I'm looking to do a complete detail soon; after 5 years of owning the truck it's never been done... I mean i've waxed her before but not the full detail. I'm talking: Wash, Clay, Swirl removing Compound, Polish, and Wax. I'm not wanting to break the bank, so i've chosen to stick with OTC products mainly Meguiar's. So far I have Meg's Gold Class Wash, Meg's Smooth Clay Kit, and Meg's NXT Tech 2.0 paste Wax. Probably going to swing by the local auto parts store tomorrow and pick up some swirl remover and the polish, but what products should I use?? I'm thinking Meg's Ultimate Compound for the swirl remover and Meg's Deep Crystal Polish for the Polish haha.. Any opinions, suggestions? By the way this will all be done by hand as I do not own a rotary buffer.

 

Depending on the severity of your paint flaws it may be easier to just order what you need online. Probably cheaper, too (minus shipping). On the other hand UC is rated a 7/10 on Meg's scale (if I remember correctly) so that should be sufficient for your needs. There just aren't many options available OTC as compared to what you can get online. If UC is too much you can finish it off with Swirl-X as it's a little less abrasive. You could even start with Swirl-X and see if that's enough for you. Start low on the aggressiveness and work up. Big key is patience.

You need to be especially patient if you're doing this all by hand. IMO if you waited 5 years to do this you can wait long enough to save up for a good DA Polisher. It will make the difficulty of what you're planning go from a 10/10 to a 4/10 (well, not exactly but you get the point).


My recommendation: wait and save up for a DA and order your materials (compound/polish) online. Not trying to talk you out of it--just trying to make it easier for you.

 

All depends on the condition of the paint. You don't want to use UC when something more mild, like Swirl X, would do the job just fine. UC has the most cutting power of all Megs OTC products. Swirl X is on the lower end.

 

If you look at mblouir's photo gallery you can see his "detail" album.. My paint is in slightly worse condition than his, I will definitely need some sort of paint correction.

 

If you're paint is slightly worse than this then UC can do it. I still recommend a DA. Truck looks great, btw. She definitely deserves a DA.


The hardest part of this will be keeping the paint in good condition after the detail. Black is a pain, but looks so good clean.

 

Yeah... I don't have a black truck but my car is black. I've parked next to a car with swirls and have seen the swirls jump right over onto my paint.


Or at least it seems like this is what happens.

 

What's UC? DA means Dual Action (polisher) correct? I'm new to all this detailing terminology.. My paint is actually about the same as that picture i'd say maybe SLIGHTLY worse.. Oh and thanks for the compliments on the truck, yours looks great too!!

 

UC = Meguiars Ultimate Compound.

For a low budget detail by hand with OTC products, use clay, then the Meguiars Deep Crystal 3 step process. Refer to the detailing sticky.

 

my only concern would be after five years that clay may not be aggressive enuf. I've had good luck with the megs (or is it mothers) three step by hand

 

You still want to start with clay to get all the contaminants out that you can.

 

you may need to cut & paste the link



http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1293[/url]

 

Thanks for the link & suggestions guys... I have yet another question though.. If I do the Meguiar's 3-step deep crystal system can I substitute my NXT Tech 2.0 Paste for the #3 step of the system ( deep crystal carnauba wax)? Basically completing Steps 1 & 2 with the Deep crystal paint cleaner, Deep crystal polish, & finally finishing with the NXT? Or is this supposed to be done in a specific process where no substitutions should be utilized. I only ask because I already have a fresh tub of the NXT.

 

Absolutely - you can certainly substitute NXT for step 3. You may also be able to skip step 2 because NXT has some very mild polishing and filling capabilities. You also may use ColorX instead of step 1, it's a bit more aggressive. Step 2 can be annoying when you use it by hand, if you don't do it right it can be a bear to remove.

With that said, in order to do true paint correction instead of just "hiding" problems, you really need a machine and the appropriate pads and materials.

If you have a dark color truck, letting it cure for 12 hours then using a pure carnauba on top of the NXT can improve the appearance.

 

So basically wash, clay, colorX/scratchX, NXT, and Finally Carnauba? Do I let the NXT cure for 12 hours as you specified? then remove and add a layer of Carnauba? I'm slightly confused.. I know for real paint correction I need the proper tools, but unfortunately right now my budget will not allocate me spending $300+ on a rotary tool along with polishes and compounds. Possibly within 6 months but now I want to have her in good shape for the S.FL winter haha. Thanks for all the help nonetheless glc & everyone else!

 

Put on the NXT, and remove per instructions on can. After removing it, wait 12 hours to let it cure/bond to the paint, then top it with the carnuba.