I was just wondering what is the best wax to use after washing my truck? And also what do you use to take out small scratches in the paint? I beleive they are just in the clear coat. I'm such a big baby with my truck...LOL....Sami

check out this guy on the cts board. it's a great wax job. he used Meguiars NXT generation tech wax. i'm going to try it on my black EXT.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13238

Thanks for the info I will go and try to get some of this on the weekend. Maybe I will be able to get two coats on. That car looks fantastic...now off to find the best tire shine.....Sami

i've always used meguiars stuff. they have a new (i guess it's been out a year or so now) tire cleaner that does a real good job. it's one of their gels.

Once again....Thank you.....

Thanks for the info I will go and try to get some of this on the weekend. Maybe I will be able to get two coats on. That car looks fantastic...now off to find the best tire shine.....Sami

Two coats will not make a difference with this product because it's a cleaner wax.

So what you are saying is....there was only one coat of wax on the CTS?..if thats the case I will run not walk to get this wax....LOL....Sami

I would say that it depends on what you do with your truck and how anal you want to be.

If you are just looking for a wax there are two that i would suggest, one is moderately priced and the other is expensive. If you are looking for a good carnuba wax that is moderately priced i would suggest P21s. If money is no object i would go with Pinacles Soveran.

P21s is a very good wax for all color cars. Its an easy application, just simply WOO (Wax on / off). The drawback of it is however that its a very "soft" wax. Once you start to use it, if you choose to, you will see what i am referring to. Its a very easy on, easy off process, but it does not stand up to the elements well. If you choose to use this wax i would suggest waxing every 30 to 45 days with it. I believe the manf. suggests 3 months, but from what i have seen it wouldnt stand up to daily use (un garaged) for 3 months.

Soveran, by Pinacle, is specifically designed for darker colored cars. Blacks, blues, and greens do best with this wax. This is the choice of wax for concours professionals and amateurs alike. The shine is very deep and rich. The draw backs are 2 fold though. The first is the cost. It runs about $60 for a can. Its much like P21s in its a WOO application, however it feels "harder" then the P21s. Mutliple coats with both waxes are ok, i wouldnt do more then 4 though typically.

...to be cont'd

...cont'd

...My suggestion for a car that is a daily driver that you want to keep looking sharp is the following:

Start with a simple wash; i typically use Pinacles Body Shampoo, although have had good results with P21s shampoo as well. Then i would get either Mothers Clay Bar system (all in one box kinda thing) or Pinacles Poly Clay, and clay the entire vehicle. This would remove all contaminants and oxidation in the paint. After that i use Pinacles Paintwork Cleansing Lotion, to help remove any swirl marks or minor scratches in the paint. This step isnt 100% necessary but i like the added confidence that i have prep'd the paint as best as possible. Then i would go with Klasse All in One (aka AIO). Its an acrylic formula that acts as a polish. After AIO I go with Klasse Sealant Glaze (SG), SG is a "top coat" to AIO and seals in the acrylic. After the SG cures, see instructions, then I apply Soveran (to black cars) or Plast Glaz ( to silver/white cars). Typically I go with 2 coats, but sometimes 4. The advantage of the AIO/SG base is that the acrylic provides anywhere from 6 to 12 months of protection. The drawback to it is that it doesnt have a deep rich shine like carnubas do. By coating the AIO/SG with a carnuba wax it provides a good depth of shine, as well as helps water "bead up" nicely and run off the vehicle.

More info can be found at www.autopia.org or www.properautocare.com

another option instead of Klasse is Zaino, i believe (but not positive) that the same procedure would work with Zaino, however i know that it would not work with "Black Fire" (another polymer based sealant)

Good luck.
TheBehemoth

one last thing...

to see how badly your vehicle needs clayed, do the "plastic baggy test".

Wash the car completely, and dry. Put your hand inside a plastic lunch baggy and run your hand lightly across the paint. If you car is subject to the elements routinely, or hasnt been clay'd/polished before, it will more then likely feel like sandpaper. Once it has been clay'd and polished, it should feel "smooth".

GL ,
B

I would not top Zaino with carnauba wax, it will attract more dust and I have never seen an improvement in looks, and it's my job. ;)

Ok for a girl I'm quit anal when it comes to my trucks....LOL...so I guess I will be doing this this weekend. It just seemed that no matter what I used I never was able to get the shine like some that I've seen. Also it always seemed to have gotten dirty quick. I just love the Green color that I got. Where I live I have yet to see another green one but the white and black are a dime a dozen.....Thanks for taking the time to type all that info for me and to all that gave me info.....Sami

how often can you wax your car?? is there an advantage/drawback to too much waxing?? what's the best thing to do in between waxes??

Ok for a girl I'm quit anal when it comes to my trucks....LOL...so I guess I will be doing this this weekend. It just seemed that no matter what I used I never was able to get the shine like some that I've seen. Also it always seemed to have gotten dirty quick. I just love the Green color that I got. Where I live I have yet to see another green one but the white and black are a dime a dozen.....Thanks for taking the time to type all that info for me and to all that gave me info.....Sami


All these trucks look great in dark colors, just too much cleaning required to keep them looking good. :)

I believe the law of deminishing returns starts somewhere after 5 coats, but i am not 100% positive on this, it could be more like 7. Between waxing i try not to do anything with the car but let it sit and cure. I have a large garage at work and it will typically sit there for a day or 2 between coats.

Otherwise I would suggest using a California Car Duster (CCD), a good microfiber towel (yo'steve's, dragonsbreath : my favorites) and a quick detail spray.

When you are applying your wax there are also differences between applicator pads as well. For example a round yellow will have more "cutting" power then a "grey round", for final applications i use a microfiber applicator.

i use the california car duster and i also use meguiar's quick detailer and sometimes quick wax. i doubt i'll go to 5 coats though so i shouldn't have a problem. i don't have a garage to let it sit in for a day, so if i want to put another coat on, what should i do??