Meguiars Wax/quick detailer = ridiculous

[CliffyW]

Washed and waxed my truck today cause it was filthy and I tried some new products, I think the results are pretty good.

The OP poster has done a great job with his truck. I had a pro come over and do mine. after over 5 hours of buffing waxing , my truck looks great just like yours from 10 feet away. But, as with yours, we are struggling with MASSIVE orange peel on Fords that frankly we should NOT have to put up with.

 

[xBX]

Sqeaky

 

[mblgjr]

Optimum Polymer Technologies

Thank me later. I'll be doing a writeup on OptiCoat in the next two weeks.

Meg's Detailer line products are great.

HyperDressing is something nobody should be without. 3:1 for wheelwells; 1:1 for tires.

Glass Cleaner is excellent.

Last-Touch works best diluted 1:1 with distilled water. To me it's the best QD Meg's makes.

All Season Dressing works well so long as you wipe it down and let it dry.

Meg's OTC products are hit/miss; but #26, #21 are good standby's. The newer Ultimate series products are nice. Ult QW is good; I can live without the QD though. Haven't had a reason to try the wax. M105/M205 polishes work well.

 

[Mark Ducati]

Ever hear of Zaino?

You guys are spoiled brats and don't know what a real wax job is... hahaha

Zaino is a petroleum based car wax that literally bonds to the clear coat... it used to be that you had to let the wax cure for 24hrs, now they've perfected the formula where you mix 2 ounces of the wax (for a single detail use) with a few drops of "hardner" so that it can be immediately removed and no longer wait over night.

I've used Zaino on my Corvette and the results are spectacular... but its a process too of Clay, Pre-cleaner, Polish, Wax, Gloss enhancement spray... and its not cheap, you'll spend about $75 bucks to get everything... too much effort for me to do a big truck.

 

[Raptor Retrofit]

I just used a polymer sealant on my A3, it turned out ridiculous. Waiting for the rain to stop to do the Raptor. Its a little pricey so I bought some polishing pads and got a free 2 oz sample of the sealant which is enough for two applications.
this is what I used - Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant delivers a deep, wet, liquid shimmer unlike anything you can imagine.

 

[Ruger]

I hope these products are better than what happend with my Nissan 4x4 and Meguire's cleaner wax. The immediate results were wonderful, but over time the cleaner was ate away the clear coat and ultimately destroyed the paint finish.

 

[MORaptorMan]

I used to use Zaino too, but ran out and bought other stuff the last few years. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Zaino is a wax. Pretty sure it's a polish and/or sealant. Last detail I used Meguire's polish followed by their wax. I think next time I'll go back to some sort of sealant like Zaino or Optimum or Ultima. Seems the sealants last longer and are easier to apply than wax. I really like the sealants you apply and walk away without buffing.

 

[mblgjr]

Zaino is a sealant system. Not a wax at all. It is quite durable and creates a very sterile/clear look to it. It makes metallics pop nicely and brightens most lighter colors.

Right now, nothing will touch the durability of Optimum's OptiCoat. You *must* fully prep and polish your paint prior to using it. It is a true, permanent coating (no, not snake oil; go research it heavily). Compare it to CQuartz line; they're kind of on the same page, but Opt. has them beat.

Ruger: Hate to say it, but unless you were rubbing your paint with sandpaper, there's no way the *proper* use of a cleaner wax is going to ever destroy your clearcoat when applied reasonably by hand. I've seen several clearcoats fail, but never from the proper use of an off the shelf cleaner wax. There simply isn't enough abrasives in it to do that. Several car mfg. did have clearcoat failures in the mid-late 90's though.

For the lazy crowd... Collinite 845IW; Zaino ClearSeal (ZCS); and Optimum Opti-Seal all offer very similar durability.

For any product to look great, you will have to polish the paint first, especially if you have swirls. You will never get there working by hand. Only so much can be accomplished by hand no matter how much labor you put into it.

If you're a real bum and just want instant gratification: Meg's NXT 2.0 or Ultimate Wax have a LOT of fillers in them that will cover up most minor swirl marks.

Generic procedure:

Wash
Clay/decontaminate
Polish (number of stages will depend on paint condition).
Rinse (optional, but polishing dust is best disposed of quickly).
IPA Alcohol wipedown
Apply wax/sealant of choice

How far you go is up to you. Some of us are more finnicky about our finishes than others.

Paint Care & Detailing - The Enthusiasts guide to detailing

 

[Raptor Retrofit]

Generic procedure:

Wash
Clay/decontaminate
Polish (number of stages will depend on paint condition).
Rinse (optional, but polishing dust is best disposed of quickly).
IPA Alcohol wipedown
Apply wax/sealant of choice

How far you go is up to you. Some of us are more finnicky about our finishes than others.

Paint Care & Detailing - The Enthusiasts guide to detailing

Did all that plus a glaze after the polish, it really gave the black a deep wet look.

 

[Mark Ducati]

Did all that plus a glaze after the polish, it really gave the black a deep wet look.

Yes, but the problem I don't like about my Raptor is that the paint has a lot of Orange Peel as it came from the factory... to correct this, the truck would have to be wet sanded, they actually make an optical micronometer that you can measure in thousandth's of an inch the dept of the clearcoat so you can keep checking it as you wet sand the clearcoat...

I don't have those kind of skillz to attempt a job like this, and after all, its a Ford (albeit a super primo Ford), its NOT a Ferrari.