Decided that tomorrow would be a good idea to detail the new truck. It is almost 3 years old and has probably never been waxed. Paint is in overall good condition though. Here is the plan:

1. Wash with Meg's Gold Class
2. Clay bar with Meg's Smooth Surface kit
3. Wax with Meg's Cleaner Wax
4. Wax with Meg's Gold Glass

Simple and quick. Like I said, paint is in decent condition. No major flaws.

Let me know what yall think.

 

I'd use NXT 2.0 instead of the Gold Class, but your basic plan is good if you are doing it by hand with A-line stuff. You might consider the Deep Crystal step 1 cleaner instead of the cleaner/wax, unless you simply want to use the sample that came in the clay kit.

 

I thought about the step one cleaner as well, but I can seem to find it anywhere around here. I actualy bought another tub of cleaner wax, the sample wouldnt get me very far.

Just from reading here, I dont think I would like the looks of the NXT wax alone, and would end up going over it with the Gold Class anyway. so I figured I would just skip it.

 

What color is your truck?

Autozone and O'Reillys both carry all 3 steps of DC here.

 

Dark Toreador Red on Tan Lariat.

 

I'd use the NXT, wait 12 hours for a cure time, than apply the Gold Class.The NXT is a lot more durable of a wax compared to Gold Class. However Gold Class stacked ontop on your color will really make it pop and look amazing. I'd also use the strictly cleaner, without any wax, plus the A-Line polish.

 

Plan changed a little today. Got it washed and clayed just fine. Clay was alot dirtier when I was done that I expected. Glad to know all that junk is gone though.

Got the first coat of cleaner wax on no problem. After I did the hood is when I noticed the water spots, just on the hood. I have read here and other places that the paint cleaner will take them off. So, could I just apply the paint cleaner to the hood to remove the water spots, then go on with the 2nd coat of wax for the whole truck?

Either way I am done for today and pretty satisfied with the result of the first coat. I'm at work today and since I was in a detailing mood I went ahead and did the fire engine as well.

Thanks for the opinion on the choice of wax BTW. I have had good luck with GC in the past, and dont like the rumor of the "saran wrap" look of NXT. I am hoping I will like the end result on this truck as well.

 

If you've got water spots that didn't come off with the clay than you're going to need to polish them out. I'm not too familiar with the A-Line of products so sorry I can't be of more help. Gold Class is a good wax that is pretty widely available. The only problem that I find with Gold Class is that it doesn't last. Which is why I suggested doing NXT with Gold Class ontop. If you're happy than that's all that matters. Post some pictures of your work once you're done !!

 

So would the polish step of the DC systems be a better bet for the hood? I am going to have to do some looking but I may still be able to find the stuff around.

I may do the NXT and then top it with Gold Class. That seems to be the norm around here. 3 Coats of wax total should last a decent while.

I will deff post some pics once everything is done.

 

Water spotting is very tricky... some spots sit ABOVE the paint and are more of a mineral deposit whereas others etch into the paint and require quite a bit of skill to remove (and, often times, mechanical methods with very abrasive polishes).

Sight unseen, we can't tell you what is and isn't going to work. What I can tell you is that you're not going to cull anything by going with the DC Paint CLEANER (not the polish) (it's step #1 in the 3-step system).

If it works for you, you can then go back over it with your LSP of choice and be fine.

To that point, I concur with Thumper here in that the NXT will offer you a longer lasting level of durability that could still be topped with Gold Class (can't really top the NXT with the cleaner wax).

-RP-

 

Found the DC system locally. Picked up steps one and two. The water spots really arent that bad, and they are just on the hood. Would I have a better chance at removing them with the polish than the cleaner? Dont really see the need in doing the whole truck, as the rest of the paint is pretty flawless.

 

Least aggressive first - try just the polish.

 

Thinking about it more, I would assume I need to remove the layer of cleaner wax before I try to apply the polish. Would the paint cleaner do this for me? Or do I need to try something else?

 

I'd probably reclay, then try the polish. If that doesn't work, then use the cleaner.

Note: The DC Polish should not be allowed to dry before removal or it will be a b1tch to get off.

 

Good idea. Ill reclay the hood before trying to get the water spots off. Thanks alot!