Hey Everyone,

I usually try to give my X a good wash and wax 2 or 3 times a year (spring time, before summer and right before winter. Live in MA so all the snow and salt do a number on the paint). I was using Mother's but switched to the Turtle Waz Liquid Ice a little while back, pretty much because of ease of use and that you don't have to worry about getting it on the plastic pieces and because I started to get ridiculously lazy.

Just wondering if there were any Detailing Geniuses out there that had any tips or info on products they use that might be better.

Rejex.

Google it. It's a paint sealant and lasts a LONG time and gives a very good shine. it's the only thing i use on my X and my Z06.

i coat mine often, usually with a nice, thick layer of mud

never actually waxed the truck in the 2 years i've had it, but i've always just used good 'ol turtle wax car polish with a applicator pad and a few hours + sore arm

i tried the "no buff" spary on wax that you can spray on a wet or dry car...its allright, but kinda streaky on darker colors, and its very, very oily

I recommend Zaino I used to use this stuff its a little pricey but super easy and works amazing. Google it and read there instructions carefully. Its also made in Jersey!

x2 on Zaino. I use it on all of my autos.

I agree with baf6. I find that turtle wax does the best job. It may take more effort, but it does look better. I've also used that eagle one spray on and buff stuff on the fire trucks at the station. It works okay and does make it shine, but I find I do the same thing as if it were regular normal wax, going back over it with a dry rag to even out the coating/buff it out.

what is wax you speak of?? :)
my X has never seen that stuff

Zymol is awesome too.. I use to use it on my RSX.

Does "wax" out of a spray bay gun count... thats about the only wax my X sees.

I will treat mine two to three times a year myself. I first hit it with a medium buffing compound and then a good coating of wax all made by Turtle Wax. Nothing but a pad, a rag and a lot of elbow grease. Doing my X from bumper to bumper usually takes about 7 hours just for the buff and wax job.

Don't be ashamed to wax your X guys...it doesn't make you any less of a wheeler. It's good for the paint for the long term. I mean, if you invest the money into it to mod it, why not take time a few times a year to wax the paint? No one's going to say your a pu$$y for waxing the paint on your X. lol

I use ice its made by turtle wax its great stuff

I wash it, clay-bar once a year, then use Mother's carnauba paste wax. I've always gotten good results from that.

nanowax 'nuff said


/thread

I have no intention of ever waxing this damn thing lol. I polish my work truck 07 Mack Granite with its aluminum bumper(30-45 min) 3 air tanks (15-30 min) 75 gallon tank(15min) 20 4" spike lug nut covers (20 min) an the handrail (2min) and cant forget the dog on the hood lol. After that every week I'm good not waxing lol. Driving a cement truck sucks if you have a thing for driving a clean truck mine gets acided every week while other trucks are lucky to get it once a month and man did it piss my old boss off lol.

Edit : those mothers powerballs are worth the trucks weight in gold but mothers polish is a damn joke figure that one out lol.

Polish with Menzerna products and seal with Menzerna FMJ.

Yup, you don't have to be fanatical about it, but I've seen decent trucks looking like jalopies prematurely because of badly faded paint.

Consider an annual waxing a must.

I prefer to wax at least 203 times per year. First wax of the season is during a warm day in April. I use a clear-coat-safe cleaner wax the first time and then use waxes with NO CLEANERS the rest of the year. This helps preserve the finish for years and years. You want to use the least amount of cleaners/abrasives, etc ... you can to get the paint clean as you apply a protective coating to it.

I have been a carnuaba fan in the past ... but last fall I used Meguiar's NXT New Generation Tech Wax and it is very impressive stuff. I don't think I've ever seen a shine so deep and it last a long time, too.

i use the nxt as well and i definitly agree on the deep shine but it definitly dosnt last long enough to make it through a winter up here......seems to be worn off my camaro in the summmer in a mth or 2 and it dosnt even see rain....just a wash every few weeks

I prefer to wax at least 203 times per year.

Good God I hope that is a typo!!

Good God I hope that is a typo!!

lol x2!

do not use mothers it leaves white stains on the plastic trim. it didnt even work that great either

you guys use wax on your xterras? im used to wash with water and soap and a nice sun dry :D

i got this really good stuff its free too. i dont remember what its called but its brown and its kinda gritty, i think it starts with a M and maybe ends with a D. can anyone help me out

i saw some stuff they used at the shop i went to to get my lift they had just got it and were getting ready to stock up on it...it works wonders I'll find out for y'all :D

P21S- it's the best stuff out there- http://www.p21s.com/products/bis_cw.html

turtle wax liquid ice...

lol hell i've only washed it twice since i got mine.. lol...

I use 5 Star Shine.It`s good for 5 years.I`ve only done it once and it still looks like new.Nothing sticks to it.The Navy uses it on their radar arrays.Works for me.

turtle wax liquid ice...

x2. leaves no residue. can use in direct sunlight to

the ice made by turtle wax is great you can put on the entire car and it does not damage plastic it actually makes it look new and shiny. last about 1 month with a 2 times wash in between.

If you want quality, get Prima (http://www.primacarcare.com/) (http://www.primacarcare.com/). All of their products are worth every penny. If you want a premium job done, then I suggest spot clay your car. If you dont know how to do it then go to a pro or watch how-to videos and practice on a "test spot". Place your hand in a zip-lock bag and rub it over the paint. You can feel out the imperfections/oxidation.

I've always used mothers with no problems, ask anybody in my club the truck looks great for an 02

I don't use wax because my X is a 4x4 and I use it as a 4x4.

I try to use alittle scratch remover to polish out the trail rash from shrubs and stuff. My X looks like it was "keyed" from trees and shrubs, but most of it is just clearcoat scratching. :)

Car wash at least 4 times a year...but at least once a year I do the following procedure to get that showroom shine and feel. Call it "Wayne's X-cellent Detailing Method" :

1. Get the Meguiar's clay bar kit ($19.99). Get the clay bar out of it.

2. Wash your car normally (I use Zymol car wash but Turtle Wax car wash works well too).

3. Get clean bucket of plain cool water, car wash sponge, clean towel, clay bar, Zymol wax (light blue in color), terry/foam wax applicator, microfiber cloth (from autoparts store).

4. For steps 4-9, DO ONE PANEL AT A TIME: Dip sponge in water, then rub it over panel so water is dripping to floor.

5. Take clay bar and LIGHTLY rub the clay bar over paint using the water as a lubricant (kinda like the clay bar is hydroplaning). DO NOT APPLY PRESSURE! Just let the bar glide back and forth across entire work area several times like the clay is ice skating. The clay will pick up those tiny particles that are bonded to your clear coat. Spend about 6-15 minutes per panel.

6. Dry off panel using towel. Touch the panel. Aside from your existing dings, paint chips (if any), you should NOT feel anything "catch" the palm of your hand. If it still feels like tiny bits of invisible sand stuck to paint, repeat step 5. If you do not detect any surface contaminants, go to step 7.

7. Apply car wax (I use Zymol liquid wax in bottle) to work area with foam/terrycloth applicator.

8. Prior to liquid wax fully drying, buff out with microfiber cloth by hand, getting all areas.(Your arm(s) should be sore after doing the entire Xterra).

9. Touch Xterra's painted surface with palm of hand. It should feel super smooth. If so, move on to the next panel or door.

10. (OPTIONAL) Perform Glide Test on hood. Put a plastic bottle on painted hood near window wipers. If the bottle slides toward your front bumper, you did it correctly.

I guarantee you that if you try my not-so-secret-anymore formula above, you will be impressed with only 1 coat of wax. Additonal coats of wax are recommended for best paint protection.

Nice write-up J, I'm gonna be hittin my X up in a couple weeks.


er nice 2 write-ups lol

er nice 2 write-ups lol
Oooops.... yeah. I mean to post that in the "How do you wash your X" section.....my simple answer to this post should have been "Zymol." I thought it deleted.

...LOL. :engel-big:

haha

Jackal, I lost you on step number one. Have you ever done it this way?

I've only cleaned the paint a few times on my Xterra one of two ways. When it does get dirty, I usually use a clean sponge, a constant fine water nozzle spray and rinse everything off, lots of rinsing and turning/squeezing the sponge, this wastes a lot of water, and then I use a clean shami to dry. In 10 years, I've rinsed and cleaned my paint less than 2 dozen time and only 3 or 4 times with any soap(citrus orange cleaner). Showroom finish is still there and no scratches to be seen.

Deep clear coat cleaning process….
For the few times I've cleaned the paint grime off with more than just some water and sponge could remove, this is how I’ve always cleaned car paint. First, get some Mequiar's Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner or Meguiar’s Fine Cut Cleaner, I think they are the same thing with different prices. Second, don't follow the instructions on the bottle unless you like to work harder than necessary. Also, if you have an old bottle of this stuff, throw it away and buy some new stuff, the volatile cleaning compounds in them tend to slowly evaporate out once opened and it just doesn't work the same. I also wear a latex glove on my polishing hand.

What you want to do is a HAND(no power tools needed) wet polishing/cleaning and start on the top of the truck. This meguiar’s also cleans the glass and plastic as well. You will need some of those little 4" round white cotton polishing pads that have a small sponge inside of them. The Meguiar's residue is harmless to the plastic, the cleaner won’t stain the plastic, just clean and shine your plastic/rubber up with peanut cooking oil afterwards.

Rinse any loose dirt off the paint beforehand with a large sponge. If you want to degrease the paint, I can only recommend citrus orange cleaner, this citrus cleaner is also good to rinse off the meguiar’s cleaner between applications if more than one application is needed on a panel. Next, soak the polishing pad with water and add a good squirt of meguiar's cleaner to the polishing pad, also pour a good line of the meguiar's cleaner on the paint section you are cleaning as well, be generous, fine water mist should be used while working. Have a sprayer nozzle in your hand to mist everything while you work. Whatever you do, avoid grinding the paint while wet polishing, keep the polishing pad wet, just polish lightly while rinsing. Let the cleaner do the work, keep flipping the polishing pad and squeezing the water from it occasionally as you polish and rinse the panel as you go, you should not be trying to scrub the paint or let the polishing pad dry out. Rinse and add more meguiar's to the pad and paint as needed, and keep misting the work area, you will begin to notice the paint surface begins to glaze over as you polish. When I say glaze over, you will know what I'm talking about when the fine surface dirt is gone and the paint starts to look a deep wet. This wet glaze look means the clear coat is clean and micro polished, keep working the spots that don’t glaze and bead water. On very dirty paint, the pad will start soaking up the fine surface dirt and become discolored as you work, use more than one polishing pad on the vehicle if this happens. After you finish wet polishing a section with the Meguiar's, rinse the section off with a regular washing sponge, shami when done. Cleaning the paint in direct sunlight is also bad especially if you use soap, park in the shade, paint should stay cool to the touch.
I’ve used this technique for over 20 years on high end and low end paint jobs and have never found a better way to make paint look new with less effort. This method can remove the most stubborn stains, fine scratches and marks. And, as far as waxing and then buffing wax off a paint job, I’ve never buffed wax off a car and never will.

Clear coats really don't need wax to shine, the clear coat micro surface just needs the right cleaning job. Try this, you won't be dissatisfied.

Have you ever done it this way?
Yes. As a matter of fact, i just did my dad's '04 Toyota Tacoma crew cab last Thursday night. Took 5 hours to do everything except the inside of the bed (from roof on down). He has not been able to take care of it as much as he would like due to work and bad knees, etc.. I noticed the condition of the Tacoma's paint and such and decided to swap him vehicles for the day to work on his.

The best part about this process is that next time it gets dirty it will be easier to clean since the bonded contaminants have been removed and new contaminants will have a harder time clinging to super smooth waxed surface.

Xterra owners don't have to take my advice but the results speak for themselves. If you do try my method post your results if you get a chance.

Tbass' method sounds pretty good too...the same goal at the end of the day....restore the paint and clear coat to day 1 status as much as possible.

I've been a big fan of the Meguire's Three Step Wax. Cleaner, Polish and Wax. Today I had the X washed and went to R&S Strauss and saw they made an all in 1 Cleaner Carnuba Wax with applicator. Used it and the X looks FANTASTIC, gives it the nice shiny/wet look. No longer have to be outside for hours with 3 step like I used to do on my Galaxy Silver Impala, but only about 1 hour or less and the truck is done.


If your paint is dirty, as my Impala's used to be(what made me use Meguire's for life!), used the Step1 Paint cleaner and it removed imbedded leaf stains, dirt etc that was deep into the paint. The polish gave it a nice wet esque shine and the wax just sealed the deal. Try the Deep Crystal Cleaner you will NOT be disappointed.