Ok I have never waxed before and want to, but have no idea what to get or how to do it. :D My car is black if that matters and has some of those lines or whatever their called from cleaning it I guess. Is there any products you all could suggest for me? I appreciate it!

Black car-first timer waxer, ohhhhhhhh thats not a good combo!
:D

Just be sure the car is dry and cool!

keep it out of direct sun if you can, keep it cool. use a small amount of wax on a cloth first and work in small sections. Take your time is the big thing, I usually take 2 hours to wax my car. let us knowhow it goes!

Here ya go....Best thing to use and it'll teach you how...Also you can get this at any auto part store...

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+G18211

Thanks. I'm going to go look for that today. Where I live I have no shade so it would probably be in direct sun. I was looking at some of those liquid waxes, but wasn't sure how good they would be.



Here ya go....Best thing to use and it'll teach you how...Also you can get this at any auto part store...

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+G18211

After doing more research I have found that it's swirl marks on my car. Will waxing it make it better or is there something else I need to do? They're really only noticeable in the sun, but I'd like to get rid of them or at least make them better. What causes them? I've been hand washing my car most of time. I use a microfiber mitt, meguairs ultimate wash/wax the yellow stuff, then dry using the absorber.

Check this out Regina....I have used this before myself...granted it is Meguirs again lol but theyre TOP NOTCH product! lol

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30630

Practice, there is no "One Wax" that works. It mostly depends on who is applying it. If you can't meet the conditions required by the directions for application then your going to have to accept some less than great results. I have found that waxing twice gives a better result, it takes longer but its looks so much better. Besides, I like to take a whole day when I decide to give one of my rides a good cleaning.
Most important, post up pics when you're done!
:D

It's not really about the wax, it's about the tool. Buy this tool and you will never regret it!

http://www.coastaltool.com/a/port/7424xp_polisher.htm

It's the only way to get rid of swirl marks effectively and as the former owner of a black Mustang show car that was never garaged (though kept under cover) I can tell you it's worth its weight in gold.

This is the process I used to keep my car clean:

1) Wash and then dry the car with waffle weave towels
2) Claybar entire car (takes 30 minutes but it removes everything!)
3) Wax car (I preferred Meguiars NXT and liquid works the easiest)
4) Use a Sealant and apply at least 2 coats (super easy to apply & remove)

Stand back and avoid the glare from the sun! Here's my best shot of my car after a fresh detail job:

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/blackpony04/Mach1inFall2007Brewery.jpg

WOW your car looks amazing! I was just going to ask if a buffer/polisher was ok for someone who doesn't know how to use one. What is a Claybar and how does it work? I want my car to look like that one.

If you use that polisher I posted you can't screw up! Just read up on which pads to get (some are good for applying wax, others to remove it, and then others to buff it all out) and you have it made. As long as you have two hands and an extension cord you can use that tool correctly.

As for claybar, it comes in a kit and is available at any autoparts store and even Walmart. Basically you wash and dry the car and then use spray detailer a section at a time and run the clay across the paint. It basically glides over the detailer spray and then you wipe it off with a towel (invest in a waffle weave towel or too as it beats a regular towel or chamois in my opinion). It's perfect for removing bugs off the front end of the car between washes too.

One last tip, if you plan to detail the car outside do it really early in the morning before the sun is directly overhead as wax dries really fast on hot metal and that can make it painful to remove without a polisher. What I like about Meguiars NXT is that you apply it on the entire vehicle all at once and when it dries it's always easy to remove (I usually use an extra waffle weave towel to remove it and just use the polisher to apply it). As for that shine on my car, SEALANT is the secret and can usually only be found at specialty detailer websites (I bought mine a few years back and don't remember where it came from). The more coats of sealant you apply the shinier the car looks. Mine looked like a mirror after 1 application of wax and 2 coats of sealer and that stuff comes off even easier than wax by the way.

Like Blackpony said above. Wash, claybar, wax, seal. If you have a garage I recommend washing then taking the car into the garage right away. Also for GP I'd recommend Claybaring at least at the end of winter and the end of summer. Take care of your paint and it'll last a long time.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/5173593860_9959907184_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5172983651_489a1c5a02_z.jpg

If you dont have a garage to work with, definitely do your detailing early morning. You may also want to check out Turtle Wax Ice products. For the liquid and paste wax, it can be applied in direct sunlight and it will still come off easy. Plus, you can use Ice on all of the trim pieces, plastic and chrome, to help protect those as well.

umm, all i have to say, is take one whole day to do it right. you will need good soap, wash mitt, quick detail (to dry with) takes care of water spots. clay bar kit, polish (helps with swirl marks), sealant/glaze, wax, time, time, patience, time. My last car was a black caddy and i would take the whole day. check out my FB photo album "me/mine", you will see some caddy pics, then some dog pics THEN some caddy pics of it very clean.
facebook.com/kirk.barker.2

then you'll see my wrecked caddy, DAMN OLD LADIES!

Well I finally got up the nerve today to try to wax my car and this is how it turned out. http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j261/reginaalear/waxed.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j261/reginaalear/waxed2.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j261/reginaalear/waxed3.jpg

Please tell me what you all think for my first time using wax. Thanks for looking!

Looking real good!