MrWhite
New member
- Feb 19, 2016
- 8
- 0
Hello All,
I am new to the forum and this is indeed my first post here. I thought that I would say hello and also ask a few questions.
In the past I have usually cleaned all my own cars and periodically waxed them. This was always been done by hand and without any specific knowledge or training. The one thing going for me is that I am very methodical and particular. Recently, I purchased a 2004 Jaguar XJR that was in fantastic condition. It was clean, but not immaculate. I wanted to give it a thorough detail and started doing some research.
The best things that I have found so far has been the AMMO NYC channel on YouTube and this forum. I really like Larry’s videos and he seems as anal and obsessive as I can sometimes be. After much watching of videos and much reading here on this forum, I got started.
I bought a 6” DA Polisher from harbor freight for $50. I also picked up the three pads (compounding, polishing, and finishing). I read a lot of the user reviews about this polisher on the harbor freight site, and the chief complaint was that the hook and loop area on the back of the foam pads is only 5-inches but the backer plate was 6-inches. Some people were saying that this caused the hook and loop portion of the backer plate to chew up the foam pad. I ordered a 5-inch backer plate from Amazon, and have not had this problem. I have no illusions that this is by any means the best polisher available, but the Porter Cable was more than twice the price, and I just wanted to try this out and get started. I can always upgrade to a better polisher later if I find I really enjoy this or that I need a better polisher.
I gave the car a thorough wash and then clayed the entire car. My paint was not in bad condition and I did not want to use something as course as M105 (I thought why remover clear coat unnecessarily). I had some Meguiar’s Fine Cut Cleaner on hand and decided to use this as a first step. I did the whole car and all the jams, underside of hood, trunk, etc.
For the next step I decided to use Maguiar’s Ultimate Polish. Wow, the paint looked amazing after this step. I was really impressed with how much depth and shine there was. For a wax I decided upon using the Meguair’s Ultimate Liquid Wax. From what I have read about this, it is not actually a wax at all, but rather a synthetic sealant. I applied this using the polisher and the soft finishing pad. This is the point in the project where I am now. I have not finished waxing the whole car.
I decided that I would like to put a carnauba wax over the top all of the liquid sealant “wax” for some added shine and protection. My question is what to use? I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a high-end carnauba, but don’t want to waste money on junk either. The local auto shops have Mother’s Brazilian Carnauba, Meguiar’s Gold Class, or Meguiar’s Ultimate Paste wax. Since I’m already using Meguair’s Ultimate Liquid Wax as a sealant, it didn’t make much sense to me to use the paste version of the same thing, as it is also not a carnauba.
I looked here on the AutoGeek store and found a wax that looked good and was in a price range I was wiling to spend. It was Pinnacle XMT 180 Paste Wax. I sent an email to the store asking if this would be a good choice for putting over the top of Meguair’s Ultimate Liquid Wax. My email was ignored and I never got a response. I was a little surprised, as I had heard that AutoGeek had great customer service. Two days later the product was removed from the AutoGeek store. I ordered a pot of the Pinnacle 180 wax from Amazon, but a day latter received an email stating that the order had been canceled as it was out of stock.
So now I am back to having no carnauba to use as a final finish. Would you add one or is the Meguair’s Ultimate Liquid Wax sufficient? It looks as though my best choice locally is the Mother’s Brazilian Gold Carnauba. Is this any good? My paint is a Metalic Jaguar Racing Green color, so if there is a gold tone to the wax, that wouldn’t be bad.
I’d appreciate and input or suggestions for a final wax that you may have.
Once, I’ve finished with the paint and exterior, I will move on to the inside and clean and condition all the leather and shampoo the carpets. Gotta go, Much to do…
I am new to the forum and this is indeed my first post here. I thought that I would say hello and also ask a few questions.
In the past I have usually cleaned all my own cars and periodically waxed them. This was always been done by hand and without any specific knowledge or training. The one thing going for me is that I am very methodical and particular. Recently, I purchased a 2004 Jaguar XJR that was in fantastic condition. It was clean, but not immaculate. I wanted to give it a thorough detail and started doing some research.
The best things that I have found so far has been the AMMO NYC channel on YouTube and this forum. I really like Larry’s videos and he seems as anal and obsessive as I can sometimes be. After much watching of videos and much reading here on this forum, I got started.
I bought a 6” DA Polisher from harbor freight for $50. I also picked up the three pads (compounding, polishing, and finishing). I read a lot of the user reviews about this polisher on the harbor freight site, and the chief complaint was that the hook and loop area on the back of the foam pads is only 5-inches but the backer plate was 6-inches. Some people were saying that this caused the hook and loop portion of the backer plate to chew up the foam pad. I ordered a 5-inch backer plate from Amazon, and have not had this problem. I have no illusions that this is by any means the best polisher available, but the Porter Cable was more than twice the price, and I just wanted to try this out and get started. I can always upgrade to a better polisher later if I find I really enjoy this or that I need a better polisher.
I gave the car a thorough wash and then clayed the entire car. My paint was not in bad condition and I did not want to use something as course as M105 (I thought why remover clear coat unnecessarily). I had some Meguiar’s Fine Cut Cleaner on hand and decided to use this as a first step. I did the whole car and all the jams, underside of hood, trunk, etc.
For the next step I decided to use Maguiar’s Ultimate Polish. Wow, the paint looked amazing after this step. I was really impressed with how much depth and shine there was. For a wax I decided upon using the Meguair’s Ultimate Liquid Wax. From what I have read about this, it is not actually a wax at all, but rather a synthetic sealant. I applied this using the polisher and the soft finishing pad. This is the point in the project where I am now. I have not finished waxing the whole car.
I decided that I would like to put a carnauba wax over the top all of the liquid sealant “wax” for some added shine and protection. My question is what to use? I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a high-end carnauba, but don’t want to waste money on junk either. The local auto shops have Mother’s Brazilian Carnauba, Meguiar’s Gold Class, or Meguiar’s Ultimate Paste wax. Since I’m already using Meguair’s Ultimate Liquid Wax as a sealant, it didn’t make much sense to me to use the paste version of the same thing, as it is also not a carnauba.
I looked here on the AutoGeek store and found a wax that looked good and was in a price range I was wiling to spend. It was Pinnacle XMT 180 Paste Wax. I sent an email to the store asking if this would be a good choice for putting over the top of Meguair’s Ultimate Liquid Wax. My email was ignored and I never got a response. I was a little surprised, as I had heard that AutoGeek had great customer service. Two days later the product was removed from the AutoGeek store. I ordered a pot of the Pinnacle 180 wax from Amazon, but a day latter received an email stating that the order had been canceled as it was out of stock.
So now I am back to having no carnauba to use as a final finish. Would you add one or is the Meguair’s Ultimate Liquid Wax sufficient? It looks as though my best choice locally is the Mother’s Brazilian Gold Carnauba. Is this any good? My paint is a Metalic Jaguar Racing Green color, so if there is a gold tone to the wax, that wouldn’t be bad.
I’d appreciate and input or suggestions for a final wax that you may have.
Once, I’ve finished with the paint and exterior, I will move on to the inside and clean and condition all the leather and shampoo the carpets. Gotta go, Much to do…
