alright, learned a lot over the past few weeks
let's hope this will be my last thread for awhile

1) clean car with dawn to strip off old wax
2) use 3m swirl remover and scratch remover (should i use dawn inbetween these, and should i use dawn after these 2 steps)?
3) use a cleaner (unless the 3m takes care of it)
4) use a polish (any reccommendations here?)
5) use california gold wax, liquid (better to use liquid or paste, which is easier to apply? i'm thinking the liquid)

does that sound good?
o, and is there anywhere i can get the stoners tire product
i checked pep boys and even they didn't have it (atleast that i saw)
thanks in advance guys, i appreciate it

 

I tried the California Gold Wax and immediately returned it because compared to Meguiar's Gold Class it did a horrible job... but that's just my experience (as well as quite a few that I've read on other boards) As far as the steps, you have it down great. Polish wise, if you are willing to purchase off the internet, Menzerna Intensive Polish is a GREAT polish that I have seen some amazing before and after results from.

 

yea meis, i remember reading your post
i was gonna try it, and if it didn't work out, go with something else
i figured the liquid would be better than paste since it *should* come off easier, atleast i'd think so
is the dawn between and after the 3m a good idea?
and yea, could you get me a link to buying that polish?
thanks

 

Using the dawn between sounds alright, personally I've only done it once before claying and that's worked fine for me. That, and the cleaner should do a good job getting rid of residues.

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...ogle&scoring=p

 

thanks meis, might have to go ahead and try that
i'm spending enough on 3m stuff anyways, so why not?

 

That's the attitude to take! I only wish I could take that attitude too, every time I get paid I blow through it all before I have a chance at the Intensive polish... I get paid biweekly, and the check I got a week ago as soon as it was in the bank I purchased a new hood off ebay.

 

you know, i might just get a store bought polish
seems like they say the menzerna would only work well with a buffer and not too great by hand
not really sure what polishes are in stores really, i'll have to check

oh, and what wax do you reccommend that's non-cleaner?
i was under the impression that gold class was along with lq, fx, nxt, etc.

 

Some people have said that Gold Class is a cleaner wax, but the Gold Class Wax in the black bottle/container is NOT a cleaner according to Meguiars themselves. I had emailed them asking if there were any abrasives in their gold class wax, and they replied saying that there were no abrasives at all that it should be used with a three step system.

 

A wax can be a cleaner wax and not contain abrasives......

 

Ok let me rephrase it then. I specifically asked "I've heard some say that Meguiar's Gold Class was a cleaner wax because it contains abrasives. Is this true?" And they replied (loosely quoting, as I don't have the email right infront of me) "No, Meguiar's Gold Class wax is not a cleaner wax, nor does it contain any abrasives. We recommend using a three step process by using a good cleaner wax such as Meguiar's Cleaner Wax, Meguiar's 2nd step polish, and lastly Meguiar's Gold Class wax."

 

meis, i think you will be happy to know i picked up gc on your reccommendation
also, what is a good store bought polish? i picked up the 3m hand glaze as it looked like it might be ok
and do you use paste or liquid gc? i got paste thinking it might last longer

 

Meguiars professional series products offer a good polish that I feel is one of the best store bought ones. Meg. #7 Show car glaze. I've used it and Zaino in the near past with outstanding results. Gold Class to follow without any complaints. ALso, I'd only do the dawn before, not after. Dawn isn't recommended for repeated use on cars, just to get all the waxes/polish off initially.

 

If you are using Mothers, then I would not use Dawn. Just use a very good ph balanced car wash solution. Dawn has harsh detergents that will take off some wax, but not all of it. Your paint cleaner is supposed to remove all of your old wax and dirt/oxidation etc.

Everything else looks ok. Do you have excessive swirls? If you do, then I would advise you to invest in a PC or rotary buffer (if you do not have one). If you are doing this by hand, then you will need a couple of passes with step 1 or your swirl remover and step 1. If you can, you should pick up Gliptone's pro-buff, and replace Mother's step one with this product. Pro-buff is an excellent cleaner, and it will reduce your swirling via hand provided it isn't too bad.

Good luck.

BTW: Mothers CG is supposed to be a pure wax (although it is a low content carnauba formula). I would seriously recommend that you try P21S at some point during your travels. It is an excellent pure wax that will have lasting results.

 

Glad to hear, you won't be disappointed with Meguiar's Gold Class. Only time I've ever had a problem with it is on high humidity days, it gets kinda smeary and just takes a little more work to buff out. Other than that, Meguiar's Gold Class =

Paste seems to be the way to go, and seems to last longer from what I've seen personally..

As for the other poster's comments about using a PC buffer, check out my Sonus SFX-2 post for pictures of what I just accomplished using a PC 7242 buffer with Sonus SFX-2 Enhance Swirl Remover.

 

thanks lbls1, i don't have huge swirls so i'm not gonna bother with a buffer (not that i have any cash left over to afford one)
i think i might go on your suggestion and just try out some cg after i use all the gc

meis, the car looks great
definately an improvement
i guess i'll see how this gc works out