I just bought some NXT any tips on applying it?

 

My favorite subject! The first thing I recommend is washing the car with DAWN liquid detergent, this will strip off all the old wax and make the surface nice and squeeky clean. Then evaluate the surface to see if it needs to be clay washed. A clay wash will de-contaminate the paint and remove grit and grime that you never knew was there, also it makes no sense to seal dirt into the paint by just waxing over it. Take some saran wrap and wrap it over your fingers and wipe it accross the surface, mainly on the hood, and roof (If applicable) and deck lid. If it feels bumpy and gritty, you will need to clay bar the car. You can use a Mothers Kit or Clay Magic and/or my favorite Zaino.

When you are done clay baring the car, wash it one more time, this time using a quality car wash such as Zaino Wash or Meguiars wash. Dry the car as you would by using a Soft Terry Towel or an Absorber (Synthetic Chamois) Try to keep away from real chamois because they pull oil out of the paint and leave it brittle over time.

When you start waxing, moisten the applicator with a mist of water, just a little bit. Apply a dime size dollup on the apllicator and if starting with the hood, aplly the wax side to side. Try to avoid circular motions as this can and will cause swirls over time. When applying the wax to the fenders doors and quarters, aplly the wax up and down. Let the wax haze and crystalize for a few minutes then carefully remove it in the opposite manner you applied, side-to-side for the sides of the car, up and down for the top side of the car. Try not to use excessive pressure when removing or applying. I prefer to use micro-fiber towels as they are very soft and very forgiving. Good luck, hope your car comes out looking good!

Rick

 

Thanks for tips looks like I need to check into doing the clay bar thing and also getting some microfiber towels. Wear can I find the microfiber towel at.

 

We have a COSTCO here in Cali and I have been very lucky that they have them there. You can try any quality Detail Shop or look online at California Car Covers. They carry a complete line of detail products.

 

I do not agree with using Dawn. You say a chamois will remove oils from the paint, what do you think Dawn is made to do? Not only that, but it will cause damage over time to the rubber and weatherstripping. Leave it in the kitchen, let clay do the cleaning.

BTW, is the Zaino clay better than Mother's?

 

Maybe I should have explained this a little better. I am not saying to use DAWN everytime you wash your car, I am saying that for this one time, you should use the DAWN to completely strip off all the wax to condition the paint to one system of care. my experience with NXT, NANO WAX, ZYMOL and Zaino is that it works better and yields a better result when there are no other waxes presesnt on the car. You better believe that prolonged use of DAWN will completely deplete all the oil from the paint, the glass and all the plastic and rubber pieces on the car.

I usually use Zaino wash to wash the car, however my original favorite car shampoo is actually not made for cars. I use Panteen Pro-V made for extra dry hair. This I have found replenishes a lot of the lost oils in the paint and makes it nice and shiny. I have been doing this for about 10 years and I love it! This is one tip you can say you heard from me as I am the inventor of this system. People though I was nuts when I started to do this, but everyone who has, has never looked back.

As for which clay bar is better? Of the two you mentioned, I would have to say the Zaino clay. The problem I had with the Mothers Clay was that it was disintegrating rather quickly and only lasted two jobs. I am able to do three to four cars with the clay magic kit or the Zaino clay.

 

If you're going to claybar the surface, you don't need to use dishwashing detergent to strip any of the old wax.

 

It's a good idea to perform this step, Sal Zaino endorses that statement. It ensures that you have removed all the wax from the surface.

 

Apply it like any other wax. What Ryatt SS said can be said for any wax. If you haven't clayed your car ever, then clay it. Claying it will make the most improvement if you've never clayed it b4. I've had my Mother's clay bar for 5yrs and I've used it 12+ times. I just recently used it on my cousins Silverado and it dirtied it up big time. But I have a new one already for back up

 

People also use Johnson's Baby Shampoo, it works well on cars.

Clay will take everything off the surface - wax/sealant, etc.

The current Zaino clay is the same clay as Mother's, down to the part number and everything. Not sure about older Zaino clay if it's different or whatnot. But, there's only 2-3 detailing clay suppliers in the U.S.

Clay Magic is different from all the others (red/blue). The yellow clay you see (Zaino, Mother's, Pinnacle, etc) is all the same.

Then again, there's elastic clay which is supposedly much better and self-cleaning. I'm gonna try it out and let you guys know how it is.

 

Ive heard that even pantine pro V shampoo does a really good job on washing cars. Because it has oils and vitamins and crap that will bring out a shine. For an even better shine from just washing I heard that a bit of olive oil works good. Im not sure on this though sounds like it would streak the finish.

 

Even if Olive oil did work well, it would attract dust and dirt like a ****.

 

no circular motions? thats something new to me, i always thought thats how it said to apply it on the back?

 

They usually say to do that to

1. Ensure complete coverage

and

2. You use more product

 

Yep, no circular motions, just not doing that will drastically reduce swirls. I have to thank Sal Zaino for that one!!