Rep Power: 295

Hey everyone, have never posted in the detailing section before. This spring break I plan on doing a full detail on my car. I ordered a bunch of products and bought the Meguiars #7 polish. Ive searched on here and evidently, its hard to work with by hand. Any tips on applying this by hand and such and how to apply polishes in general?

I used to detail cars, but I left the machine buffers to this one mexican guy because he was good. I'm afraid of burning my paint so buffing by machine is out of the question. I know I should have bought the #81 but I'm stuck wtih the #7. Any help would be great. Thanks

 
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it is easy. just use it sparingly but be sure to cover every part of the paint. let it sit for 30 mins, then with a new cloth, take it off like wax. it is kinda hard so i would suggest using 100% cotton cloths and then once you have most of it off, use microfiber to clear the residue. otherwise it will leave oily streaks. then when you're done, go over it with a new microfiber. just have alot of clean cloth and microfiber on hand. don't forget to apply wax immediately once you're done with the glaze/polish. never apply in swirls, only in back/forth motion

 
Rep Power: 295

Are you referring to the wax or the polish?

Also, what is a polish and what does it do? Im assuming its an oil of some sort but I really have no clue.

 
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both. the meguiar's #7 is a polish/glaze that contails oils to condition the paint. it will make the most difference in how the paint looks. a polish is generally a very mild abrasive that smoothens and fills in fine scratches. you should glaze/polish once a year and wax when needed (usually every 4-6 months).

 
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Haha wow I never knew you weren't supposed to apply wax in a circular motion. Any reasoning for this? Also, Ive never polished my car but I'm looking forward to the results.

 
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ya you will get swirl marks obviously. you're always supposed to use back/forth motion even when washing the car.

 
Rep Power: 296

i always thought circular strokes were better...its cuz stupid mr miagi taught us "wax on, wax off" in a circular motion!

 
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miagi is wrong i hate to say it

 
Rep Power: 315

Dayum, i thought i was the only one to still remember that!
(each time i wax my car )

 
Rep Power: 295

Alright this is what I bought so let me konw what you think

1) Wash my car normally
2) Bought mothers clay bar, so im gonna clay my car for the first time
3) Meguiars 7 polish
4) Some meguiars hi-tech wax (1 coat or 2?)

Is this the right order of things and is there anything else I should be doing?

 
Rep Power: 812

1 coat wax is good but get something else that lasts longer. i've used KIT and it lasts forever like 6 months at least. turtle wax ultra gloss actually makes the paint shine more. very good wax.

 
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What about meguiars gold class, i have some of that still in my garage.

 
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bahhhhh your wax lasts for 6 months cuz you don't have oak tres queefing their yellow pollen all over everything.

 
Rep Power: 282

Yeah, gold class is great wax wax, it will look real good, but it will only last like two-three months TOPS.

 
Rep Power: 812

ya meguiar's doesn't last more than a couple months even their nxt line. KIT lasts longest, turtle wax not as long but best shine.

 
Rep Power: 295

Well I like to wax my car so its no big deal if I do it every couple months anyways.

 
Rep Power: 295

Wellllll, its been a 2 day process doing everything by hand. The clay worked way better than I thought it would. The polish was also a pleasant surprise. I'm in the process of the adding the wax right now. I plan to do 2 coats throughout the day. I'll take some pictures later.