Wax Newbie..

[WhyNotFab]

I'll be honest and say that I've barely ever took the time to wax a vehicle.. I've used spray/wax as you dry type products but obviously never anything great.

Recently a truck I got started looking dull/chalky looking so I bought a $5-6 can of Meguiars cleaner wax.. applied it by hand, didn't spend a huge amount of time on it but even with that I was completely amazed at how much cleaner/glossy my truck looked. It seems to only last about a week or so if it rains 2-3 times during that period.

Today I walked outside and it is starting to have the oxidized (I guess that's the name) look to it, not AS bad as originally.. but it's showing.

My question is, does that mean I should polish it before waxing next time? I know I've skipped steps I'm sure.. but I'd like the shine to last.

I don't have the $ to order anything online right now, but could possibly pick something up at Autozone/Walmart if you guys have suggestions on a better wax, and polish if that's the step I skipped. I used Meguiars gold class wash, and after it rained I used Meguiars quick detailer to wipe off spots/dirt.

Any tips/info is appreciated!

[J&L Detailing]

If you do not have the money to order from here, a decent otc product is the mothers 3 step system it will probally cost you around 35 to 40 bucks.

[FMINUS]

Prep the paint correctly, wash, clay, and use the mothers paint cleanser. You can wax it with anything and it will look good. Even turtle wax.......

[coupe]

If you do not have the money to order from here, a decent otc product is the mothers 3 step system it will probally cost you around 35 to 40 bucks.


Its nowhere near that expensive


Pick up either Mothers 3 step or Megs 3 step and a clay bar.

Wash
dry
clay
step 1
step 2
step 3

[J&L Detailing]

Sure it is. step one the cleaner is around 10 bucks or so, the sealer & glaze is 10.99 and the liquid caranuba wax is 11.99 the Mothers clay kit with the showtime is 16.99

[coupe]

Sure it is. step one the cleaner is around 10 bucks or so, the sealer & glaze is 10.99 and the liquid caranuba wax is 11.99 the Mothers clay kit with the showtime is 16.99


Megs step 1,2 and 3 are $5.49 a bottle (all 3 are $5.49 per bottle), thats $16.47 before taxes.

Mothers cost for their 3 step:
https://store.mothers.com/product_info.php?products_id=44

[J&L Detailing]

i stand corrected, but in my only defense when i bought the 3 step a few months ago before i saw this site it did indeed cost me that much in Pep Boys.

[Wolf-Strong]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/wolfstrong/detailing/Image9.jpg

If you aren't into doing a lot of work, because those 3 step systems are a whole weekend worth of work, then just try some clay + cleaner wax. I have found Meguiar's ColorX or Klasse AIO are two of the best.

[ScottB]

AIO type products like XMT360, Klasse AIO, and Polyseal from Optimum are not much more expensive than OTC and are far better choices.

[FMINUS]

Sure it is. step one the cleaner is around 10 bucks or so, the sealer & glaze is 10.99 and the liquid caranuba wax is 11.99 the Mothers clay kit with the showtime is 16.99


I bought the same set, the cleaner and sealant/glaze was around $8 each, the wax paste was around $17 and the clay bar kit from Walmart was on sale for $10.

The setup works well.

[Bunky]

At AG, the Mothers 3-step is $24 (liquid wax) not including discounts.

[WhyNotFab]

That is what my friend suggested was the Meguiars 3-step kit.. but instead of the wax it comes with I was maybe going to try some of my friends Meguiars NXT Tech Wax.

What OTC clay bar will do the truck?

(Also I'm sad to say that after not knowing any better, I rubbed kind of hard on removing some wax/quick detailer and a piece of dirt must have gotten into the cloth because I noticed a few scratches.. look a little deeper than through just the clear, so any suggestions on making those less noticeable? It's hard to find a shady spot in my yard :( )

Thanks for all of the help!