Hey guys,

I went to Target today and noticed that they carry 2 different maguairs brand waxes.

The first is a liquid wax which is sold in a fancy looking box.

The second is a cleaner wax.

Can anyone tell me what the difference is? Is there one that is better than the other for specific uses?

One is a wax... which protects. and the other is a polish (mixed with wax) which removes stuff off your paint.

if you have a perfectly clean car you only need the wax version. if your paint is in rough shape you use the other.

You're talking Meguiar's Gold class (the one in the box), right? If so, that's a good one to get. I'm quite pleased by the results--both in use by itself, and in combination with the Claying, etc. process.

The first, as others have mentioned, is likely their Gold Class label (it's available in either liquid or paste, product #G-70). It's a very good wax with minimal solvents (so it does minimal cleaning) but lots of oils for that nice, wet-look finish. Problem is that it doesn't last that long.

The cleaner/wax is either from their consumer line (A-12) (more likely since you found it at Target) or from their professional body shop line (M-06). This is a cleaner wax combo which appeals to those who don't want to do separate passes for cleaning and waxing. Of course this type of shortcut means that you'll be doing less cleaning than a stand-alone cleaning product. This is probably fine if you own a new car.

A year from now, when your car has been ravaged by Mother Nature and the industrial world, you should look into a multi-step system for cleaning, polishing and waxing in separate steps to give your vehicle it's best protection and appearance. At the very minimum, I would recommend the Meguiar's Deep Crystal 3-step system. Mother's also has their own 3-step system which is also very good.

I have used both Mother's and Meguiars's three step on my old prelude... excellent results.
That being said, after seeing first hand the vastly superior finish acheived through Zaino or Finish First.
I am picking up Zaino this friday!!

How long does the zaino wax usually last? or is zaino just for wash and shine?

First, Zaino is not a wax. It is a polymer sealant which provides somewhat better UV protection and lasts longer than the typical wax (4-6 months compared to 2-3).

Most detailing product manufacturers make some form of polymer sealant but Zaino has gained a reputation for delivering one which gives the show-car look that many are interested in.

I personally don't care for the show-car look (which gives the appearance of a VERY thick clear coat and thus a shiny or sparkly appearance - some even refer to it as a "sterile" or "cold" look). I prefer the gloss/depth/wet-look (also referred to as "warm") of a wax which is something a polymer can't give you. Waxes also tend to be somewhat better at protecting from bird bombs and water spots.

Some prefer to get the UV protection and long-lasting ability of a polymer with the wet-look and environmental protection of a wax by putting down the polymer (giving it time to properly bond) and then covering it with one or more layers of wax. This is what I do.

But this approach is not feasible with the Zaino product because any wax put on top of their product will prevent you from successfully putting another layer of Zaino since their polymer needs to bond to the paint itself or another polymer-based Zaino product. This is why you see Zaino users put on a few coats of Z5 (swirl/scratch reducer) followed by successive layers of Z2 (sealant) and Z6 (gloss enhancer). After a wash they can put on more layers of Z2/Z6 if they wish.

Since I prefer the warmer look, I follow some washings with either another layer of polymer or wax (of varying brand to see what works best) and make sure it is topped off by a good coat of wax and a QD spray. This gives the warm look I like and keeps the polymer coat as protected as can be.

Then every 4-6 months I strip the whole thing and start over (usually trying different combos of products searching for the holy grail of gloss and protection that's easiest to achieve while looking great).