Dishwash detergent is good for removing wax. that is the only time you should use it.

Use car wash liquid.

On Waxes they are like "ford Chevy, Dodge" etc may people have alliances with one brand or another. as far as over the counter I think Meguires makes some very good stuff that is easy on and off.

I'm not sure what the proper stuff is for the plastic chrome stuff...nothing abrasive, maybe just a good carnuaba wax.

On your paint, feel it, is it smooth to the touch? if so then you don't need to clay bar (well it may still help, but if its smooth then its not 100% necessary)

On waxes for the paint I've had very good luck with layering. get a few good coats of a solid carnuaba wax and then top it off with a synthetic (Meguiars NXT is pretty decent stuff). and you'll like the look

You can spend any number of $ on paint care products. At times its cheaper to get them online (for the quality you are getting). Machine vs hand. its really the same except a machine gets its done 10x faster.

For plastics the best stuff out there IMO is Aerospace 303 protectant. (I'm looking it up, as the name is close to that, but don't think that's 100% correct)

www.autopia.org is a great resource.

 

Never Use a dish soap! Its a stripper it will take all the wax that you have put on, off.This is what I use Meguiars
GOLD CLASS CAR WASH SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER ,Clay Bar and NXT GENERATION TECH WAX.This is my simple car wash and hand wax.Here is a good site for detailing, some of them use very high end waxes and cleaners$$$$

http://www.autopia.org/forum/forum.php

 

Dishwashing soap is very good at removing grease and also CAR WAX. Not a bad idea using prior to your wax job, but not after if you wish to keep a good coat of wax intact. I personally like products from "Transmate" and wax by "Collinite". Transmate makes a good wash and wax and quik detailer which can be used after every wash to help promote protection and wax longivity.

 

Thanks for the quick replies. I dont see anyone suggesting Armourall (for plastic) or TurtleWax, have these products been passed by?

I see that there are wash and wax combo products, do these actually work? Would you still follow with another wax only product? I dont see myself putting multiple coats of anything on, so I'm thinking of buying a car wash liquid and follow it with a wax like Meguiars NXT.

Should I apply the Meguires NXT to the chrome as well?

 

Use any brand liquid car wash concentrate and dry with a microfiber towel. I use Turtle Wax carnauba cleaner wax and/or Turtle Wax Ice. I never clay-barred, and I think my five year old Titan looks better than the day I drove it home back in December 2005.

 

If you're just looking for stuff available at a local auto part store or department store you really can't go wrong with anything Meguiars.

They make plenty of more professional products, sold mainly through third-party mail order, as well. You could almost say high-end, but nothing Megs is that expensive.

They're really a great brand and company.

 

Just use a car wash soap to wash any of them will get the job done, then use a wax like any of the mequirars products to wax the truck, I've heard claying is good but at the same time I've never done it and my truck looks brand new after six years.

 

Armor All needs to stay in the parts house, it is trash. don't use it. (this is my opinion, and the opinion of many @ autopia.org)

Turtle wax is fine, see my post above, everyone has their preference on brand....meguires in my experience has the best smell and is the easiest on/off of any over the counter wax.

If you won't apply more than one coat then just get a synthetic wax like NXT and call it good.

Clay bar gets rid of surface crud stuck in the paint. it is an abrasive. feel your paint, if its smooth as glass you are fine. if its rough clay bar it. you don't have to, but the results will be better if you do...but given the fact you are looking for easy don't bother, as it is time consuming.

 

I hate to spend an entire weekend waxing my vehicle..

Here is what I do (especially in the beginning of each season).. and this is from extensive research that I've done over the years..

First I was my car with liquid dish soap. You only need to do this once, and it strips any wax or sealant that you previously put on. This is an important step, because when you wax your vehicle, you want your new wax layer to adhere to the vehicle itself, not old wax.

Next I clay bar my car. You can buy a clay kit pretty much anywhere.. and it really does make a difference. It's literally just a piece of clay, and kits come with a lubricant. Spray the lubricant on, and clay a small area at a time. Before you clay your vehicle - get a plastic bag and put your hand in it - and rub your hand across the car. You won't see embedded dirt, but you'll feel it with your fingers. After you clay, do the same thing.. you'll notice it's like a piece of glass. Clay bars really do work.

Being the OP seems to want to shy away from high end products.. I have one word for you.. Turtle Wax Ice.

I've used high end products like Klasse, and Zaino.. and middle of the road products like Mothers, and Meg's.. and honestly.. I am the most happy with Turtle Wax Ice. It goes on easy, and comes off easy. It might not last as long as the high end products, but the shine is just as good.. if not better than the high end products. Plus, you can get it pretty much anywhere locally such as AutoZone or Walmart. I wax my vehicle once a month.. and between waxes I use Turtle Wax Ice spray detailer. The results are amazing.

I saw someone mention Armor All. STAY AWAY FROM ARMOR ALL unless you want your dash to crack years down the road. Armor All is horrible. There are so many better products out there for interior detailing, but I won't get into it being you want advice on waxing.

I hope this helps.

 

I used the Meguire's Ultimate paste wax over the top of Four Star UPP this past weekend on a buddy's Bentley Azure and was pleased with the results even though it was applied in the sun which Meguire's states you can do.

For low end products that are readily available I tend to use the Meguire's and for the upper end I use all sorts of different brands but in the end, if you are buying Meguire's products and using them correctly it's tough to go wrong.

 

Use a good car wash soap (another plug for meguiars). Gold class is good. You dont have to use as much & you can find it anywhere. I bought regular old turtle wax car wash soap recently to save a few bucks but you seriously have to use 3 or 4x as much, so it actually costs more.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I went to WallyWorld and was still confused at all the choices. I ended up getting Meguiar's Ultimate Wash and Wax and NXT Tech Wax 2.0. Not sure if it makes sense to use a wash and wax and then wax with the NXT, but someone did recommend to apply a coat of carnauba (which is in the wash and wax) and then do a coat with NXT. So now what do I do? Should I do both, or maybe wash with dish soap, followed by NXT and use the Wash and Wax for between wax washings? Return the wash and wax and get a wash only?

Thanks again

 

Wash the truck with the meguiars wash and a microfiber mitt. ( walmart, target, autozone all have these. )

The wax with the meguiars. Apply it with a foam applicator and wipe
Off with a microfiber cloth. If either of these touch the ground do not use them.

 

Products that require a "machine" to work are typically designed to remedy a problem such as swirl marks, paint contamination, light scratches, etc. You really do not need a machine of any sort for normal maintenance care of your paint.

I'd recommend that you first invest in two 5-gallon buckets, one for your soap and water solution and the other for rinse water. Then invest in a good wash mitt or chenille sponge for the paint and a regular synthetic sponge for your wheels, step bars and other items that catch a lot of dirt but aren't painted or "appearance" items.

The synthetic wheel sponge should never see the bucket of soap solution for the paint. Keep them apart. I use a sprayer bottle full of Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner (APC) diluted 4:1 for my wheels and step bars. When I clean those items, I wet them, spray them down with the APC and then scrub them clean with the sponge. That sponge then gets rinsed out and put away before I start on the painted areas.

For the painted areas I use the two buckets as such: Soak the chenille sponge or mitt in the soap solution and then wash the vehicle working from the top-most areas, down to the lower most areas. Before I re-soak the sponge in the soap solution, I dunk it in the rinse bucket and wring it out. Then I soak it again in the soap solution. In this way I make sure that most of the dirt and grime that the chenille sponge or mitt has removed from the paint has been rinsed out in the rinse bucket. This keeps the soap solution "cleaner" longer and keeps you from putting grime back onto the paint with each new dose of soap.

Typically I will wash a large body panel (hood, roof, door, fender, etc.) and then immediately rinse it off with the hose before moving on to the next. This keeps the soap from drying on the paint. Periodically I will go back and spray down the areas I've already rinsed just to keep the water from drying and leaving hard water spots. If your area doesn't have hard water, you can probably omit that.



Once the vehicle is washed, I'll remove the hose nozzle and just run water straight from the hose across the vehicle, from top to bottom. The normal sheeting action of water removes the bulk of the droplets that were there from washing and rinsing, and makes drying the vehicle far easier and faster.

For drying I'll use an Absorber synthetic chamois cloth.

Lastly, every other wash or so I'll apply some Meguiar's NXT wax to the vehicle. Thin coats do the job.



Hope this helps.

 

I will not use Armor all. 303 is good stuff. It has UV protection, goes a long way, and isn't glossy. You can get it at boat places like West Marine or Boaters World or Amazon.com.

From another forum:

From what I understand (**disclaimer - I am not a chemist**) the polymers in plastics and vinyls consist of Bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthlateakadioctyl phthlate, also known as DOP. This is a plasticiser that makes polymers soft and pliable. It evaporates when exposed to UV light.

The arguments against Armour All are as follows:

*Armour All brings the DOP to the surface and allows it to evaporate quicker.
Many studies show this is true, while others show that this is not the case, so I guess this needs further testing.

*Armour All doesn't block UV, thus allowing the DOP to evaporate.
This is true as far as I know.


*Armour All does not seal the DOP, nor replace it.
This seems to be true also.

Conclusion: Using Armour All will not protect your rubber pads from exposure and *might* increase the evaporation rate.

303 Aerospace Protectant has UV blockers and is not oil based so it will not dry out the surfaces it is used on.

 

I use turtle wax car wash, and then eagle one "wax as u dry" . Mist the whole truck while still wet and wipe dry with a towel. Do it every time I wash and I think it helps the drying process. Have been using this method for several years(haven't used a paste wax) and am very happy with the quick, shiny results.
Not high tech or expensive.
Works for me.

 

I really like "Ice" by Turtlewax. It doesn't leave a white residue when it dries and makes a good shine.