[solomon]

hey, this is my first time doing any detailing on a car and i was just wondering about some things.

First off, for waxing i know you should wait for it to haze before you buff it off, but for some waxes this isnt needed. If I use the meguiars nxt 2.0 should i wait for the hazing?

second, if im going to polish by hand how long will it take and whats the chance of me causing swirling? im pretty new to this and id rather not mess my car up.

third, is it worth it to apply a glaze without polishing? my car is only like 8 months old so i dont really know if im going to polish it this time around

any tips or advice will be very much welcomed and thanks in advance, hopefully soon when in a little time when im better read and experienced i can contribute more than just asking questions lol

 

[mshu7]

1 - Yes, you need to wait for NXT to haze before removing.

2 - You aren't going to mess up your paint when you work by hand. What product do you plan on using? I'd recommend using something from Meguiar's. For 2009, they've come out with a couple of nice products for the DIY'ers that work by hand. In particular, Ultimate Compound look pretty good. Check out these links for more information:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28334
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28407
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29995
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28360

3 - I don't really think much of glazes. They don't offer protection and they don't remove swirls. They add some shine and that's about it. Unless you are "showing" your vehicle, I'd say skip the glaze.

4 - There's an "Ask a Detailer" thread stickied at the top of this part of the forum. I realize that it's 106 pages long, but if you started 10 pages back and read forward to the end, you'll probably learn some stuff. You will even see some of the products I recommend for certain situations.

Also, the link below has a lot of information about each aspect of detailing. I suggest reading through it and then registering to the forum. It's the biggest, most informative detailing forum out there.

http://articles.autopia.org/topics/17-car-detailing-stepbystep-1.html

5 - Good luck! Let me warn you though. Detailing can be addictive so make sure you have a firm grasp on your wallet before you start reading...hehe! If you have more detailing questions, please post them in the "Ask a Detailer" thread so we can keep this topic going there.

 

[bossboy]

recommend following these steps:

1. wash
2. dry
3. clay
4. wash and dry again if you want, but this step can be skipped....depends on the dust in the air and such.
5. polish
6. wax