What can I use to prep new coat of wax?

AutoApollo

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Hi guys, planning to wax my 2nd driver after waxing it almost a year ago. What can I do to prep the surface for some fresh wax? (Apart from clay bar) I don't plan on polishing any swirls/scratches out as there aren't many.
 
Clay barring is what I would do. IMO that should be good enough....if you want to go a step further, use a pre-wax cleaner after claying you could use a pre-wax cleaner that PBMG sells. Any one of their brands will do the trick as they are all incredible!!
 
The wax you applied a year ago is long gone

Do a Baggie Test to determine if it requires decontamination.

If there are stains, but no swirls...Cleaner Wax.


Close-up photos of your paint in the Sun would be helpful, for those who would like to provide advice.

.
 
Hi guys, planning to wax my 2nd driver after waxing it almost a year ago.
What can I do to prep the surface for some fresh wax?
(Apart from clay bar) I don't plan on polishing any
swirls/scratches out as there aren't many.
-Wash/Dry
-IronX, or similar product, decontamination
-"The Baggie Test" ("TBT")
-Clay...(if "TBT" deems so)
-Pause (to consider what's {bracketed} below)
------------------------------------------------------
{I realize you stated:
I don't plan on polishing
However: After one year;
and, adding in this (possible) claying...
I really do advise that you then perform}:
-------------------------------------------------------
-A Polishing step. Meguiar's M205, or a similar
product having a light/mild abrasive load, will
work wonders on the paint!
-Wax (of your choosing)
-"Final Wipe"
-Time to enjoy the fruits of your labor!


Bob
 
Clay barring is what I would do. IMO that should be good enough....if you want to go a step further, use a pre-wax cleaner after claying you could use a pre-wax cleaner that PBMG sells. Any one of their brands will do the trick as they are all incredible!!

Do you know if megs has a pre wax cleaner? Also, what's different from a pre wax cleaner compared to a polish?
 
Have you ever considered going with a sealant instead of a wax?
 
I am not familiar with any of the Megs products so I could not say which one is what. As for pre-wax cleaners; they are used to make sure your ride is clean and ready to wax. Some have abrasives (much less than a normal polish) that will remove very small scratches. But usually, they are making extra sure your car is extra clean ready for the wax or sealant or both.
 
Aside from the contaminants that might be on the paint which the baggie test will show, a pre wax cleaner removes road grime that also ends up as a film on the paint. If you do not use a prewax cleaner, than use a cleaner wax. If you have a DA polisher, than go for one of them many great All In Ones, like Mckee's 360, Wolfgang Uber AIO, or HD Speed.
 
Aside from the contaminants that might be on the paint which the baggie test will show, a pre wax cleaner removes road grime that also ends up as a film on the paint. If you do not use a prewax cleaner, than use a cleaner wax. If you have a DA polisher, than go for one of them many great All In Ones, like Mckee's 360, Wolfgang Uber AIO, or HD Speed.

Can I skip the pre-wax or cleaner wax if I polish the paint? I did a baggie test and quickly clay barred the hood. It's like completely clean. Clay bar looks still new lol
 
Can I skip the pre-wax or cleaner wax if I polish the paint? I did a baggie test and quickly clay barred the hood. It's like completely clean. Clay bar looks still new lol

Yes you can skip it.
 
Can I skip the pre-wax or cleaner wax if I polish the paint? I did a baggie test and quickly clay barred the hood. It's like completely clean. Clay bar looks still new lol

You did say in your original post that this was 2nd driver, so meaning this is not your daily driver correct? Is it garage kept? Only driven on weekends etc?
 
You did say in your original post that this was 2nd driver, so meaning this is not your daily driver correct? Is it garage kept? Only driven on weekends etc?

That's right, so driven maybe half the year
 
Is a cleaner wax synthetic? Because I thought you can't top a wax with sealant. Or does it not possess any wax in it?
 
Is a cleaner wax synthetic? If because I thought you can't top a wax with sealant. Or does it not possess any wax in it?

Each of those links will take you to the products page where you will find more in depth descriptions of them.
 
I mean really, if this is your garage queen, you clayed it and the clay didn't get dirty, just "wax" it and be done with it. Yes the purists are saying you must use a prewax cleaner, but doing something is better than agonizing and doing nothing. Besides, you said you use Meg's Ultimate Wax and if that's the typical Meg's consumer wax it has light cleaners in it.

But back to our prewax cleaner/polish argument, a prewax cleaner is essentially just a very light polish, perhaps with some glaze type (filler) component, so if you really want to do something, as was stated, you can use a fine polish instead of the prewax cleaner.
 
Holy Moly!! I did not mean to open a can of worms....LOL I agree with Setec. After you clay you can just wax no problem. If you want to be OCD like a few of us then pre-wax or polish away.
 
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