Meguiar’s NXTi 2014: iNtense eXtreme Training Institute NXT Class

Meguiar’s NXTi 2014 iNtense eXtreme Training Institute: Fundamental Sanding & Polishing Techniques NXTi Class

From May 28th to May 30th I made a pilgrimage to Orange County & Irvine, California for Meguiar’s NXTi Class (NXT Class) “Fundamental Sanding & Polishing Techniques”. Meguiar’s rarely runs specialty paint polishing, sanding, and refinishing courses of this high calibre. So with some last minute  schedule changes and a leap of faith we travelled to California to meet some of the best paint correction & speciality detailers in the world.

NXTi Class iNtense eXtreme Training 2014 – Autopia.org

World Class Calibre Teachers, Assistants, & Students

Our NXTi Class had a huge pool of high calibre instructors: Jason Rose – Meguiar’s Global Technical Services & Training Manager, Mike Stoops – Internet Technical Specialist, Kevin Brown – BuffDaddy.com & Madman Genius. We were lucky to have some amazing instructing assistants: Jose Fernandez of Superior Shine, Larry Kosilla of AMMONYC, Derek Remiss of Detail Werks. Adonis Detail, Elite Finish Detailing, iWax Auto Detail, Clear Detail, AOWheels, Knox Details, Orinda Auto Detail, Custom Car Care Wagga, and many others were among other high end detailers I had the pleasure to meet and learn from. Besides USA, detailers travelled from all parts of the world such as Australia and the Caribbean.

Classroom Experience, Methods, & Instruction

Without giving away too many private classroom details, a few highlights:

Meguiar’s Microfiber Correction Pad Usage & Separation. Pad separation has been a huge issue for some detailers. It can be infuriating to use effective paint correction technology that only lasts for a few details yet yield amazing results. To address separation of the velcro, Meguiar’s has made a huge effort to ensure their latest generation of pads will not delaminate (within reason). To identify the latest iteration of pad, look for the embossed Meguiar’s Logo, it will be shiny and feel very distinct on the backing velcro. It is normal to have some degradation on the microfiber face and interface foam portion of the pad. Meguiar’s completely stands behind their product and are more than happy to replace the pad in question (please don’t cite me as a source!).

Using an air compressor to blowout the latest microfiber design will greatly prolong the life of your pads as you reduce pad heat and eliminate residue. A microfiber towel is generally far gentler than using a bristle brush to clean out the fibers.

50% Classroom / 50% Hands On

The Friday class started promptly at 8am and was completely jam packed till 6:30, so yes you do get your money’s worth of intense training. 50% of the class is classroom theory based, 50% hands on working on test panels with classmates and instructors side by side with you. I still have 9 pages of notes to review. The NXTi Class makes you think what is occurring at every stage of paint polishing and sanding. You’ll slowly start learning that every product and pad is designed to fit a certain technique instead of an “internet” trend that can be incorrect.

The NXTi Class Experience

Through sanding, circular polisher work, DA machine polishing, plus the theory portion of the class it was slight changes that create the NXTi Class Experience. Classmates and instructors further add to each individual in special ways. Minor tweaks to technique, properly using how each Meguiar’s product is designed, and understanding what is occurring on the paint surface were the most valuable lessons. Every detailer comes with a different approach and knowledge base, which translates to a full service training experience. I personally was amazed I somehow snuck into a classroom with the top detailers around the world.

Final Thoughts

My only regrets were not documenting enough pictures, meeting Saturday & Sunday attendees, and networking every night at the DoubleTree due to my busy schedule. If you are even considering the class, just do it. The price of one day course is nothing compared:

– the relationships you create from the giant pool of detailers with various backgrounds from around the world. You won’t find a bigger community with so much paint or detailing history.

– the process of learning at least one new aspect of polishing or sanding. If anything you’ll be able to share your experiences and tricks to your class mates.

– instructors & assistants so unique and skilled to answer any questions you might have, you can pull them off and cross reference your own experiences

– the new perspective that you really know nothing and need to keep improving (at least for me!)

NXTi Class Pictures

A few pictures, I really had no time to document everything or wonder around.

I stole this certificate.

Visit to ShowCarDetailing.com –  Richard Lin & Crew, Gina Budhai.

Prior to the Standard Friday Class I snuck over to ShowCarDetailing in Anaheim (15-20 minutes from OC/Irvine/Meguiar’s). Many thanks to Richard Lin & crew for letting me help around the shop. Those LED lights are absolutely amazing and it’s fun seeing so much paint correction and coating work at one time. I even got the chance to work along side the master Gina Budhai of CarPool Detail for some interior trips and tricks.

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