Favorite Wax?

For three years now I have only used Pledge Furniture polish, doesn"t streak either.

 

Zaino

Zaino All in One
followed by Clear Seal
and Z-8 for the finishing touch

 

Gold class is a good product. it is not wax but is a lot more like zaino than wax.

I am sold on zaino and have used it for several vehicles now. Everyone uses what they decide to like and no one can change anyones mind. I hope you find what you like.

For me its all Zaino!

 

I am a Zaino user also. I do believe that it is one of the longest lasting polishes out there. I use the Dawn detergent for the first wash to strip off all of the wax and dirt. Then I claybar the vehicle. I also use the ZFX with the Z-5, then Z-2 with ZFX applying Z-6 between coats and apply at least 2 coats of Z-2. After doing this to my Prius, my wife came out to the garage and said that the car looked so good, she could actually apply make-up in the garage using the car for a mirror. This shine will last well into the winter months with very little work in between, mostly washes with the Zaino car wash. YRMV(you results may vary)


I read the Meguires article versus the Zaino and I would still prefer the Zaino over the Meguires. This is not to say that Meguires is a bad product, it is good, but IMHO, I think Zaino rocks.

Some of the people on here will recommend Zaino or Klasse AIO (all-in-one) and some will recommend Meguires, Mothers and other waxes and polishes. Seek someone out in your area (maybe work, in your neighborhood, you get the idea) who has used various types of waxes and ask them what they use, most will be glad to tell you what they got the best results from and on what color vehicle.

 

Turtle. But then I only waxed it once, four years ago.

 

The guy who wrote that is clueless. Anyone with a clue about detailing knows that surface preparation is 90% of the work and matters more than which sealant you apply, and the surface in question clearly required polishing with a rotary polisher first. The fact that he wrote "high-speed polishing (best left to the pros)" clearly shows that he has very limited knowledge and skills.

None of Zaino's products are waxes, so Zaino cannot be the answer to the question "What is your favorite wax?". My favorite wax is Souveran but there are very few people who want to spend $85 on 8oz (a bargain, 100x cheaper than Zymol Royale Glaze) of a product that has to be applied every four to six weeks. The question should probably be "What is your favorite LSP (last step product)?" or "What is your favorite wax/sealant?".

 

Meguires Gold Class wax all the way

 

Seriously, after four years of no waxing and washing only by hand the finish on mine still looks new, glossy and swirl-free. The clearcoat Toyota uses these days is wonderful.

 

I'd suggest washing with a proper car wash soap, drying with quality microfiber towels, then:

Clay to remove bonded surface contaminants
Polish to remove paint defects
Wax (or a synthetic type product) to protect the surface.

Wash weekly, "wax" once every 4-6 weeks, clay and polish/defect removal twice a year or as needed.

BTW, using a "spray wax" after washing will help maintain the surface, extending the time until you need to wax again.

 

I'm biased because I work for an automotive appearance chemical company (fancy way of saying a car wax maker).

Regardless the brand, buy a quality product. Since you're in S FLA, I'd suggest a synthetic instead of a carnauba based product - it'll remove much easier. I was just down there a few weeks ago putting on a seminar at autogeek.net 's annual show.

Oh, and another important point - read and follow the directions.

If you'd like more suggestions, please PM me. I don't think it's fair to plug my company's products on the forum since we aren't a sponsor.


forrest

 

In this order:

1. 3m Imperial Hand Glaze (if needed)
2. Collinite Insulator wax

I always choose the most conservative treatment, and only move up if the finish doesn't respond with those conservative methods. Given this, I am not a fan of clay bars. Polishing compounds are a better choice for most finishes, in my opinion.

Although using a clay bar will make the surface of your car REALLY, REALLY smooth - there is a price to pay. That price is the loss of finish from the clay bar. The bar simply wacks off any high spots - that's why it feels so smooth. Again, use at your own risk!

... Brad

 

I noticed problems with this comparison, based on a few items.

First thing, he didn't clay the car at all which is firstly what Zaino recommends. He simply ground into his paint (clearcoat) what ever the dawn didn't remove, (see later pictures)
Silly.

I notice in some pictures by the stroke marks, he's using a buff wheel while the other side is applied by hand. Why is that?

In step 4, he applies the wax with his fingers. Why not add forehead oil to the wax too. Wear cheap latex gloves, dude.

He adds one coat and basically says, no improvement, he adds another coat and says some improvement. but by the time he's done, the scratches on both sides (swirls, etc) look worse than before he started. Huh?

On the picture of his body in the car, I do notice the right side with a darker tint, look at his left pant leg compared against the right side, and I believe I see a sharper image on the right side of his body and arm, regardless the swirl marks are worse.

The Zaino nor the Meguiars is going to repaint his car black, but will clean and optically modify the surface of the paint (clearcoat). It's the optical effects that we see so beautiful.

I've never used Zaino nor do I have any Zaino product (I only use Meguiar's paint cleaner and wipe-n-shine) but based on this flawed comparison, I'm going to order some Zaino.

ZC1

 

Ok, so you have lower standards than the rest of us. That's doesn't really help anyone looking to give their car a better than new, showcar-quality appearance.

 

There is so much misinformation in this thread. It's very discouraging, and the reason why I post infrequently in these threads, and hang out on dedicated detailing forums where there are fewer clueless noobs and more knowledgeable posters (and far better information).

First of all, a few words on claying. Clay comes in different grades, and all grades except the most abrasive will not remove or harm your clearcoat at all. Only the most aggressive clays will leave surface marring (Claymagic Red for example), and these are typically only used to remove stubborn paint overspray that has hardened and adhered to your paint. The finer grades of clay won't even remove all of the sealant off your paint. I can clay my car with Pinnacle Ultra clay, and it still beads water and feels slick to the touch, proving that there is still sealant remaining on the surface.

Claying performs a completely different function from polishing, and are not mutually exclusive. In fact, most pro detailers will always polish a car after claying, unless they're only doing spot claying with a fine clay. The reason for this isn't that the clay mars the surface and requires polishing. The reason for polishing after claying is that a car that has sat outside long enough and picked up enough embedded contaminants to require claying has probably picked up some minor swirls too which require polishing. Claying removes embedded contaminants in the paint. Think of it like a bikini wax for your car. The clay grabs the tops of the contaminant particles sticking out of the paint and pulls them out, just like the wax grabs hair and pulls it out in a bikini waxing. Polishing (with a polish containing fine abrasives, like any of those from Menzerna) removes clearcoat to either remove or make swirls less visible, and burnishes the paint to bring up the level of surface gloss. Those are two different functions. Clay does not burnish the paint, does not remove any clearcoat, and cannot add surface gloss. It's a preparation step which is often followed by polishing.