iam defintely a car care freak but have not yet found a great wax for my 04 tl ancharcite... it looks good when i wax it but not a wet look i wonder if it is just the color... any help..

 

It's not the color - there are two things that I think could be at work here. The first is prep; if your paint is in bad/mediocre shape (scratches, swirls, etc...) no wax will make it look shiny. You will need to have it polished. Remember, prep is 90% of the job.

Second it could just be your wax. The wettest wax I've ever used is Poorboys Nattys Blue, however they might be overkill on a dark grey car. What wax are you currently using?

 

S100 will also give you a great wet look.

 

my car paint is in great shape, i have been using a wax my brother uses but icant remember the name..... what is s100....and thanks for the info...

 

S100 is a carnauba wax and you can get it online or at a motorcycle shop, specifically Harley dealers...

 

i think i will give it a shot thanks again.

 

do you recommmend i use s100 witha polish first or no need because the paint is in good shape....i will use a clay bar ,

 

If you have an 04 and have never polished it, now would be a good time. Definatly clay bar it first. I would recomend Poorboys SSR1 or SSR2 polishes depending on the amount of swirls you have. Very easy to use and leaves a great surface for either sealer or wax or both.

 

thanks

 

Both waxes mentioned will give your TL depth and look wet. But as Jackie mentioned, your paint needs to be polished to give the finish a more reflective look. Wash, clay, polish and then seal. BTW, the S100 is basically the same as the P21S wax, only cheaper.

 

thank you iam going to order it today actually i think auto barn has it i will check the website today... if so saturday is going to be 50 on long island cant think of a better day to do it...

 

Vin, you havent mentioned a polishing routine yet.............

 

i usally polish about 4 times a year by hand i use a product called final touch its great but the shine from the wax leaves a shine but not like the shine i have seen from pics of other cars.

 

ExcelD, I think it's high time we break vinarnold into the intricacies of prep/polish/seal/wax!

Anyone concur??

 

Hehehe, i think its your turn?!?!?

 

vinarnold

You will get better results during the spring cleanup. NY winters even in LI is probably around the 40s to 50s and unless you're doing it indoors in a heated garage, the products won't cure properly because of the haze.

No matter how good they say the product is, if your finish is not properly prepped, then what you're doing is just sealing in the contaminants and imperfections.

I concur with joerockt's post above. You will need to prep it properly and a PC with the proper pads will do it for you. After claying, PBs SSR polish or any good swirl remover like 3M or Meg's SMR #09 will remove most of the swirls and minor scratches. Depending on the severity of the swirls you may need to use a more abrasive product and / or work on more passes to get the result that you want. This also polishes the finish (clearcoat) and leaves it in a very shiny (but unprotected) state.

The next step is to keep this polished state and "seal" it in using a good synthetic sealant. Klasse All-in-One (polish and sealant), Wolfgang, Blackfire or Meg's Pro #21 or #20 will provide you a layer of protection that will outlast any application of carnauba wax.

Once you apply and cure the sealant, you can "finish it off" by using a last step product like S100/ P21S or any pure carnauba wax (avoid 'cleaner' waxes as they will remove you previous layer(s) of sealant). Just keep in mind that the carnauba is a sacrificial product that will not last long. It may provide you with the shine but once it wears off, then your finish (unless sealed) will be unprotected. No matter how good (or expensive) the 'nuba wax may be it WILL come off after time. A regimen of a coat or two of carnauba every few weeks is good depending on the climate. You can even extend the gaps between waxing using "booster" spray waxes like Eagle One Wax As U Dry or Optimum Spray Wax. This will keep that "wet" aspect of the finish that you're looking for. They're safe to use even after every wash.

Once you get used to a combination that works for you, you can stick to it and avoid ending up with a multitude of products you won't end up using. My combo of choice for now is Klasse AIO/ SG and S100 for the SSM and Meg's ColorX, Klasse AIO and Meg's Pro #26 for the black car.

Get used to this routine and with east coast winter you may need to apply sealant again before the next winter creeps in. This ensures that your finish will have that layer of protection even in the harsh cold until you go at it once more in springtime.

Another key is the kind of towels and polishing rags you use. I myself dry using a California Water Blade, then blot dry with 2 Microfiber towels then finish it off with spray wax or QD using a MF cloth.

Antracite is one of the best finishes I've seen that looks phenomenal if properly prepped.

Our resident experts on this here forum are always ready and able to extend you help and information and the advice and expertise thay they provide are invaluable.

Whew!

 

Whats the difference in Poorboys natty paste wax in the vanilla color versus the blue color??

 

See here for full description.

 

THanks! My car is silver so its better off with the regular natty's paste wax right?

 

but a friend of mine who has a silver 350Z uses blue and he likes it better than the regular Natty's. Whatever works, right?

 

Im not sure theres really any detectable difference......

 

Try Zaino. That stuff is just insane and I'm on my break applying my 5th coat on my brand new 06 NBP TL w/Navi. Check out their website at zainobros.com and you can even view testimonials and photos and see what results people have had with Zaino. Back to put another coat on!

 

Ive always wondered why folks apply so many coats, if the stuff is so awesome? I mean do you need to apply that many, to get it to look its best?

 

I don't know either. Sal himself has said more than once that there is no appreciable difference after the second or third coat. Just seems like a waste of a fairly expensive product to me.

 

What can i do to get a good, deep & rich polish and shine on my N.B.P??? and how effective is buffing at getting out minor scratches and dings?

 

I agree, Zaino is great! I use it on my TL, my M Roadster and my Clenet. My neighbors use it on their cars and Harleys. 2-3 coats is all you really need.