Do I need to use polish before wax?

[The Pielander]

Hi

I'm intending to give my car a thorough clean over Easter and I've started accumulating stuff for the job. I don't want to go overboard on cost so prefer to buy readily available wash kit from high street retailers as there are 3 for 2 offers on. I've been using Meguirs NXT Car Wash recently and I'm really impressed with the results. I bought some NXT Tech Wax 2.0 but after reading through various forums I'm confused if I need to apply polish before using it? If so which polish? The Meguirs website is really confusing as they have so many products and very little information on what they actually should be used for....

So here are my questions

1. Which polish (if any) should I use before applying NXT wax?
2. My car has Supaguard so if I use a clay kit after washing will it strip the coating? I've never used clay before.
3. Can the Meguirs NXT be used to seal the wheels after they are cleaned?

The car is speed blue if that makes any difference?

Cheers

 

[killieboy123]

Polish first then wax as a final coat (or 2) to protect the finish.

Think most people seem to go for autoglym super resin polish as a starting point anyway, at least I did before I got my machine polisher. Available from halfords and even tesco as well. Good for hiding swirls but won't remove them.

Edit: I'd definitely clay before doing any of this though.

 

[n_d_fox]

Claying the car will strip off any protection that is there now... you shouldnt need to clay unless there is a large number of comtaminants on the paint (tar spot, tree sap, iron filings etc). Best way to check the condition of the paint it to put your hand inside a food bag and gently run it over the car. The bag will exaggerate the surface and you'll be able to feel whats there.

Polishing will help to reduce swirling or with something like AG SRP fill the light swirls to help reduce their appearance. Again, check the condition of the paint. If there are no swirls / scratches then dont waste your time or money.

Give the car a good wash down with the products you have already. If you need to clay, clay with either the Megs or AG clay kit from halfords, use plenty of the lube and make sure the surface is nice and wet so the clay glides over the surface. If you drop the clay BIN IT !
If you need to use a polish then do this by hand, with SRP i dont see the point in applying more than one layer. SRP has very fine abbrasives and applying a second coat will just IMO remove the previous layer.

Once you are happy with the finish apply the wax. 2 layers at least an hour apart are best. This makes sure you get a good protective layer down and also makes sure you cover everything. You can also use any wax on your wheels as long as they are a painted finish.

HTH, Nige

 

[Rob66]

Hi Pielander,

Good tip re the plastic bag to see if you need to clay the car. Pretty likely that you will. I then went straight to NXT2.0 on my g/fs black Ibiza and the results were superb. Always apply very thinly and allow to dry (about 10mins) prior to removing. Once fully removed go round and give the car a final light buff with a clean good quality Microfibre. You will be impressed with the NXT.

Rob

ps ok on Alloys but will not last that long, something like RIMWAX by Smartwax would be better.

 

[jonjay]

NXT2.0 is not really a wax. Its more a sealant so ideally you want to use it after you polished the car so you dont seal in any contaminents.

 

[itfben]

Agreed only one coat of AG SRP even says so on bottle then says for best results follow up with 2-3 coats of AG Extra Gloss Proctection. Gota wait a while between coats which is ways a pronlem for me as stuff falls out the tree (leaves n sh:t) before iv finish