Jmakado

If depth is what you are looking for stick with a nuba. Meguiar's #26 can be found at most auto parts stores and is a great option. Meg's doesn't always get as much attention as boutique brands but like was stated above. It has a lot less to do with you wax/sealant and a lot more to do with your prep. Nu-Finish would look a lot better on a well prepped car than the boutique of the moment on a poorly prepped surface.

dennish

I've always had good luck using Meg's #7 then a top coat of Harly wax (nothing to do with the motorcycle). People ask me what I've done to my car, it seems to glow even at a distance.

fastsvo

When you guys mention "prep", what are you exactly referring to? Just a properly washed car or something more involved by claying or polishing the surface first?

Thanks,

Eric

TOGWT

Surface Preparation-
•Wash vehicle with a good quality car wash concentrate 1.0oz per 2 gallon
•Rinse vehicle thoroughly.
•Remove any imbedded contaminants with detailing clay and a 5:1 Distilled Water/Woolite® solution
•Remove any surface imperfections with a suitable machine polish
•Clean paint film surface with a chemical cleaner / polish (Klasse All-In-One) [dark colours] or Iz Metallic [light colours]
•Lightly wash paint surface with a diluted car wash concentrate 1.0oz per gallon
•Dry thoroughly and start the application of a paint surface protection wax / polymer

perfectlap

Swirl removal is the biggie in prep. You can spend six hours washing and claying until your back and neck are soar but in the wrong light all the paint imperfections will make your car look old and neglected. Some polishes like Prime Strong will hide much of it but its temporary.

fastsvo

So with every application of wax, comes an extensive "prep" including the swirl remover type polishes? Isn't that a little harsh for the thickness of the overall paint on the vehicle? What do you guys think of the 3M Swirl remover for dark colored vehicles?

Jmakado

No, it's usually not needed. Customer cars that I see regularly usually get one big prep including clay, polishing, and wax to start. After that weekly washes and wax every so often. Some choose to have their car waxed every month and some choose to go up to 3 months between wax. As long as you are following a good wash routine you shouldn't *need* the car polished more than every 6-12 months depending on how the car is driven, how hard/soft the paint is, etc. And even then the polish used for follow up visits is usually a very mild polish with little cut just to remove and minor swirls that may show up from washing. Another option is to go at it with a chemical paint cleaner or combo cleaner/wax every 6 months. You have a ton of options really. For my personal cars it seems to go like this.

Initial prep including clay, polishing, wax/sealant
Re-wax every 2 months
Clay and mild polish every 6 months
Clay and more aggressive polish every 12 months

perfectlap

Yeah I agree some people polish and seal way too often.
But the claying with a soft clay like Sonus Grenn ( and not the hard over the counter stuff) should be done far more often than most people use it. Pollutants start to build up after only a month or maybe sooner in areas with acid rain and other air quality issues. These pollutants on your paint dull the shine.
They'll come off with a polish but you're reducing the life of your clear coat. Claying regularly is the least invasive route. If you wait to long(six months or longer) the pollutants become embeded into the polish and sealant and has to be stripped, which is still better than having the pollutants embeded into the bare clear coat. Keep the sealant/top coats free of pollutants and the shine will be closer to 10/10's before stripping/claying.