2008 accord/ 3M

[Stromboli]

How U doin guys, first time poster here and have a few ?s

I have A 2008 Accord Coupe san mariono red adn want to protect my paint as best as possible. I also might take this car back to Jersey when i leave Miami.
I been thinking about using 3M polish and waxes,but which one should i use? I was thinking the 3M one step cleaner,followed by the performance finish and then the paste wax. my oem honda paint has quite a few swirl marks,no dents or deep scratches. 2-3 light superficial scratches that all.
Sonwhat do you guys thinks? I;m leaning towards well know otc products.

btw i paln on getting the 3M paint film clear bra stuff afetr waxing.

thanks!

[CharlesW]

While 3M does make some very good products, they don't get much comment on this or many other detail sites.
I guess OTC products just don't float people's boats which is unfortunate as there's a lot of good OTC stuff out there.

My personal experience has been with their One Step Cleaner wax followed by their Show Car Paste Wax.
The cleaner wax was available in a paste at the time I used it and I did use the paste version.
It was a good combination and if I hadn't been caught up in the sealant craze back in 2002, I might have continued to use it.
I did alternate between the Show Car Wax and Meguiar's Medallion Premium Paint Protection at that time. In my mind and eye, they were a very good combination.
I have also used their Hand Glaze. It looks great and like all glazes needs a wax over it for paint protection.
That was where I ran into a problem. Whatever wax, (probably the Meg's Medallion), I used over it was not a good fit. The two products combined to make a smeary mess. Since I'm not a big fan of glazes, I quit using it.

You probably need to check about the clear bra installation. I doubt that it should be applied over a freshly waxed surface. Just read and follow the instructions.

[sal329]

I never tried 3M, but Meguiars professional line can be found at most auto paint shops. They have a very complete line of product. The new Meguiars D151 is a great one step, top it off with Optimum car wax and you will be set.

[JaredPointer]

Originally Posted by Stromboli

Sonwhat do you guys thinks? I;m leaning towards well know otc products.

I think you'd have an easier time finding a wider variety if you used Meg's or Mother's if you are going to use well known OTC products.

[Stromboli]

What do you mean by paint sealant craze? I new to detail & wax type stuff.
BTW what do i use first ,second,third,etc

[CharlesW]

Originally Posted by Stromboli

What do you mean by paint sealant craze?

Several years back, the synthetic sealants were all the rage and I got caught up in it like many others. It wasn't isn't a bad thing, but you can take very good care of your vehicle with out using a sealant.
Are they better? You could argue that all day, heck all year.

Originally Posted by Stromboli

BTW what do i use first ,second,third,etc

Depends on the products, method of application and the condition of the paint.
I rarely use more than two products on my own vehicles, but they are never too messed up to start with.
A typical 3 step use of products on a somewhat marred finish would be:
1. Swirl remover
2. Paint cleaner/prep
3. LSP

If your marring is minimal, then a paint cleaner/polish/prep followed by the LSP should be all you would need.

FWIW, swirl removal by hand is a labor intensive and long drawn out process. A good random orbital polisher is really the only practical way to do it.

[Stromboli]

Damn i just went over to meguiars website and i dont know what the he$$ i would, there is so many waxes and polish.
what about the 3M performance finish, what step would i use this stuff.
is this coorect and do i need a rubbing compound?
1. 3M One Step Cleaner Wax
2. 3M Performance finish
3. 3M Show car paste wax
thanks guys,

[CharlesW]

Originally Posted by Stromboli

Damn i just went over to meguiars website and i dont know what the he$$ i would, there is so many waxes and polish.
what about the 3M performance finish, what step would i use this stuff.
is this coorect and do i need a rubbing compound?
1. 3M One Step Cleaner Wax
2. 3M Performance finish
3. 3M Show car paste wax
thanks guys,

Forget rubbing compound. It's not for amateurs like you and me.

It seems like the Show Car Paste Wax would be overkill. The Performance Finish appears to be a Last Step Product that doesn't need anything more.

As far as the Meguiar's stuff goes, just buy some ColorX and NXT 2.0.
Use the ColorX as your cleaner/prep and follow it with the NXT 2.0 for your LSP.
Actually, the ColorX wouldn't be bad by itself.

I am guessing that you will be doing all this by hand, right?

[Stromboli]

lets put it this, I'm gonna have some serious muscles!!!

[CharlesW]

Originally Posted by Stromboli

lets put it this, I'm gonna have some serious muscles!!!

If your paint is that bad, just do the minimum to make the car look good to you for now.
Save up for at least a Porter Cable random orbital polisher, then attack the swirls.
I did it by hand for years before I bought the PC. I have no interest in ever doing it by hand again.
PC and pads will cost you $150 or less and you will not regret it.
The only thing better would be learning to use a rotary buffer properly.