Question About Detailing

[92ES300Girl]

Hey everybody (again, lol). I know ive been posting topics like crazy, and I hope im not posting one that someone else has already been over (even though ive read through plenty of topics and havent seen any that relate directly to what I want to ask), but my question is, WHERE can you find some of the waxes that are mentioned in the detail portion of this Forum???? A member who seems very knowledgeable about detailing (and Lexus cars in general), SW03ES, typed this in a different topic...

-Some sort of paint cleaner like Meguiars #9, #82 Swirl Free Polish, 1Z Paint Polishes (which work very well by hand)

-Some sort of polish like Meguiars #7, P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser, #81 Hand Polish from Meguiars.

-Some sort of wax. We're following a carnuaba/hybrid system here as thats whats best to use if you're only working by hand. So something like Meguiars #26 Tech Wax paste, P21S, or Meguiars NXT, Poorboys EX or EX-P, Blackfire woul\d work well.

Im having a hard time understanding what the #'s stand for (as in, if I walk into an AutoZone and ask if they have some Meguires #9, would they know what im talking about)??? And also, could I find some of those waxes/polishes in Automotive stores (AutoZone, Pep Boys, Murrays, etc)??? I dont have an electronic buffer... So im really looking for something effective that can be used by hand that will make BLACK Lexus paint glossy and also take away swirls (which I have, and are pretty bad :cries: ), and since these products seem highly recommended, I would like to know how to obtain them (or if they MUST be ordered, could anybody tell me some of the BEST waxes/polishes to use if detailing your car by hand that can be purchased in a store) . If SW03ES or anybody knows how I can get a hold of any of these products & which would be the best to use in the the 3 step exterior detailing process (which im assuming is Paint Cleaner, Polish and wax), please let me know. I'd rather attempt to do it myself than have a Detail Shop that im unfamiliar with do it... Plus it would be nice to show my husband up while he's detailing his car in the driveway every weekend :P . THANKS! :D

[Matthew_McNally]

have a look at our online detailing store LexusCarCare.com.

everything you need to know and buy, all in one convenient location! B)

[SW03ES]

Like Matt said the detailing store is a great place to start. We have a lot of the products and tools you're looking for and sales from there help to support the site. There are also several very important articles for you to read.

You CAN go into stores like Pepboys and they should have the basics like Meg's #9 they should have Scratch X, some good soaps, decent MF towels and sponges and mitts, NXT Tech wax and products like that. If you REALLY want to do it right though you need to buy the products online, and a great place to do that is our detailing store. The best quality products and MF towels are simply only availiable online.

Like I said in the article you quoted when you're working by hand you really want to concentrate on hiding the imperfections not removing them. Have you thought about maybe getting a Porter Cable buffer? They're very safe and can give you far better results than you'll be able to achieve by hand.

If you have a significant swirl problem you can always try and find a good detailer who can remove them for you. You can pay them to simply remove the swirls that are there with a machine and you can do the rest. Most detailers would only charge you $60 or so for this and it might give you a better place to start.