New User - Same Old Questions

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SilverBulletKY

New member
This is my first post.. and I have looked over the different posts here to find answers to my questions, but they jump all over the place so I though I would ask something that has been asked thousands of times here before. Forgive me.



I just bought a black Colorado Xtreme. There are a few swirl and lines in the paint that had to have been caused by the dealership's washing jobs. It's nothing too major as you have to look for them, but I would like to get rid of them now. I was planning to give my truck it's first wax job this weekend with the NXT wax, but was wondering what other steps you all think I should do.



This is what steps I was going to take:



1. Wash

2. Dry

3. Wax



:).. Now please fill in my missing steps.
 
SInce the truck is new I would wait about six months before I used a polish. I'm pretty sure the paint could use the curing time first.
 
with the exterior washed, clean, and dry, apply a polish or swirl remover



autopia has these articles on paint care, should answer most of the basics. As for products to use, depends if you want to mail order or find them locally. Meguiars polishes/swirl removers can be found at auto supply stores, and sometimes pepboys, autozone, etc.



http://autopia.org/kb/index.php?page=category&c=16
 
SilverBulletKY- Welcome to Autopia!



Additional steps sorta depend on how involved you want to get.



Claying is a good idea, but not always truly *necessary* on black. If you want to clay you can do it while washing (maybe a bit much given the size of your vehicle) or after you wash and dry.



Removing the marring (scratches/swirls) will require an abrasive polish. A decent OTC product is Meg's Scratch-X and Mothers has a polish out now that many people like.



The NXT should hide a bit of the marring that doesn't get removed.



The whole "marring removal" thing can be quite a task, so IMO just washing, hitting the worst scratches with Scratch-X and waxing with NXT oughta be enough of a major job. You can always do more later as time/etc. permits.
 
Don't know the condition the paint is in, but you might want to consider claying the surface if it feels gritty at all. You also might want to consider cleaning the paint with something like S100 Shine Enhancing Lotion. It will also remove/cover up your swirls. Who knows what the dealer might have done to the paint.:confused:
 
SilverBulletKY said:
Thanks for the quick responses! Do you think that Meguiar's Deep Crystal System Paint Cleaner would help out before the wax?
Click to expand...



I'm a noob too, and the only thing I know about Meg's D.C. Paint Cleaner is that it uses a chemical reaction and is non-abrasive, which is why I picked some up today. I'm pretty much in the same position you are, and I'm also interested in the answer to your question.
 
As Big Mike PT pointed out DC cleaner won't do much for swirls. I'll second Accumulator's ScratchX suggestion, it's your best bet for over-the-counter swirl removal. It's a cleaner so you'll have to follow up with protection (wax or sealant) like the NXT wax.



ColorX is a good over-the-counter all-in-one if you're looking to save time. It will take out light to moderate swirls and leave protection.



Don't worry about the truck being new. These days factory paint is ready for polish/wax as it rolls out the door of the plant.



And :welcome to Autopia.





PC
 
The DC cleaner is a lot better than nothing and so yeah, I'd say it'll contribute to good results. Since it's nonabrasive, it oughta be easy to use and *very* newbie-safe. Been so long since I've used it (maybe late '80s) that I can barely remember anything about it :o
 
And since I'm going to be doing this all by hand this weekend, what are the best applicators for hand use? Someone told me using a 100% cotton t-shirt is the best applicator for wax and 100% cotton towel for removal. Don't know if that's true or not.



So you all recommend Scratch X even though my truck is only 1 month old? If you look close there are light swirls all over the paint. There are a few deeper swirls that I would definately use the Scratch X on.
 
Should I use the Scratch X and a polish? I would like to have a really deep black finish for at least once since I've gotten it so I can take some pictures. :cool:



Anyone got any better products that I can get easily by the weekend than this? (I'm going to order some things off the internet, but this is what I can get by the weekend.)



1. Wash with NXT Shampoo

2. Scratch X

3. Meguiars Deep Crystal System Paint Cleaner

4. Meguiars Deep Crystal System Polish

5. Meguiars NXT Wax



Yes it's all Meguiars but that's about the best I can get from a store here without ordering
 
Someone was wrong.



The best applicators are foam and microfiber (like Meg's High Tech Applicator Pads and Even-Coat Applicators or similar products from others). 100% cotton terry cloth is OK too.



100% terry cloth towels are good for removal but most folks here seem to prefer microfiber towels for removal (I do).



The Meguiar's products you listed will do a great job, better than OTC products really have a right to. As consumer products they are on the mild side to make them as John Q. Public-proof as practical but they are very effective.



The reason we recommend ScratchX is because you have "dealer installed swirls" and there is no way to get rid of them other than grinding them out with a cutting cleaner/polish. As cutting polishes go ScratchX is very safe and flexible. It will remove fairly significant scratching if you put some "passion" into it but will leave a fine gloss.



I normally suggest using the ScratchX on the swirls and the DC cleaner on the rest of the surface but you can use ScratchX on the whole car safely.





PC.
 
The whole "marring removal" thing can be quite a task, so IMO just washing, hitting the worst scratches with Scratch-X and waxing with NXT oughta be enough of a major job. You can always do more later as time/etc. permits.
Click to expand...



:werd:



From my little bit of experience, scratch removal by hand is no fun. Save your arm and try Scratch-X-----> NXT or #26 for now and see how that works.
 
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