New guy with some questions

[sellsGP98]

Hey everybody, new to the site and I need some advice so I thought I'd just combine my Introductions post with one that has a few questions.

A little about me- I'm 17 and I drive a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GT sedan that I inherited from my grandfather. He took very good care of it and I am doing my best to keep it in the same great condition that he kept it in. It's Dark True Green Metallic and aside from a few scratches is in very good condition for it's age, but still has a lot of swirling. I've spent the past year washing it about as often as possible and performed one detail last fall which included clay bar and Meguiar's 3-Step Process (Paint Cleaner, Polish, and Wax-which I substituted with Mother's Synwax) and I was pretty pleased with the results. This year I'd like to step it up a little so here's where the questions come in.

I do not have a buffer/polisher and I don't really have the money to buy one right now so I'd like to hear your opinions on the best polishes/sealants/waxes/etc. that I can do by hand. I tried looking around at the Autogeek store and I have to admit it was a little overwhelming so any kind of advice you can give, no matter how small, would be much appreciated. Also I'd like to keep the price as low as possible, a $35 wax is not exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks for you time, suggestions, and patience.

[94LT1]

umm klasse All-in-one can be applied by hand.I just got some but havent used it yet.Everyone tells me its great stuff.the 10oz bottle is 15 dollars and the 16.9oz bottle is 25 dollars.Your supposed to use as little as possible.about a nickle size drop of klasse can do half of a full size cars hood, possibly more.So what you would do is wash,clay,klasse and what every wax u have to protect.i personally liked meguiars gold class over mothers.but thats just my preference.it can be found at target for like 10-13 dollars.

[:::houseofbunny:::]

Since you are working by hand I don't think you are going to accomplish a whole lot of correction. I'm sure it can be done, though...

If I were you I would get the new Meg's NXT Gen Tech Wax 2.0. The paste version. I think it's around $15, and you can find it OTC at places like Wal-Mart and Auto-Zone, as well as here at the webshop. NXT has some light cleaning ability, as well as really good filling capabilities that will help to hide those swirls. It's synthetic and lasts longer than a carnuaba wax in my experience. It also looks nice.

[bryansbestwax]

Try getting a swirl remover that is a filler rather than an abrasive. Although the results won't last like removing the swirls with a polisher it is a good way to hide the swirls. I am not sure what Autogeek has along this line but I am sure somebody will.

[sellsGP98]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Anybody know of a swirl remover that will fill in the swirls?

[:::houseofbunny:::]

Hmmm So far as I can tell swirl removers and swirl fillers are mutually exclusive. There are some products that contain both cleaners and fillers, but they don't generally correct as much as one would hope. Again, I think your best bet is to go with a filler like the NXT Wax.

Meguiars ScratchX is a polish you can use by hand, come to think of it. It, too, is available both here and OTC. It works well and has surprised me on multiple occasions. Then use your filler afterwards.