I have never detailed a car before, so I am a complete newbie. I have read through many of the posts and checked the Detailed Image site (FAQ & Forum).


My questions is: Do I need to remove recently applied wax before applying a polish? If so, what is the best method of removing recently applied wax (applied like 1-2 weeks ago)?


Basically, I washed my car and applied Meguiras 3n1 (cleaner/polish/wax) carnuba paste wax (while it was in the garage -- meaning unnatural lighting). Once the car was back in the sun, I could see a lot of swirl marks. I am assuming the previous owner probably ran it through automated car washes or maybe hardly ever washed it.

I now have Meguiras Paint Cleaner & Polish (separate bottles, not the 3n1) that I want to use to see if it will get the swirl marks out. Can I just use these on a freshly washed car -- without having to do something to remove recently applied wax? I don't yet have an orbital machine, so this will be all hand work.

Thanks!

 

i use their liquid spray on wax and detailer....wax on wax off, simple as that.

 

the paint cleaner will strip the old wax off. That's thy it's a cleaner wax. Then when you polish your car, it will further more take off the old wax or whatever is on the paint. You can claybar the care before this whole process and it will strip the wax plus contamination on the paint as well.

Swirls are usually not from the automated car washes. It's from over washing without the proper techniques or using cheap sponges and towels on the paint.

So if you just want to use the stuff you have, i would wash the car, do the paint cleaner, use the megs polish by hand (it's really not going to make a drastic difference on the swirls though and make sure you go in a back and forth motion so it won't make even more swirls) then top the whole car off with a carnuba wax.

 

After washing you can go right into polishing the surface and it will strip off the old wax. You could use a clay bar before to help further clean the surface but it's not a must. After polishing you should protect the surface with a sealant or wax. Give the polish some medium arm pressure for better results. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ Detailed Image