[Hyper psi-atic]

I took delivery of my 2009 E92 on July 18th. The car has been washed twice since that time with this Meguiar's car wash. http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/imagesEdp/p84744b.jpg

My car sits outside 50% of the time in direct sunlight and i dont have a garage so its always outside.

Maybe I should have done this earlier, BUT I want to start detailing the paint of the car now and need to know how to get the best detail out of my Alpine White paint. So I have a couple options. I have heard the best method is to use dawn to strip the coating on there now, then clay, then seal and wax?

Is all clay the same for instance...i dont want to wait for Zaino to come in the mail for me to clay the car so could I use Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay kit to do my first application and then their Gold Class or NXT line of products or should I wait for Zaino before I do anything? And what are the steps....Dawn and dry, then clay, then Wax, then Polish?

Any help would be greatly appreciated !

[UncleWede]

No garage = no shade? With that you will want to Dawn, rinse, dry, then get the clay going. Do it in small patches then be sure to wipe the area as you progress. Finish the clay job by re-washing with something milder than Dawn, and/or 50/50 mixture of water and isopropl (rubbing) alcohol.

If you're going Zaino, you'll need to do another wash and/or alcohol wipe the day you are ready to apply the Z. Remember, that little mixing bottle they send you, 1/2 full with Z2 and the accelerator should be good for 2 coats on your car. Apply going around teh car. When you get back to where you started you should be about ready to start wiping off. Once back, take a short break then apply the second coat. Continue until you get worn out. Wash the little bottle out with Dawn.

[Ryan323i]

You can go either way on the Dawn, some people use it and others think it's not good for the paint. I personally wouldn't use it. The process would be wash, clay, polish, seal, wax. All clay is not the same, some are more abrasive than others I believe. Meguairs clay is good but if you already ordered something there's no harm in waiting. Just wait for the Zaino, I hear that's good stuff!

[Hyper psi-atic]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

No garage = no shade?

I try to find shade whenever I can, which is usually under a tree in the lot behind my office, and even this involves me moving the car to a different treed area throughout the day to catch the shade. haha

Thanks for the info....I think I'll wait for the Zaino stuff to arrive and do it right the first time.

[MrDummy]

HOW is that Gold Class car wash? Is that ok for the paint and wax job?

[Hyper psi-atic]

Originally Posted by MrDummy

HOW is that Gold Class car wash? Is that ok for the paint and wax job?

Its supposed to be safe for waxes and contains Paint Conditioners but I havn't applied any wax to my new car yet so I couldnt say for sure. I can say its very concentrated and a little liquid goes along way. I dry with a large microfiber towel and usually a once over dries the car with no spots or streaks or residue, but the wash does seem to add a layer of gloss that doesnt fade for a couple of weeks which is nice.

Im happy with it as a best way to clean your car quickly without polishing or waxing....but i use it on an Alpine White so i couldnt say the results on a dark car...but I have no complaints.

I might try out the new Meguiar's NXT Wash as they list that as being safe for Wax as well but mention also safe for trim and plastics, so may be more mild than others.

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by MrDummy

HOW is that Gold Class car wash? Is that ok for the paint and wax job?

It's probably one of the better OTC washes. Just don't use too much if you want to maintain the protection on the car.