Meguires 3-step system q's...
 

Hey guys,
I'm pretty much a total newb when it comes to detailing. My family was never as into clean cars as me, so no insiration or knowledge shared. Anyway, I started out by getting NXT generation car washing soap, "cooperstone" wax, and some interior wipes.
My car has many surface scratches, and when I used the wax, it looked great. However, after washing my car another 3 times, the wax seemed to disappear, and all of the scratches became visible.
Is the Meguires 3-step system my savior? How long does it last? (How long until scratches show themselves again?) Cost? How do you apply it?
Please shed some light on this.
Lou

Total paint car is a 5-step process:

1. Wash to remove dirt and dust
2. Paint cleaner to remove oxidation
3. Clay to remove more stubborn bonded contaminants
4. Polish to ldeal with scratches and swirls
5. Wax or polymer to protect the finish

Hit up www.meguiarsonline.com and www.autopia.org for the authorities on detailing and paint care.

thanks for the links. I just hope the scratches can be hidden for more than a week, ya know?

If you use a real polish the scratches will be gone, not hidden. Your scratches were hidden because you only waxed over them; most waxes will contain some fillers to aid in hiding minor defects. After a few washes, you saw the scratches again because the fillers were wearing out.

You will want to pick up a porter cable or something of the like to effectively polish your car and get rid of the scratches.......

yea, I'll be getting a buffer from a local parts store. Hopefully this will do the trick!

The buffers sold at auto parts stores are NOT the same thing as the famous Porter Cable 7424 random orbit polisher. They can make your problem worse if you're not careful.

This is what you want:
http://www.coastaltool.com/a/port/images/7424.jpg

Ye, i got one of those BS buffers from Walmart for $20. It does nothing. complete crap.

I was looking into that, but I wasn't sure on the price. Any ideas?

Autopia has one with sonus cutting pads for $179

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-daspol-kit.html