Wax your Prii

I just did mine today.

I use Maguire's products. Today I used "Mothers" brand clay bar and detailer prep from Pep boys and then waxed with Maguire's. However I was reading about the Zaino products on this board and when the Maguire's runs out I think I may switch to that to see how it works.

I have a Black Prius.

I use the Maguire's applicator which is like a little sponge surrounded by a white microfiber cover. It worked really well. I buffed it off with microfiber towels from Pep Boys. I see no need to buy a buffer, the Maguire's comes off really easily just hand buffing with a towe. I did buy the "Absorber" but didn't use it.

I'll be using the Armorall pop up cleaner wipes but am getting rid of the protector wipes as they left awful streaks on my dash. I'll be going back to cleaning that with the Kensington Screen Guardian cleaner that I use for my laptop. It worked really well before.

Sorry, know nothing about NuFinish.

 

NuFinish gets my vote. It buffs out very easily and lasts longer than anything else I've ever tried. It would be my first choice to apply to new(ish) paint.

Meguiar's products are excellent, too- my first choice for older paint would be the whole cleaner-polish-wax treatment.

 

Zaino products are the best I've ever used. They are a little more expensive, but last 4 times longer than the best wax. I also like Stoner glass cleaner and trim detailer.

 

I'll add another vote for Zaino...it shines very nicely, but more importantly, it lasts quite a bit longer that regular wax.

 

I'm kinda serious about detailing and when I got the new car, I went out and bought tons of Meguiar's products, because that is what I had been using for years.

I then got turned onto a detailing forum by priusenvy, I think. These folks are WAY serious and offer tons of good advice and have tried everything out there. Zaino is by far and away the best. Turtle wax and most other brands found in box stores aren't worth the price and effort. They only last 3-5 weeks. Meguiar's is in the middle of the pack

Check out the site:

http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/detailing/

Cheers,

-bob

 

My names Brad........and I've been Clean and Zainoed for 5 years.......
Keep comin back....it werks!

It smells good too!

[Broken External Image]:http://jm.g.free.fr/smileys/cute_smileys/surfing.gif

 

I know I'm going to get waxed for this, but why bother waxing your prius? The days of needing to wax your car to protect the paint are long gone. The clear coats that they've been using for the last couple of decades don't need waxing.

My Ford Explorer had no problems with the finish after 12 years. Hell, I didn't even bother to wash it for the last 5 years I had it. My wife's car is a 7 year old Chevy Malibu, and she does wash it. It's never been waxed, yet it still looks all shiny and new when it comes out of the car wash.

 

We use Klasse products which gives amazing performance. This last treatment I also did the clay bar treatment before waxing. It is remarkable how much dirt it removed after only 10 months on the road! The Klasse system is a cleaner and glaze two step treatment. Takes some effort but worth it.

 

I have black, and black of course shows every imperfection. I just started using Meguiar's NXT and it does a fantastic job concealing swirl marks. Here is my routine:

1. I wash with a sheep skin mitt using Meguiar’s Deep Crystal. I do wash/rinse in sections since black will dry fairly quickly.

2. I dry with a clean high grade cotton terry cloth towel.

3. I pull it in to the garage and apply a thin, level coat of NXT (liquid wax) to all sections starting with the hood. By the time I get back around to the hood it is time to remove the product.

4. I buy a bundle (20) of high quality micro-fiber towels from Costco for about 10 bones. The product comes off very easily with Micro fiber and looks fantastic.

5. I fold over the towl as much as possible and go through three micro fiber towls.

6. As usual try not to get the wax on rubber or plastic. Let the wax cure for 24 hours before you get it wet. Do not keep buffing it with your towel. I have been trying to break that habit of buffing the finish a zillon times.

7. I will repeat the process a couple of days later. I have found no benefit (visually) in having more than two layers of NXT.

 

Speechless!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bshef\";p=\"97280)</div>

Well, I gave up washing the car when I lived in Oregon. When it rains just about every day for 8 months out of the year, and the roads are wet every day of those 8 months, there really wasn't much point in washing a car. It would only stay clean for about 10 miles.

Now in the summer, it wouldn't rain at all for 2 months. However I didn't see much point in keeping it clean for just 2 or 3 months out of the year either.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bobc\";p=\"97232)</div>

Another Vote for Zaino. There's an independent magazine compared 50 or so brand and Zaino outlasted and outshined them all.

Get it here

http://www.zainostore.com/

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rcroft\";p=\"97244)</div>

Just like my '75 Pinto and '86 Mazda 323. The dirt protects the paint from UV :_>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottY\";p=\"97211)</div>

Polish removes scratches and embedded stuff by removing an outer layer of paint. Wax is a protective coating. I'd never polish a car unless it's badly scratched.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rcroft\";p=\"97286)</div>

It's a Prius! That's point enough! You take a shower everyday, hopefully. Why not give that same pleasure to your vehicle.

I remember back in the days of high school (pre-2000)... I would wax my 1980 Volvo 240. It looked better than the day it left the factory! It was damn sexy for months after waxing!

Waxing a car not only looks good, but it does help keep finite particles form entering the pores of the clearcoat.

Polymer waxes are the best. They last the longest.