What kind of wax is the best.

[svxy]

Ok now that everyone answered the question about how to get the wax off, what kind of wax is the best. I used to use Liquid Glass before the days of base coat clear coat, it was the absolute best. But now with a clear coat finish I could watch it glob up and roll down the side on the next wash. So many of you have wonderfully shiny finishes I want to know how to get one too. The member who has the black '97( sorry I can not rember who you are) pictured sitting in their front yard, looks like its made of crystel. Thats what I want. So how do you do it.

step one: Cleaner wax/ polish.

Use that first. It cleans the surface.

Step two: ZYMOL.

Seriously, Zymol is absolutely incredible. Look at the ingredients, its almost a FOOD. Most of it is organic, and the cheap Zymol is basically no different from the expensive kind. Buy it. You will NOT be dissapointed.

- Ca$h

[SHISVX]

today, actually, i cleaned my car...i mean cleaned it. took me 4 hours. i have the pearl/black car. i have a lot of scratches from putting my books on the top of the car. i used everything of Meguiar's. started with the wash, scratch remover, then finished up with the Mirror Glaze Professional HI-TECH Yellow wax. the black is now PERFECT. i am unable to see anything on the paint except the reflection of the sky... this wax goes on silky smooth and comes off with ease. their leather cleaner is the absolute best i have seen. makes your seats shiney and not greasy. you don't slide and since i have been using it, my leather has become really soft and flexable, which should help from rips. i know...you didn't ask about leather...but it is so darn good!

my friend has a custom paint job on his truck. he uses mothers 3 step. gorgeous results! but i am too cheap to buy it...lol

Kelli

nursing sore arms

edit....plus it smells like BANANNAS!!! and what the heck is Carnauba???

http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html

Go read this whole thing. ZYMOL OWNS!

Actually, according to that link ZAINO comes out on top. Hrm. Maybe I'll buy that once my Zymol runs out.

- Ca$h

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by svxy
Ok now that everyone answered the question about how to get the wax off, what kind of wax is the best. I used to use Liquid Glass before the days of base coat clear coat, it was the absolute best. But now with a clear coat finish I could watch it glob up and roll down the side on the next wash. So many of you have wonderfully shiny finishes I want to know how to get one too. The member who has the black '97( sorry I can not rember who you are) pictured sitting in their front yard, looks like its made of crystel. Thats what I want. So how do you do it.

You're going to get as many answers as there are waxes on this question.

I personally use a three step Maguiar's treatment. #1 Paint Cleaner #2 Polish #3 Wax.

I do it only because this is a "premium" automobile and I think it deserves "premium" treatment. Otherwise, I was tickled to death, for years, with NuFinish. It was cheap, easy ON/OFF application, shed water well, and treated the finish on my prior automobiles quite well.

You'll just need to get recommendations, try some for yourself until you find one that gives you the desired results.

Or you could buy a bunch of different waxes and do a head to head test like the guys at that NSX link I provided did. I'm going to follow their reccomendations.

- Ca$h

[nubs]

I use only Meguiar's products on my car and I think anyone that has seen my car can tell you that they work just fine.

Originally posted by nubs
I use only Meguiar's products on my car and I think anyone that has seen my car can tell you that they work just fine.

I use the Meguiar's products as well. It SHINES.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/fil...95SVX/2922.jpg

-Mike

[DavieGravy]

I believe in the 4 step process.
1. Medalliions premium paint cleaner
2. 3m clear coat safe rubbing compound
3. Meguiars poish
4. Meguiars wax
And use a buffer machine!

Dave

[Landshark]

check this out: www.carcareonline.com
really good tips and product comparisons on here.

[mohrds]

I also use the Meguiar's 3 step system:
Body scurb
Polish
Carnuba Wax

I have never seen anything that tops the body scrub for bringing the shine back to the mirrors, bumpers, and side skirting. On the front bumper it takes years of road rash dulling off and reveals the true shine.

Doug

I checked the consumer reports web site and Zymol was the winner in the ratings area.

Auto polishes
In performance order

(01) = Zymöl Cleaner Wax
(02) = Prestone Bullet Wax
(03) = Nu Finish Car Polish
(04) = Armor All Car Wax
(05) = 3M One Step Cleaner Wax 39006
(06) = Turtle Wax Emerald Series Advanced Liquid
(07) = Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell Car Wax
(08) = Nu Finish Car Polish
(09) = Eagle One Wet Polish and Wax
(10) = Blue Coral Cleaner Wax with Swirl Remover
(11) = Turtle Wax Express Shine Spray Car Wax
(12) = Meguiar's Gold Class Clear Coat Liquid Car Wax
(13) = Mothers California Gold Original Formula Cleaner
(14) = Rain-X Ultra Wax
(15) = Armor All Spray On Car Polish
(16) = Meguiar's Cleaner Wax
(17) = Turtle Wax Finish 2001
(18) = Meguiar's Deep Crystal System Step 3 Carnauba
(19) = Mothers California Gold Pure Carnauba Wax Phase 3
(20) = Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell Car Wax
(21) = Mothers California Gold Original Formula Cleaner Wax
(22) = Meguiar's Quick Wax
(23) = The Wax Shop Super Glaze
(24) = Turtle Wax Emerald Series Advanced Paste Wax
(25) = Meguiar's Cleaner Wax

Recommendations by consumer reports

None of these polishes will be all things to all people. Even the highest-rated products fell down somewhat in one or two areas of performance, so choose according to your priorities. If water still beads on your car's finish, you may not need to wax at all. Simply wash the car regularly.

For a moderately weathered finish, 3M One Step Cleaner Wax 39006 liquid is the clear choice for its cleaning ability--that is, if you don't mind waxing more often. Its durability was only fair. It costs about $6.45 for a 16-ounce bottle. For a badly oxidized finish, you may need to start off with a polishing compound, available at auto-parts, discount, and department stores.

If a shiny finish is your paramount concern, first consider Zymöl Cleaner Wax liquid and Nu Finish Car Polish paste. But be prepared to make some compromises. The cleaning ability of both products was so-so, and Zymöl's durability was just middling. Also, the Nu Finish tended to scratch or haze somewhat, a problem especially with dark-colored cars. The Zymöl is also quite expensive, at $16 a pint. The Nu Finish costs about $6.20 for a 14-ounce can.

Among the high-rated polishes, the Prestone Bullet Wax, about $7.25, and Armor All Car Wax, about $5.55, lasted the longest. But neither one quite matched the gloss that the Zymöl and Nu Finish paste produced. The Armor All scratched or hazed more than most.

A convenient applicator made Prestone Bullet Wax easier to apply than any of the other liquids and pastes we tested. Although spray polishes win hands down for ease of use, they aren't effective on cars with a very dirty or oxidized finish. And be prepared to do the job often; the durability of the sprays we tested was no better than fair. Of the three sprays, Turtle Wax Express Shine Spray Car Wax performed the best overall.


Hope this helps everyone on keeping the SVX's shiny !!
Chris

The problem with that test (as well as most consumer reports tests) is that they have no idea what they are talking about.

I noticed that most of the products they rated highly were one step cleaner/polish/wax. IMHO there is not a single one step wax on the market worth its weight in cow dung. Not Zymol, not Meguiar's, nobody. They are all band-aids for the lazy, or people who don't really want to put any time into making the car look great. They all leave a residue behind. And they all leave a lot to be desired in reflectiveness. I would be willing to bet that one of the test criteria was "ease of application and removal" Well, if you want the best results, then ease of use should not enter into the equation.

First off, if you are serious about your cars finish, you should regularly use a clay bar to remove boned contaminents from your paint, then use a paint cleaner. I personally use Meguiar's paint cleaner number 1 from the three step, it works very well, but there are a large number of good products out there.

After cleaning the paint, then go to a high grade pure polish. Polish adds gloss, reflectiveness, and fills light paint imperfections. I use Meguiar's number 7 Show car Glaze. This is one of the Megiuar's professional product line, and can be a little difficult to find. It is also one of the biggest *****es in the world to apply and remove correctly, but I have yet to find anything that matches the appearance this product gives (and yes I have looked). Depending on paint condition I use other products for this step as well. If the paint has minor swirl marks, I use Mequiar's #9 Swirl remover. This is a non-cutting polish that hides minor swirls and scratches extremely well. It also leaves a very, very nice shine behind. If the paint has slightly more severe swirls or scratches I use Meguiar's Swirl Free Polish. This is a very light cutting polish that can only be found at paint shops. You will need to use a more normal polish on top of this one, but it will get rid of 95% of the swirl marks you find on cars.


The final step is to use a true wax. I use Meguiar's Gold Class, but there are several good pure wax products out there.

Just remember, If you are serious about your cars finish, never, ever use a one step cleaner wax. They all, and I mean ALL, suck. A true, high quality shine, and high quality protection, takes time and elbow grease to achieve.

Consumer reports did have ease of application as one of the "testing" requirements. Others were durability (how long it would last) and shine.

Unfortuantly for me... and I now have more info to add to my brain.. I never knew about all the steps that can be taken to clean, polish, and wax a car.

Do you use a buffer when applying these.. or do you hand rub? I bought a buffer for my SVX right after I bought it. My thinking was it would do a better job then my hand.. but as we have seen..I have been wrong in the past.


Always looking for self improvement..
Chris.