Meguiar's / Meguiars. A Complete Guide Of Products To Prep Your Car For The Show...

[vo7848]

We all know Meguiar's makes some of the best quality cleaning gear on the market. I've compiled a list of many products they offer, that deliver the "Show Quality" finish many enthusiast strive for. I have not included 100% of the products Meguiar's offers though, but only the largest portion I feel are needed to achieve a show finish. BTW I have spelled Meguiars 2 different ways on purpose. This should help the n00bs out if they mispell Meguiar's while doing a search.

[vo7848]

Who can do without the Claybar kit? The best way to remove oxidation from your vehicle's paint. It also works when trying to smoothen out a rough windshield that has been defaced by bugs, rocks, water minerals, and sand. Wanna remove those stubborn wheels stains? Try claybaring them. In the picture you can see everything that comes with the kit, including the yellow micro fiber towel to wipe up the mess you'll make while performing the procedure.

*Note there are about 3 claybars that come in the small soap box container, which means that you get multiple uses out of this one kit.

[vo7848]

Before you start the clay bar procedure, you'll need some car wash gear. Meguiars make an entire line for this. Here are 2 soaps I prefer to use. You'll notice how well they sud up in the bucket. What makes them really good is when it's really hot outside and the sun begins to dry the car before you actually wipe it down, creating stubborn "water spots". If the car begins to dry, just wet it down again. These 2 soaps are really good about rinsing clean off the vehicle, leaving no traces of soap or water spots.

Don't forget about the drying towles. The "Water Magnet" makes quick waste of any water, leaving a lint free surface. Only downfall with the rags is they are hard to wring out. Once they become saturated, you'll pretty much have to use another dry one to resume wiping. I carry 3 of them, and can have the car wiped down in minutes.

[vo7848]

The next line of products I prefer are the Tech Wax's. It comes in either a spray or sqeeze bottle form. Call me old school, but I like to apply it with good old elbow grease. As you can see in the photo below, the boxed kit comes with the squeeze bottle as well as an applicator. The applicator is nice because you can kinda half-a$$ed wash it, then reuse it if you'd like. I've included a picture to show what the applicator looks like after I dunked it into a bucket of water repeatedly.

If you need more applicators, Meguiar's sells them separately as well. (See the picture with the yellow applicators)

[vo7848]

Next we have the Speed Detailer. This product is the icing on the cake. Use it for an extra gloss when your car is ready to be "shown". You can also use it between washes, but I like to save it for use when it counts.

Applying it is as easy as pie. Meguiars sells over sized micro fiber towels which are washable for re-use.

[vo7848]

I almost forgot to post the finished products after waxing with Tech Wax..

The hood picture is what the wax looks like after drying. It's a light haze and wipes off just as easy as it went on. It took me about 1 1/2 hr to wax the entire car, without even breaking a sweat. Much easier than the Zymol I use to wax with. Another benefit is that you can apply the wax directly over cracks and crevices with worrying about those stubborn white residue stains that tend to be difficult to remove out of cracks when using regular wax.

The side fender pictures are the end result after buffing the wax off by hand.

[vo7848]

If your headlights are stained up with road debri or bug guts, Plast X will remedy that... Easy to apply, easy to take off. The photo included was taken after I wiped the headlights down with Plast X.

[vo7848]

In my opinion there's nothing better to clean you wheels than soap and water, but for those that want the spray n' wash method here you go.
Meguiar's make 2 different wheel sprays. One for clear coated wheels and one for non-clearcoated wheels. Both sprays will not harm any brake components. If you look closely at the close-up pics I took, you can distinguish which is which. I do not have any pictures of a freshly cleaned wheel using the products, because I happened to use soap that day.

[vo7848]

Everyone wants to know of a good metal polish. Here's my personal favorite. Works like a charm on all polishable surfaces except Titanium. I have not tested it on Titanium as of yet. The best attribute of the product is that it buffs out with ease, leaving mirror image shine.

I've included photos of the upper plenum and rear lip after being polished by hand.

[vo7848]

The last product I use on the exterior is the finishing touch to the tires. Keep in mind, this is not a product you want to use after everyday washing. I suppose you could if you don't mind black residue splattered on you fenders and mud guards. I strictly use this for show, when your tires have to look like they were just clear coated. This tire gel maintains a wet shine all day long.

*Note: I only applied one coat to the tire. Extra coats can be applied for a glossier finish.

[vo7848]

Moving along to the interior. The next product, Tech Protect, is used to clean and protect your vehicle's interior parts like vynls and plastic. I've attached 2 photos so you can see what a dry uncoated surface looks like as well as the coated/clean surface. *Note that I have wiped off the residue left over by the cleaner after it was applied.

Some may not like a moderate gloss to their cars interior, but for those that do, this product offers one of the more moderate shines I've seen.

Just an FYI, this would be a tire shine product you could use on a daily basis.

[vo7848]

The last interior product I use is geared towards the guys with leather. Frost interior is a b!tch to clean. After owning frost interior for over 4 years, you can bet I've tried a few cleaners. The meguiar's "Gold Class" leather wipes are by far the easiest way to clean your leather seats.

Each wipe has enough cleaner saturated to give a good coat and clean, but not overwhelming. On a side note, the last few wipes in the canister usually go dry, so don't plan on using all the wipes in the canister. After applying and cleaning with the wipes, I rub off the excess cleaner with a clean rag. This leaves a nice greaseless finish.

I've included photos with the product applied(before wiping it off with a clean rag). You'll can tell because there is a greasy film on the seats. I've also included photos after I wiped the excessive leather cleaner off.

[vo7848]

Finished.. I'll see if a mod deems this as "sticky" quality now.

[kwiker]

I think this should be stickied. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

[vo7848]

Originally Posted by kwiker

I think this should be stickied. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

No prob.

[CRIDDA]

Know what is funny. I just went through an all dayer detailing my baby and I was about to do a write up, and was like hell no I already spent 7hrs on my car. Thanks for the write-up.
********MODS PLEASE MAKE THIS A STICKY, VERY INFORMATIVE********

[vo7848]

Originally Posted by CRIDDA

Know what is funny. I just went through an all dayer detailing my baby and I was about to do a write up, and was like hell no I already spent 7hrs on my car. Thanks for the write-up.
********MODS PLEASE MAKE THIS A STICKY, VERY INFORMATIVE********

Post pics of the final product if you have them.

I PM'd Dave with the thread info and sticky request.

[howardka]

Thanks for the very detailed write up.

I just purchased the Meguiars products but have not yet used the wax. I am very pleased with the car wash. This is probably a very stupid question but when you wax do you wax the bumpers even though they're not metal?

[vo7848]

Originally Posted by howardka

Thanks for the very detailed write up.

I just purchased the Meguiars products but have not yet used the wax. I am very pleased with the car wash. This is probably a very stupid question but when you wax do you wax the bumpers even though they're not metal?

Thanks for the compliment, and yes you do wax your bumpers.

[redlude97]

Maybe I can contribute some to this thread as well since I use alot of Meg's products as well, and you selection seems to be limited to the consumer line:
Car Wash:
Gold Class-hands down cheapest out of the readily available and IMO provides the best lubricity, but doesn't have the cleaning power of NXT by a small margin. Can be had by the gallon at Target for ~$10

Swirl Remover by Hand:
ScratchX-arguably one of the best OTC swirl removers applied by hand on the market, be prepared for some grueling work however, but the results are worth it. Best used for spot polishing, invest in a PC if the entire car is covered in swirls. Can be used on headlights as well much like PlasticX

Wheel Cleaner:
All Purpose Cleaner Plus(APC+ from detailer's line)-While soap and water is always the recommended method. For stubborn stains, APC+ mixed in different dilutions works great! Works great on tires as well and wheel wells. Plus its cheap, 1 gallon is ~$10. Its an APC so its multitasks as well and can be used on engine bays as well as interiors. One of Meg's best products IMO.
(couldn't find a pic)
Bug Tar Remover:
Body Solvent(detailer's line): Great no scrub solvent and dissolves bugs on contact(+/- a few seconds =) )

Sealant/Wax:
#21 Synthetic Sealant(Mirror Glaze Prof Line)-this is their longest lasting best protecting sealant, I've gotten 5 months of protection from it easily and IMO has 95% of the look of NXT and at least 2-3x the level of protection. This one is difficult to find, especially in the 16 oz size, but is superior to NXT IMO.

Quick Detailer:
Last Touch Quick Detailer(detailer's line)-Meg's best detailer, and most economical one as well. Leaves a great shine and comes by the gallon. It is more of a beaty QD rather than a cleaning QD and leaves an insane shine. Its so slick that it needs to be diluted 2:1 with water to be used as a claying lubricant. It also doesn't streak like NXT quick detailer has the tendancy to do. ~$20 for a gallon.

Tire shine:
Gold Class Endurance Gel: This product outlasts them all in meg's line, 2-3 weeks of shine almost everytime, and doesn't rinse away in the rain like other products. NO sling since its a gel, I apply with a paint brush and allow it to dry before moving the vehicle. Nice shine, but not the "wet" look if thats what you are going for, more like a semigloss.

Thats about it for Meg's products I use, hopefully that helps some people out. Larger NAPA's and most body shop suppliers carry the professional and detailer's lines.