Professional Paste Wax

[Bri9801]

I have always used #26 Wax....I love it and for a long time honestly thought I would never buy any other wax.....Ha little did I know.

I picked up a tin of #16 Professional Paste Wax last Monday and put a coat on my truck Tuesday.... (Boy I have patience huh )

I followed Mike's tip from another #16 thread

The way to use this wax is to take you wax applicator and spin in fast little circles in the can on top of the wax. This little bit of friction will liquefy the wax and in essence covert it to a liquid [on the surface] making it very easy to apply.

Which is very easy to do and certainly makes the job go faster. I applied and buffed my entire Expedition in maybe 30 mintues or so.

I think as others have said the look is different then #26 and I haven't exactly put my finger on how I would describe it yet, but I like it!!

Another thing this wax beads like crazy, it has the smallest water beads I have ever seen.



As son as you start driving the beads zoom right off the car!

So after a few days #16 Professional Paste Wax gets a from me.

[Mike Phillips]

Wow, thanks for the cool picture and your experience.

A few months ago I made some posts about this first automobile wax Meguiar’s introduced, (1951 I think), and some of it's characteristics and then sent out some samples and it would appear that a lot of people are re-discovering it again.

I always tell people, if they like P21S, or S100, they would like #16 Professional Paste Wax and best of all, you get more in the container, the container is more hand friendly, and it costs about 1/3 as much.



Mike

[Bri9801]

And considering the amount of product I used to cover my truck, it appears it just might last forever....well a pretty long time anyway

[Larry A]

A friend of mine has 16 sitting in his garage for years. If it is not dried out is it still good? In the 70s it was one of the waxes of choice the other one was Car Groom. When you used # 7 and # 16 you had a killer shine that would last a long time.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Larry,

If it's old, I might like to buy it... Lynn and I collect old Meguiar's products.

Can you take a picture of it and see if the owner wants to sell it? (or any old wax products)

Thanks,

Mike

[Mosca]

Y;'know, I like this wax, too, but I wax so often, that I prefer the look of waxes like #26 and Souv paste and NXT.

But, there is one thing that I really, really like about #16. It's kind of hard to describe, but I'll try.

Everything, it seems, has to be "NEWER" or "NOW! IMPROVED!!!", it seems, in order to be considered worthwhile. Old technologies are now worthless; carburetors are thought of as damp sponges on top of the manifold. A drill has to be cordless and have a battery pack that lasts 6 hours and recharges in one. Are you still using a hammer? LOL, dude, where's your nail gun!

And then here is #16, well past 50 years old, still the same, still looking good, still playing beside the new guys and making a damn good show of it too. #16 tells us to look past the hype of "NEW! IMPROVED!!!" and to trust our own eyes. Using #16 is going back to roots; using #16 is getting in touch with old truths. #16 says that everything old is still new.

Or, I could be full of biological waste. But I feel like I'm connected to the past when I use #16.


Tom

[Mike Phillips]

That was nice Tom,

I agree, I used #16 for over 10 years while detailing cars *Professionally. I used it for a number of reasons, one of which it adds a lot of gloss after completely smoothing out a finish with a couple of machine applied paint cleaners and cleaner/polishes.

I used it over a base of #20 and when I returned the car back to the owner, I knew it would look like they expected, hoped for and dreamed of. It's a hard wax, but it's a good wax. It doesn't darken the finish like a Gold Class, #26, or Tech Wax, but if you're not doing side-by-side comparison tests, then no one would know there was something different available.

Here's what's real interesting to me however, #16 Professional Paste Wax has survived. Think of all the waxes that have come and gone in the last 50 years!

And #16 is still around.

Meguiar’s Cleaner/Wax, part number A-1216 was introduced in 1973! And it’s still around! Heck, that’s 31 years!

Below is an original, un-used can of Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax from 1973 that I have in my collection. By the way, this is the product that introduced me to the world of Meguiar's products in 1977 that I tell about in the introduction of my how-to book. I purchased it after trying most of the other products available at that time in an effort to restore the finish on my 1948 Plymouth Coupe and it is the product that blew away all of the products I had previously tried.



It’s so easy for people on forums to refer to Meguiar’s Cleaner/Wax as an off-the-shelf-product, but products don’t survive for 31 years unless generations of people purchase them, use them, and recommend them to their friends.

If #16 PPW did in fact come out in 1951, (Which I believe it did), that would make this car wax formula 53 years old. Is there any wax made from the early 1950's that's still around?

Mike

[Scottwax]

I have been using #16 more and more these days. It has a very clear, wet look and really lets metallics shine through. The look holds up very well too and my impression after a couple of months now is that #16 will likely prove to be more durable than #26 or NXT.

Here are a few shots of my car with NXT x 2/#16 x 2.

[Scottwax]

And a close up:

[Bri9801]

Hey Scott

your car looks great!! I have read your posts over at Autopia and you do amazing work

And for all of you who don't know already, Scottwax does ALL of his work by hand


Mike.....

I have a coat of #16 on my house oil tank right now, it's been sitting there for about 3 hours or so.....I'm going to give it about 12 hours or so and see if I can get it off.

[Bri9801]

Update


After about 5 straight days of rain here, it finally stopped this afternoon long enough for me to wash the car.

#16 still amazes me....It looks like I just waxed it and it's been on about 2 weeks.

Everyday I am liking this wax more and more, it's going to make it hard for me to try the NXT I finally picked up, hmmm Maybe I'll have to try the NXT toppd with #16 that a few people have reported good things about.

[Larry A]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
Hi Larry,

If it's old, I might like to buy it... Lynn and I collect old Meguiar's products.

Can you take a picture of it and see if the owner wants to sell it? (or any old wax products)

Thanks,

Mike

I think he has 2 cans both cans are silver in color. 1can is a big can , the other is a small can, when I see him I will ask about them.

[rusty bumper]

I wonder why #16 comes in a paste only? The way you guys are talking, I'll probably go out and get a can of it before too long.

Aurora's posts at Show Car Garage confirms what you all have posted here....I like the part about the small water beads blowing off the finish!

[Aurora40]

I think if I could only have one final product, I'd want #16. I am really glad I bought it on a chance (and on the opinions of a couple of folks on Autopia/Show Car). I think it's the best protectant Meguiar's makes, and one of the best protectants I own. It's great!

I imagine it is paste-only because it's a very thick/heavy type product. I don't know that it would lend itself well to being a liquid. But really, I think all wax waxes should be pastes (except maybe Glanz Wax). I love pastes, they are so satisfying to use. Only sealants should be liquid...

[Alfisti]

Hi all. This is my first post.

A question to Mike P. (as if he's not busy enough) or to any Megs reps.

I live in Australia. How can a sad, desperate, pathetic, #16 deprived guy like me get their hands on a can of #16 without paying $US 20-30 shipping? Does anyone in Oz, that you know of, distribute it?