Cliffnotes at the bottom-

I've got a red 05 that was probably not taken care of by a wash and wax wacko. It had light to medium swirls nothing too crazy. Well, I wanted to get rid of them and get that show car shine I see here.
I first used Mequiar's Gold Cass soap with lambswool mitt. It left a nice shine. I then used Meguiar's smooth surface kit clay bar. I followed the directions and was seeing and feeling the difference as I used it. After that, I used Meguiar's NXT 2.0 liquid wax. I've never used a liquid wax and have only waxed one other time before this. I'm certain my application was correct. I had a hard time wiping that stuff off, though. It just seemed to smear and I really had to put some elbow grease into it to get it off. I let it sit for about 15 minutes before I tried taking it off. I did everthing by hand. Well, as I'm looking at my nice mirror like shine I still see swirls! They are lighter, but still there. I even rub random parts of the surface and there will be a really smooth patch and then rough. Smooth, rough, smooth, rough like the claybar didn't do so well. I should have taken before and after pics, but failed at that too!

I'm hoping anyone can give me some insight on what I might have done wrong or what I can do to it again to get the job done right.

Washed with Meguiar's Gold Class
Claybar with Meguiar's smooth surface kit
Waxed with Meguiar's NXT 2.0 liquid wax
Still have swirls and rough patches
Followed all directions

 

Nothing you used will remove swirling. Clay bar helps to decontaminate the paint and wax just filled in portions of the swirls and put a protective layer on the paint to protect it from the elements. You need to use a polish and a buffer to really get swirl free results. This is a great place to learn, dont be scared off by your first attempt!!!!

-Matt

 

btw, although we expect your car to be swirl free some day, its not likely that your swirls will show up on a full car photo...
all that you have to do to become a badged wacko is to show us that you care- pics of your clean car should do that. post em up and pm me for your badge!!

and we will get those swirls off too- did you see our "how to" threads at the top of the board? good stuff on swirl removal in there. start by reading and watching videos then post up questions here. best way to learn is to post up in your local forum for someone to help out with your first polishing.

 

NXT is a decent synthetic wax, I used to use it as well, it is a pain in the ass to get off. I read a lot of posts on here and found some great waxes by trying a bunch of different ones. Getting a good synthetic will help the ease of off and on and give you better longevity. As others have said, wax alone will not remove swirls. There is a lot to learn here in the w&w forum.

 

Thanks guys, don't worry search is my friend. I think I was so excited about the job and getting my tax return I just skimmed some of the stickies and found the best I could at Wal-Mart. It seems like the stuff that is good that will suit my needs is only available through the internet. Now, off to the stickies!

 

As others have noted, your process will not remove swirls and scratches. You'll have to do polishing for that.

Regarding the difficulty in removing NXT, I suspect that you either did not leave it on long enough or that you applied it too thick. 15 minutes may sound like a long time, but it all depends on temperature and humidity, etc. I find I have had to leave it on for 20-30 minutes or so. Use the swipe test. Difficulty of removal is not a common complaint about NXT, IF it is applied thin. It's easy to apply a liquid wax too thickly.

 

^ i think akimel is spot-on as usual.

i think NXT is a nice over the counter sealant. has slight fillers / abrassiveness to it to help cover some things up a little for you, and is very easy to apply and take off. make sure u apply it in a very thin layer, and let it properly haze before trying to take it off. nearly anytime there are issues with a grease/haze/smearing it's almost always b/c the wax didn't get a chance to fully settle.
the other issue with how smooth the paint is - u might have not clayed some areas quite as well as they needed. surfaces that sit flat like your hood and trunk lid often need extra attention.

as the others said, don't worry! you have lots of info on these boards and you will surely learn fast!

 

Blasphemy. Like sleeping with a cheap whore, your badge standards have slipped.