timmwg

what does the clay bar do????????

Dieseldan

removes imbedded dirt and fallout that has bonded to the clearcoat and can not be removed with regular washing

ksellers10

So i want to make sure im not wasting time. When i detail my car. I wash, dry polish then wax. now when i polsih and wax i run the formula into the car really hard. Should i be lightly buffing the polish/ wax on upon application or should i in FACT be using very rough elbow grease? lol someone weigh in please! I have the feeling i am not getting good water beading and lasting shine because when i apply the wax n polish i run so hard that I'm actually shallacking it off lol

NCBuckeye

iTrader: (1)

Most waxes and polishes now a days go on very thin and taken off very easy, almost without any pressure.

ksellers10

Then i think this is why my car never shines and water does not bead very well. I use meguir gold class wash and conditioner, turtle wax ice liquid polish and meguir deep crystal polish and finish with meguire gold class carnauba wax. I will rub much gentler and see how my results are

Dieseldan

could also be your type of wax, i hve around 20 different waxes and each one beads a little differently


also only way u r going to get great results is with a machine

ksellers10

Well i was under the impression that i have been using high quality wax. Meguire gold class carnuba and their liquid thin tech wax and i plan on buying an orbital polisher this weekend. its just so dam cold here in philadelphia i cant get around to it lol

tonyn3b

How long does a wash and clay bar take? My friend typical takes 3 hours. Wondering if that was average.

Jbling700

I never clay bar my Max yet but for my Altima, like 3-4 hours. You need to be motivated for the day cause it's a tedious job.

Dieseldan

yeah it is a long process but also depends on how much is on paint

I have done cars that i have gone through 2 bars then i have done cars that where very clean it is all in the plastic bag test

my maxima was full of rail dust

Dieseldan

have to be honest gold class is decent at best NXT is better but doesnt last long at all.

i buy all my stuff from www.autogeek.net and detailersdomain.com


it is more expensive tho, but to me this is my hobby

slicknick

Every 6 months I usually wash, dry and clay. Then keep the car in the garage, come back and finish up with polish and two light coats of wax.

Everytime I wash, two to three weeks, I usually wax atleast one coat of NXT. Figure I mideswell since the car is clean.

Dieseldan

that is exactly what i do, LSP after every wash tho I wash once to twice a week

I have the sickness :-)

2010BlackMax

Glad Im not the only one Dirt usually doesn't stay on my paint for more then one day. So usually it gets a bath at least once a week.

Dieseldan

yeah this weather is killing me i hate winter!

GoodFella218

Car looks sick man, I have a black maxima too but i like in Duluth MN and the winter wasn't too nice to my car. Thinking about getting a clay bar and dual action polisher but if you don't have a lot of experience is it pretty easy to mess something up?

WrightOne86

I used the Mother's Reflections line this year on the car, and I really liked the results.

For my full detail this year I washed with dawn, clay bar, wash with ONR, paint cleaner, polish, wax, top coat.

Before this, I had bought a product line called "Glare" and I was very impressed with their products as well. I think I read on one of the detailing forums that Honda bought like $1 Mil of their product and it is the same as the the "Honda Glare Auto Polish" or whatever they call their factory wax.

I haven't taken the plunge yet to the Duragloss/Zaino lines, but I have been tempted with all the pictures of late with people using them.

EndoT800

I just tried the latest MOTHERS California Gold Synthetic Wax Liquid instead of the NXT that I usually use. The product was easy to use and came off with little effort even in the direct sun. Even has a nice smell and the shine was really nice. I would recommend this wax to anyone to try since you can get it for around 10.00 bucks!

hey32g

Maguire's

Mario66

I just ordered some of this Zaino stuff I keep hearing so much about. Cant wait for it to come. Hopefully the weather here in NY stays nice for more than 2 days.

donhd04

I have a black maxima and I used the Meguiar's ULTIMATE line. Simply amazing stuff. Easy on Easy off and Beads water like I have never seen before. they have the Ultimate compound, ultimate polish, and ultimate wax. Each one is honestly amazing and readily available. I have tried the zaino stuff and several others and im not impressed for the money.

WrightOne86

This is exactly why I have not bought it yet. For approx. $80 I am not trying to get something only to be slightly more impressed than something that costs me half.

Ghozt

I like Zaino because it is a polish, as opposed to just a wax. So instead of just washing the car, claybarring and then coating it in a layer of wax, you wash, clay, then can layer as many coats of polish on as you want, the more you do the deeper the shine. It uses a hardener so that it hardens to the paint quickly, when you're done it is effortless to buff off too. Then when you're done you can Wax it still for even more protection, I just did a quick mist wax. My california duster glides over the entire car like it is glass, and I am told this polish lasts quite a while so I'm eager to see how long water beads up for

Mario66

Ghozt,
No problems with Swirls/residue?

Mario66

Holy crap!
I just washed , clay bar-ed and did one coat of the Zaino Z6 on my dads 09 Maxima (the Burgundy color) as an early Birthday Present for the old man. All I can say is WOW. You really do see a difference and it comes off swirl free. I experimented on his car and left a little portion of the rear fender un clay bar-ed just to see what would happen after I waxed it and it really does make a huge difference.

I cant wait to do mine (White) tomorrow. I know Im not going to get that same deep wet look but thats the price you pay for not having to deal with all the headaches of a dark colored car.

Zortster99

i wonder if you can use the Meguires Black Wax on the Crimson Black paint... Anyone?

Dieseldan

yes that color wax is all a gimick

2010BlackMax

Yeah! I know what you mean. I just did my parents older 04 Hyundai 350L, black, and they couldn't believe it! I am for sure a believer in Zaino. Just wait till you get 2 coats on it What I like a bout it too is that it will still protect 6months from now. Wax doesn't last longer then 4-6 weeks

Mario66

I bought my brother the Zaino starter kit right after and he did his black Bimmer and he threw out his Meguiars.
Its great stuff. Im hoping to do it all over again this Weekend if the weather holds up.

whit

Collinite is real good wax, i have used it a lot . Stays beading up or along time

whit

I used to work for a detail shop. Claying a car doesn't take 3 hrs. Clay,buff and wax on a bad car mite take 2-3 hrs

I've Clayed many cars and u can easily do a car perfect in 30-40 min.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

I agree, I load up on some spray detailer, usually whats on sale cause your only using it to keep the surface wet and slick and then just start rubbing until the surface feels like wet glass, usually just my roof, hood and trunk lid are the worst and with the 7th gen the wide shoulder/hip flares over the rear tires 30 minutes tops

Compusmurf

Couple of comments, I'm no expert tho...

If you use DAWN as a detergent, you really GOTTA wax your car afterwards. It's designed to strip oil, wax, etc. If you don't intend to wax and protect your paint afterwards, please, use something less.

If you clay your car while it's wet right after the wash, but before the final rinse, you don't need detail spray. Keep it wet with a mist spray from your hose. (Pro detailer taught me that) Saves a few $ on the spray. Says also, anything the clay bar knocked loose but didn't pick up rinses off.

Duragloss and Zaino are supposedly the same product, IF you can find it retail, you'll save a few $$$. I've used the Duragloss product and it seems to work well.

Oh, and have a few clay bars on hand. If you get clumsy and drop one on the ground, consider it RUINED and throw it away.

Mario66

Had the day off from work today and since its going to be nice here in NY for the next couple of days I decided to wash/claybar/Zaino my car again. Last time I did this back in May. I cant speak highly enough of this Zaino stuff.
Unreal.

Dieseldan

very very good product u cant beat z2 and z8

Blackmax12

I did a bunch of research on how i can keep my 2012 black SV premium looking good without becoming an obsessed Detailer. Just don't have the time for that. Here's what I have come up with as a compromise approach.

I wash using the two bucket method (actually a third for the rims and tires), grit guards and Meguires Detailer Proffessional's Choice Shampoo Plus. It has gloss boosters and special lubricants to help reduce scratching. After drying with a waffle weave microfiber towel and a separate one for door jambs and other areas that might be hiding dirt, I sealed it using Ultima Paint Guard Plus. Now when I do a wash, the water falls right off the car.

Discovered a neat trick this weekend. After my towel became too wet to finish drying the car, I pulled out my hand held leaf blower and used that to literally blow dry the car. It worked great! You just have to be careful of a couple things: don't blow down at the ground or you'll kick up all kinds of crap all over your freshly washed car and, don't hit your car with the tip of the leaf blower nozzle. I'm going to fab some kind of soft cover for the tip in case I get clumsy. It really works well! It blows water out from behind trim, inside your side view mirrors and other places you could never get with a towel. Plus, and this is a big plus, no wiping, which eliminates another major source of scratches and swirls on dark colored cars. I only had to do some
light touch up with a towel in the door jambs and trunk gutter. I haven't tried clay barring yet. My car is only about 2 months old and the shine I'm getting is like a mirror. I'll post some pics from this weekend's detail once I get near my pc.

silberma

I use LUCAS Slick Mist which was recommended to me by some one at an auto show. He said it is used by proffessional auto detailers. After the car has been washed you spray it on and wipe it off with fantastic results. Anyone else try it to see how it compares to Zaino and Meguires?

harsh2888

I wash, claybar and meguiars carunba wax on my super black. How exactly do you clay bar and how often? Anyone have any suggestions to my regimen?goo


Also, can someone post a link to these Zaino products and where you get them, I look online but could not find it.

Mario66

Here you go dude. Its a little pricey but trust me when I say its worth it.
Since you have a black car you need the Z6.

http://www.zainostore.com/

Dieseldan

never used it but i gotta zaino makes some great QDs IMO Z8 is the best qd i have ever used and puts down useful protection.