Do You Want Show Car Perfect Paint? Meguiar’s Can Help With the 5 Steps to Paint Care

It's important to care for the paint on your new or used vehicle to keep it looking its best, both short and longer-term. But, with all the different detailing products available, choosing the right solutions for the paint on your car can become complicated, and even overwhelming, very quickly.

That's why Meguiar’s developed a simple process. Once you understand our “5 steps to paint care,” selecting the right products will be much, much easier!

Step 1 – WASHING

Car washing removes loose contaminants like dust, dirt, and road film that settle on top of clean paint. We always recommend using a high-quality Meguiar’s car wash. This ensures its pH balanced and optimized for washing automotive surfaces, while also preserving wax protection, and other beneficial nutrients.

If you're doing a classic bucket and hose car wash, Meguiar’s Ultimate Wash & Wax is a great choice as it’ll gently clean your paint, boost gloss and leave additional wax protection behind each time you use it.

If you prefer washing with a foam cannon, Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner foams great and will gently clean and condition paint without removing wax protection. If you don’t have access to a hose, a great alternative to traditional washing is Meguiar’s Ultimate Waterless Wash & Wax.

Step 2 – CLEANING/PREPPING

The cleaning step removes defects like oxidation, stains, swirls, overspray, and even environmental fallout. It's essential for achieving crystal clear reflections and maximizing long-lasting protection.

Begin with a clay system like our new Hybrid Ceramic Quik Clay Kit, or our classic Smooth Surface Clay Kit to remove contaminants that have bonded on top of the paint. After these “above surface” contaminants have been removed, it’s time to focus on “below surface” defects in the paint, like swirls and scratches. Defect removal by hand or dual action polisher is simple, using a clear coat safe paint cleaner, or car compound, like Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound.

If the paint on your car is smooth to the touch and doesn’t have any defects, swirls or hazing, you can skip the cleaning step and go right to polishing or waxing.

Step 3 – POLISHING

It's important to note that using a polish, like Meguiar's Ultimate Polish, is an optional step that is designed to bring out maximum gloss and depth of shine.

If you have a dark colored vehicle, and you are looking for the deepest gloss possible, you'll want to apply Ultimate Polish before applying wax.

Step 4 – WAXING

Applying a quality car wax, like Meguiar's Ultimate Wax or Gold Class Carnauba Plus is the best way to protect and get a sacrificial barrier between your car’s paint and the environment to maintain it’s new appearance, longer.

Whether you use a liquid or paste, we recommend waxing your vehicle at least 3 - 4 times per year to ensure you have maximum protection at all times.

For extreme durability that employs our latest, Si02 based technology, Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax is now available in both a spray & liquid formats. Both are extremely easy to use and offer some of the latest technology available for outstanding protection and water-beading performance.

If time's a concern, another great option that offers protection and a brilliant shine is Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Wax. Simply spray on and wipe off with a clean, high-quality microfiber towel for a brilliant shine and lasting protection.

Step 5 – MAINTAINING

This step is all about keeping your car looking better, longer, so you don’t have to do the previous four steps as often. Using a spray detailer like Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Detailer, or new Hybrid Ceramic Detailer is the easiest way to remove light dust or fingerprints on a regular basis. Spray waxes are also a great way to maintain and help extend the life of paint protection films and coatings.

Now that you understand the 5 steps to paint care, it will be easy to choose the right products and obtain even better results every time you detail your car!

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[JR-sqbh]

I just want to say that I love the meguiars ultimate products. It's all I use, and by the time I get done, my car looks like a mirror and it looks wet and deep. Thank you for awesome products

[theorangeguyna]

Wash - 2 buckets with grit guards, Drying - Waffle wave towels and blow dry, Decontamination - I would Iron removal before clay, and if you clay, you MUST polish. Polishing should not be an optional step for a Show car :-) )

[dougcoleburn]

Your Cleaner Wax is one of the best. My last step after swirl remover and show car glaze.

[adamhat]

Good time to start working on your car

[MoparHollics]

Waterless wash works great when water isn't available specially when living in a apartment and when carwashes are closed in the area due to a world wide pandemic 😩 all in all Maguire's products are awesome been using them for over 10 years on my vehicles 👍

[miragexl]

That clay kit is awesome. New to it. But it worked beautifully. Couldn't believe of all the stuff that came off The standard, not ceramic.. And make sure you keep the surface extremely wet, overly wet as you do it

[bigguwapbrixks]

Great video guys keep it up makes me wanna buy more and more

[TopFlightWR]

Hi, I just Clay bared, Compound, Polish and Wax, You said to wax three to four times a year . My question is when I get ready to Wax again, should I re-polish with my DA, then add the wax? Or just wash and wax? Thank you.

[ironforcegame]

thank you for your content, now i understand how to use your product properly, thanks

[kidiraq]

Do you have to repeat all the steps when applying your wax every 3-4 months as recommended? If it’s a brand new vehicle, do you still start at step #1? Thanks.

[tommyholt]

I’ve been wondering if this would be worth trying under certain circumstances. Thanks!

[brana]

I love this video thank you so much.
Question what if I have a ceramic coating?
What products can and can't I use?

[thedetailingarts]

Literally installing swirls with the way he was washing

[b-ri]

Do you guys have a recommendation for cleaning and maintaining Matte Black wraps?

[arthurlbn]

How often can i Apply the ultimate wax with a soft pad and a DA 15MM FLEX fe 15 not forced? I have the White pad from rupes. We dont have meguiars pads in Brazil Anymore

[onemorecover]

Please give steps to me
Wash> bead booster?

[frankt]

What wax gives the best shine and protection?

[donamaria]

So, can you apply the ultimate liquid wax and after that apply the hybrid ceramic wax?

[TheMatrixwriter]

Just saw this video and just bought a new Lincoln. I already have the gold car wash. If I understand this right, I Should be using the ultimate polish and wax followed by the ultimate detailer as needed correct?

[clarskie]

So is this considered a paint correction ? What would you call this service?