Meguiar's liqud wax -- looking for opinions and tips.

[sxa]

This is my first time owning a brand new vehicle with no imperfections. I want to keep the paint looking good and I started looking at waxing options. I haven't decided yet if I want to try to wax it myself or pay someone. I have the opinions of two friends, one friend says to pay someone for the first wax as that is the most critical coat and it should be done professionally. My other friend suggested Meguiar's liquid wax. Having never waxed before I watched a video on using it and it supposed to be better for darker cars (mine is Stormy Blue).

Essentially what I am looking for is opinions on whether or not I should fork up the cash for a professional wax job, or if not what are the best waxing tips. Perhaps there is a better product to use and would I be better off forking over the money for an electric buffer or should I do it by hand?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SayNoToPistons]

www.autopia.org

 

[Bopper]

If only Stormy came with Black, thats what I would have.
Don't get fooled into thinking the word "professional" will mean that any work performed will be better then the work you can do yourself. Whether paying a pro to wax a car, mow the lawn, or clean the house, I can assure you that those pro's only exist because they are convenient, not because they are better. There may be exceptions out there, but not as a whole.
Buy some wax, put it on by hand, buy some large microfiber towels and turn and change them frequently when removing. The only tricky part is all the black molding. Don't buy any wax that will turn the molding white, the Back to Black product will not save the day when you get wax on the molding.
I like to use Turtle Wax Ice Liquid, Professionals hate it, because it is just so easy to use. You can use it on the whole car, including the trim, in the shade or direct sunlight. I have used it on my Black Expedition, White Mustang, and my 15 year old red VW TDI that lived outside, I just sold it for $7k because it looked so good (and was Mechanically sound). I will put the link up to the VW when I get out of bed. The CX7 in the picture is my Mother in Laws

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=377579

I attached a Pic of the Mustang, just because I like the photo. I have used Turtle Wax Ice on it since that Photo was taken and the paint and trim look new. The Mustang does live in my garage though.

 

[CXVille]

www.autopia.org

+1

Many so called "professionals" aren't any better at this than many individuals. There are some out there that are true professionals, and spend 4-8 hours (or more) washing, polishing, waxing and detailing the inside of one car. However, if you want to take some time to learn, and spend some time, you can do better than most professionals. Browse around on autopia.org, realizing that some (many) of the folks on there are true fanatics, and you don't need near the level of stuff they have.

Most of the Meguiars products are very good. Autogeek.net also sells a bunch of good stuff. Klasse is the brand I use - a little pricey but you are supposed to use like a tablespoon for the whole car.

 

[Kayger12]

Do it yourself.
http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/

 

[popeyecahn]

+1
Klasse is the brand I use - a little pricey but you are supposed to use like a tablespoon for the whole car.

+1

One thing about professionals and the like, when it comes to claying or buffing, I'd consider having someone with experience do these tasks. Granted anyone can call themselves a 'Professional' whatever, but unless you've handled an orbital before I'd practice first as the results at best can be hilarious (to neighbors and friends). That said, the OP's car won't need these tasks for another year of two.

 

[Gio26NJ]

Cannot go wrong with Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax. I've been using it since I bought it over the summer, has been resilient this winter as well with the snow and salt on the roads.

Here are some pics of mine I took after waxing back in the summer time in this thread

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...hots-with-us&p=6012490&viewfull=1#post6012490

 

[HandA]

+1

One thing about professionals and the like, when it comes to claying or buffing, I'd consider having someone with experience do these tasks. Granted anyone can call themselves a 'Professional' whatever, but unless you've handled an orbital before I'd practice first as the results at best can be hilarious (to neighbors and friends). That said, the OP's car won't need these tasks for another year of two.

Well said, a bad professional can do more damage than good and your new car doesn't need that much done yet anyways. They can put way more marks in the paint than they remove and if they go at it too much with a buffer they will remove a lot of your clear coat and there isn't much on the car to begin with. A fair number of people where you see the clear coat failing on their cars had them buffed at some point in time, which weakened the clear.

When you have the car clean if the paint has any rough feel to it then it would be worth while to clay it. Here's a video on claying: http://www.hondaanswers4u.com/vid/look/smartclay.html
Claying removes contaminants that get bonded to the paint and helps make the paint feel smooth as glass

 

[jtl]

Cannot go wrong with Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax. I've been using it since I bought it over the summer, has been resilient this winter as well with the snow and salt on the roads.

Here are some pics of mine I took after waxing back in the summer time in this thread

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...hots-with-us&p=6012490&viewfull=1#post6012490

Used it for the first time a week ago. Very nice product. Easy on and easy off.