Car wax

tonyb

Whats the best ? I've used Meguiars, Mothers, Zymol, Turtle wax. I'm looking for top shelf absolute best for shine, durability, and ease of use. Well, maybe not ease of use as no car wax worth it's salt is easy. Anyway, talking hand applied, no buffer, and good for a Chicago climate. What ya got ? I'm thinking Carnuba but they vary in quality.

Strong Bad

I use this and it's phenomenal...

http://www.zainostore.com

F1nut

I'm liking Pinnacle these days.

VR3

Zaino... the beginning and end of car care products.

Oh and using Zaino is extremely easy. You apply it to the whole car, walk away for a hour, comes off with no effort what so ever. Incredible product.

jon s

I used to like Zaino, but recently I have been using Armor-all Extreme Shield hydrophobic sealant. It applies and wipes off easily. The beading of water is better than Zaino. I don't know about longevity as I always wax my vehicles every two weeks.

http://www.armorall.com/products/extreme-shield-wax/?select=wax-polish

They also have a new product available, a spray-on bra to protect cars from chips... The only thing is the product is matte black...

http://www.aacustomshield.com/

treitz3

Hey Tony. While I have not used Zaino, I have seen the end result and you can tell that it was used. VR3 used it on his old Ford truck that always seemed to look brand new. Truth be told, it was as old then as my truck is now. I know what I'll be using.

Tom

tonyb

The Pinnacle looks like more of what I'm after. The Zaino looks good too but they don't tell you whats in the bottle.

Jess, is that Pinnacle stuff available at your usual pit stops or do you have to order online ?

I guess I should add that I'm looking for something available at local stores too, not something I have to go to the jungles of Brazil for.

F1nut

I get from here, http://www.autopia-carcare.com/carwax.html

B Run

I always used Meguiars but my friend recently gave me some Zaino to try on my Vette and I love it! I use the cheap easy stuff on my other cars but if i'm going to really clean it up Zaino is my favorite.

Mikey081057

Best products...


http://www.griotsgarage.com/category/car+care/car+waxing.do

F1nut

Here's some opinions to help or confuse you.

http://www.bestcovery.com/best-car-wax

http://www.automotto.com/entry/10-car-wax-precious-car/

mantis

I use to Detail back in my College days professionally and Ardex was the craze. Then 3M really made a strong push and they where hands down the best overall detail cut polish and wax products on the market.

For home use I still find Mothers California gold Carnauba wax still IMO is the best wax of all. I have tried just about everything made on all my cars and trucks over the years and always go back to Mothers.

When I owned my BMW, I picked up the Zymol that everyone was talking about how damn good it was. It was pricy for wax but if it worked as good as they say, money well spent. W
After my experience with it, I went back to Mothers.

oldmodman

For a very good and long lasting wax at a low price point.
Collinite 845
http://www.autogeek.net/collinite-insulator-wax-845.html

For an incredibly smooth and shiny finish that is very easy to apply and remove.
Wolfgang Fuzion. And it's on sale right now.
http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-fuzion-carnauba-polymer-car-wax.html

bobsauto49

Tony, PM me ur Addy! I gots sumthin fer u!

Sherardp

Zaino all day.............Used on all of my cars. 3 coats on the black makes it look liquid on the S550.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Zaino gets my vote, used it for years with excellent results on multiple vehicles and it has been great. I've never found Pinnacle to be all that durable, Zaino will easily last several months. The Pinnacle stuff is easier to apply though, so depends on if you want durability or ease of use.

AsSiMiLaTeD

A couple more thoughts:

It's hard to beat the look of a good carnuba wax, but you'll be applying it every two weeks as it's not durable at all. A lot of waxes will be good at either providing depth or reflectiveness to the color, a good carnuba can give you both. And since you seem to be concerned with knowing what's in the bottle, there are some good options that are basically pure carnuba wax. The result is great, just too much effort for me.

Alot of people are scared of Zaino because of the multiple products and how and what order to apply. I switched over to their all in one wax a while back though and the results are great.

Finally, Collinite is a great wax for pure durability. It isn't the best looking, but it holds up very well. I sometime will put that on the front of the car before a long road trip because it's such a great protectant.

tonyb

Sherardp wrote: »

Zaino all day.............Used on all of my cars. 3 coats on the black makes it look liquid on the S550.

3 coats ?? Who wants to wax their car 3 times ? Or is that just a process of the wax.....in stages ?

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

3 coats ?? Who wants to wax their car 3 times ? Or is that just a process of the wax.....in stages ?

I've done 2 coats on black cars to remove some of the smearing and uneven shines. Most of the time if not all of the time 1 coat is plenty even on black. My BMW was black and I used Mothers. It always looked its best.

BlueFox

20 year old Turtle wax. I will use some tomorrow since the rainy season is coming. I washed the car Friday night, and it poured today. Glad it is in the garage.

BlueFox

So I went into the garage to get a beer, and decided to wax the car tonight, and buff it out tomorrow. Well, the 20 year pad disintegrated while using it. POS, they don't make things like they used to. Also, it looks like I might need to buy some more wax in 5-10 years.

Sherardp

tonyb wrote: »

3 coats ?? Who wants to wax their car 3 times ? Or is that just a process of the wax.....in stages ?

I could spend a day waxing my vehicles bro. I just like that nice good look to whatever I'm in for the day.

tonyb

Spend a whole day ? Maybe that works for you my good man, not this cowboy. lol

Bob, aka Bobsauto, has been generous enough to offer to send me something to try out. Says the Packers use it on their helmets..... kidding. Seriously, champ of a guy to offer it up and I appreciate his kindness. I believe it's called Wizards, or something like that.

bobsauto49

This stuff is gold! No BS! U can tell,and I will later the cost! Secret for now;-)

sda2mike

i've been using zaino since '01

billbillw

Zaino is one of those product systems that builds up and fills in the swirl marks, etc. Some people like those products, but they rely on continued use of the same product line to maintain.

Some prefer the simplicity of these products. Others prefer to correct the paint using polishers and then use a simple wax or sealant to protect the paint.

Excellent results can be achieved using either method, but obviously correcting the paint requires more work (and skill/tools) than most are willing to invest.

Back when I had my black Benz, I went all out and invested in a real orbital polisher, pads and a series of polishing compounds. I tried a few and decided I liked the Mequires line of products the best for correcting the paint. For sealing, I tried the Wolfgang DGPS. It looked great, but I was disappointed in how long it lasted. The 3M Performance Finish seems to last much longer, but it doesn't look as good. I plan to try the Collinite Insulator next, but honestly, now that I'm back to a silver car, it does not seem as critical. Black just requires so much more work to look good.

Honestly though, most of the products out there now do a pretty good job.

If you haven't added claying to the process, you should. Removing the contaminants with a clay bar before polishing/waxing will give you a much better result, just use with care, don't drop it, and fold it over frequently.

deronb1

Meguires has a carnuba kit that included a clay bar. Took a while but the clay bar took out a lot of.the imperfections of the older paint

cnh

tonyb wrote: »

Spend a whole day ? Maybe that works for you my good man, not this cowboy. lol

Bob, aka Bobsauto, has been generous enough to offer to send me something to try out. Says the Packers use it on their helmets..... kidding. Seriously, champ of a guy to offer it up and I appreciate his kindness. I believe it's called Wizards, or something like that.

It's hard for me to believe "anybody" still waxes cars by hand? I haven't touched a car in over two decades. Isn't that what drive-throughs and Auto-services are for? Putting labor into the exterior of something that is "doomed" to rust out where I live is an absurdist enterprise, perhaps best suited for 20-somethings? For the rest of us, well, we just want the car to be presentable so that all those rugged "individualists" don't REPORT us to their city or state Gov't. lol You know who I'm talking about! The guys who are for less "G" but don't like it when "You" don't mow your lawn enough or keep your grass short "enough".

cnh

mikemarsh76

I used to be partial to Meguiars, but after trying 3M 39030 Performance Finish Synthetic Wax I'm sold. Easy to apply, easy to remove, and lasts lasts lasts. Usually I do a coat right before the snow falls, and another coat as soon as I spot women sporting bikini tops. Best alarm ever.

jflail2

cnh wrote: »

It's hard for me to believe "anybody" still waxes cars by hand? I haven't touched a car in over two decades. Isn't that what drive-throughs and Auto-services are for? Putting labor into the exterior of something that is "doomed" to rust out where I live is an absurdist enterprise, perhaps best suited for 20-somethings? For the rest of us, well, we just want the car to be presentable so that all those rugged "individualists" don't REPORT us to their city or state Gov't. lol You know who I'm talking about! The guys who are for less "G" but don't like it when "You" don't mow your lawn enough or keep your grass short "enough".

cnh

I used to wax my Audi by hand 3-4 times a year, depending on need. I'm dreading the 4runner, mostly b/c of the additional real estate.......looks like I'll be doubling my time in the driveway this go round. And Zaino it is.

tonyb

cnh wrote: »

It's hard for me to believe "anybody" still waxes cars by hand? I haven't touched a car in over two decades. Isn't that what drive-throughs and Auto-services are for? Putting labor into the exterior of something that is "doomed" to rust out where I live is an absurdist enterprise, perhaps best suited for 20-somethings? For the rest of us, well, we just want the car to be presentable so that all those rugged "individualists" don't REPORT us to their city or state Gov't. lol You know who I'm talking about! The guys who are for less "G" but don't like it when "You" don't mow your lawn enough or keep your grass short "enough".

cnh

Oh geez pal....stop already. If you think that crap they spray on your car at the car wash is doing any good, run with it. Some of us however know better. I have 3 cars, the 2 oldest being 18 years and 15 years old without a spec of rust on them.....in a Chicago climate too. A good wax does wonders for keeping rust away. I might add nobody likes to drive a rust bucket around no matter how old it is.