Meguiar's #9 followed by #20

JL9000

New member
I've read from here that it's a waste putting anything on the car before you apply #20 because the cleaner in the #20 removes the previous stuff.

Few days ago I detailed my brother's white car (which had lots of swirls) and found that after one coat of #9, I put on a #20 top layer, and the #20 did not bring back the swirls, meaning it probably didn't take off the polish? i'm very confused by the Meguiar's product descriptions and what a lot of people say here. Anyone wants to comment?



Also, for the sake of not opening too much thread, I'm curisou to know if Lexol can protect vinyl as well as leather? Some people say my car has parts of vinyl (like door panels, dash...) and parts of leather (seat, steering wheel...), but what really confuses me is MY02 and MY03 models get "leather" centre console while people claim it's actually vinyl? I'm very confused now which parts are leather and which parts are vinyl. Would it hurt the car is I apply lexol cleaner/conditioner to everything in the car that seems to be leather?



Thanks in advance!
 
#9 is actually removing swirls and not filling them. #20 is a good choice for a topper on #9. You didn't see your swirls come back because #9 rubbed them out.
 
1) #9 and #20 are totally different products. The cleaning ability in #20 is very mild and should only be expected to remove old wax and offer very light polishing. But its primary purpose is to provide a durable layer of protection on your paint.



#9 is a mild abrasive product designed to remove light swirls, light stains and oxidation. It can be used by hand or machine but like all SMR's it works best by machine. There is no protective ability from #9. The two products you used should work well together. I can't tell from your post if there was a problem or not.



2) Your confusion of what your interior is made of is very common. The fact is that most cars only offer leather on the seating surfaces (the part you sit on) with everything else being vinyl. Each car mfr handles this differently and the only way you will know for sure what is leather and what is vinyl is to contact them and ask.



The Lexol twins will work fine for leather and vinyl. It's a mild product and will not harm either material. If you are still concerned I'd suggest contacting Summit Industries, the maker of Lexol, directly. They're located in Marietta, GA. www.lexol.com
 
Wow, thanks for the quick replies guys.

I've had good results putting #20 on top of #9 is what I'm saying.

I'm just trying to point out that some people here say there's no point putting anything (#7, #9 etc...) before #20.



So does Lexol provide protection to vinyl as well? because I can't find vinylex or 303 anywhere right now.



Any Canadians want to advice where to buy these stuff? I might have missed them at Lordco?
 
JL9000 said:
Wow, thanks for the quick replies guys.

I've had good results putting #20 on top of #9 is what I'm saying.

I'm just trying to point out that some people here say there's no point putting anything (#7, #9 etc...) before #20.



So does Lexol provide protection to vinyl as well? because I can't find vinylex or 303 anywhere right now.



Any Canadians want to advice where to buy these stuff? I might have missed them at Lordco?
#9 is different than #7. You don't actually "put on" #9 because it's a polish which you "use". #7 is just a glaze that you lay on top of the paint, and that's what is useless under #20.



Since you say Lordco, I assume you're here in our fair city or at least BC? I have not seen Vinylex anywhere, but you can get 303 at Lordco and Zellers in various sizes. Lexol I have seen in many shoe repair shops - especially those in malls, and in a rice shop in Metrotown. It's a bit pricey though. If it were me, I would be more inclined to buy the Lexol cleaner, and then try out the Mothers Conditioner which smells like coconuts (apparently the Lexol conditioner doesn't smell so hot).
 
Yes I'm from Vancouver BC.

So Lordco carries 303 eh? I assume that's the same thing I can use on my vinyl convertible top as well right?

I'm already using the Lexol cleaner/conditioner. I was just wondering if that combo would work for vinyl or not.
 
Well, if your convertible top is vinyl then I don't see why you can't use 303 on it.



If you're not sure if something's leather or vinyl you could always just assume it's vinyl and use 303 which can also be used on leather I believe...
 
Thanks! 4DSC.

So you ordered your MF towels on the net as well huh?



I'm using a 100% towel for drying my car for now, but do you think that would be causing some light scratches as well? or could this be due to the use of a chamois? and what's that test you can do to see if a towel's really 100% cotton again?
 
You're welcome. :)



Actually, I bought my MFs from Zellers, but they seem to be out at the moment (and have been for a while....). I might be ordering online soon too, but am kinda iffy if I should or not.



I would think a chamois would be more prone to scratch just from the way you're supposed to use it, but if you just blot with it instead it might be okay. Genuine cotton towels should be pretty safe.



I posted some stuff on the burn test here not long ago: NAPA Wash Mitts
 
If you are going to use a chamois, you should get an artifical one called the Absorber. Mopac on Kingsway has them. But you go to the US, I saw them at the Autozone for $9.99. They are over $20 here! The natural chamois are quite abrasive. The routine I am using now is the Absorber followed by a JT International waffle weave towel. I bought one a while back along with 25 MF's. Tom Gong shipped them as a gift and I paid no duty. Good service and great towels.
 
I have been doubting if my towel is really 100% though, because it doesn't feel like it. It was made by Simoniz or something? and the package said 100% cotton, but I highly doubt it, haven't done the burn test yet, but can you suggest where in Vancouver that sells big pure cotton towels? The truth is I've have some very bad experiences in mail-ordering, that's why I don't trust it.
 
Home Outfitters has some Fieldcrest Charisma blems for like $15 each (bath size).



More and more people are switching to other methods of drying other than big bath towels though. Have you considered any of these?



-Calif. water blade with follow-up blotting (I do this).

-blotting with drying cloth (like Absorber) or waffleweave MF.

-leaf blower

-Carguy's "perfect drying technique"



Cotton is finding fewer uses as MF catches on. If you want to mailorder, here is the place to find out. I would not worry for an instant about ordering from JT International or any of the other popular vendors mentioned here. They all have a stellar reputation.
 
Man! you are quick!

Thank you, you've been a lot of help, for me and the entire forum too :) :up



I have the water blade, and it works well, but some people tell these horrific stories...:( make me think twice. I still use it on the windows though, good tool.



I'm thinking of picking up the absorber. Is it only for blotting? or can you wipe with it like cotton towels?



I have no access to a leaf blower.:mad: I sweep leaves manually:D I tried it once at my girlfriend's place, and it was a mess! Not that it didn't work, it worked beautifully! The thing is her garage was so dusty that after I was done, all the dust on the ground went on the car! I know if I ever buy a leaf blower, I'll do it in my garage, since the water from washing the car should prevent dust from flying up, I hope.



Like I said, I'm not exactly a fan of mail-ordering, although I'm sure the places recommended here are great people to work with, but... maybe soon. I like to buy things locally, to support local shops, and I like to see what I'm buying firsthand!:p



I can't find the perfect drying technique thread for some reason, and the link carguy posted before doesn't work anymore.
 
Yeah, I was in Zellers (one located in surrey place mall) the other day and they had 2 sizes of 303 availiable. Just to go the automotive section (where they stock their waxes and polishes) and look at the bottom right corner of the display.





While we are on the subject of buying things, I just got my Matrix repainted and from what I read here I need a body-shop safe glaze to be applied to this spot? I've read that 3M perfect-it III finishing glaze is a good product to use, but does anybody know where I can find it? (I've looked at the usual places, london drugs, lordco, walmart, zellers, etc)



Also, i'm currently using s100 on the rest of the car, would it be wise to use this 3m glaze on the rest of the car too?? or should I just go out and buy some s100 SEPC??



(btw, i'm in the lower Maindland)



*edit* The car is a silver is it makes any difference, but I also have a dark blue subaru that I would use these products on.
 
Hey Jonney_boy, I cannot answer any of your questions, but my friend also has a black XRS and I think it's a great car!:up :)



And I know I've seen Home Outfitters somewhere in Richmond, but I just can't remember where. Any help?:p
 
Jonney_boy said:
I've read that 3M perfect-it III finishing glaze is a good product to use, but does anybody know where I can find it? (I've looked at the usual places, london drugs, lordco, walmart, zellers, etc)




Usually, a paint supply store that carries Meguiar's Body Shop Prof. products will also carry 3M products. I would start by doing a search on the Meguiar's site for retailers and then calling them to see if they carry PI-III FG. Or, you can try Handsontools.com (click the link below). I'm not sure if they ship to Canada though.



POLISH/Glaze/Wax



Hope this helps...
 
I'll answer multiple questions here:



Jonny_Boy:



I don't know about the 3M glaze, but Meguiar's #7, or Hand Polish, can be apply without harm to new paint. There is also a new car polish. These are all glazes. LordCo used to carry a lot of 3M stuff, but they no longer do. You can try some of the UAP autopaint stores. I think there is one in Burnaby on Lane Road just behind the Fitness World on Kingsway. You can look up NAPA/UAP locations on their website.



JL: Home Outfitters in on Bridgeport road, after IKEA, and just before Costco.
 
Sorry to correct you Gary, but you're mixing up Linens & Things with Home Outfitters, which is located on the northwest corner of Lansdowne Mall (next to Future Shop). It's funny to note though, that the two stores are pretty much clones of each other - I get them mixed up too. :p



JL9000: The PERFECT Drying technique It consumes a lot of water though, so it might not be the best thing to do in the dead of winter! :D



Jonney_boy: you really don't "need" a glaze to put over it. It's just for people who whine and obsess about not having something on their paint while it cures. Since they can't wax, the best they can do is just glaze. A regular QD might be safe too. That said, I put my bottle of Mothers Sealer and Glaze to work and used it on my repainted roof. :D This product is safe to use and available at any Canadian Tire, but probably most glazes (if you have some already) seem to be okay. Not sure about S100 SEPC though... (search?)
 
4DSC said:
A regular QD might be safe too. That said, I put my bottle of Mothers Sealer and Glaze to work and used it on my repainted roof. :D This product is safe to use and available at any Canadian Tire, but probably most glazes (if you have some already) seem to be okay. Not sure about S100 SEPC though... (search?)



Wait a sec... are you sure Mother's S/G is body shop safe? There really is no mention of it at all on the bottle nor the website. Furthermore, it's a very "OTC" type of product aimed towards the general public, not bodyshops. Also, I'd be hesitant about using any QD except for Z-6. Most QD's contain silicone oil, which is not body-shop safe. However, I highly doubt the amount of product left by a QD would actually "seal" in the solvents on a repainted surface.



IMO, Mother's Sealer/Glaze & S100 SEPC both contain silicones....which would explain why they are both so easy to work with...as opposed to the body-shop safe 3M & Meguiar's products. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though...



Tony



:::Edit::: What's interesting is that I've heard that zaino polish (Z-2) is body-shop safe and you can start Zaino-ing a few days after the repaint,....but their pre-cleaner (Z-1) is not. This is typical of the "synthetic polymer" line of thinking which believes that it is OK or perfectly safe to wax (catalyzed) paint shortly after they are sprayed. Sounds a lot like the "paintable polymers" Meguiar's uses in their "speed glaze".
 
You're right, Brian. Weird. Must be just as you say. I could swear I saw one there, but it must have been Linens and Things.



As for whether the Mother's S/G is BodyShop safe or not, isn't that academic? Aren't we only worried about silicones if we are going to paint over it? The paint is already on the car, so the glaze is just a minor polishing, and light UV protection step isn't it?



Also, I would say that glazing is not just being anal. You have to consider that some people do not have garages. A friend of mine had his Mustang repainted, and within a week, his new paint felt like sandpaper from tree sap and fall out. :eek:
 
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