First time Waxing, Any tips?
 

I'm about to wax the 8, I went to walmart and got Mcguires wax and quick detailer for between coats and a microtex Polishing cloth. Just wondering if there are any good tips you guys got to help me do a good job. I'm planning on doing two coats for a meet we have sunday..

just do one panel at a time, ie hood, door, fender, roof....wax on, wax off!

If you get all gung-ho about it and put the wax all over the car, you might have a dead arm when you get it all off.

Make sure the car is washed and dry, then wax (unless you have a wax that goes on a wet car) also make sure the surface of the car (metal/paint) is cool to the touch, I wash my car under a tree, so the combo of shade and water cool it off. Then wax the car in the shade.

One thing I noticed the first time I waxed the rx8, be VERY careful not to get wax on the black textured plastic around the car (side mirros, bottom of bumper lip, fender gills, rear bumper, ect) the wax seems to stay in the dips and is VERY hard to get off.

thanx, you should see the result saturday if you go.

how long have you have the 8 ?since you have all week you might need to claybar it before waxing.like kyliquid said if you get any wax on the black parts use {mothers back to black] it works well.

over a year..

i would use claybar before waxing to get all the dirt and grime out of the paint.i wax mine every 3-4 months and use spray boost after every wash and claybar after every 2nd wax .it's a little more work but well worth it.

hey its you lol. anyways... www.autopia.org
you'll love it there trust me. just take a damn look!

ouch....you should be :spank:

I've had it waxed before, nnever done it myself...

One tip I've learned from experience, try not to get any wax on the plastic parts of the car. I put some wax on the finely textured plastic on the side mirrors and now it has this white film that is hard to rub off.

^ try masking tape on the black trim. saves you a lot of time.
VelociRedBeast - go to www.autopia.org , read read read read...and read. and youll get faster replies there too since its a forum just for detailing.

I've used 303 Aerospace Protectant (wonderful stuff for the interior, BTW) on my side mirrors and other plastic trim after accidentally getting wax on them. It did a good job of removing the wax haze/film and made the plastic look better than new.

try useing peanutbutter /smooth or crunchy]i new someone would ask.the oil in the peanutbutter gets it right off.

^ lol i tried the peanutbutter thing. a little too messy for me but it works. what you need to try is Mr.clean magic eraser. the WHITE one. use very very little pressure enough to slowly remove the wax (with the eraser a little damp ofcourse. not too damp or dry). then condition it. works like a charm.

that magic eraser thing is amazing.. don't know what chemicals are in it though... or how it'll affect paint/interior trim

Mothers "back to black"
 

Mothers "back to black" works good for me on the plastic pieces like mirrors and engine bay. I saw the Turtle wax car wash towels make the mirrors look better than new. I may have to get some of those, just not sure how long the effect lasts that is why I recommended "back to black" seems to hold up fairly well.

(Careful not to use products that cause a shine on the dash. Shine causes glare on the windshield. Then a person needs polorized sunglasses to see through it).

Let a pro give you some waxing tips ;)

First, get yourself a nice pile of microfiber towels ... and they all need to be freshly washed, don't ever touch a towel to your paint if it's dirty! A full car will take about 4 normal sized towels to remove and polish off the wax.

FYI - what somebody said above about using a clay bar first is a good idea if you've owned the car for a year.

Here's how I apply the wax. Do the entire car at once, inside the garage or some other spot that will stay shady for a couple hours. Let the wax sit for at least an hour.

Then to remove, use 2 cloths at a time. Mist some instant detailer on an area and use cloth #1 to remove the majority off the wax, then use cloth #2 to remove the rest. Look at the polished area from a few different angles to make sure you got all the wax off. Do this all around the car, when cloth #1 becomes to full of wax, replace it with cloth #2 and replace what was cloth #2 with a fresh clean cloth. Use more cloths than you think you need, that's the key to a good shine is using fresh clean cloths.

After you're done, back the car out into the sun and inspect again for any missed spots.

When washing, waxing, or touching anything to the cars paint - think clean! Dirt is nothing but super fine rocks, touching your paint with even a slightly dirty cloth will create swirl marks. Don't was the car with a dirty mit even - wash an area, then before putting it back in your soapy bucket, put it in a fresh water bucket and rinse, then into the soap, then back onto the car.

Waxing tip? Easy...don't waste time on wax, use Zaino polish instead :ylsuper:

it depends on the type of wax/sealant you're using. some waxes/sealants need some time to bond to the paint before buffing. some dont (like Klasse SG for instance. if you let it sit for more than 2 minites then itll be a TOTAL PITA to remove or you might need a few sprays of QD or even AIO to remove it. its WOWO kinda sealant. btw WOWO means WIPE ON WIPE OFF). i usually dont use QD to remove wax/sealants since i can just buff it off with a MF towel. the key to a good shine is paint prep which is properly washing the car, clay, polish and paint cleaning (it doesnt matter if you have the most expensive and best wax on earth...its all about preping the paint).

now all you have to do is READ! read this. all of the steps! then register if you want. you'll become addicted as mean TOTALY :ylsuper: addicted. :)

http://www.guidetodetailing.com/

forum :rock: :

www.autopia.org

think Mr. Miaki from karate kid
 

wax on wax off :bootyshak

...
 

What a great idea! I do the two cloth thing, but nonetheless I've noticed that buffing the wax (I use Meguiar's Gold Class) off my car can get really difficult. I bet with the quick detailer, it comes off better, and the cloth probably glides much more smoothly along the paint. I'm definitely trying this next time.

Heres My Wash &wax Routine;
[1] Pour Me A Glass Of Crown And Get The Hose Out
{2]get Bucket Soap And Sponge And Brushes For The Rims&tires
[3]fill Bucket With Hot Water And Add Soap.and Spay Car
[4] Pour Another Glass Of Crown
[5] Start Washing From Top To Bottom Then Rinse
[6] Do Tires And Rims Last
[7] Dry Car With Cotton Towel And Then Finish Drying With Micro Towels
[8] Apply Nxt To The Entire Car
[9] Another Glass Of Crown
[10] Pull Car Into Garage And Apply Dressing To Tires,while Nxt Is Drying
[11]start Removing Wax With Towels After That Is Complete Buff With Buffer.
[12]open Doors ,hood ,trunk To Get Any Wax That Maybe In The Cracks
[13] Clean Windows
[14] Apply Back To Black On Rear Bumber
[15] Clean Exhaust Tips
[16]and Finally Another Glass Of Crown

^ MmM Crown. i like to do the tires anr ims first because i wouldnt have to let the soap sit after washing the car then cleaning the tires and rims. also why bother with a cotten towel? even 100% cotten towels can cause marring. just do MF! and why use a buffer when you can just remove NXT by hand? it wont make any difference unless you're polishing with a PC 7424 or makita rotary.

i do the tires &rims last so you don't get all that break dust and grim in the bucket :nono: .i rinse the car after ever spot i wash i would never let soap sit on her.believe it or not i have removed nxt both ways and buffing afterwards gets it to a deeper shine .

After four glasses of Crown....who cares? :p: