Team-BHP - A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide

Quote:

Originally Posted by sohail99 (Post 1657048)

Yup! will remove it today only!

Regarding ScratchX, it seems to lessen the swirl marks to some extent and a few very minor scratches(ones limited to the clear coat)

and as it has micro-abrasives(safe for occasional use) it really brings out the shine!

I used it to remove a few scratches(very thin ones) that the car cleaner guy had caused when he tried to remove the dust with a totally dry cloth!

I :-
-apply the it on the affected part with the help of mf foam applicator pad

-depending on the no of swirls/scratches I keep it applying in a circular motion for a bit

-leave it on for a min and wipe off with a mf towel!
and the shine it gives is awesome!:D

-top off with wax

but for other more visible ones, I use 'Formula1 Scratch out' as its a mild rubbing compound!

Interesting- cause i did not apply in a circular motion, instead only like the way the training video showed- in the direction of the scratch. There are some good training videos on megs online - we should see those prior to using Megs prods

The only thing here is how does one know what is a minor scratch and what is not!!! Also i think the ScratchX may have to be applied on the surface after removing the wax. I tried on minor ones on my maroon car, had varied effects, but on the i-10( golden colored) it had great effect and removed the scratch easily. Probably cause the verna( maroon) was having wax on it...
BTW i plan to get Megs Ultimate Compound- it is more powerful i guess...

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay_b (Post 1657084)

Guys i used the Meguiar's tech wax 2.0 and i'm compltely satisfied with the results and shine, water just glides off the paint and dust can be removed with the microfiber cloth by its own weight, Just keep it on the car and pull it along the dust and the dust just disappears.

I've used F1 wax, Abel auto(TW) wax, 3M professional wax, amway wax, waxpol liquid wax and 3M liquid wax and i cannot compare these waxes with Meguiar's tech wax 2.0. I agree this tech wax is a lil' expensive but worth every penny, about 800-900Rs in the USA, 1.8k in India, If there are people who you know coming down from the US, try getting 2 bottles/tubs of meguiars tech wax and you'll never regret it.

Results: My car's black paint is now one shade deeper and darker, Water/dust/hands glides off the paint, overheard a guy saying "new car" at a traffic signal:uncontrol
Thanks to our member mkh who took the trouble ordering the wax from amazon to his friend in the USA.:thumbs up

Not posting pics coz the difference cannot be seen on a picture.

As per megs- the tech wax acts as a paint sealant, and some folks recommended 2 coats of it for best results and then later 1 coat when repeating.
They also suggest applying UQW on top and maintain using that..I applied it too and its great- now what i would like to wait and see is how many days it lasts. The turtle wax did not even last a week (with no washing) and i finished a tub in less than 2 months!!! Megs wax is clearly thicker, less is needed when applied and will surely give MIN 10 applications for a med car. If one puts a monthly usage( which is enuff as per indian conditions) then also its 1K a year..which is not bad
The ULTIMATE Quick DETAILER is something i feel is going to be used a lot more, plan to get as many as i can with people coming from there;)

You must really work ScratchX if you want to remove deep scratches. Yes, it'll be less effective on waxed cars.

The easy way to see if a scratch can be fixed by rubbing compounds and scratch removers is to do the nail test. If you can run your nail over the scratch, with the nail parallel to the scratch and if you feel your nail going INTO the scratch (dipping), then it is impossible to repair. If you don't feel anything, it can be removed without repainting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 1657288)

Interesting- cause i did not apply in a circular motion, instead only like the way the training video showed- in the direction of the scratch. There are some good training videos on megs online - we should see those prior to using Megs prods

The only thing here is how does one know what is a minor scratch and what is not!!! Also i think the ScratchX may have to be applied on the surface after removing the wax. I tried on minor ones on my maroon car, had varied effects, but on the i-10( golden colored) it had great effect and removed the scratch easily. Probably cause the verna( maroon) was having wax on it...
BTW i plan to get Megs Ultimate Compound- it is more powerful i guess...

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay_b

Results: My car's black paint is now one shade deeper and darker, Water/dust/hands glides off the paint, overheard a guy saying "new car" at a traffic signal

Wow!! Comments like these are what make a car lover/detailer uber happy!

btw Tech wax 2.0 also comes in paste form. Did you use the liquid one?
(in general, which one is(/should be) better? Paste one or the liquid one?)

Thanks

@ sohail that is one shiny car.

Products like swirlx are meant for swirl marks and not scratches as such. Swirls are the ones you see when you see the paint surface at an angle.

If you can see the scratch straight on , it will need a more effective cutting compound to remove it.

The most effective way to use compounds like swirl-x is with a machine.

The solid vs liquid wax applies more for the older type of waxes i think . The newer synthetic waxes should be equally effective both in the liquid and solid form.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sohail99 (Post 1657411)

Hmmm... I thought we had to rub across the scratch(as in, perpendicular to the scratch line)?:Shockked:

I hope I haven't been doing it the wrong way!

Anyways, I had ordered a 'california duster' and 'UQDetailer' a few days back!
lets see when it reaches me!

Cars treated by Megs are really in for a treat! :D

Wow!! Comments like these are what make a car lover/detailer uber happy!

btw Tech wax 2.0 also comes in paste form. Did you use the liquid one?
(in general, which one is(/should be) better? Paste one or the liquid one?)

Thanks

Sohail, Where did you order the UQD from?

The tech wax that i used in the paste form, And yes it was a little hard to remove. From what i know, Tech wax in the liquid form is a bit diluted than the paste wax. I'd prefer the paste wax and it looks like a tin of paste wax lasts longer than a bottle liquid wax.

I was asking(solid vs liquid) because the shipping for liquid stuff from US to India is even more than the products price(sometimes)!!

Solid/paste wax shipping was lesser so I was planning on that!

And thanks again -NUT-case and ImmortalZ :D

EDIT

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay_b

You can order from 20north.com
I ordered it via KMD on techenclave.com(lil' expensive but reliable)

And thanks for the info!

I had tried the turtle paste wax and it was a real pain to get it off! lol
+ the powdery stuff that adheres to the microfiber towel while trying to buff it is a lot!(impairs the buffing power)

I found liquid waxes a little easier to work with!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan (Post 1656909)

When I visited MSM for the second service of my Alto, I saw them doing a wax polish (machine) job on a few cars. They say it costs Rs 1250 and will be good for six months. Will it be worthwhile to do this and can it be done cheaper somewhere else in Chennai?

My car is parked in very dusty conditions, so I am afraid to polish it myself under such conditions.

Normal waxing/polishing will not cost 1250 for a Alto. And, most polishing jobs will last for 6 months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sohail99 (Post 1657573)

20 north is equal to the prices that you get in india, And yes i know KMD at TE, I'm a member too, my handle is "cooldude_007" do you know me?

There's not much of the powdery residue left when the tech wax is wiped off, Try using one MF cloth for removing the wax and another to buff to shine

How much did KMD quote for the UQD?

Quote:

Originally Posted by -NUT-case (Post 1657527)

I agree- both the forms are equally effective, its basically for ease of use that manufacturers bring the liquid form also. The liquid Tech Wax clearly mentions on the bottle that it lasts twice as long as its predecessor so no question of liquid lasting lesser etc. Also for people who stay in a hot and dry climate, the paste can harden up faster so chances are that if not used within a year or so, the wax may harden up in the tub itself( had seen this happen with my Waxpol stuff in Delhi years back)

The turtle wax was a pain- it had all green stuff (residue) falling all over the car which itself was a pain to remove when it went into the beading and under the wipers...

Actually i prefer the paste wax to the liquid wax.

I have the mothers california gold . You have to use only very little of it and so it will last a long time compared to liquid wax. Also the amount of material absorbed by whatever you use to apply it is also less.It takes about 20 min for me to do the whole car .

I apply with a damp cotton applicator pad , leave it for about 5 min to dry to a haze ( it is clear when you apply it) and then use a soft cotton or terry towel to remove the wax. I finally use a microfibre to give it a shine.

Microfibre as it is kind of sticks to the surface you are wiping and with wax it is much more

So hard wax lasts longer on your car and on your shelf

@ mkh turtle wax has a bad rep from what i could read on the net, in the US. Megs and mothers are quality stuff.

One more problem with ordering liquidwax from US is that, Megs does not recommend shipping it by AIR. Has something to do with the pressure and temp changes it undergoes on a flight. The ingredients can seperate it seems and then it looses its properties.

But yes it is easier to apply and remove .

But as someone said , the harder you work on her, the more happier she is :)( Are all cars female?).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ (Post 1657416)

Across the scratch is what I inferred from Meguiar's training videos too.

As for TechWax 2.0 solid vs. liquid, they say water glides differently between them. Solid lasts longer, but is harder to apply and use. Liquid is the opposite. Easier to apply and wipe off, but doesn't last as long.

Don't think so as per what i read from Megs- both are equally effective, its only for ease of use that people prefer liquid version...btw liquid wax gets wasted more than the paste for sure when applying..

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay_b (Post 1658050)

Will get a few more towels then!
and yea!Have seen you around there!

btw PM'd the quote!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 1658154)

The turtle wax was a pain- it had all green stuff (residue) falling all over the car which itself was a pain to remove when it went into the beading and under the wipers...

Exactly the same thing happened to me! Had a hard time cleaning the microfiber towel later + the car had all the powdery stuff going inside every small place it could find!

Quote:

Originally Posted by -NUT-case (Post 1658157)

Actually i prefer the paste wax to the liquid wax.

I have the mothers california gold . You have to use only very little of it and so it will last a long time compared to liquid wax. Also the amount of material absorbed by whatever you use to apply it is also less.It takes about 20 min for me to do the whole car .

I apply with a damp cotton applicator pad , leave it for about 5 min to dry to a haze ( it is clear when you apply it) and then use a soft cotton or terry towel to remove the wax. I finally use a microfibre to give it a shine.

Microfibre as it is kind of sticks to the surface you are wiping and with wax it is much more

So hard wax lasts longer on your car and on your shelf

One more problem with ordering liquidwax from US is that, Megs does not recommend shipping it by AIR. Has something to do with the pressure and temp changes it undergoes on a flight. The ingredients can seperate it seems and then it looses its properties.

But yes it is easier to apply and remove .

But as someone said , the harder you work on her, the more happier she is :)( Are all cars female?).

I consider my i20 as a male!
I think SX4 can also be considered as a male!:D

I kinda stopped using the turtle wax as I literally needed a body builder to get it off!!

Occasionally I use it to wax the alloys after cleaning!