[Euro Lux] Wax On, Wax Off

[Pup]

Alright
Picked up my Honda Accord Euro Luxury on wednesday.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm drools, its absolute heaven!

Anyway, I cleaned it today at car lovers high pressure washers (none touching, drive in drive out type thing)

anyway, not too happy using them because I am worried about the paint.

So my question.
Whats the best cleaners/sealant/polish/wax to use for the outside of the car?
also
I have the luxury model with leather interior. Whats the best cleaner/protector for the seating?

I have washed cars before but never waxed or polished
So all the information you can give me on what clothes to use what cleaners for the body and rims (really sexy 17inch rims drools)

BTW the cars paint colour is graphit pearl and is matalic I believe (well its got different colour flecs when you look close!

I don't give a damn about the price of waxes or polishes I know it wont be as large an investment as the car its self and I want it looking smik for as long as humanly possible!

The cars just freaking sexy! :D

[aaronng]

Bloody lucky! I like those 17" wheels! Can't give you advice on the interior, but for the exterior, Meguiar's NXT tech wax is a good consumer all in one wax and mild cleaner. Of course the are the higher range products, but those need experience to use properly. I use the supplied sponge (wet it with a bit of water and squeeze dry) to apply and a microfibre cloth to buff and remove.

Oh yeah, if you are washing your car by hand, then you'll need a wash mitt (lambswool is gentle to the paint), car shampoo (I use meguiar's nxt car shampoo, cheap and good at $19.95 for 1.9 litres). Then to dry the car, I use a microfibre drying cloth. Synthetic chamois don't really absorb all the water off the surface, while a real natural chamois is too draggy and will wear out your previous wax layer.

Oh, and don't hold your bottle of wax while you apply. One knock, and you get a dent in the panel, like me! :(

Ask us anything, and get more info from those who have done it before. Welcome to the forum!

[jl88rl]

OH REALLLLLLY
i was spose to ask. those new wheels come stock in 05 now ay ?!

Burning, no one eever told me, doubt they would anyway but i bought my euro 28th Dec!!!!

I really think that the 16" are way too small and hoping to get 18"s by june.

[Pup]

jl88rl, yeah 17's are much better looking!!
I fell in love the second I spotted my car waiting for me!!


Bloody lucky! I like those 17" wheels! Can't give you advice on the interior, but for the exterior, Meguiar's NXT tech wax is a good consumer all in one wax and mild cleaner. Of course the are the higher range products, but those need experience to use properly. I use the supplied sponge (wet it with a bit of water and squeeze dry) to apply and a microfibre cloth to buff and remove.

When you say all in one wax and mild cleaner I am wondering what you mean by that?
is it a shampoo or is it a wax? do I wash the car before using it? or just put it on as it is?
I'm very new to this hole polish part!

I was hoping to find a good sealer a good polish, then a wax and then what ever.

I have been hearing lots about the microfibre cloths, will have to find a few. Any perticular ones you recommend?



Oh yeah, if you are washing your car by hand, then you'll need a wash mitt (lambswool is gentle to the paint), car shampoo (I use meguiar's nxt car shampoo, cheap and good at $19.95 for 1.9 litres). Then to dry the car, I use a microfibre drying cloth. Synthetic chamois don't really absorb all the water off the surface, while a real natural chamois is too draggy and will wear out your previous wax layer.

Will pick up a lambswool wash mit!! (I assume they are washable? ie, into the washing machine)
I have real chamois and a synthetic one, I find the real ones get draggy when they aren't cleaned properly after use, I throw it in the washing machine when its on the last rinse cycle, I find it keeps its spotlessly clean. the synthetic ones tend to work well regardless of the cleanlyness of it!

Will have a look at the meguiars nxt shampoo one. Heard that name used a fair bit around the forum

Thanks for your reply, much appreciated!

[Slugoid]

I haven't had good experienced with lambswool. Yes they are soft, but that trap a lot of dirt on the surface and it will streak. Best is to use those jumbo sponge, cos they trap dirt inside those holes, not on the surface, but you must check the sponge carefully before you even touch the paint, or else it'll damage the paint.

[albii]

Alright
Picked up my Honda Accord Euro Luxury on wednesday.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm drools, its absolute heaven!

Anyway, I cleaned it today at car lovers high pressure washers (none touching, drive in drive out type thing)

anyway, not too happy using them because I am worried about the paint.

So my question.
Whats the best cleaners/sealant/polish/wax to use for the outside of the car?
also
I have the luxury model with leather interior. Whats the best cleaner/protector for the seating?

I have washed cars before but never waxed or polished
So all the information you can give me on what clothes to use what cleaners for the body and rims (really sexy 17inch rims drools)

BTW the cars paint colour is graphit pearl and is matalic I believe (well its got different colour flecs when you look close!

I don't give a damn about the price of waxes or polishes I know it wont be as large an investment as the car its self and I want it looking smik for as long as humanly possible!

The cars just freaking sexy! :Dif you are not worried about cost go for the best...zymol or swissol products will outshine and outlast megquires easily.

[yfin]

Use a car shampoo and NXT (not every time).

If you are going to use Carlovers - don't use their brush! Bring your own.

[aaronng]

Well, you have to wash the car. You use a car shampoo for that. This step removes loose dirt such as dust/mud/cat prints/bird droppings that haven't dried.

Then you need to clean the paint a bit. This is to get rid or contaminants stuck to the paint. For heavy dirt, there are other ways, but for your new car, just NXT or a suitable product is enough. Go by user experiences and reviews. To learn about washing/polishing/waxing, go to www.autopia.org forums. The "Detailing University" is a very good way to start. Just read the posts and search.

I prefer lambswool over sponge because with sponge, large pieces of dirt won't get into the pores, and you MUST pick them out or risk creating a deep scratch that cannot be hidden. With lambswool, you'll still get scratches, but they are the fine type that is filled up easily when you apply any kind of wax. You can try both to see which you prefer. Or you can search the autopia.org forums. Those guys are the extreme in detailing, and they are the kind who find NXT not good enough, even for everyday car users!

[coladuna]

I use the supplied sponge (wet it with a bit of water and squeeze dry) to apply and a microfibre cloth to buff and remove.


I don't get what you are saying here. Why would you wet the applicator pad?
Don't you know your car must be completely dry before applying the wax?
It'll also take longer for it to haze if you add water to it.

As for cleaning the leather seats, I've been using Meguiars leather conditioner/cleaner, which costs $20.
I can certainly feel the difference after it's been applied, however, I'm considering giving another product a go because it's really difficult to apply evenly. It doesn't really like to spread out evenly and I end up using a lot just to apply once.

[jl88rl]

Good idea pup

[EuroAccord13]

All car wash operators use Recycled Water :P .....

[|N|]

All car wash operators use Recycled Water :P .....

does that mean its bad for the paint?

[aaronng]

I don't get what you are saying here. Why would you wet the applicator pad?
Don't you know your car must be completely dry before applying the wax?
It'll also take longer for it to haze if you add water to it.

Note that wetting the pad is for polymer-based sealants and wax that come in liquid form, not for paste.
It's to avoid the pad from gripping to the paint and your hand losing grip, sending your fingernails to the paint. hehe. Most of the cheaper waxes seem to go on quite easily, so there is no need to wet it. But for higher end waxes, such as NXT (it's not really higher end, but high enough for consumer level), klasse or zymol, they tend to cause the applicator pad to grip.

The 2nd reason is that these products are supposed to be applied in a thin layer. A very very thin layer. If it is too thick, it is difficult to buff when dry, and NXT especially leaves a residual film patch that looks like oil even after buffing properly. The water helps dilute the wax somewhat so you can apply a thin layer.

Since the layer is thin, and some products require a drying time of about 45 minutes for the polymers to link, there is enough time for the water to evaporate, usually takes about 5 minutes.

I learnt this wetting of the applicator pad from other detailers.

[PNR888]

Thanks for the above info Aaronng, I learn something new everyday from the forum. And welcome to the forum Pup. Enjoy your Euro.

[coladuna]

Note that wetting the pad is for polymer-based sealants and wax that come in liquid form, not for paste.
It's to avoid the pad from gripping to the paint and your hand losing grip, sending your fingernails to the paint. hehe. Most of the cheaper waxes seem to go on quite easily, so there is no need to wet it. But for higher end waxes, such as NXT (it's not really higher end, but high enough for consumer level), klasse or zymol, they tend to cause the applicator pad to grip.


Weird. No problem whatsoever applying Meguiars Gold Class wax. It's easy as without any water.

[SSML]

The 2nd reason is that these products are supposed to be applied in a thin layer. A very very thin layer. If it is too thick, it is difficult to buff when dry, and NXT especially leaves a residual film patch that looks like oil even after buffing properly. The water helps dilute the wax somewhat so you can apply a thin layer.

Since the layer is thin, and some products require a drying time of about 45 minutes for the polymers to link, there is enough time for the water to evaporate, usually takes about 5 minutes.

I learnt this wetting of the applicator pad from other detailers.

I used to use Meguier's Polymer Sealant,
I have also tried Gold Class Wax. I have also tried Zymol..

Recently I bought NXT wax too. It's amazing there is no white powder residue after buffing off.

I didnt have any problem with residual film patch the first time I applied.(dry pad). and it was easy to buff off.
The 2nd time I applied, I noticed some oily residual film patch like u described.(dry pad too). I wonder if it is related to the "dried" wax product left on the pad from 1st time? so bit of water will do the trick??

so do u leave the wax on 45 min B4 buffing off?

[tanghy]

http://homepage2.nifty.com/yatti_/cl7/cl7euro/caliper.html

[aaronng]

I used to use Meguier's Polymer Sealant,
I have also tried Gold Class Wax. I have also tried Zymol..

Recently I bought NXT wax too. It's amazing there is no white powder residue after buffing off.

I didnt have any problem with residual film patch the first time I applied.(dry pad). and it was easy to buff off.
The 2nd time I applied, I noticed some oily residual film patch like u described.(dry pad too). I wonder if it is related to the "dried" wax product left on the pad from 1st time? so bit of water will do the trick??

so do u leave the wax on 45 min B4 buffing off?
Hey.. you're on to something! I remember the first time I used NXT I didn't not notice the oily patch!

Nowadays I use 2 microfibre cloths to buff. One to do the usual buffing, and a 2nd to go over the whole car a 2nd time to get rid of the oily film.

I just tried applying carnauba wax over the NXT, the oily patch is gone, car looks a deeper blue (arctic pearl blue). The downside is that I get waterspots if I don't get rid of any water immediately, and that the next time I want to apply NXT, I have to clean off ALL the carnauba off the car (and this would probably take off the old NXT too).

Yeah, after applying the NXT, I go back in and have a cold one! Hehe, 45 minutes passes quite quickly.

[Pup]

thought I would give an update!
After the link too autopia was given to me I went a reading!
after about 12 hours none stop reading (cept for only sleeping)
I finally settled on Pinnacle
I had a look at the Swissol products but they are just a little out of my price range (I never thought wax could be so expensive hahaha)
From all accounts everyone who has used them has been happy!

I already need to clay the car and get very slight swirling out(don't want to use swirl remover just yet), I think the Paint Cleansing Lotion will at least help to fill and hide the small ones. Order lots of microfiber cloths of different sorts for application, buffing, cleaning, washing, interior cleaning, glass and so forth.

Ugh I can see my self getting very anal about all this

[aaronng]

I already need to clay the car and get very slight swirling out(don't want to use swirl remover just yet), I think the Paint Cleansing Lotion will at least help to fill and hide the small ones. Order lots of microfiber cloths of different sorts for application, buffing, cleaning, washing, interior cleaning, glass and so forth.

Ugh I can see my self getting very anal about all this
OMG! Swissol is bloody expensive! I don't think I would spend that much on a kit. I could get individual products that I like most, and still come up cheaper for an equivalent kit.

Entry Collection with«Onyx» wax AU$299
Cleaner Fluid (wax pretreatment) 250 ml
Swissol wax (of your choice)
Car Bath (wash concentrate) 250 ml
Pneu (tyre protector) 250 ml
applicators (for wax and Cleaner Fluid)
2 cotton towels
Cooler-Bag
Swissol 60 page Handbook (english)

My equivalent: AU$172.80 for microfibre, AU$164.80 for sheridan towels
Paint cleaner + acrylic layer - Klasses All-in-One AU$39.60 500ml
P21s Concourse carnauba wax AU$54.45 175g
Meguiars NXT car wash AU$19.95 1900ml
Stoner More Shine Less Time Silicone-free Tyre glaze AU$14.30 255gm
Applicators Meguiars sponge applicator 2 for AU$4.50
2 Meguiars microfibre towels $17.00 OR 2 Sheridan face towels! $9.00 (factory outlet store)
Cooler bag, probably $12 from Kmart, the ones that hold a 6-pack!
Autopia detailing experiences, reviews, advice AU$FREE
Let's say if you get it from this online store where I got the prices for Klasse, P21s and Stoner, shipping would be AU$11.00

You get more, for less money! And NXT car wash is the best over the counter carwash, that autopia forums like, eventhough they have high standards and put down NXT Tech Wax as being not good. P21s Carnauba is also rated as one of the best pure carnauba waxes.

[albii]

thought I would give an update!
After the link too autopia was given to me I went a reading!
after about 12 hours none stop reading (cept for only sleeping)
I finally settled on Pinnacle
I had a look at the Swissol products but they are just a little out of my price range (I never thought wax could be so expensive hahaha)
From all accounts everyone who has used them has been happy!
guys my brother in law uses swissol and i use zymol which is roughly the same price $120 for a tub of wax but what you guys have to understand is that you dont use much and my previous tub of zymol lasted me 5 years of twice a month of waxing and if you compare that with meguires which costs $35 a bottle and lasts about 6 waxes the zymol or swissol works out better in the long run plus it shines and beads better.

[V205]

Hi Pup,

Can I ask how much you paid for the Euro-Lux? (auto or manual?) And what extras?

Thanks.

[Pup]

I felt it was an acceptable price for what I believe I am getting!
I found a dark car that had a very watery look and had to ask the bloke what he used!

After that I wanted to same look!!!

albii, Never thought of that!!
Will try it when I have run out!


V205, Well where to start hahaha

Tailored mats
Light and bonnet protectors
Roof Racks
Boot protector
Reverse parking sensor
Full body kit

for 42,000 which included all on road costs
I ordered it and 6 weeks later picked it up and drove away!

I have no idea if that is the best price for the euro Luxury tho.

[PNR888]

Pup, that's a bloody good deal, I assume yours will be 6 speed Manual right?
The on road price for Euro Lux 6MT with matellic paint will be 44079. this is in BNE, you will expect to pay more for rego and CTP insurance ETC in NSW. So Pup's deal is superb.

[coladuna]

meguires which costs $35 a bottle and lasts about 6 waxes the zymol or swissol works out better in the long run plus it shines and beads better.

only 6 waxes? you gotta be joking.
I've waxed more like 15 times with my Gold Class Wax (pretty much similar content as NXT) and still have close to half left.

[aaronng]

My NXT has been used over 10 times, and it's still over 1/2 full.

[albii]

wow i never got anywhere near 10 with gold class....

[PNR888]

Albii, you must be very generous with your Maguires waxes. No wonder your silver Euro is so shinny.

[albii]

Albii, you must be very generous with your Maguires waxes. No wonder your silver Euro is so shinny.
thats just zymol overkill......i already have about 10 coats and i have had the car 6 months..

[sheepo]

well just wnan welcome pup =P WELCOME PUP! :D glad to see your happy with your euro ^_^