I have a 2008 Xfire and want to give it its first polish or waxing. Don't think its been polished before. Its been garaged and before spring gets here I would like to detail the outside.
My car is a light silver and I bought some Turtle Wax express shine and a turtle wax liquid that is for a hard shine. Is this an ok product to use? Is there something different I should use. I was planning on putting it on by hand and removing by hand. Should the car be washed first or can I do the polishing without washing as it appears clean. Want to get started right. Thanks Ron

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Read some of this:

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...crossfire.html

And I choose Meguiars products almost all of the time.

Nice car!

 

Oh-by the way, that claybar step is very important! it really does make all the difference for very little cost and time. Makes the job look better and last longer.

Just my opinion but many agree!

 

Thanks for the info. I read that detailing article and if I do it I don't think I'll survive. Ron

 

Darticus,

The detailing article is dedicated to we **** types. You can read through and just take what you need.

A careful cleaning then clay bar (you can test if you need it by letting your hand glide over the painted surface, if you feel little bumps, you will need to clay bar). You are lucky with your choice of color, silver does not show scratches and swirl marks as readily as a dark (especially black) car.

If you see some of those swirls, then about the only way to get rid (or reduce) them is to use an orbital polisher like a Porter Cable, Meguiar's, Griot's etc (not a $39 special from Pep Boys) with a good polish (not a wax). It can take a lot of time depending on their severity.

Your car is new so there may not be as much. If it is OK then get a good grade of wax and apply. If you are garaging your car and it never gets more than a little dusty, you can use a California Duster daily and a good detailer with a fine quality microfiber cloth to keep it shiny. Every few times you might want to hit it with a good spray wax.

I have tried a lot of different brands but have returned to Meguiar's. Mike in Orange has been a forum member for years and now works for them. His detailing posts and the quality of the products keep me loyal. Here is a picture of some of the products I use to keep a better than showroom look on my Black Beauty.

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Hey Darticus, I can understand your reluctance to do all the work as outlined in the detailing thread.

Here is my two cents......

1. Do not use Turtle Wax on your car. You could cause more problems than you would do good. You could end up putting swirl marks in the paint if you do not have high quality application/buffing materials, etc.

2. Find a good detailer in your area to do the things as outlined in the detailing thread. Prices vary by location, but I would think that about $120 would be a good starting point to have your car professionally detailed. Money well spent if you are not inclined to do it yourself.

 

Thanks for your time. I had a 61 Vette and always used Meguiars Products and have the orbital polisher somewhere in the garage but must get new pads for it. Was thinking about Turbo wax but not sure about it yet. Starting to feel spring coming and want to start detailing in the garage on warmer days or evenings. This way I be set when spring gets here for driving. Ron

 

Gotta check out who does detailing around here. Thanks Ron

 

If nothing else Ron, it would be a good idea to have it professionally detailed the first time, and then you could hand wax after that to maintain it. I have bought a porter cable and all the things that I need to do a complete detail, but I am considering having it professionally detailed, and then I will take over from there.

 

That really sounds good and I have to check locally for a detailer. I just look at it in the garage, with snow outside, and want to do something. I better relax! Ron

 

There was a thread that Mike From Orange had a while back 4-5 months/ re some of the work he's done with pics and the pads and Meguairs prodcuts he used. If you punch "swirl marks' in to search it should be pretty easy to find. Mike did some pretty amazing work on some finishes that were in pretty bad shape.
I think one thing you should do if you get a warm day, and you can do this yourself before detailing the car.......get a bottle of Dawn dish detergent and wash the car. Dawn is supposed to remove all wax. Then get a clay bar, I'd suggest Meguairs, Mothers, Zaino, Adams, they are all excellent products. Clay bar your car. This will remove a lot of c r a p (sorry) that is attached to your finish. Use a bar not the liquid clay that some company is offering. That will get your finish ready for swirl removal/detailing.
As for Turtle wax products.....I don't use them, haven't for a long time. Personally I use Meguiars Gold car wash (the best) and Zaino wax products. I also use Meguairs Scratchx and Plastx for the headlights.

 

Thanks for the info and will begin to read Mike's post. My car is a 2008 and has 6400 miles on it. Finish looks showroom and is silver in color. Still it needs polish and protective wax. I plan to follow all suggestions. Do you still think I need the clay. Thanks Ron
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Ron, you've gotten some good advice here already and chief among those is the clay bar. It will do wonders for prepping the finish for your wax application. Without removing the bonded contaminants that clay is designed to remove, you're basically just waxing dirt that is stuck to your paint. Nobody I know of makes a wax for dirt. Nobody.

Just about everybody here knows that I work for Meguiar's, but they also know I'm wide open to folk using what ever product line they happen to like. There's a lot of really good stuff on the market and, quite frankly, how you use a product is at least as important as the product itself. The best stuff on earth isn't worth diddly if you don't use it right.

You might want to check out Meguiar's forum at Meguiar's Online and specifically read through our 5 Step Paint Care Cycle. It will outline what needs to be looked at (only you can really evaluate and determine what needs to be done to your car) and even make product recommendations for you.

The G100 buffer you have is going to be your best friend. Pick up a few new pads, some Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and some NXT Tech Wax 2.0 (or Adam's, Zaino, Mother's, whatever you like) and have at it.

 

Fantastic! Does Meguiars still have the pads for the G100 available? I will read the 5 steps and get ready to think spring. Thanks Ron

 

Yes, we still have pads although you may want to upgrade you backing plate if you pick up our new Soft Buff 2.0 pads. The W68DA is the backing plate you want.

 

Thanks Mike getting confused with allthe info.
My car is a year out of the showroom. I have not washed it as I just purchased it but paint is like new as it was garaged alot. It is silver in color but would like to know what to do first.
I guess I should wash it.(Gold Class car wash)
Should I use clay?
Should I use swirlX?
Should I go to GoldClass Carnauba plus liquid wax or a Tech Wax 2.0 or Quik Wax?
Should I continue with Ultimate Quik Detailer when needed? Thanks Ron

 

If the paint feels rough to the touch at all, then clay it after washing thoroughly. Odds are it will benefit from this if it's never been waxed before.

Next step is paint cleaning and while SwirlX falls into that category, it's very mild and our paint is very hard. I'd go straight into the Ultimate Compound.

On a lighter colored car like yours I'd go with NXT Tech Wax - just make sure to apply it in a very thin coat and let it dry for at least 30 minutes before wiping off. It will come off with almost no effort if you apply it very thin. Quik Wax is just a booster product and not a substitute for a proper wax job. Same goes for Ultimate Quik Wax, although it is pretty amazing for a spray wax.

Definitely use the Ultimate Quik Detailer between washes. Good stuff. Oh, and only clean, quality microfiber towels.

 

Darticus - I forgot to mention this. If you do use the Dawn Detergent to strip the wax use the rest of it to wash dishes...........do not use it after the initial use. I highly recommend Meguiars Gold Car Shampoo once your car is waxed/polished. I've used a bunch of different ones and it is flat out the best!

 

THANKS NO PROBLEM
Gold class wash
Claying
SwirlX
WAX
UQD