i've had my car since april and, because of the weather, i've been taking it to the touchless car washes this whole time.
but after reading the threads here, i've decided to finally do the wash/wax myself (i was going to start tonight but there's rain in the forecast AGAIN ).
here's a list of products i bought today. if you have the time, please let me know if there are other products you recommend over the ones i have and, based on what i have, what's the best step-by-step instructions i should follow.
sad to say, it's my first time actually going about doing something like this and i don't want to get anything wrong.

two buckets
meguiar's application pads
microfiber towels (8-pack)
microfiber towel for windows
wash mitt
eagle one's wax-as-you-dry
meguiar's quik interior
armor all's leather wipes
meguiar's scratch x
stoner's invisible glass

thanks in advance.

 

if you are serious at all about this detailing job you should get a better wax then the wax as you dry. dont get me wrong i have that stuff and its great, but really its best when used to keep wax nice in between waxes. your best bet would probably be to pick up some meguires nxt wax since i noticed that your already a fan of the meguires products and its an easy on and off 1 step wax. however if you want to go all out then pick up some klasses all in one and show car glaze then some s100 and put them all on in that order but leaving time to cure. that would give a great shine but requires serious work.

 

What kind of wash mit did you get? I'd go with a real wax instead of a spray on one...those are really just to give that just waxed look between waxes. They won't offer much protection. Alot of people seem to like meguair's NXT sealant (I think it may be called tech wax or something) and it should be pretty easy to find locally.

 

You forgot an important ingredient. Car shampoo. I like Meg's Gold Class.

I hope you were not going to use dish soap or something like that, unless you were planning on claying and polishing the finish before waxing.

I also recommend at least some type of cleaner/wax in place of the spray stuff.

 

Ive had a huge jug of that stuff for more than a year now and I wash the car quite frequently. Good $15-20 investment.

 

You need to clean the paint, then polish the paint, then put on sealant or wax to protect the paint. You're skipping paint cleaning/polishing step, which you should do before you wax.

How old is your car, and what condition is the paint in now? Also, what color is it? (Some products look better on dark cars.) If it was new when you got it in April, then Klasse All-in-One would probably be a good combination cleaner/polish and sealant, if your car is a light color. I agree with the others that the wax you chose isn't really a long term solution, particularly if you live in Chicago.

If your paint is old, you might need a tougher polisher/compound/paint cleaner product. Meguiars has a whole numbered line of products. You can look them over at most chain stores and pick the paint cleaner/restorer that's right for your paint condition. You should also consider a clay bar treatment before you start, if your paint is rough to the touch. Then there is also the option to put on a glaze between the polishing and the wax! I've tried glaze, but didn't really notice any difference.

I recently tried the Meguiars NXT Tech Wax paste. It does look pretty good on a black car, and it's very smooth once buffed. After a week I put on a second coat. It was initially smooth, but a few hours later it was suddenly very rough as if dust got stuck in the second coat. The next day it was smooth again. I have no idea what happened.

FYI, I have a black '96 Infiniti I-30t.

Funny, there were two Meguiars products next to each other at the auto parts store. Each product claimed to deliver the best shine of any product ever produced by Meguiars. I bought the more expensive one.

 

i did the same thing

 

You may want to have some bug and tar remover handy also..Get some real wax dont use the spray stuff..also I would get leather conditioner not the wipes..otherwise id say your good