I am about to apply my first coat of wax on my Flint Mica Tc. I will be using Meguiars NXT. This kit came with a Foam Applicator Pad. How safe is it to use this Pad... or is there something that works better? I am not sure how safe it is to use this foam pad. It looks like it may scratch? Opinions please...

Also, is it a must to use a Clay Bar on your Paint if your Vehicle is New?

Thanks Alot

 

No clay bar yet. The foam applicator is fine. Wash it out when finished so it will be ready for the next time.

Walt

 

if i were you, i would clay bar it. i did my car after being two weeks old and i was amazed at how the finish came out. your car was painted at least a 2 months before taking delivery and with that comes sitting around and transportation on trucks. using the applicator pad that came with it is perfectly fine.

here are some pics after i clay bar'd and waxed my car using www.shiningmonkey.com products

http://ikonxone.fotki.com/car/tc/tc-02/

 

I think the foam pad is fine, but it would sometimes squeak when not fully loadedith wax or polish. This is my fault, I know, but still annoyed by it. This noise is like nails on chalkboard to me. I have replaced mine with these microfiber pads about the size of a bar of soap. They're from Meguiars. I believe I got them at Target. I have demoted the foam to tire duty.



http://www.meguiars.com/estore/produ...ectionID=26101

 

I just found some microfiber applicators. I think I am gonna use that instead of the foam.... and your right, that noise the foam mikes is kinda like fingernails on a chalkboard to me...

 

I would think the paint is good enough to not have to wax for atleast the first few months. I mean, its brand new paint and needs to settle for a while. I definitely wouldnt clay bar it at first, that could have reverse effects because if the clearcoat isnt settled enough the clay bar could wind up pulling some of the clearcoat off. That is just my opinion. I am just going to wash mine with this Rain-X soap I got at the auto store that has tiny wax beads in it on my xB for a while. I used the same stuff on my black integra and it worked awsome. came out really shiny. I will prolly put a nice wax coat on the xB before winter rolls around tho. I know lots of people have been complaining about paint chipping and stuff and I think that lots of people might be caring for their paint a little too much. Just give it a good wash for a while before doing any major detailing. Unless you are putting the thing in a big car show or something I really doubt anyone is going to judge how good/shiny your paint is.

 

Repeat after me ZYMOL mequirs is good too but zymol is awsome

 

I totally disagree. The sooner you get wax on it the better. The new paint processes don't require months of curing. Your car has already been exposed to contaminants as it is shipped/trained/trucked halfway around the world. If you slide the back of your fingers over your paint after you wash it and it feels rough, you should clay bar it. There's no need to wait. If a clay bar pulls up clear coat, then your clearcoat was messed up to begin with.

Caring for your car doesn't make it chip, it just makes you notice them sooner than people who don't pay as much attention.

Waxing is to protect your paint, an added benefit is it makes your car look good at shows. it isn't just for show cars if you want to protect your investment. When you go to the beach, do you put suntan lotion on right away or wait a few hours?

I use the foam pads and haven't had any trouble other than the dust from old uses sometimes shakes out if I don't pound them out a little first. It's important to get them well lubricated when you start, don't be too stingy on the wax...

 

Complete BS.

Paint needs to be protected as soon as it's cured.

And it's heat cured at Toyota in Japan, and it takes several weeks to get to the
States an into a dealership. So it's air cured too.

Protect your paint ASAP with a quality product and don't listen to people that
clearly don't understand what wax does.

Sorry, but I hate when people give bad info on the intarweb simply because they
read it somewhere else.

 

Ditto, clay it and wax it. The sooner the better. Your car will thank you.

 

guess u r all right. i never had a new car before so i wasnt sure what the standard procedures were. i just remember hearing that when cars get new paint jobs it isnt good to wax them for a while because it could mess up the clearcoat. But im not going to argue with the concensus

 

I clayed and waxed my car the week after I got it, following advice on this board. I park outside ALL the time and don't currently have a car cover. Drove down to Charleston and got lots of bugs on my car. Last weekend (about 1 month after I first clayed my car) I finally had time (and no rain) to wash and clay the car again, trying to get the rest of the bugs off.

It did start to get dark on me, so I was only able to clay the front of my car and a few other spots that looked really bad. I will say a ton of stuff came off my car with the claybar. I finished up with Meguiers NXT was all over and I'm pretty happy with how it looks. But, based on how much junk I got off just the front I want to clay the whole car again as soon as I have a clear day and time to do it. Pretty off the stated topic, but I found the clay bar to work really well removing bugs from my headlights.

 

I often just clay one portion at a time. I did the fenders and hood the other night. Will get the roof this week. It's mostly the horizontal surfaces that need it the most, the sides don't get that bad.

xB_Shiftin - You're right about new paint needing to cure, but not the new factory paint. If you get a dent or something and a body shop has to repaint, they will usually advise against waxing or clear bra-ing for a month but that's now a different process than what the factory does. They heat cure it on the spot.

 

tru, well i guess i know what i will be doing this weekend.....lol

 

once i clay bar one spot i have to keep going. it is hard to leave a spot that is not smooth.

 

New cars need to be clay bar'd. Between sitting at port or being transported all kinds of industrial fallout and contamination come's in touch with the paint. I'd recommend stripping the paint of waxes/sealants every 6 month's followed by a claying, polish, and re-wax/seal. I use a medium clay with some custom quick detail spray for claying. Then I wash the vehicle and polish if needed. I follow that with a good wax or sealant depending on the customers desired level of look/protection. If you live in a very hot climate a sealant will be more durable, but may not leave the level of shine a wax will. A good carnauba wax will provide an excellent shine and depth on a properly polished finish, but may not last more than 30 days in a hot/humid climate. I personally use 4* Ultimate Paint Protection Sealant for my VW followed with a Carnauba wax topper to get the best of both worlds 6mo protection with a deep wet looking paint, for example:

 

gonna clay mine for the first....I hope I get good results

 

First, wash with low-detergent soap, rinse thorougly, dry with damp microfiber towel(I never dry car anymore with a dry towel or shammy. Seems it could put swirls or scratches on the clearcoat.).

Then, clay bar with lube like BlackFire kit. Mine came with two bars, bottle of BlackFire and two micro towels for less than $30 with s&h. Used clay bar on my 4-year old Volvo and was amazed at how much difference in shine and smoothness resulted from the clay treatment.

Doing first full wash/clay/polish/glaze treatment (with Klasse products, highly recommend them) next weekend.

 

Black magic liquid wax,

 

^Looks awesome. I just can't stand that damn orange peel in these new cars