Best Wax
 

just a curious question. up until a few years ago, my car (67 gto) had the original lacquer paint job. red. i washed the car a few times a week, and every 2 to 3 weeks i would wax it with dupont rain dance wax. easy to put on. the car always looked great. a few years back i had the car repainted with base coat clear coat. same color. i've changed waxes because the guy who painted the car told me to use a durable carnuba wax. it would protect the paint and give the car a good shine. its a pain to put on, but, if it protects the paint, oh well i'll use it. what do most of you guys use on your cars for durability & shine? there are so many waxes out there, i cant believe everyone uses carnuba. if you dont mind, please expound.:D

I have found that it is hard to beat Liquid Glass polish...

Did a quick search on this site as this has been covered many times before. Here's a thread with many opinions and some very good info.

Jim

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...ighlight=zaino

Liquid glass is the best. You absolutely have to apply three coats at first for best results. No build up or residue and a breeze to apply.

The guy I bought my car from was a bodyman since the 70s he said don't use anything to clean this paint job with except water then hit it with some hand glaze every now and then.

This is the best wax in the world hands douwn.
http://www.swissvax.com/

In all these discussions, I've seen no specifics about durability. My old vehicles all have old single-stage enamel paint that oxidizes as soon as the wax starts to go away. The Rain Dance paste wax I've used for years only lasts through about six months of exposure to the outdoor elements. Anybody know durability periods of other waxes? Granted that it depends on many variables- prevailing weather, etc.- but any experiences would be of interest to me. Thanks.

X 10

Zaino. (www.zaino.com). Plenty of information to read about on their web site. Outstanding products.

Tim john---

I agree 100% that's all I use on my black 66. Never use soap, only clear water to clean.

I've been a professional detailer for the last 20 years, there are two things to start with, do you want a wax or a polish?
Wax is a natural product from the Brazilian Carnauba tree. Polish is man made, it does not contain carnauba wax, it will normally last longer than wax.
My choice is wax, it's better for long term protection of the paint, polish can clog the paint pores and cause oxidation(dead paint) faster than wax could. This is not a huge concern, the oxidation problem can devolop over many years, and the UV damage is more of a concern, but the issue does exist.
Zaino is a good polish, but it does require a lot of steps and time. My choice is Zymol Wax, it's expensive but it will not stain any trim and it goes on fast and comes off fast if you apply the correct amount. Too much wax on the applicator will cause big removal problems. No wax or polish should last more than 6 months, if people started to believe that, they would have better looking, longer lasting paint.
Just as motor oil has a life expentancy, so does wax. Even if it does "look" good after 4 or 5 months, you should wax it again, you always want to keep a barrier between the paint and the elements.
There should be no real difference between wax for clearcoats or single stage paints, clearcoat is just paint without any pigment, it's all the same, that's marketing from the wax/polish suppliers. My recommendation is to wash the car once a week with a quality CAR WASH soap and wax it every 1-2 months with a high quality wax and ONLY use microfiber towels on the paint, never use diapers or terrycloths, they can and will scratch the paint. Lots of soap suds and a good microfiber wash mitt will help as well. When you wax, stay out of the sun and wax section by section at a time, don't wax the entire car and than remove it all, do one section at a time, it will look better. Also wax side-to-side or up and down, no circles. My 67 GTO gets Zymol.

Good luck,
Scott

Also, polish is a surfacing agent.

Wax only protects the paint.

Carnauba wax is difficult to remove when dried. That should tell you something about it's long-term durability. Good results never come without hard work. That adage applies to car waxes as well as to anything else in life.

Easy on-easy off paste waxes are made for folks who are allergic to hard work.

You can find hard carnauba waxes in cans. Usually made by Blue Coral.

:usa2:

I use Duragloss products.
I start with their 111 (or one of their other polishes) and seal and "wax" it with their 951 spray.

Plus you left out it smells like bubble gum. Beside looking super on the car. I use it on another toy that is plastic. While most everyone is complaining how screwed up their plastic is. Mine still looks better than new after 3 years. So it is a very mild polish no swirls even if you try for the shine that it gives

I also use Zaino. I used many different products over the years , but Zaino does make my 20 year old Single stage acrylic enamel look fantastic. It is NOT the easiest polish to use. It is very tempermental to humidity, and you have to get used to using a very small amount each coat. I don't even think about applying if the humidity in my garage is 50% or more. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!

Dave

Zymol. You will not be dissapointed. Zaino is great too.

my candy cobalt blue laquer paint job is 21 yrs old and looks very reasonable still. Never have i used any silicone,wax or polish on it. 3m imperial hand glaze is all i have used. A garage kept car that never sees rain or snow or salt or a extened time in the sun doesnt need much protection. This is what has worked for me. My painter now says never wash a car only use that detail spray and he has painted many show cars. I read in Hot Rod where this one guys car has never even been wet. Thats my uneducated opinion.

Zymol and it even can be used as a ice cream topping !

Your situation is very unique, very few cars can say they never see rain, salt or extended sun, so your needs may be different. What if you drive thru recent road work and get tar or road paint, would you want to have a protective barrier between the paint and the substance? 3M hand Glaze is a polish, they may not use the word "polish", but a glaze is a polish.
I'm not one to tell a painter how to paint a car, but he is dead wrong about not using soap and water to clean a car, maybe you could get away with a detail spray on a car like yours that does not see the elements, but to use a detail spray on a car with even a medium amount of road debris and dirt, is wrong, very wrong.

Scott

Meguiars #7 and once in a while I use their poly sealant. The car in the link below has 15 year old paint. I have never put a bit of wax on it. The guy who painted it told not to use wax. I think he was right!