mav238

I finally waxed the RDX first time since I received it a week ago. I washed it this morning, and since the paint is still literally brand new, waxing it directly will be okay, as the wax will be able to bind onto the smooth surface. In other cases, like my 1.5 year old TSX, I typically prep the paint surface with the P21S paint prep emulsion, removing all the bonded contaminants and grit, before applying the P21S carnuaba wax.

It literally took me 4.5 hours to wax the RDX

Man, a far cry from my TSX, which takes only 2 hours to wax the whole body.

Doing the doors, side quarter panels, rear hatch was quite easy, about 1.5 hours for everything as mentioned.

But the hood itself took about 1 hour to wax. The roof took 2 hours ! And as I was waxing in the garage, using a step-stool, my head was constantly bumping the raised garage door, so I had to bend my neck as I was waxing the roof. Man.. my neck and back is now so tired...

Overall, I found that the P21S Carnuaba wax made it really smooth and shiny, but I can't really see any depth in the paint shine of the pearl white, unlike my nighthawk black TSX, where the paint looks shimmering and "wet", with awesome depth like a mirror...

Will take some pics when the sun is out... now it's mainly cloudy...

LuvMyTSX

I will be doing my TSX tomorrow (wash, clay, wash, wax). Hopefully I'll get through it alright, but it might take a bit longer because of my back problem that's been hurting me lately (2 herniated disks, I'm on Celebrex). Anyway, waxing is hard work, but so worth the results! Looking forward to your pics.

DNPhotography

invest in a Porter Cable! i just bought one today and im glad i did. polished and waxed in a fraction of the time and a better job at it.

Mokos23

I already waxed mine Luv, beat that But, it's a good workout.

I used Nufinish and Nanowax.

oasis3582

I always used Meguiar's wax on my GTO and was fine with it...have yet to wax the RDX. What brands do you guys recommend?

Also, anyone use a random orbital? Or just by hand?

porsherules911

I've waxed the rdx twice since i got her and Meguiar's works great.

LuvMyTSX

I'm a Zaino fan.

turboted

An hour for the hood...2 hours for the roof...it took me a whole hour to wax my whole RDX, man your slow and are using the wrong product. Check out ...

http://www.meguiars.com/

for a better way to wax your RDX!

deandorsey

oasis3582

Can you get Zaino in stores or just online?

mav238

Well... I use P21S, a product which I believe outperforms all Carnuaba based wax from Meguiar's. The roof took me the longest, as it is a pretty big roof comapred to my TSX.

Me slow... nope... just being very methodical to get the best shine out of the paint job. I will be using Klasse sealant glaze, for protecting the RDX during the winter use... But for show car shine, can't beat products like P21S.

Also, I am getting old... not the youthful person I use to be... so when I say 4 hours, I take 15 min breaks every now and then...

Meguiar products like Nanowax and Gold Class, are consumer grade products... Products like Zaino, Pinnacle, Klasse and Merzerna are products for those who want the extra snap out of their car apparance...

LuvMyTSX

I believe just online, unless you live in South Jersey and can go to a store that has it there (can't remember what it is though).

DNPhotography

i use a Porter Cable random orbital. its great! it does a far better job and in a fraction of the time. do a search in the "Off Topic" forum. alot of people swear by the PC random orbital. currently im using Poorboy's polish w/carnauba its great! if im felling lazy i dont have to wax after the polish because it has alittle carnabua in it already. and the shine is amazing.

DNPhotography

you can buy it in a store. down here in Hawaii a shop carries it.

ericeash

waxed my rdx last night as well. the white is so hard to get completely clean, and then seeing where i waxed was rough too. using an orbital and megulairs synthetic, took about an hour to wax, and before that about an hour and a half to completely wash the car. spent another hour on the inside vacuuming, armor all, and leather cleaning.

Animagix

I'd look into Klasse paint sealant. It's liquid and isn't as tough as wax.

mav238

Use paint surface prep emulsion from P21S or clay bar, to remove all the grit, then apply the wax. If wax goes on an improperly prepped surface, it will not apply as well.

morrisonm

What if I had the dealer put that junk on the car to seal it.... They say you don't need to wax but I still think it might look better waxed. Any ideas on this?

mav238

My feeling of sealants are that:

1. it does last long, the polymer chemistry involved is very sophisticated, and degrades very slowly in the presence of acid, UV and resistant to detergent washing.

2. grit will still stick on it, e.g. if you drive through a construction site or road repair site where free road tar abounds...but it will protect the layer of paint below.

3. it does not shine as well as Carnuaba wax, no real depth, just a glaring boring shiine... with Carnuaba wax, you get depth and mirror-like qualities...

4. I look at sealants are a "protection" layer, e.g. through a winter.

5. I will still recommend scrubing down and removing the sealant after each winter, and using Carnuba wax like P21S for summer/Fall.

mav238

Just wanted to add a further comment: I tried the KLASSE sealant glaze last night, it is indeed easy to apply, but does not seem to add any depth to the shine at all. In fact the surface was not as glassy smooth as the Carnuaba wax treated paint. I mean the surface is free of grit, just not glassy smooth. Interesting characteristic of polymer sealants...

Lrpba300

Zaino is much easier to apply than most waxes. It may not have the "deep carnuba shine" that some waxes show, but thru the winter months, it works just fine, & I did mine w/ 2 coats in just over an hour.

rdx4fun

Yea zaino is great. I love the fact that if you get it on the splash guards or rubber it comes right off and does not stain it. Also you can apply it in sun and not so prime waxing conditions. I am a loyal zaino fan since I first heard about it on this site.

brizey

I am a card-carrying member of the Zaino cult.

I just buy it on-line. It takes me about 4 hours of labor to do three coats with detailer in between on our Forester, which is similar in size to the RDX (i.e. need a stepstool to do the roof). I do this twice a year on both of our cars, and then throw a coat on maybe every other car wash.

I may just hire it done in the future. I would rather rspend time with my daughter. There are several car cleaning places here in Frisco, TX where I work that do Zaino wax jobs by hand for about $100 including wash and interior clean up. I may just start doing that four or five times a year.

Lrpba300

Agree! I first heard about Zaino way back when i had my '00 TL. It is great stuff.

rpeete

Not wanting to sound totally stupid about this but...

I got the Protector package with my RDX for the exterior and interior because I it helped keep my old TL looking good for eight years. But I have to admit that I did not really think too much about how other waxes might affect it. And sometimes it is just easier to run through a brushless car wash on the way to work when the car looks too dusty...

So my question to you gurus out there is: given that I have had this applied to my RDX, is it best not to go to places like Turtle Wax to have the car detailed and waxed?

I do not relish the idea of spending 4 hours on a Saturday waxing the car -- three kids do not leave a lot of time for such things. But I am happy to do my own wax job a few times a year....

What say you?

LuvMyTSX

Waxing a few times a year is fine. You don't have to spend every Saturday doing that - it's crazy and not necessary.

mav238

It really depends on what kind of wax you use. If you use the enthusiasts wax like Pinnacle, P21S where it is mostly pure Carnuaba wax, and no synthetic polymers, then, waxing at least every 2 months is a must. `

The protection package that ePreete mentioned, is probably some kind of diamond shine protection (acrylic or similarly poylmer based system). It protects really well, and lasts for a long time.

But here is the thiing: It depends on what you are looking for in a "clean and good looking car".

If it's simply "Ah my car looks clean and shiny after the car wash from 10 feet away" feeling... then I say, the protection stuff will work for you...

But if you are the type... an enthusiast, where you walk around the car, admiring the depth of the mirror shine, and depth of the colour, worried about swirls appearing... then the protection package will not work... the latter is a apply and forget system... not for enthusiasts or car crazies...

For enthusiasts, proper paint prep twice a year, once after winter, and once before winter is a must. This is to remove all the grit and swirls that has built up on the paint job, marring the perfect deep shiine...
Following the paint surface prep (with P21S cleanser or clay bar), follow up with 2 coats of high quality Carnuba wax. The polishing and waxing will bring out a shine that will WOW you...

Protection stuff sold by dealers are fine, but they don't bring out the true character of the colour of the car... it will probably work well for colours like silver, carbon grey, carbon bronze... but for black, red, even white... nothing beats the awesome shiine with polishing and Carnuaba wax.

johnny99

Are these protector finishes any different from do-it-yourself polymer paint sealants like NuFinish ($10 for a big bottle in auto parts stores) plus ScothGuard spray inside?

mav238

They are similar, but the polymer chemistry and the manner of application is much more sophisticated, hence the cost difference. But ti does lasts longer than even the nu-finish and crystal glo stuff. It is very impervious to the daily attack of environmental pollutants and acidic crap like bird droppings. It also really lasts for a long time. But it does not protect from swirls where eventually the paint will lose it's true character depth, the general shine will be there though...

LuvMyTSX

Oh, I agree, but even with Zaino I don't spend every Saturday waxing. I love the shine that it makes, so I wax probably every other month, sometimes more often if I feel like it. I also rock the clay 2x a year like you said, once in spring and once in fall. I gotta have that glass-like shine for sure.

Pacer

Yo, Daddios wanting to spend time with the kids: I grew up waxing my dad's cars with my big brother, a few times a year. (We'd wash them together weekly as well.) My dad would supervise and teach us; it was a GREAT bonding experience for all of us as our dad was often on the road as a traveling salesman.

So I'd say, yeah, do it yourself, have your kids help, make it sound exciting...it is if you think about it -- how cool is it to bring out that shine? ...assuming they are older than say, 4ish, you can teach them the value of a job well done and spend quality time together...and hey, your car looks a lot better for it! Even little kids can do this (just give them little sections to wipe off, and don't expect perfection) -- and they will love you all the more for spending this time teaching them something new and interesting.

SIDENOTE: I can't tell you how many times one of us got a surprise prankster spray from the hose while washing my dad's cars. To this day, my dad, my brother and I (and even our younger sister) talk and shop cars together, exchange tips and advice, etc. I cannot stress the teaching/bonding thing enough; I look around and just don't see much of this; so many kids today seem alien to the outdoors, to family time...lost to video games, DVDs, the Web and TV. No wonder we've become an obese nation: kids don't burn calories b/c we don't get them off their rumps. Nor do we get off our own! To say nothing of lost family opportunities. [/rant]

Back to the q: My dad always used turtle wax and his cars looked pretty good. I don't think the fancier stuff was widely available then.

One thing to consider about the Turtle Wax places is do they use harsh detergents for the wash? If it's a drive-thru type of wash (vs. hand wash), they likely do use harsh detergents...which break down any previous protectants/waxes you've applied...and also leave your clearcoat basically stripped. Same reason you shouldn't use Dawn on your car unless you WANT to strip it down: it takes the road grime away, yeah, but also everything else. I did use Dawn before I waxed the first time.

I waxed my RDX with Mother's Pure Carnauba Wax in early March. It didn't take long at all -- about two hours or so. I thought it looked great afterward, and I am pretty anal about my vehicles. I will do another coat in May before the summer sun hits. I might try a higher-end Meguiar's after my Mother's runs out. I've also read good things about Klasse from knowledgeable members of this board.

If I was outsourcing it, I'd probably go to another local shop besides Turtle Wax; their washes/waxes are probably not as gentle/protective as what an indie detailer shop would use. JMHO. Ask xyz detailer what they use; if it's a quality product, there's your answer.

And I say good for you guys for wanting to spend time with your kids.

mickie

I'm gonna have my car to close to a year before it gets it's first wax job. After the accident with new paint, I need to wait several months before applying any wax.

LuvMyTSX

3 months is a long, hard wait when you want that shine. I had the same issue with my front bumper.

jaobrien6

Actually, the dealer protection finishes are a complete rip-off. You'll notice that most of them require a "re-application" every 6 months or so, in order to maintain the warranty. This is because there's no such thing as a 5 year sealant... it just doesn't exist. Instead, you can do a better job yourself for far less money (although I'd stay away from NuFinish, it's somewhat difficult to apply, stains trim horribly, and doesn't have any depth to the shine, compared to other products). If you're interested, this is where I always direct people with detailing questions: http://www.autopia.org/ is a fantastic site, with a ton of great info.

My main piece of advice is this:
There are a *ton* of great products out there, depending on what you're looking for. However, you'll find that a perfect finish is 90% prep and process, and 10% product selection. A good detailer can make just about any product look great, and a poor detailer won't get good results from the best products out there. Spend some time learning the process and techniques, in order to really make your car shine.