hello fellows, I'm going to wax my car this weekend, this is the second time i'm going to do it..I think the first time i wax my car, i think i did pretty good. Anyway i'm not quite sure if im missing something while detailing my car.
1. wash the car with car soap (or water with alcohol which is better?)
2. dry the car completely, take the car into the shaded area.
3. apply the desired wax (meguiars was #26) then dry completely
4.THIS IS THE PART THAT I THINK I'M MISSING. SHOULD I PURCHASE SOME CLAY OR PASTE? WHATS THE DIFFERENCE ANYWAY?
I DO EVERYTHING MANUALLY NO MACHINE ANS IS THIS THE LAST STEP...IM ONLY DOING EXTERIOR!

 

I am not a huge detailing guru, but I say you should definetly clay bar your car after the wash.

 

1. Wash & Dry
2. Clay or other paint cleaner
3. Polish (optional)
4. Wax

 

Debonair has the correct order.

Wash w/ a quality auto shampoo. Super Slick n Suds, Optimum Car Wash, Chemical Guys Citrus Wash n Gloss, etc. Save the alcohol for drinking while washing the car
If you plan to clay, do it after washing and before waxing. Remember to use a nice clay lube to allow the clay to glide on. LUBER works great for this btw. I'd recommend using either the extra light or light clay for general claying purposes.
http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com...ubricants.html
If you plan to do any polishing, something like PoliSeal or p21s paintwork cleanser is very easy to use by hand and works great.
http://www.glimmerglassdetailing.com/poglco.html

 

all the product that was mention on this thread...do i need to buy a machine to do this?..

 

nope. you can use those products by hand with no problems

 

The basics

Wash
Clay
Polish
Wax or Sealant (LSP)

You can effectively do every step by hand but if you have to polish I would suggest a machine. If it's pretty minor polishing then you can get a good workout doing it by hand but if you're trying to remove swirls or minor scratches then get a machine.

 

While the car is still wet? This has worked fine for me in the past, and it cuts out a separate step of drying, then claying using a lube.
What I would do first, is on a reasonably clean panel, carefully run your clean, dry hand over it and feel for tiny rough areas. Usually all of the panels that face up have the most stuff on them. The vertical panels, sides of the vehicle may have alot less, since stuff falling cant land on them and stick as easily.
Then, after you wash the vehicle and its rinsed, take the claybar, keep the hose or the soap applier handy, and wet the clay and go over the wet panels carefully, with plenty of water on them. You can actually hear the clay shearing off the stuff on the paint, and then its all quiet and smoother than when you started it. You can take a towel, dry that section and feel it again with a clean dry hand. For reference, dry a spot next to the one you did and you will definitely feel the difference, and see where you are to do the next section.
Keep in mind that sometimes, clay can introduce some light marring, etc., that may have to be polished out, that is why we all like to polish the paint afterwards. And the paint may already have been marred, etc., by carwashes, etc., so the polish step will knock those marks down and get them out.
The prep work will have a great impact on your finished look. Its a pain, but it will save you lots of time later, and the look will be awesome.
If it was me, I would want to get as much of that stuff stuck to the paint off, with the claybar first, before I did anything else to improve the paint.
Good luck, let us know how it goes ! DanF