It is if they are just 'hacks' detailers (I wonder whether they even know that word).....who don't care how the cars going out of from their places looks and only care about the money going into their pockets. But then, that's about doing business and not detailing....

guys,

i'm gonna run out of my Meg's Ultimate Wash and Wax soon. I've liked this product so far. It cleans pretty well, very sudsy, smooth and smells really great. The thing that I'm not too sure about its on its wax properties Don't think there is enough of it to replace spray or liquid/paste wax.

anyway, i was wondering if you guys have other stuff for recommendation. Was planning to try out the Meg's NXT Car Wash which some of my friends are saying has exceptional cleaning power. I've read reviews of it removing LSPs, which brings me to another question. How do we know if the LSP barrier is still there? I know ppl out there are saying that is there is no more smoothness, it means your LSP is gone. But i remember one old uncle in a car wash telling me previously that smoothness does not indicate that the LSP is still in place. Even if its gone, the protection is still there. Any sifus here care to share advise?

Meg's NXT car wash is one of my favorite car wash. Remove LSP? Get dilution right and it should be minimal. I think any kind of washing would remove some amount of LSP since it acts as a sacrificial layer. Also, some of the so called slickness in some LSPs comes from oils/polymers/etc in the sealant/wax. Some amount of it would remain after the first LSP application and would get washed away after the next car wash. However the LSP could still be there. Some ways to gauge life of a LSP is from so called slickness feeling, water beading and water sheeting. Some LSP feels slick (especially the non water based), some not. Some beads water (hydrophobic), some sheet water (hydrophilic) and some a combination of both. IMO, to tell if it is really there, you would need to compare it against a totally cleaned panel - preferably at least a light polish. Water would usually sheet slowly (almost as if water is sticking to your paint) vs a LSP which sheets water faster on a panel without any LSP. Then again a contaminated panel with traffic film might bead/sheet water too. Don't worry too much, just maintain a good detailing schedule and top up your LSP every so often. Smoothness of the surface does not come from LSP but it being free from embedded contaminant. Clay it when necessary.

LSP that sheet water is like Permanon. Surface does not feel slick but LSP is definitely there. Most LSPs out there are usually hydrophobic. See the following video I made quite recently... Front bonnet left and right side has Duragloss Aquawax and center Permanon Diamond. Duragloss Aquawax is a quite good water beader where else Permanon is a good water sheeter. Usually after a rain the Permanon side would have less water droplets left behind and hence less water spots. Some people would think the center panel with Permanon is dead without LSP which in fact it isn't at all. Does not mean it is bad. Then the DG Aquawax side being hydrophobic sheets water off so quickly but sometime leaving some water beads behind. Both are doing its job in protecting the paint anyway.


Now I use a quick wax every 2 weeks after a car wash. Nothing to worry about...

That 'old uncle' is quite right.

Let see now...what are some of the properties and functions of a good LSP:

1. Add shine/gloss
2. Make the surface smooth and silky
3. Nice water beading
4. Sheets water when pour onto
5. Dirt/contaminant won't stick easily
6. Provide a temporary barrier against chemical etchings
7. etc......

Rather than trying to find out whether the LSP is still in place or not, consider monitoring whether the LSP is still doing it's job as per your expectations since, even if the LSP is still there, it could already be weak and not doing its job too well anymore. And there's no easy way to do that except for observing and monitoring. For me, the best time for this would be during my routine wash. How easy my wash mitt glide over the surface, how easy dirt being clean, how strong the beading, whether the surface sheets cleanly or any water being 'held' or 'cling' to the surface (by embeded dirt), how smooth my drying towel feels when drying, any water spots that wash/QD cannot remove, etc.......

Or you can forget about the tedious things above and top up with a spray topper every one or two weeks after a wash until you sense that the surface is dirty and in need of a round of 'freshing up'....hehehehe....

Anyway, beading going flat (or diminishing) after a wash doesn't necessarily mean the LSP had been stripped. It could mean the beading from the glossing agent (or wax) left by the shampoo you're using is inferior to the LSP's. Some shampoo may also contain some sort of 'easy rinsing' formula that can make the surface sheet water easier. Don't be surprised if the beading came back during/after a rain when whatever was left by the shampoo had been washed off. I don't think Meg's NXT Wash has the strength to remove any LSP. If it really does, I'd blame the wax instead of the shampoo....

Oh...and don't expect some 'wash & wax' or 'revitalising' shampoo would be able to 'replace' your existing LSP unless it's a 'wet-on-wet' applied topper like Permanon or something. Don't be lazy man...spray wax are everywhere nowadays....hahahaha.....

Suggestion for shampoo: DG 901 Car Wash Concentrate (you can get the smaller bottle to try first, I think the size is around 500ml).

But, if you plan to use a spray topper after one or two washes (or three even), any shampoo from those reliable brands would do just fine...Sonax, Mothers, Soft99, Optimum, 3M, etc....(I'd stay away from CarPlan or Blackfire (?) or those 'al-cheapo' ones though....hehehe....).

thanks for the replies bro eohl79 and bro krismas. and also to bro MyWifeCar for fixing the video link

ahh.. this will bring me some ease of mind if i decide to go with NXT Wash. the UW&W is more expensive, and since i'm doing the maintenance work during the weekly washes, i thought i could use a cheaper shampoo since i do not really need the Wax portion of it

as for the LSP, i've so far only waxed my car with ULW twice since getting it in early Dec 2012 (2 month interval). In between, i alternate between UQW and UQD during my weekly washes. So honestly, I can't really tell how durable the ULW was But after application, i could see good beading (rain) the whole time before the next weekly wash. It did seem to deteriorate a little (beads were sort of getting slightly bigger) towards the end of the week and the surface lack the smooth & silky feel. UQW seems to behave the same while UQD seems to run out slightly earlier. Anyway this is my experience after nearly 3 months using these products.

I love using both the UQD and UQW. The water beading is very strong especially on the UQD. Both are also pretty easy to use. I just have a small question on technique. The instructions say to mist and spread the products and after that turning to a dry section of the cloth to buff off. What i did is to prime the MF first then mist and spread, but i skip the buff part since i do not see any residue after spreading the product. Any problem if i do not buff off?

anyway i'm down to half for both bottles. what products are you guys using for maintenance? Would like to see if there are any better (or cheaper) alternative

This post has been edited by mav3rick: Feb 25 2013, 03:50 PM

I need to buy something soon, 901 and maybe 431 (Do i need this? I have 403 already). Then definitely need some coating gel. (Finally~)

Also, spray topper... Is it something like what I have done as QD from ONR?
If yes, any brand for reco to have a stronger cleaning effect?

I normally spray on the mf instead of the paint, unless I'm doing it on still not-so-dry (I was going to say wet) paint. And I also don't see any need for the buffing part when I was using UQD, except for when the mf side became damp.

Haven't use 431 before, but from the way the other guys are describing, sounds like it's a degreaser to me. This should work better (or faster) on cleaning engine bay, tires and wheel arches (daun pisang...). 403 is an apc for general cleaning purposes.

Spray topper...something more like OCWax or DG Aquawax. If you want a 'strong' topper, I'd suggest Megs UQD - the stuff has really strong cleaner but unfortunately, it don't last long. But if you want a strong cleaner, very very nice beader and longer lasting (and not to mention more £££) - DDJ Supernatural Red Mist

lol.. the red mist definitely not within my budget..

so bro Krismas, between QCWax, DG AW and UQW, which one would you recommend in terms of shine and durability?

I am using DG Aquawax now. Was using Optimum car wax before which is also quite good. Tried Dodo Supernatural Acrylic Spritz as a QD but did not like it as a QD/QW. It serves better as a good base before topping with sealant/wax. Doesn't matter if it is UQD/ UQW or whatever. Use what you like best to suit your needs. Regular maintenance is all you need. If your have deep pockets you can try the others...

For a clean and dry MF, I mist on the cloth first to prime it a little. Else, if the MF has been used for QD/QW before, I spray on the larger panels and spread. No buffing for DG Aquawax. On pillars and smaller areas, I mist the MF and spread. If MF is still clean, I keep it in a zip lock bag so that it stays a little damp until the next session.

['shine'] UQW -> DG AW -> OCWax [durability]. This is especially true on my dark coloured (burgundy) waja.

But if you're looking for both, I'm afraid I'd have to say it's the DDJ RM.....that or Zaino Z8.....

Maybe you shoud try pulling your car out into the sun after applying UQW...I find that I can stretch the durability a little bit more this way....

hrrrmmm....haven't tried that one before. No musky smell ah? I just throw mine into my cabinet if it's still decently clean....

Contact Dodo Juice @ KL on his Facebook. Who knows maybe cheaper...

DJ Red Mist a bit harder to import as it contain solvents but cleans well. DJ Red Mist Tropical should be readily available from what I know.

oh.. i usually wash my MF in the washing machine am i killing it?

Is it dead yet? If not then I guess it's still alright .

I find that the problem with using a washing machine to wash my mfs is that they tend to pick up remnants of lint from previous washes. Damn irritating to see them transfered onto the paint...especially if using them damp/wet....

yeah.. i get what you mean. From my experience, on paint surface is still ok. But once i go to the windscreens and windows, its a nightmare.. had to use that mr clean mf which is specific for glass cleaning.

anway, UQD and UQW are pretty expensive even with 20% discount. Do you guys have any cheaper lubang?

This post has been edited by mav3rick: Feb 25 2013, 05:35 PM

How does RM35 for 500ml of UQD professional equivalent sounds to you....need to get rid some of mine before it goes spoilt....HAHAHAHAH.....

One method is to do a group buy and get a gallon of their professional equivalent and split them....that's how I get most of my stuffs at better value....

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Feb 25 2013, 06:05 PM

sounds so very much cheaper!! is it the #135? are the application steps the same as UQD? anyway how much more shelf life remaining? kinda interested.

i would love to share out on some professional stuff but i read that those products are more machine friendly compared to hand application. is it true?

This post has been edited by mav3rick: Feb 25 2013, 06:20 PM

Don't temp me with $$$, I own a big foot... Most of the people think I am a crazy fler, "what the hell is this newbie doing?"

Ok, since Dodo guys never in LYN. I would like to kutuk them. Why can't they setup online shop and sell? The shop is in Setia Alam, right? ...or they don't have any proper shop?

Yup...M135 - UQD equivalent in Megs Mirror Glaze (professional) line...did a group buy a few years back when the rave was UQD. I was in thinking of the same thing you are right now, it's good and easy to use after my routine washes but local price is just too expensive. So I source for a gallon of M135, share it with a few fellow enthusiasts and ended up getting it for around half the price of the retail OTC one...minus the bottle, of course. Let me just check whether it's still sound and how much I have left.

The trend now (including Megs) are moving towards non-diminishing abrasives. Although they are designed and made for machine usage, seemed like they also worked quite decently by hand or ROB. I've tried M86, D151 and subsequently M101, M105 and M205 both by machine and by hand and they worked just fine in my book. Remember my post polishing off that sanded panel? I was using an ROB (which is no more aggresive than by hand) with M101 and the Sonax polishes, which also utilise non-diminishing abrasives. If you're in doubt, reminds me to pass you some sample for you to have some fun.

Hey....I tot the saying is only a weak kid would use the Bigfoot, real men use a rotary. And I'm not temping anybody, it's your money and your choice and I don't get a single sen from anybody....hahaha.....

They close shop already la and have to do all the selling from a makeshift roadside stall....he say can't make much profit with people like you always asking for discount discount discount..... Maybe you can help him out setting up one....online shop that is...more discounts for helping out...??!!.