MustBeTL

I just got a brand new TL and am gearing up to buy some waxing products. I have always used the mother's carnauba wax in the thick form and it has worked wonders on cars in my past.

Seems like many people now recommend Synthetic waxes and sealers.

I plan to wax my car every few months, nothing too crazy.

What do you use? What do you recommend?

Jesstzn

What color is your car?

MustBeTL

The dark polished metal metallic.

TSXHunter05

syn all the way, I have mine for 2 1/2 years only NXT wax and now giving FS UPP a try.

just make sure you prep properly it will make all the difference in the world.

wash
clay
polish
wax

exceldetail

UPP is about the only thing that hits my cars. Im going to give Danases new Acrylic Sealant a shot soon though.....

BLKURA

So wash, clay, polish, and wax is the general steps to use when detailing?

exceldetail

Its that easy......

jeneah

The wax I use all summer to maintain the shine is Meg's Synwax. Great stuff.

MustBeTL

So I am thinking I might give Synthetic a try. So what is everything I need to get a good layer of synthetic on my ride?

Car Soap
Clay Bar - Any recommended? I picked my car up 2 weeks ago and is pretty new. I've heard there are some that are less harsh and are ideal for new cars. Anyone recommend a specific brand one?

Is the Zaino stuff any good? Or too many steps? Is Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection Sealant the only thing I need, or do I need another layer of wax or sealant? I am completely new to all of this.

And oh yeah, I will be doing it by hand.

Razzi

here's the part that i dont understand, when you guys say polish, do you mean the wipe on, then wipe off stuff like
http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_list.cfm?sectionname=Consumer%20(Meguiar's %20Brand)%3EAuto%20Paint%20Care%3ECar%20Polishes&s ectionID=11401
http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,1,5

or break your arm off in circular motion polish such as these
http://www.meguiars.com/estore/produ...ectionID=31401

exceldetail

Why are there 85 views an 5 votes!

MustBeTL

Is the Zaino Kit really as good as the testimonials say? I like the sound of it.

Anyone use Zaino and love it?

exceldetail

Uht oh...........You'll either love it or hate it. The problem with Zaino is its cult following. Im sure its a decent product, not sure if its any better then some of the other products available. But, people sware by it. And some try to convince you its the best thing on earth for carcare. I have heard so much about it, it has really turned me to the point that I will never buy it. Its turned me to the point where I was asked if I wanted some, for free, i said no.......Someone actually sent me some in the mail a couple years ago, and I never used even used it. I know there are some on here who use it, but something has always bothered me. If it is such a great product, why do they use it so often? I mean "I have 22 coats on my Vette".........Uh, ok, i have one coat (maybe 2) of FSUPP, and Im totally happy. Couldnt be happier, and I did it in one day, without mixing this and mixing that, and I didnt have to use Dawn.
Some have said "what Zaino lacks in looks, it makes up for in protection."
like I said, Im sure its a good product, some use it, some use something else. You will utimately have to find out for yourself, as many of us have, with each and every product. You try and try and try, and until your satisfied, you keep on trying......its all part of the process.

BLKURA

Most of what I read either in a Faq here or else where on carcare sites, the info is very vague.

Someone needs to put together a complete step by step process on car detailing. I'm old school, just wash and wax. There is literally a millon different products out there that seem to confuse a lot of people.

So I found out you should polish your car, but how often? Once a year, twice a year? Should I apply it by hand or get a porter cable type machine?

conan777

OK, when I use the term polish I am speaking of using an abrasive substance via machine that is intended to remove swirls and light scratches. NOT a wax or sealant which is intended to PROTECT your paint after you have finished polishing and not a chemical cleaner meant to remove old wax and contaminants.

I think a common misconception that many people have of waxes or sealants is that they are what makes your car look great. In my opinion a car wax or sealant can maybe add 5% to the over all look of your vehicle. The condition of your paint is 95% of how well your car looks. You can take an old beat up scratched up junky car and put 50 coats of the best and most expensive waxes and sealants of the world on it and it will still look like crap on a nice sunny day. On the flip side you can take a wonderfully polished and smooth car that is well taken care of and put no wax or sealant on it and it will look absolutely amazing! Or put on the cheapest car wax you can find and it will look amazing, or put the most expensive wax on it and it will look amazing... do you get my point it is all in the prep work. I have about 4 sealants and 4 waxes in my line up right now and I have done some sample tests by applying several of them on the hood of my wifes black car to see if I could see a noticeable difference between them. Let me just say that if you walked past my car in a parking lot you would not be able to tell that there were several different waxes/sealants on the car. The only real way I could tell there was something different on the hood was when it rained. Some of them bead differently which is cool but I have come to the realization that Longevity of protection is what I am most interested in. AGAIN... in my opinion the difference a wax or sealant makes on the over all appearance of the veh is maybe 5%

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

clay bar kit from autozone either mothers or meguiars...then polish with a polish, then if you like to try a synthetic, use that, then if you really like carnuba, top off the synthetic with carnuba....

TS_eXpeed

Responding to the Zaino comments:

I love their products. I'm not die hard in the sense that it is all I will ever use because it by no means cheap, but I to love their products. Not just exterior but interior too. Just yesterday I waxed my car with Meguiars, but then used Zaino Z8 finish. It just gives it that little extra 'kick' if you ask me.

Mark307

I've used alot of products and FS UPP is my favorite by far. Easier, cheaper than Zaino.
I also recommend Danases wet glaze on top of the UPP.

Hawhyen51

This thread should help you out (I hope)

Hawhyen51

Oh shootz, timed out . . . most folks polish 1-2x a year usually before winter sets in and in the spring/summer. Some will alternate using a polish and then a paint cleaner. Use a polish for paint correction or removing surface defects and a paint cleanser to clean the paint. The easiest way is to machine polish for a more consistent results. Hand application can be time consuming not to mention tiresome and the results will vary from panel to panel. The PC/UDM has a speed of up to 6000 OPM and makes short work of polishing. Your hand can't come to replicating that type of movement.

BLKURA

Awesome, thanks a million! Being that I just got my car last week would you polish it?

SweetJazz

Xpditor

I'm a Zaino guy. I've used it since my car was new. The protection lasts a long time. I seal the paint about twice a year. My TL is garage kept in Florida. It will be four years old in two weeks. It still looks showroom with 12k miles.



You don't have to mix anything but you MAY add some accelerator to the Z2 or Z5 and it will cure quicker. I use less than an ounce for my whole car.

On the down side, Zaino can leave a kind of silvery/shimmery finish on a black or dark colored car in certain light.

I have found, by trial and error, that Eagle One Wax -As-You-Dry puts a quick and easy coat of carnauba wax that adds depth and a liquid shine to the Zaino.

I just mist it on when the car is still wet and then dry it with a big blue MF towel. I will then do a final buff with a 100% cotton (American) white towel that I keep just for that purpose. I couldn't be happier with the results.

Although Zaino is pricey initially, a little bit goes a long way. I'm going on 4 years with mine and the only thing I have replaced is the Perfect Tire Dressing and the Leather In A Bottle.

DISCLAIMER: I'm more anal about my TL than most folks. I take the wheels off ever so often so I can use Q-tips and Injector Cleaner to get the little tar freckles that show up on the inside of the rims. Then, I Zaino the wheels on the back side and also the suspension components that are painted.

leftride

iTrader: (1)

^ yup pretty anal, but 4 years and only 12k, it should look pretty new. my car was only about 6-8 months old when it hit 12k

btw +1 for synthetic and +1 for exceldetail!

Jesstzn

^^^ Above refering to Zaino.

Patrick you should actully try it before you get down on it at all..

I'm a lot like you .. not a big band wagon jumper ( one of the reasons I don't spend a lot of time any more in the Autopia forums ).


I have posted before Zaino is a cult thing and I don't agree at all with a lot of the "Sal" stuff and have actually applied Zaino contrary to his instructions with great results. Yes I bought the Z2 , Z5 and the ZFX to speed up the applying of layers. Once my first lot ran out did I buy more .. no.

But I bought the Z1 for the base and Z2 only .. the Z5 was "BS". The ZFX did speed things up and allowed you to apply 3 layers in a day .. I'm in pretty good detailing shape and after a wash 3 layers is a crap load of work. and a waste of product because you throw out what you don't use.

And to respond to your question "If it is such a great product, why do they use it so often?" People don't apply more and more and more for added protection .. you can actually change the look of it with added layers to a point of diminishing returns. To me that was 5 layers.

Does 5 layers add more protection? Who knows .. it didn't seem to me to last any longer than 2 layers of Klasse SG applied at the same time and the SG was used on my bumpers.

I found through experimenting over a couple of years on my Black Passat that Zaino gave me the look I wanted but like most the sealants needed to be topped to get depth & wetness. Prior to the Zaino I used Glanz, Wolfgang, Klasse and FMJ and all looked great but it just wasn't "there".

I agree .. I also get turned off my the Zaino freaks and "I bought alllllll these "Z" numbers..


So far outside of NXT and Megs #21 I haven't bought any more stuff to see if I would like it better.

As far as a newbie asking what to use on "My new car cuz I am new to this" I think its a bad recomendation because its not the saviour and most don't realize that as posted above prep is the key and they also don't realize its expensive and a sh*t load of work over something like NXT.

I am a poor band wagon jumper thats why for instance when there was all the hype about Megs #21 when it came out I waited over a year to see if the hype was still there and not just the flavour of the week. A year later people were still using it and going on about it .. THEN I bought it for my "go to ". And it turned out great for customers cars.

FSUPP might even be better than Zaino I don't know and I'd be pressed to remove the hours of work I have done to apply the FSUPP to a panel and see how it looks compared to Z2.

Here is Zaino Z2 x3 topped with Megs #16 on a fully polished out Black VW taken with a cheap ass digital and not retouched at all.

01tl4tl

check the actual production date on the door of your car.
Then check Patricks site www.exceldetail.com there is info on how long before new cars need what and how often to do...
Synthetic wax withstands uva uvb and ambient temp better than good old nuba
There are nuba/synth blends now, that off outstanding wet look and 5 months protection.
nuba alone about 3 months and ready for a redo

samkws

I am happy with Meg's #26, best wax for the price, easy to work on and no mess

I cannot afford NXT which is twice as expensive, DC3 and Gold Class are too oily and dusty

I use #2 Fine cut cleaner for step 1 and #7 for step 2, and #26 to top it off

it looks great on my 92 Civic with over 200000miles and looks like a new car

the #7 show car glaze polish really makes a difference on the car

MustBeTL

After lots of debating, I decided I am going to give the whole Zaino process a try. I have a few cars I want to wax up so I am going to go at it and put the Z's to the test. I also heard positive stuff about their leather cleaner and its scent so I wanted that, and ended up getting a few of the different Z's to try out. I will be sure to take a ton of pics and post my experiences as someone who has never used a synthetic, and comes from carnauba only experience.

Truth is, is that I don't want to be waxing my car every month so that is why I am considering Zaino, for its durability. I figure i'll coat it up a few times the first day, then maybe add another coat if I have the time. I'll be sure to put it to the test on my car, and a few other people's cars that I know.

I also got a bunch of goodies from ExcelDetail that I can't wait to receive!!!

Xpditor

When you order, let them know you heard good things from the members at Acurazine. They are not sponsors but they have their supporters here.

sixsixfour

I use Meguires NXT. I boost it with the Meguires fast wax and Ultimate Detailer in between waxes. i do it all by hand, except when i need to polish something.








then again, im very picky about maintaining the paint.

jlukja

Synthetic

I used NXT v1.0 when I first purchased my TSX. It worked well but didn't have the durability I was after. After reading the W&W subforum for a while I gave Optimum Spray Wax a try. I've since added OptiSeal to my arsenal (for the semi-annual treatments) and am a very happy camper.

Fulani has a TL

iTrader: (1)

Patrick, did you get a chance to use the Danase Acrylic Sealant? Whatd you think of it? I am out of UPP and need to pick some up, just wanna know if I should go the danase route

exceldetail

I have done a side by side with UPP (of old, not Polycharged). Its holding its own under some rather tough conditions. Been about 3 weeks between washings, and its still beading well at 6 weeks. Its not quite UPP, but then again, its not $30.00. It would be a good replacement for just over 1/2 as much as UPP. I would assume, slickness and beading will begin dropping off after the next wash at 9 weeks. Initial slickness is very nice (as someone else had stated, I think it was Joe). Prep will play a role in that as well.

ryeh2o

The Collinite 476s doublecoat wax lasts a very long time. It looks incredible on top of any polish. I put this stuff on in october, and it was still beading like a champ in March when the the car wash guy asked if I had just did my spring wax.
It's inexpensive and easy to use.
I have bought Zaino products 4-5 years ago and never went back except for the leather treatment that I still buy.
There's not a lot of prepping to a new car, just be careful not to swirl it up while tring to get the Zaino perfect shine.
Have fun with your new car!

Cheers

DiaBando

iTrader: (3)

NTX 2.0 impressed me. Carnuba's melting point verus a synthetic was reason enuff for me.

yaze21

So in final....to polish..wat do u guys think?..and to wax?...and liquid?

exceldetail

There are so many polishes, it really depends and what level of correction you need. A good starting point, something to establish "ground level" is Optimum Polish. This will correct light swirls. Then you can establish your needs from that point. More aggressive? Optimum Compound.....even more? Optimum Hyper Compound.
You need a starting point, and Optimum Polish is very user friendly and very economical.