and wet look and canubas give you depth and make it shine even more. You probably should do a glaze after sealant because i probably has some tiny abrasives possibly that would strip the sealant. I would just use a sealant and wax or glaze + canuba.

4.) For tire dressings i use Meguiars NXT which seems to work very well. I havent used alot but it seems to work pretty well. Im sure there is better ones out there but i am yet to use one.

Hope this helps!

that helps tremendously, thank you! The glaze I have is Pinnacle's XMT glaze which I believe does not contain abrasives, so I guess my biggest question now does the glaze still help add that tremendous depth and wet look on top of a sealant as it would with out the sealant?

[FloridaNative]

If the car has never been clayed before then it should be clayed before polishing. The clay bar removes embedded contaminants from the clear coat by causing them to adhere to the clay and also by smoothing them through abrading. At some time in the car's life before it was delivered to the dealership it has travled either by rail, ship or truck and has had plenty of time to pick up contaminants. The reason I believe the car should be clayed before polishing is because embedded contaminants like rail dust are pieces of metal that are not going to be broken down with polishing. Where the clay bar can pick those up and remove them from the paint, a polisher can just move them around the surface giving you scratches. I think claying is a very vital step in the detailing process and should not be overlooked. Of course if the car has been clayed in the past you can do the clay bag test to see if it needs to be done again, but if the car has never been clayed then it needs to be done even if the car is new.

The XMT is an excellent glaze. It will bring out the color, gloss and shine to the car's paint and will give it some depth as well. Make sure to top it with a carnauba only.

[justin30513]

1. If you are planning on polishing and/or waxing a vehicle, is it ok to use a dish detergent? I know this strips wax and such, but wouldn't this be good if you are going to re-wax or polish? Is this CC safe or anything I should be worried about?

I would never use Dawn. It's very bad for rubber trim and molding and will pull out vital oils. It will also dry out some clear coats too. Any polish will remove wax. Just do it this way.

2. How important is it to clay bar before you are going to use a heavy polishing compound and a cutting pad? Aren't you basically doing the same thing with polishing as the clay bar? I've heard of people clay barring after polishing, is this necessary?

I clay bar while I wash. Saves me a step and I tend to get more contaminents due to the soap working. Heavy compounding will not remove what clay barring can do. Try it. Clay bar half of your hood. Then just compound the other side. Bet you the clayed side will be smoother than the other.

3. After polishing you then apply a nice sealant. For added shine you can apply a carnauba wax on top of the sealant, correct? I know you shouldn't do a glaze after polishing and before a sealant for bonding puproses, but is it ok to do a glaze on top of the sealant then a carnauba? Would there be just the same "wet look" with a glaze and carnauba on top of a sealant as there would be if there was a glaze and carnauba on top of the paint itself without a sealant.

You have your steps right here. I've personally never used a glaze after a sealant. I don't see how the glaze could work since the sealant is like a shield. This is something I would like to see myself or might just have to try!

4. What is the longest lasting tire dressing you have experienced? Not necessarily best shine, but a long lasting dressing that can last a couple weeks or more through highway driving and rain. Is just about any tire gel a good choice and best choice?

I use alot of different dressings and gels. AA Tire Gel will last 2 weeks if applied to a well prepped tire and let dry. The cost is good too. I use NXT Insane Shine Spray on my personal tires. It's 6.97 per can so it's not cost efficient for my business. I get 4 weeks out of a good coating. I also wash mine once a week. Tire prep is just as important as paint prep. I believe alot of bad dressing experiences have came from improper tire cleaning. Do it right the first time and clean them well!

[Whitethunder46]

Originally Posted by FloridaNative

The XMT is an excellent glaze. It will bring out the color, gloss and shine to the car's paint and will give it some depth as well. Make sure to top it with a carnauba only.

But will it bring out the color gloss and shine just as much on top of a sealant as it would on top of the paint without a sealant. That's my question.

[FloridaNative]

Originally Posted by Whitethunder46

But will it bring out the color gloss and shine just as much on top of a sealant as it would on top of the paint without a sealant. That's my question.

I haven't used it on top of a sealant yet, but since you have it why don't you try it out? Just remember to report back your findings to us so we can learn too.

[Whitethunder46]

Originally Posted by justin30513

1. If you are planning on polishing and/or waxing a vehicle, is it ok to use a dish detergent? I know this strips wax and such, but wouldn't this be good if you are going to re-wax or polish? Is this CC safe or anything I should be worried about?

I would never use Dawn. It's very bad for rubber trim and molding and will pull out vital oils. It will also dry out some clear coats too. Any polish will remove wax. Just do it this way.

2. How important is it to clay bar before you are going to use a heavy polishing compound and a cutting pad? Aren't you basically doing the same thing with polishing as the clay bar? I've heard of people clay barring after polishing, is this necessary?

I clay bar while I wash. Saves me a step and I tend to get more contaminents due to the soap working. Heavy compounding will not remove what clay barring can do. Try it. Clay bar half of your hood. Then just compound the other side. Bet you the clayed side will be smoother than the other.

3. After polishing you then apply a nice sealant. For added shine you can apply a carnauba wax on top of the sealant, correct? I know you shouldn't do a glaze after polishing and before a sealant for bonding puproses, but is it ok to do a glaze on top of the sealant then a carnauba? Would there be just the same "wet look" with a glaze and carnauba on top of a sealant as there would be if there was a glaze and carnauba on top of the paint itself without a sealant.

You have your steps right here. I've personally never used a glaze after a sealant. I don't see how the glaze could work since the sealant is like a shield. This is something I would like to see myself or might just have to try!

4. What is the longest lasting tire dressing you have experienced? Not necessarily best shine, but a long lasting dressing that can last a couple weeks or more through highway driving and rain. Is just about any tire gel a good choice and best choice?

I use alot of different dressings and gels. AA Tire Gel will last 2 weeks if applied to a well prepped tire and let dry. The cost is good too. I use NXT Insane Shine Spray on my personal tires. It's 6.97 per can so it's not cost efficient for my business. I get 4 weeks out of a good coating. I also wash mine once a week. Tire prep is just as important as paint prep. I believe alot of bad dressing experiences have came from improper tire cleaning. Do it right the first time and clean them well!

Thanks for the advice, great help so far and learning tons. What's a good method to clean tires? Is it Bleach white or something that is a powerful tire cleaner? I've heard good and bad things about this. such as to make sure not to get it on paint or the wheels which seems challenging if you need to spray down. Also, I understand it's not so much cleaning the tire as to making sure the tire is completely dry to prevent any streaking of the dressing.

[Whitethunder46]

Originally Posted by FloridaNative

I haven't used it on top of a sealant yet, but since you have it why don't you try it out? Just remember to report back your findings to us so we can learn too.

PC with XMT kit is on order!

[justin30513]

If it's just your tires.....I'd use Eagle One Wheel and Tire Cleaner. It's a one step product that works. Works really good. I just can't afford to use it on customer's cars.