I picked up some NXT this afternoon, what should i do to prep for it?

Wash in dish washing soap (dawn, joy, etc)
Claybar
Wash again with car washing soap
then NXT?

 

Don't wash with Dawn.

Wash with car wash soap, clay, and NXT. NXT has some cleaning/abrasive qualities.

 

If you have a dark colored car, polish before the NXT makes it look even darker. I use the Deep Crystal polish.

 

I thought that with synthetic polyemers you need to get rid of carnuba based waxes before you apply syntheic polyemers or they will not adhere. That's the same process you would go throught with Zaino and Zaino is a synthethic polymer...

 

you do .... but Dawn is the biggest fallacy in the detailing word. You can strip any sealant with the use of any chemical or abrasive polish. You can also find or make your own sealant remover very easily. Dawn is dangerous because of its high alkalinity. You will start to dry out your weatherstripping and rubber surrounds with its use.

Need a quick stripper on a sunday ??? (not a joke) Go grab a bottle of denatured or isoproyl alchohol and mix with around 30% water as a maximum. Spritz the finish (it kinda clouds to show it is working) and wipe off. Then bathe as usual. If you are going to clay and polish first, dont even worry about it.

As for NXT .... it contains light cleaners like Kaolin and as such will remove any previous product. You really dont need the additional step with it because it is not really like most pure sealants with no cleaning makeup.

 

Here is a good old post about dish washing liquids, they will not hurt your paint or moldings anymore than a chemical wax stripper, see what a formulations chemist had to say on a post in Autopia


I might have mentioned in some earlier post that I am a formulations
chemist working for a large chemical company in the area of household
and institutional cleaners-dish liquids and car wash soaps included.
Just to quell some of the paranoia that seems to be circling around the
use of hand dish liquids on auto paint, let me just clarify a few
things. In a nutshell, car wash liquids and dish liquids utilize the
same type of surfactant system (without getting too technical). They
also contain what are called builders (salts), foam boosters for
asthetic purposes (foam is another myth in itsef as it has nothing to do

with cleaning, it is a consumer perception) and in some instances an
amount of solvent in the form of an alcohol. What makes certain dish
liquids more agressive than others, Dawn in particular, are the levels
in which the grease cutting surfactants are used and also the
concentration of the product itsef. Dawn is an industry leader and a
premium brand with a fairly high concentration of actives. Other brands,

particularly private label brands (store brands) are perfectly safe for
car washing and in some cases might actually be more mild than a typical

car wash do to their decreased concentration for cost purposes. Believe
it or not, hand dish liquids in some instances are more sophisticated
than car wash formulations (We used to sell our surfactant waste to car
wash institutions.) So, the ingredients in dish liquids are not going to

dissolve away your paint, and in some cases won't even strip the wax.
Hope this was a learning experience

Ron B....

 

I disagree with you completely and the post you have included is a generalization on dishwashing liquids. Lets put "Dawn" up against any number of car wash soaps and we will see that there is clearly a difference in their PH level. Your posting even alludes to the fact that Dawn is one of the most alkaline detergents made ...

Also with a wax stripper you have the ability to use it on a specific area without touching the weatherstripping. So let me see, I can wash the entire car with Dawn thus getting it into every crack or crevice, or I can spot treat the finish to remove any sealant and then wash as normal with a car wash soap specifically balanced to a finish and its protectant. I know which road I travel ...

I hope some of the users here can see the logic .... and also realize that for every agreement their is a disagreement and both can find supporting documentation to support their claims. Zaino is a fine product, but listing "Dawn" as the only way to assure a pristine finish is both an error and disturbing because theres many ways to skin a cat !

And no-one ever said it would disolve your paint.

 

Sal Zaino recommends Dawn as a one time wash. The only reason he recommends this is that the general population doesn't have the first clue about proper surface preparation.

I wish people were mature enough to drop the Dawn discussion. There is plenty of information readily available on this forum and others that gives information for Dawn and Dawn alternatives.

Nowhere does it say that Dawn is the only way to a pristine finish...your error disturbs me!

 

This is copied "exactly" from Zaino's site, with no offer of ANY other alternative, so dont be mad and I dont see the error.

3. I would definitely recommend you remove the wax buildup on your paint. Just use Liquid Dawn (hand dishwashing liquid) as a car wash. It has a high alkaline content which cuts right thru carnauba wax, paraffin, silicone oils, etc. This will get your paint finish squeeky clean and wax free. (Pristine Finish, my words not exactly his)

I don't advise making a habit of washing your car with Dawn. But for this scenario it's fine. High alkaline products like Dawn are tough on polishes. It will never harm the paint finish though. A car wash is made specifically to clean without removing durable polishes. ALSO, Make sure you remove any water spots, before you apply my products. Because Zaino has no abrasives or harsh solvents it will not remove water spots or stains. Z-18 ClayBar is great for removing any paint surface contaminants. Re-wash the entire vehicle with Z-7 Car Wash immediately after the ClayBar

 

Squeak clean and pristine are extremely different. Things can be clean without being anywhere near perfect.

That is your error.

 

Without starting a controversy I would add this quote from Proctor and Gamble

Detergents:
Washing-up liquids should not be used on a regular basis for vehicles bodywork as their concentrated detergent soaps and usually high sodium, alkaline (pH 8.0+) content will emulsify, breakdown and leach out oils naturally found in your paint, and also any oils you have applied in the way of a polish or glaze.

Generally avoid the use of household cleaning products for automotive detailing as they are formulated for an entirely different type of cleaning.

“Your car surface and the dirt that gets on it are a lot different from the food soils and dishes that dishwashing liquids clean effectively. We don't recommend them for cleaning your car”. Proctor and Gamble

Dawn doesn't contain anything that would make it 'high alkalinity' i.e. it has a pH of 8.0 (alkaline 7.1 -15.0)

JonM

 

I'm certainly not advocating the use of Dawn, but there is plenty of information for one to make their own determination.

People shouldn't incessantly argue about it. There are people who show up anywhere the word "Dawn" is used.

 

As a Corvette owner I believe I have a value on this board. But since the topic is NXT .... we shall move on.

 

No one said you didn't have value.