Sliced bread came out in 1928; Meguiars has been around since 1901, so i should be, "Sliced bread is the next best thing since Meguiars"

 

Zaino is by far the most superior wax on the market. If you haven't tried it, all you have is a one sided opinion. And let me define "tried it" properly.

Wash your car with Dawn to get the old wax residue off. Apply a coat of Zaino Z2, then apply a coat of Z6. Both are quick and easy to use. You will like the results and Zaino lasts WAY longer than Meguiars. One coat of Zaino is good but two coats of Z2 topped off with Z6 will look better than any Mequiars product including NXT.

 

Another Zaino head

Zaino is a very good product, is pleasant to use, and does produce good results. It is also much more expensive. It does NOT outperform other waxes/sealants in looks (usually is exactly the same) but does have great durability. I personally enjoy the process of waxing my car (call me crazy but I do), and do so monthly so durability doesn't bother me that much. Even doing it monthly, $20 of NXT will last me years so cost doesn't bother me that much either concidering how low it is.

Remember the #1 rule though: Prep work is 99% of your shine, and wax is the 1%. Not the other way around. If you think washing it with dawn (which I would NEVER dream of doing because it dries out the paint and seals. Better off using a paint cleaner to remove wax...which is what it is designed for) and just applying sealant over that is prep work, you got it wrong. Prep work is washing with a car soap, claying the car to remove surface containments, removing surface defects with a buffer (or a rubbing compound if by hand), then applying a polish (skip this if the cleaner product with the buffer/rubbing compound has polishes in it), THEN waxing.

With that said, every product has its place. If this is just an every day driver and you don't care that much about keeping the surface at perfection, then Zaino is great product to toss ontop of a polish once every 6-8 months to keep the paint from dying.

Here is a great article
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/gheumann/zaino_test/

 

thats great you're using a good wax but it's doing nothing for you since you're destroying your paint. You are never supposed to use dish soap on your car....

 

What does the polish do? I look at some picture her on the org and I can't believe the mirror like finish some people get. I've tried many different waxes and can never get those results. Does the polish give the car it's shine?

 

Of course, we are talking about a neglected surface that was never polished. Polishes are just oils that soak into the paint to restore its luster. "oils penetrate into and fill the empty microscopic pores, air pockets, and surface imperfections created in your car's paint by the effects of either oxidation or reduction. This prevents detrimental substances from getting into these microscopic areas and accelerating the deterioration of your car's finish." - Meguiar's. This makes the paint as univerisally flat as possible, and the oils help provide a very wet look (as if it was just washed or freshly painted).

Waxes are just a sacrificial layer of protection for your paint. Nothing more. The best cleaner wax I have ever used is Meguiar's ColorX which will take care of oxidation and VERY minor swirls, but that is it. Prep work is key. Your paint should look how you want it to look BEFORE you apply your wax. Here is the real truth behind getting a good finish.

A pure polish will not remove scratches. When you see people with these incredible finishes, what you are actually seeing is the lack of reflecting off of this:


These swirls reflect the light in different directions, making you see a dull finish. To remove these, you must remove a small layer of paint. What this will do is make the surface as flat as possible so the reflections of light all go in one direction, therefore providing the best mirror-like shine. Polishes help bring this to the next level with their oils filling ability.

To remove swirls, you must remove a small layer of paint. You can do this by hand or by machine. By hand is a tedious process that will take a very long time and a lot of arm effort (usually your arm will fall off!). This is where the next step up comes.

-big cheap orbitals
-Cyclo
-Porter Cable 7334/7336 polisher
-Ultimate Detailing Machine
-Rotary

More agressive as it goes down. The recomended is the Porter Cable or Ultimate Detailing Machine. Both are Random orbital polishers that are completly safe to use unlike a Rotary, and will produce amazing results as paint imperfection removal. After you get more and more experience, many prefer the Rotary because it is much faster to work with, and even when working with the PC or UDM, it can get tiring waiting for the machine to do a 3x3 panel in 5-10 minutes whereas a Rotary would knock that out much quicker. The new UDM is a revamped version of the PC with much more power, so you shouldn't have to wait AS long.

I would recomend you go to AutoGeek and check out their UDM machines. All in all, expect to pay about $250 for cleaner/polish, pads, and the machine.

Some may not justify that, but I know when I get to walk outside and see this every day, I can't help but to just smile. Worth every cent.

 

Prep work goes a long way to make whatever wax or lsp look awesome. Probably would be good to start a polish thread alongside this one.

Has anyone used Natty's Red yet? I'm likely going to order a couple of jars for my next supplies order..

 

From what I hear, it is awsome stuff. If you like paste wax, I would highly recommend M16 or M26 by Meguiar's. Best paste waxes I have every used by far.

 

^ ^ ^

Acutally I've got both 16 and 26 already Still haven't tried my tins of 16 yet. 26 has pretty good depth and durability but after using NB I had to give the red version a shot.

 

As a warning with M16, apply it in THIN coats! When you think it is thin enough, go thinner. Do two layers of this, and you be entranced at how special m16 is. NB is a great wax; I just prefer M26. Oh, and M16 is very durable!

 

I'm a fan of megs NXT and also megs gold class both are good products for their price and you can get them at wallmart.

 

I'm a Megs Fan. The Gold Class and the NXT paste wax are good products.

 

Optimum and Poorboys products

 

Meguiars NXT FTW!

 

Zaino FTW!!!!

 

Call me a fool, but I use Griot's Garage stuff, and like it.

 

dude, I think he meant on the FIRST step for the Zaino process... and not EVERY single time he washes it.



I just "converted" to Zaino after years of PURE carnuba wax straight from Brazil (the real deal) and Zaino is the real thing.



The waxing was less steps (wash it and wax it) but real carnuba wax is a real workout.... believe me, once that thing dries, you have to use your arms to wax it.


Now Zaino is a PAIN IN THE *** when you start (dawn soap > zaino clay > zaino washer > zaino polisher > zaino shiner) but the key idea is:


* it lasts MUCH longer
* minimal work to maintain: (zaino wash + zaino shiner)



And it is SO easy to apply and remove it seems like a joke!




Seriously, it is out of this world.

 

turtle wax works best for me

 

holy hell...i didn't think that there were so many zaino nuts still around. yes, zaino is good, but optimum, poorboys, pinnacle, and meguiar's have products on the market that are just as good if not better for much less.

it's all in the prep work.

 

I go with Poorboys all the way.... Always Natty's paste wax-blue, if I really feel like spendin a day on it, I'll start with poorboys ex-p sealant, let it cure then add the natty blue on top

 

I am surprised that Duragloss is not listed in the poll. I have just started using it. I have tried many different brands over last 20 years (except Zaino and real Zymol) and so far I have found Duragloss to be the best OTC product. Some of the Carquest and NAPA stores carry them and are very reasonably priced. #501 is a good all-in-one product. Google it.

- Vikas

 

meguairs #7 polish and then nxt paste wax or #26 wax..both used after claying the car(prefer mothers for the clay bar though lol)

 

i think that simonize wax is good because it leaves a teflon paint protection on the car

 

I hope that is a joke.

 

We use AutoMagic at work... works great, we use our buffing compounds from them too.

 

I like Mothers. It really does a good job.

 

I mostly use Optimum products (Meguiars for single stage paint) on my customer's cars and now that I no longer have a black car (which is what my 626 was) and instead have a metallic grey Maxima, that will get Optimum too. Used carnaubas on my black car, sealants just don't have enough depth for me.

 

I have tried it. I don't see what is so special about it. No difference, IMO, than Duragloss other than it cost a lot more. Zaino doesn't suck or anything like that, but it is way overhyped.

I'll take the Pepsi challenge against Zaino with Optimum, Clearkote and others any day.

 

Actually, the Cyclo is more aggressive than the PC or UDM (I have all three) but it can be awkward on cars with curvy bodywork.

=============

To all the NXT fans, hold off on buying more until NXT v2 comes out in January. I was one of the beta-testers for Meguiars on the new version and it is superior in every way. Beads like crazy, stays slick for a lot longer and has better depth.