Cadillac CTS wash/wax

[Bruce Nunnally]

Quick video before/after wax. Actually, I went out to clean the windshield after my trip to Houston. After I got started on the windshield I kind of got carried away and did the rest of the Cadillac.

Meguiar's NXT Generation car wash,

Mequiar's NXT generation tech wax,

micro-fiber towels

The audio in the first part got borged somehow, but still intelligible. Shot as 3 videos with a Flip video camera, then mixed.

[rek]

It looks good..........About the wax on, wax off, one panel at a time, do the whole car......

IMO, most car "Wax" is a "Polish" as well as a top coating. A "Polish" in the sense that the application

will polish or tend to level surface imperfections. To that end, I first do a panel (1/2 hood, roof, trunk..)

by using terry cloth and a SMALL dab of product. I "Polish" it in by continued rubbing until it's clear and shiny. After all the panels are done I go over it once again, but this time, I apply a scant, light coat, to the WHOLE car. Let cure for at least 20 minutes....Buff gently with 100% Cotton Bath Towel.

[Bruce Nunnally]

I understand what you mean that a wax can have a polishing effect in the sense that one is attempting to create a smooth surface finish.

I was interested to see this post on digitalcorvettes.com by Jason from Adam's Polishes. This is NOT meant to be directly in response to or in contrast to what you are describing, but was to me an interesting contrast between waxing and polishing a vehicle:

I was just watching a friend polish his car and noticed a few things he was doing wrong but might be pretty common mistakes made by people.

1. Far too much polish.

-Remember that our polish goes a long way. Whether by hand or machine remember you want to work the polish till it nearly disappears into the clear coat/paint. Polish does no good sitting on the paint by itself, it only does any work when it's being rubbed/buffed by hand or a polishing pad. Straight lines, nice and easy, back and forth over and over will get the job done. Polish isn't like wax where you can let it sit and get results, polish needs to be applied then worked. You want just enough to cover a surface then work it in. Our pads are very absorbent so they'll hold in polish for a long ways and get great results. On our new pads I'll do two full rings around the outside and that's enough for my entire hood on my C5. As long as you can see polish being left behind by the pad you have the right amount. When you start seeing the pad cover an area but no polish is left it's time to reapply. A little Detail Spray spritz always helps lubricate the pad.

2. Letting it sit

-I covered this a little above but I'll hit on it again here. Polish isn't wax. It does not need a cure time and while it's sitting on the paint it's not doing any more work than the polish still in your bottle. While our polish was designed to be easy to remove not all polishes are and in some cases if you are using a "off the shelf" polish you might actually need MORE polish to remove the portions that have dried on your paint! ours is easy to remove though.

3. Purpose of polish

-Polish is a cleaner. Just like brushing your teeth or polishing your wood floors you are cleaning the surface in both cases. Polish will give you a shine of course, you are seeing the natural shine from your clear coat or paint. Abrasive polishes or finishing polishes will give different results but in the end it's the WAX that gives you the lasting shine.

Back to your post, if I understand your method you use wax and do a small section of the car at a time, buffing to a fine shine. Then you cover the entire vehicle with wax, allow to dry, and then buff it off again?

I am also trying to decide if I should try applying multiple coats of wax to deepen the shine.

[rek]

You got it.........Polish first.....Top coat second.

I use Meguiar's #6 Cleaner(Polish)Wax, or Color X Cleaner(Polish)wax . Color X seems to have MORE "Cutting Power" than #6, but they are close.

For Silver,or White I use Color X first, then top coat with Color X, or #20 Poly Sealant, or NXT....

#20 seems to last the longest, then NXT, then Color X. All "Shine" about the same, given the

Polish step is done right.

For Gold/Cashmere/Tan, I use #6 first, then top coat with either #6, #20, or Hi-Tech Yellow#26...

I like terry cloth because the "Nap" provides an "Escape" for surface contamination (dirt) and provides a "Slight" abrasive (leveling) action. I do use Microfiber for washing and drying, not so much for the final "Buff".

[Bruce Nunnally]

So for Meguiar's there are: (paraphrased from here with annotations):

Deep Crystal System Step 1 - Paint Cleaner (polish only, no wax)

Cleaner/Wax: polish and wax

ColorX is a stronger cleaner/wax, and would be similar to Deep Crystal System Step 1 in cleaning ability.

And no, none of those products are strong enough to thin your clearcoat.

I have always stayed completely away from polishes, since I worried they could remove the paint when used by the uninformed.

I guess the polish+wax does further surface cleaning, then I would put on the top coat of wax I use now.

You usually put on 1 coat of wax over the ColorX?

[rek]

After the Clean/Polish (ColorX or #6) I'll put on another coat of ColorX or #20, or NXT.

Yes, I know about the debate....Can't build up layers, can build up layers, another coat of cleaner/wax will strip off prior coats, the more coats the better...Bla Bla Bla....

Let your eyes be the judge... Do the hood with the polish- in- until- shiney method. Then do HALF of the hood with the wipe on/20 minute "Cure" method. Go with the side(method) that looks better....

[Bruce Nunnally]

did a quick mist detailer for exterior clean up then put on another coat of the NXT.

These shots to try to capture the gloss. Still not there, but learning as I go (camera work and wax work)

This made a nice background and contrast with the grill. I wish the angle allowed a greater view of the hood.

I do like how the reflection in the window and the reflection in the paint on the right rear fender shot are so close/continuous.