Actually you don't need "high-end" brands of waxes to do the job

Soft99 Meta Clean is a very good, economical (Read: cheap!) cleaner wax that is highly suitable for DIY purposes. Beats Meguiar's cleaner waxes Recommended to apply a layer of pure wax on it for lasting effect though (Such as Meguiar's No. 16) or use booster wax (Such as Meguiar's NXT Generation Spray Wax, Turtle Wax brand spray waxes).

Yes, some of the products are over hyped. I've only so far used the NXT Generation Spray Wax and ScratchX. The spray wax as I've mentioned is pretty hard to buff off, while ScratchX doesn't produce instant results (So don't get your hopes up too high- not many products do that, you just have to be diligent and determined).

Meguiar's applicator pads are good though, and from what I heard, their car washes and interior cleaners/detailers are too.

Just for comparison, the stuff that I use for DIY car maintanence/detailing:
- Kit Car Wash & Wax shampoo
- Kit UV Guard for interior (Lasts very long and very shiny effect)
- PermaGlass RainZ Dura (Aerosol type)
- PermaGlass Tyre Bumper & Trim Shine (Going to finish this up and get a new one, maybe TurtleWax Wet'n'Black since this one is not long-lasting and fades very fast)
- Meguiar's ScratchX (Used as 'base' before waxing and after washing and drying)
- Soft99 Meta Clean liquid wax (Highly recommended wax!)
- Meguiar's applicator pads (For applying ScratchX and wax)
- Microfibre cloths (For buffing and wiping)

nxt wax is combo, polish+wax, RM109, consider non abrasive, for meguiars, abrasive polish are scratch x and the deep crystal step 2 polish ...

trust me, it worth your money to buy meguiars wax and polish...

may be u can try those steps, and not the nxt wax because separate polish and wax is much better result ...

1. wash
2. clay(with car shampoo to save budget)
3. deep crystal step 1 paint cleaner
4. deep crystal step 2 polish
5. deep crystal step 3 carnauba wax
6. quick detailer for weekly maintenance

some people love to have those polimer sealant as more protection ...

combo = polish+wax.... machine is machine.. abrasive = polish that ll hurt ur paint.. the chemical contains inside the polish ll remove some layer of paint to clean the dirt or to make ur paint like new.. not recommend to use often... Scratch X is a product of Meguiar's(branded and expensive car detailing product manufacturer)

I love your mazda lantis. I used to drive that car. Then I sold it. Biggest regret ever. I never could get as clean as yours though. Cheers!

Yukaeshi, scratch x is a abrasive polish, so don't use too often and always wax the car after polish ... deep crystal step 3 carnauba 3 is a good wax

jimlim007, u know what is plastisin? then u can imagine what is clay ?

kevinlim001, intro u expert detailer...  

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=43269

Yeah, I always wax the car after applying the ScratchX As for it being abrasive, I don't use it too often. While I wax my car every 2 weeks to one month, I tend to use it every one or 2 months.

Buff in car care/maintanence terms basically means to rub/wipe off. Once you apply a layer of wax and leave it for about 5-10 minutes, you wipe if off, and that's called buffing.

Car clay is something like "plastisin".

clay is platistin that u use to wipe the car to remove hard residue... after wash car u use the clay to wipe ur car.


check this out
Wet Detailing..

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Added on October 19, 2007, 8:17 pm
wah.. dude too expert already...

PG wash&shine jumbo RM21.90
PG wonder clay Rm23.90
PG sealant platinum RM24.90
PG microfiber clothes RM11.80

depend on ur car color type and the car paint age

here my after detailing jobs... but dont know how good is the PG since i not yet use other brand...


but can confirm is after wax, the water beads can as small as the shown picture...

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Added on October 20, 2007, 7:53 amfrom what i know from my previous detailing shops, polish machine is not recommended to use unless the car paint is old and dirty... polish machine belong "abrasive" type and may harm car paint's clear coat and remove it easily...