STONER

I did the Mother's California Gold Clay treatment to my 01 Black ONyx GS 2 weeks ago. I washed after and did 2 coats of NXT wax. The finish looks great, but I'm wondering how much better (deeper) the shine would have gotten had i done the ScratchX step before waxing. I don't have a PorterCable so my arms were ready to fall off after doing the bar and wax stuff. If I decided to go back, should I Dawn wash the car, ScratchX and re-wax? Should I wait a while and do the process again in a couple of months starting with the bar again. The ScratchX doesn't do anything without removing the wax first correct?

Looking for some suggestions.
Thanks

picus

ScratchX will remove the wax easily, you don't need to dawn wash - just make sure the car is clean so you're not rubbing in dirt. Remember that ScratchX is for spot repair, and it's kind of a long hard process (takes a few passes to take out a scratch). It works really well, but I'd imagine it would be hellish using it on the entire car. Id I was polishing the entire car by hand I'd get a bottle of a light polish or glaze, use the ScratchX on problem areas then do the entire car with the light polish/glaze just to remove super light scratchs or fill them in. Then re-apply NXT to further fill fine marks and just keep re-applying as needed.

If the car has a lot of swirls/scratches it'd probably be worth it to invest in a PC and DYI, or take it to a detailer unless you have a lot of time to do it by hand.

Cheers.

STONER

If I were to do the polish over the entire car, would I want to remove the wax first?

picus

Well you can, but the polish will remove the wax without any issues. Of course I always make sure to wash before polishing anway, so it won't hurt to do either a dawn wash, or a regular automotive car soap wash followed by an ISA:water rubdown to remove the wax (ISA:water is just regular rubbing alcohol mixed with water 50:50, spray on, wipe off - it'll take off any wax/sealants). Either way you don't have to worry too much about the wax that's on there. Clay, polish, alcohol, dawn, any of them will remove it.

Have fun!

jfelbab

I try to never take my finish backward. Dawn is one thing that takes it backward. It is not needed if you are planning on using a cleaner/polish. I use a cleaner/polish every time I detail my paint. I prefer to use a car wash designed specifically for washing a car and not dishes. Also, Dawn does not remove NXT Tech Wax.

You might want to try using ColorX to polish out your car. Unless you have huge biceps this would do a better job for you than doing the whole car with ScratchX. You didn't say if you have blemishes in your finish or swirls. If you you do, you might want to rent or borrow a Porter-Cable DA polisher. In fact, if you are serious about how your paint looks you should buy one. I've been using mine for over 10 years and it is among finest tools I've ever purchased for detailing cars. It literally makes detailing your car ten times faster. Using the PC opens up a lot of products to you that you can't use by hand, especially polishes. By hand, you just can't generate the heat needed to break sown the abrasives.

STONER

Thanks for the advice. I guess with that power comes great responsibility. I will have to do a lot of reading before I actually get into putting power tools to my car's finish. For now, I'll try the polish route, and keep my eyes peeled for a sale on the PC. I didn't know that about the Dawn either...

hguy4x

Buy a PC. Its worth the money you paid on it and your arms will love you for it. instead of scratchx you might want to use a less intensive polish. You should only use a stronger polisher if you can't get the scratches out with the weaker one.