Hi there, im sorry for the newb question's but i just bought a 2004 Infinity G35 Coupe in diamond graphite and i just went ahead and ordered all the products i need to clean and wax it up.

jet seal 109
pete's 53' black pearl signature series paste wax
citrus wash and gloss
clay bar kit
zaino tire shine
zaino leather care
303 protectant


i know i need to wash the car, then clay bar it, but is it recommended to use the jet seal 109 first and then apply the pete's 53? Should i just use one coat of sealant and as many of the pete's 53 i want or the other way around? Would you reccomend i do this all by hand or is it safe to use an orbital buffer with a foam applicater pad and then remove the wax by hand?

I just want to spend an entire day cleaning and waxing the car as soon as this weather clears up, the paint is in awsome condition and id like to keep it that way. I figured one solid day of waxing and starting from scratch and i could re-wash/re-apply just the wax throughout the summer and it would be ok sense it would be on a solid foundation

thank you for your time, i truly appreciate it

o and lastly, is there any particular foam pad or microfiber towel you reccomend i use for applying the wax/sealant and/or removing the wax/sealant? Theres about a million different ones to choose from out there.' Thank you!!

 

Looks like you have a great list of products there, I'm looking forward to hearing about your results.

Regarding the number of coats to apply, whatever you end up doing, you want to make sure each coat is spaced out 24 hours. This will allow the sealant to fully cure and bond to the paint for maximum protection. So depending on how many days you want to spend on the car will determine how many coats. I personally like 2 coats of sealant and 2 coats of wax. This will ensure you have full protection and coverage with your sealant and the max gloss and depth out of a wax usually comes in the 2nd or 3rd coat. What I'll do is wash / clay / seal, the next day quick detail or wash depending on how dirty the car got and reapply another coat of sealant. Wait until my first wash after the detail, then apply the first coat of wax. This way you aren't trying to cram everything in a 3 or 4 day time frame and can space things out. It also makes the maintenance wash more enjoyable because you get to add the layer of wax. I always apply a wax with a foam applicator pad and remove with a microfiber towel. I personally use the standard foam applicators and remove with a plush microfiber towel. You really only want to use a buffer if your polishing the paint to remove imperfections. You can apply Jet Seal 109 with a buffer using a blue pad, but I still prefer by hand. You end up using more product than needed it seems when applying with a buffer.

Also, be sure you are using the proper maintenance ratio with that shampoo and not the stripping ratio. If you use too much Citrus Wash & Gloss, you can remove the sealant and wax from the paint.

Keep us posted on how things turn out for you. Snap some pics if you can! Thanks for your support.

George

 

thank you so much for all of the great advice, i was wondering if i need to wait 24 hours between wax coats as well? i know you said give the sealer 24 hours between coats but does waxing have the same rules?

i cant wait for this snow to get gone so i can clean her up'

i was also wondering...if i wash it, clay bar it, and do 2 solid coats of the sealant and then do 2-3 coats of wax...how ofton do i need to strip the sealer and start fresh? i assume i can get away with simply washing it and re-applying additional coats of wax throughout the year but how ofton should i re-apply and at what point do i need to strip it all and start fresh again? thanks again, i really appreciate your advice and help

 

Good questions... waxes have a slightly shorter cure time because they aren't bonding to the paint like a polymer sealant. You still want to give it 8 - 12 hours between coats. I still shoot for the 1 coat per day rule to play it safe, but you could get 2 coats in a day if you timed it right.

I'd recommend stripping off your coats and reapplying the sealant every 3 to 4 months to ensure you have full protection of the sealant year round. Some sealants can last longer depending on storage, miles driven, weather, etc. but I wouldn't recommend going much longer than once a season for a daily driver.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with. Looking forward to hearing about your detail.

Cheers!

 

Hey George,
I have been reading a lot about how to properly detail my car.
I recently purchased
a pc 4"
clay with chemical guys synthetic quick detailer
menzerna ip
menzerna po106fa
blackfire wet diamond with polycharger
wax
I plan on doing it in that order too. I am just wondering if there is anything I am forgetting or anything I should pay special attention too? This will be my first time going this in depth into detailing my car and really want to make sure I get it right.

Thanks,
Cameron

 

Best way to take off dumb dealer stickers?

 

Hello George,

My aunt just bought a new 2010 M35S Moonlight White color with Wheat interior leather. What are the procedure and products do I need to prtection the paint. How long do I have to wait on the new car in order for me can put sealant and wax. Thank in advance.

-Ronnie

 

Cameron,

I apologize for not seeing your post for so long, I'm not sure how I missed it. It looks like you did your research, everything looks great and in the proper order as well. The key is to just take your time when polishing, read up on as many guides as you can to get yourself familiar with the machine. Go slow and don't use a ton of polish. I'm sorry that I didn't get to this in a timely manner, if you have any other questions on anything let me know. Feel free to PM or e-mail me as well with any direct questions.

Here's a good writeup on that...

Removing dealer stickers and debadging

Hey Ronnie. The car will be fully cured by the time she receives the vehicle. You can seal and wax it from day one. What I'd recommend doing is giving the car a thorough wash, assess the paint to see if it can benefit from using a clay bar, then protect the paint after that.

If you have any other questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

 

Hey Ronnie. The car will be fully cured by the time she receives the vehicle. You can seal and wax it from day one. What I'd recommend doing is giving the car a thorough wash, assess the paint to see if it can benefit from using a clay bar, then protect the paint after that.

If you have any other questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

George[/QUOTE]

So what are the steps and products to be use to get maximum paint protection. Thanks

-Ronnie

 

What I would do is wash and dry your car, use a fine grade clay bar since Infiniti's have soft paint, after using a clay bar use a chemical cleaner to remove any clay bar residue and properly prep the paint for a sealant. I'd recommend using Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze since it works well with any sealant or wax. For protection, consider Blackfire Wet Diamond or Optimum Opti-Seal for long durable protection with a great finish.

You could opt to top it with a wax after the sealant has cured for 24 hours but that would simply be for more gloss and depth, not more durable protection. Waxes can make maintaining your paint even easier because of the tighter water beading.

Let me know what else I can help with.

George

 

Starting to detail and wax my car tonight. Wondering if there is any specific order I should do these in...

Wash & Claybar (obviously first)
Meguiars Color X
Meguiars Swirl X
Meguiars Ultimate Compound
Meguiars Gold Class Liquid Wax (obviously last)

Is that a good order, or are some not needed if Im using one other one? I also have Step 1 and 2 of the Meguiars Paint Cleaner, are these even needed?

 

There is some overlap in the Color X / Swirl X , you really don't need both. You also want to start polishing with the heaviest cut and work down to a finer finish, so the compound would come first. Here's what I'd suggest...

Clay
Ultimate Compound
Swirl X
Liquid Wax

If you were to use the paint cleaner, I'd do that after Swirl X and before the Liquid Wax to prep the paint for the wax.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

George

 

If I go with the Color X instead of Swirl X is it gonna give me a deeper black? Or will the overall detailing mostly take care of that? My hood and RR 1/4 panel were resprayed about a month ago so obviously they look richer than the rest of the car right now. Im not really worried about the hood since Ill be getting the Nismo bumper soon, but you can really tell the difference between the quarter panel(resprayed) and the door(not resprayed).

 

There's no such thing as a color specific polish, they essentially do the same thing. You can swap the Color X with the Swirl X and if you apply it properly, should come out w/ the same outcome.

If there's a big difference between panels, chances are you have a bit of swirling going on. I'm not sure a hand application is going to give you the results you are looking for, but it should help improve and get the colors closer.

Keep us posted on how things turn out for you.

George

 

I did the front fender last night. Looks amazing in the shade, but have a tiny bit of halo/halogram effect in the sunlight. Im gonna pick up an orbital buffer tonight and work the UC and Swirl X in a little more. I dont think doing it by hand is gonna cut it. I had some pretty bad halo effect where it would follow you around while you walked arounnd the vehicle on my F150, not quite as bad on the G