Cleaner Wax and/or Regular Wax?

[Scho]

When is it necessary to use a cleaner wax? I am about to wax my car this weekend. I was going to wash it first and apply a coat of Meguiars Gold Class car wax. Should I use a cleaner wax first? What the hell does a cleaner wax even do? Should I use a citrus based cleaning agent before applying the wax? I really need help with this! Thanks!

Mike

[Quadzilla]

Wash and wax time BABY!!!

Step 1. Hose it off
Step 2. Wash with warm soapy water, dish soap is an execelent wax stripper.
If you are just freshening skip to 3a
Step 3. Coupound & polish. Body scrubs work. Clear Coat polishes work too.
Step 3a. Apply cleaner wax & buff out
Step 4. Apply wax coats till it hurts. Thin coats buffed out with microfiber cloths work best.
Step 5. Apply glazing compound.
Step 6. Drive around using the reflection of the road on the hood!!!

Cleaner wax is designed to resurface an exsisting wax layer. It is also used between levels of compound and polish to draw out contaminantes.

[Scho]

Can you buff the cleaner wax with microfiber towels, or do you need to use a high speed electric buffer???

[Scho]

Originally posted by Scho
Can you buff the cleaner wax with microfiber towels, or do you need to use a high speed electric buffer???

Anyone?

[E36M3]

Cleaner Wax is meant to be applied by hand with a small foam applicator pad. Take the excess wax residue off with a microfiber towel.

Remember that one bottle of cleaner-wax will do your car about 8 times...so don't over-apply. Make sure you apply to a paint surface that is cool to the touch. By the time you are done applying the cleaner-wax to the entire vehicle. go back to where you originally started and begin wiping it off. That should give the product ample time to set up.


Good luck.

[Alan]

OH MY GOD PEOPLE??? CLEANER WAX??? HAVE WE ALL GONE MAD???

Sorry! It's just that cleaner wax is the BIGGEST LIE in the world. Let's take a look at what a cleaner wax is supposed to do...

It is designed to remove LIGHT scratches, LIGHT oxidation, LIGHT residues and LIGHT swrilmarks AND polish and wax your car all in one step. How do you remove these "LIGHT DEFECTS"? With a LIGHT ABRASIVE. What happens as you buff off the dried cleaner wax? You run these light abrasives all over your car and put all the small swirl marks right back into the paint. Think about it, how can something be abrasive AND produce a glass like finishThrow that cleaner wax in the trash, it is about as useful as screendoors on a submarine.

What you REALLY want to do is use a three step system to acheive a perfect finish. I happen to be partial to certain brands so they will be used here as an example.

Step 1: Wash. Wet the whole car down. Use a good carwash soap such as Meguiars Gold Class or Zymol AutoBathe. These are designed to suds away dirt and leave wax on the car. It CAN be useful to use harsher soaps to strip off old wax and start fresh sometimes. Depends on how tires your paint really is. Work one panel at a time never letting the soap dry and using several different rags so as not to drag dirt across the car. Also change the water often. Use a two bucket system so you aren't putting dirt back in the soapy water. When done, wet the whole car again then dry it using an chamois or an absorber.

Step 2: Surface Prep. How bad is your finish? If its just swirl marks and light scratches use 3M Swirl Mark Remover. This is minimally abrasive and will remove small defects in the surface. Once again work one panel at a time and follow the instructions on the bottle. Make sure you get the one for light/dark finishes as appropriate.

If the surface is in very good shape you can also consider using just 3M Imperial Hand Glaze which will "fill in" some very minor scratches and is totally non-abrasive. Also good for working the finish on older rims. 3M IHG can also be used after 3m Swirl Remover to produce and excellent base for your wax.

Step 3: Wax. I use 3M Liquid Show Car Wax. It provides a nice medium between cost, ease of use, depth of shine and durability. As always, use 100% cotton cloths (no nylon stitching) so that you won't add swirls to your de-swirled paint. Work one panel at a time. Don't use too much, a little bit goes a long way. Make sure you cover it all though. If you are messy, mask the balck trim before starting. Wax is a pain to get off trim and sometimes glass. Let it sit for a while. I let mine sit 10 minutes. Buff it off. Buff it again with a clean rag. Next morning lightly mist it with COLD water and buff it again.

I know this seems like a ton of work (it is, last summer I spent a WHOLE day doing this) but the result is very satisfying. Take your time, don't drive at all in between the steps, work in the shade if not a garage. This much work only needs to be done 2-3 times a year for most people. Simple waxes can be done more often. It all depends on how much time you want to spend. Also, I do everything by hand. Machine work can go really fast, but takes a bit of practice and the investment of a GOOD random orbital buffer (~$200), don't just use a power drill.

I will also mention that while this is my ideal process, time constraints have forced me before to use "Do-It-Yourself" car washes with high pressure hoses. I live in the NorthEast so winter beats up my car anyway. As long as I keep it detailed from may through september I'm happy.

Good luck and happy waxing.

[Digitalwave]

I don't like cleaner wax at all. Alan posted a very good method... I do it mostly the same except I clay bar after I wash the car with dish soap to strip the old wax. Then I polish with the Meguiars Professional Show Car Glaze. I follow up with one or two (depending on how ambitious I am) coats of the Professional Liquid Yellow Wax. The Meguiars stuff is all right but I want to try some other products like 3M or Zainos when I run out.

Now really, who would want to use ABRASIVES on their paint?

[E36M3]

Unfortunately, some of the above information is incorrect.

A cleaner wax WILL remove hairline imperfections, add gloss and leave a protective layer of wax on your finish in one step.

The reason why the Meguiar's Cleaner Wax (and I am assuming that was the one you were referring to) will not scratch your finish is because the abrasive in that product is called a diminishing abrasive. Simply put, as you work the product in, the abrasive gets smaller and smaller until it is completely gone, removing it's own imperfections.

And FYI...all cleaners are NOT abrasive. Some contain a chemical cleaner instead of an abrasive. The chemical cleaner "softens" the paint to the point where you can finesse it out.

Alan is correct when he says that a 3 step method is best.

[gsE36]

I am a believer of clay bar now

My car was so gritty feeling for the past few years (no matter how much i washed and waxed it). My friend raved about clay bar 2 years ago. I finally bought some and gave it a try. Wow, its so smooth right now.

Before my roof and trunk were full of hairline scratches and were so rough. I used the claybar to clear off the residue and dirt and then I waxed it and its great now.

I also like it because its non-abrasive.

To use the clay bar, wash the car, then dilute with some carwashing fluid (maybe 1 oz per 10 litres), and spray it on your car in 2x2 foot sections at a time. Then use the clay bar and gently slide it back and forth on the area that has been sprayed. You'll notice that the claybar picks up impurities in the paint -- little dirt specs, etc). Wash the car after and then wax it and you'll have a nice finish

[Alan]

Claybars are excellent, but at the same time they also remove paint on non-clearcoated finishes. I'm pretty sure up to 1995 all non-metallic finishes from BMW lacked a clear coat. Metallic finishes have them though. I am seriously thinking about doing a clay bar for this springs detail next week...

Digital Wave, try out 3M. Supposedly the show car wax is very similar to Meguair's yellow. The Imperial Hand Glaze is AMAZING though. I still use Meguiars Final Inspection and their Endurance Satin Tire Gel.


But as far as cleaner waxes go, diminishing or not, the idea of wax and abrasive in one step just rubs me the wrong way....(hahaha...ha...h...ok sorry, that was really bad).

[mefunny]

my mom wants to know where can she get those Meguiars if you know where they sell it can you give me the store names?

[fuschnicken]

Any auto supply store (i.e. Schucks, Al's Auto, etc.)

[ToplessBMW3]

I have used ProGold cleaner wax (it doesn't have much wax at all in it) when detailing cars for the first time. It gets rid of the oxidation, dirt residue, and other impurities in the paint. Yes it is a little abrasive, but how do you expect to remove impurities in the paint without cleaning the surface of the paint?? After that you can use a nice wax (I've always used the classic Mother's in the tin, just pure carnauba wax). The cleaner wax I put on with an orbital that doesn't rotate in a 360 degree motion but kind of vibrates - mimics the motion of your hand putting wax on a car, except at many times the pace. Works wonders, believe me. I've used it on cars and boats and nothing removes oxidation or swirl marks and fine scratches better Also, you can use 3M's Fine Cut if you have a key mark or something deeper; just use a polish after and then wax and then Handglaze. Once you get the paint free of impurities and have a nice thick coat of wax on it as a base, use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze as others have suggested. This stuff is fantastic! Fills in fine swirls and makes the color really shine and gives a great lustre and deepness to it - especially with darker colors such as my Hellrot or black, blue, green, etc. The Clay Bar system also works great to get rid of the dirt that has embedded itself in the paint; I do this every spring after the winter season as the salts and sands from the roads really work their destructive magic on the paint, but the clay bar will take all that right out - highly recommended for paint finishes that are in good shape but just dirty. I use the Hand Glaze about once-twice a month now, keeps the red looking fantastic Good luck everyone,
Sal

[Scho]

Thanks everyone for the help! At this time, I don't have any swirl marks that are visible. I am just ready for a good coat or coats of wax. The paint to me is a little dull lately. I just feel I need a good wax job. I was wondering if I should use the cleaner wax. If anyone else has any more input on this situation, it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all! 5 *'s!

[ToplessBMW3]

Scho - put a few nice coats of wax on your ride, just make sure it doesn't have any petroleum distillates in it, cause if it does that means it's not really true pure wax and it's not that great for the paint (that's why i use the Mother's in the tin - nothin in there except wax ) After you detail it really good, the next time you wash it, try using the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. I've never used it on silver, but I'm sure it'll make it look great just like it does on my hellrot Let us know how it comes out. Also, run your hand along the car, and if it feels rough at all or a little gritty, then use the Clay system - you can buy it at Pep Boy's or any detailing place. Then Hand Glaze the whole car and you'll be amazed at what that paint will feel and look like! Good luck man,
Sal