Detailing advice needed

[hsiengloong1985]

Hi all,Am driving a E90 LCI Alpine white. I wash my car every Sunday and normally after my wash i detail my car with Meguiar product that i bought.I would like to know if the steps below is correct:1. Wash and wipe dry2. Clay with Meguiar Quik Detailer.Afterwhich, it leaves a very smooth feel on the overall car. I normally do not wax the car even thought i bought the Meguiar wax paste.Can you all advice me if its advisable to was it after claying it? Or i alternate it e.g. Clay it this week and wax it next week?Thanks!

 

[Eggie86]

Many people do not have the luxury of being able to detail their ride on a frequent basis. It all depends on you really bro.

Normally, after claying, one should usually apply a layer of polish/wax/sealant to protect the paintwork and maintain the shine.

Check out some of their earlier threads on this section bro. Loads of information here on the Net as well on car care maintenance.

 

[hsiengloong1985]

Thanks bro.. I've read up alot of details about this but alot of them advise me to wax it after claying.

However, thing is that it really takes up alot of my time to wash, clay then wax. Thus, was wondering if this was really necessary or i can stagger the process since claying it also does give me the smoothness that i am looking for.

Thanks

 

[Eggie86]

No worries man. Just sharing my experience with a fellow enthusiast. Actually, claying on its own doesn't do much other than to remove contaminants and dirt and tar from the paint work, thus leaving it with a mirror-like surface. Yes, it will be noticeably smoother after claying, but in order to really make the paintwork shine, and for protection, i.e, water beading etc, a layer of wax will definitely make your car even better.

Like you said, time isn't a luxury for you, and even more so to many of us. As it stands, I normally only clay once every few months, and wax occasionally. I wouldn't stop at claying alone, if possible, perhaps you can opt to spend a bit more time to apply a layer of wax, and believe me, you'd be very amazed at the end result.

And yes, the car's surface will be even smoother than before... I've tried it... Threw a cloth over the bonnet and it just effortlessly slipped away.

 

[KrisMas]

You don't really need to clay every time after you wash your car. Claying is to remove bonded contaminant and if you have a good protection (wax) on and wash your car often, chances are you'd only need to clay *maybe* once in two or three months (depending on where and how contaminated is your area).

A good way is to wash, clay then wax, after which you'd feel that the surface is silky smooth. Go into your routine of washing every week (if possible) and after washing and drying, just move the palm of you hand *gently* on the surface and see whether you can feel any grit or dirt particles leftovers/stuck on the surface. If it feels rough, then you *should* do a round of claying and waxing again on your next wash.

A good protection (wax) and routine (washing) would prolong the period whereby you'd need to clay again by minimizing dirt/grit/contaminant from bonding onto the paintwork.

Regards.

 

[hsiengloong1985]

Thanks for the advice.

So i guess the main issue here is that its more impt to actually wax than clay the car? E.g. i should wax it more often than i clay?

 

[KrisMas]

Yeap. You should wax more often or when you see/feel the protection has deteriorated (but, if possible, don't wait until it does). If you're short for time, modern technology has granted us with spray waxes that are durable, easy to apply and can be applied in far shorter time than traditional waxes - spray, wipe to spread and buff (what we call Wipe-On-Wipe-Off, WOWA products), eg. Meg's Ultimate Spray Wax, Optimum Spray Wax, Mother's FX Spray Wax, etc. Or, even better a Wipe-On-Walk-Away (WOWA) products - spray, wipe and ...... that's it (although some of us do go over the surface again with a soft cloth just in case), eg. Optimum Opti Seal, Duragloss Enviroshield, etc. Google around and you should find the products I mentioned available locally.

 

[hsiengloong1985]

Thanks for the advice!

Yes, waxing takes up alot of time and energy as i am currently using paste wax. Would definately try the Wipe-on-Wipe-off product you have mentioned about if this is an alternative solution.

Also, just to double confirm, the product mentioned above is called the Meguiar Ultimate Quik Wax?

Thanks

 

[KrisMas]

You're most welcome. Yes it's Meg's Ultimate Quick Wax....not Ultimate Quick Detailer, the latter is just a wax topper....

 

[hsiengloong1985]

Thanks... Normally i use the Quik Detailer to moist the surface and clay it off

 

[Eggie86]

Yup, like this... Hehe.

 

[hsiengloong1985]

Wow, so many products bro..

So which 1 do you use first? I damn like the clay + Quik Detailer combination. Gives me the smooth feeling that i really desire..

One time, i tried to wax the car without applying the Quik Detailer + Clay combination, turned out that the texture of the paint was worse than before i waxed it; very rough feeling...

 

[KrisMas]

Yup, like this... Hehe.

Bro, that's the 'old' QW, performance is so-so only. There's a newer version in a black sprayer bottle, much better.

 

[hsiengloong1985]

I think thats call the ultimate... BTW, buying the product from Amazon US is wayyy cheaper than msia..

 

[Eggie86]

Bro, that's the 'old' QW, performance is so-so only. There's a newer version in a black sprayer bottle, much better.

Ooh, serious ah bro? No idea. First time I actually saw the QuikWax. Previously thought it was the same as UQD since same bottle. Never noticed ACE selling them. Got these for Home Fix last weekend...