here is my list of products..

1. Mothers Clay Bar
2. Meguiars step 2 polish
3. Meguiars NXT Wax
4. Random Orbital 7 inch Buffer
5. Turtle Wax microfiber pads

Alright so how should I take this process? Wash, Clay, THEN rewash again? Or Wash, clay and move onto polish and wax?

I remember when I used to clay, it usually leaves a slight watery residue behind...I just wipe it off with my MF towels...and the surface becomes dry (and i assume clean as well?)...so do I still have to clean the surface again by washing?

Also with polish and waxing...I remember when I first tried it, the lower parts of the car such as the side skirts, front/rear bumpers...etc...it looked CLEAN...but when I started to apply the wax via random orbital, my pads started to get real dirty...did i just screw up my pads?

 

You def don't need to wash again after clay. I use Mother's Quick Detailer as "lube" for the clay, so I just wipe the detailer off which alone gives a nice shine. Then I just put on polish and wax, all by hand with MF towels. And it is typical for the lower portions of the car to be very dirty, just wash more.

 

what if i wash throughly...but still get dirt on my pad? just keep going? i heard NXT wax is a cleaner wax...does that mean it constantly cleans the surface...no matter how much dirt is there?

 

you need to soap up the area, then clay it, and then REWASH it. That's what us detailers do at the dealership. my 2 cents

 

I get great results when I wash with dish soap (cleans finish and strips the old wax off), then clay, then wax.

 

Don't mean to hijack the thread, this might be useful, but..

How do you polish by hand?..effectively.

 

Just use some kind of applicator pad and a lot of elbow greese. Foam, 100% cotton or microfiber would be the best. Depending upon which polish you're using, you're going to get better results with hand or powered. Some polishes are designed to be applied by hand and others are designed for powered buffers.

 

Wash > Clay > Wash (OPTIONAL) Polish > Wax

The second wash is really up to you and how you think the surface looks/feels. If you've got any kind of residue or film left on the paint after claying, then you should probably wash again. However, if the paint was fairly clean to begin with, you can probably get away without the 2nd. wash.

 

are you suppose to HAND polish? what about using a pad and random orbital?

 

^^Dont HAVE to but I'm limited to only using my hands...no rotary.

Its faster/easier with rotary. By hand it usually takes me 1 hour.

Pre-wash - 15 min
Clay bar - 1 hour
prep-wash - 20 min
Polish - 1 hour+
wax - 45 min+
Removing wax from trim/vinyl - 30 min
___________
Total = 3:50 min.

I enjoy it...

 

I use a Porter Cable to polish and wax. Make sure you get a seperate pad for each type of application as you will need a heavier pad to polish. I use the PC to put on the polish and then hand buff it out. Do this in segments and buff out the polish as you go.

I personally wash with NXT car wash, clay with Clay Magic and then wash again with NXT. Detailing spray is for detailing, not for washing your car. I would highly recommend washing your car again after claying. Especially if you are going to polish and wax.