Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

[strader327]

Hey everyone,

With summer fast approaching, I was wanting to know what is the best type of Meguiars wax to use on my car during the year's hottest months. Currently for the past few months I've been using Meguiars Gold Class Carnauba Plus Paste wax and I really love the way it brings out the blue color on my Pontiac. But I've read elsewhere on the web that carnauba waxes give up their protection very fast or very easily when the surface of the car gets hot especially during the summer months.

Now I know that It's Meguiars Carnauba PLUS wax, so it's not just pure carnauba wax but it has added polymer protection. But as far as proving the MOST paint protection from the summer sun rays and heat, is it better to switch to a more pure synthetic like NXT 2.0? How does it fair compared to the Gold Class Carnauba plus in terms of heat/sun protection? Also how about the Ultimate liquid/paste wax? How does it stand up?

I may be somewhat ill informed but at first glance I assume that Gold class provides the least heat protection of the three, where as the Ultimate wax would be second and NXT would be first right? This of course, is only comparing the consumer line. I'm sure Meguiars has something maybe even better than all three in the professional line. But anyway, thank you all for your time.

[RPPM]

Re: Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

Ultimate would be the best, then NXT, then GC+. If you wax frequently, any of the 3 will do just fine. Follow up with a spray wax after washes, and you are golden.

[jfelbab]

Re: Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

I prefer UW in that it has great long lasting protection and also yields a slight darkening like Gold Class Plus. It also has great heat handling capability and won''t evaporate in high temperatures like carnauba can. I have also taken to using D156 (UQW) after each wash to keep the protection and slickness at its optimum level.

[strader327]

Re: Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

Thanks guys, I what I was originally trying to ask in my top post was since carnauba can evaporate at high temperatures, in comparing Meguiars waxes, I kinda thought that Gold class was mostly carnauba with slight synthetics where as NXT was mostly synthetics with just a touch of carnauba. And I also thought that Ultimate paste/liquid wax was half carnauba and half synthetic. Am I right about this or is it more complicated than that?

I was thinking I could use Gold class like in the cooler/cold months, use Use NXT during the hotter months and use Meguiars Ultimate just whenever I feel like it. Does that sound like a good plan?

[jfelbab]

Re: Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

Thanks guys, I what I was originally trying to ask in my top post was since carnauba can evaporate at high temperatures, in comparing Meguiars waxes, I kinda thought that Gold class was mostly carnauba with slight synthetics where as NXT was mostly synthetics with just a touch of carnauba. And I also thought that Ultimate paste/liquid wax was half carnauba and half synthetic. Am I right about this or is it more complicated than that?

I was thinking I could use Gold class like in the cooler/cold months, use Use NXT during the hotter months and use Meguiars Ultimate just whenever I feel like it. Does that sound like a good plan?

Meguiar's describes UW as: "Our most advanced pure synthetic hydrophobic wax" (pure synthetic=no carnauba as carnauba is a natural organic product derived from plant leaves)

Meguiar's describes GC+ as: "A Special blend of premium carnauba plus clear coat safe protecting polymers" (IOW, a hybrid)

Meguiar's describes NXT v2.0 as: "Our proven pure synthetic wax" (pure synthetic=no carnauba as carnauba is a natural organic product derived from plant leaves)

Sure, you can use all three in any manner you want. If it is durability you are looking for or longer lasting protection in any season, I'd stick with UW. I think you would be hard pressed to point out which of the three products were used in a blind test as they all look pretty darn good if your prep is good. IME, UW lasts noticeably longer than the other two but that is in my environment and under my methods of car care. Short answer they are all good.

If I were using either NXT or GC+, I'd wax more frequently, The reason is that carnauba tends to evaporate at temperatures over 160 degrees F and this may compromise or at least shorten the life of the GC+ product in the hot Texas summer sun. NXT, while a long lasting, great looking pure synthetic sealant, seems to have it's gloss fade more rapidly than some other products I've used. The protection might remain, but the stunning look seems to not last as long as I'd like, Enter UW, another pure synthetic that looks good and lasts a long time under all weather conditions where I've used it. This is from snow and salt in WI winters to the hot and steamy, wet Florida heat and anywhere in-between. This is not to sell carnaubas short as I love the color darkening and warmth of say #26 on darker color paints. Carnauba's have a place and they do look slightly different. Not a huge difference, but there is a perceptible change in the way light is reflected/refracted between a carnauba and a synthetic sealant.
.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

Thanks guys, I what I was originally trying to ask in my top post was since carnauba can evaporate at high temperatures, in comparing Meguiars waxes, I kinda thought that Gold class was mostly carnauba with slight synthetics where as NXT was mostly synthetics with just a touch of carnauba. And I also thought that Ultimate paste/liquid wax was half carnauba and half synthetic. Am I right about this or is it more complicated than that?

I was thinking I could use Gold class like in the cooler/cold months, use Use NXT during the hotter months and use Meguiars Ultimate just whenever I feel like it. Does that sound like a good plan?

Sounds like you're getting some mixed signals or just some flat out incorrect information someplace. Here's the deal:


Gold Class Carnauba Plus: yes, it's a carnauba wax but it does indeed have some polymers and other ingredients in it that help with things application, removal, appearance, etc. But the word "polymer" is incredibly broad: (from wikipedia) A polymer is a large molecule (macromolecule) composed of repeating structural units. These sub-units are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. Although the term polymer is sometimes taken to refer to plastics, it actually encompasses a large class of compounds comprising both natural and synthetic materials with a wide variety of properties. So both natual and synthetic polymers exist and their properties are all over the place. Obviously we're not going to get into specifics regarding just which polymers we're using in any of our products, suffice it to say that not all of them will necessarily provide extra protection but could have other benefits to the product. But this isn't just true of our carnauba waxes (Gold Class, Deep Crystal, M26) but virtually every single carnauba wax on the market. This is because there is no such thing as a "100% pure carnauba wax" in the sense of the bottle containing nothing but carnauba wax. If a bottle did contain nothing but 100% pure carnauba, you could quite literally cut the plastic bottle away and reveal the brick of carnauba inside. Yes, the brick of carnauba. If you had some 100% pure, naturally occurring carnauba wax in your hand, you could bang it against a table just like you would a solid hunk of plastic - sort of like your TV remote control. It's that hard, and that unusable in "pure" form. Carnauba must be combined with other ingredients just to make it usable as a car wax. Now, when you see a product that claims to be "pure carnauba" or "100% carnauba wax", what they're really saying is that 100% of the wax used in that product is carnauba, meaning there's no paraffin wax, beeswax, monton wax, etc in the mix. Whether the total wax content is 5% or 50% or some other percentage of the total product, all of that percentage is carnauba.

NXT Tech Wax 2.0: this is a 100% synthetic polymer sealant - there is no naturally occurring wax in it. It has the word "wax" on the label because synthetic sealants are used for the exact same reason as carnauba waxes and the two are therefore interchangeable. But the average guy on the street doesn't understand "sealant" and if he's looking for a "wax" he won't give NXT a second glance. In fact, we often get people calling which wax they need now that they've applied a sealant to their paint. They simply don't know. OK, so NXT is 100% synthetic polymer, but even that doesn't mean every single polymer in it is part of the protection. And again, that's down to "polymer" being such a broad term.

Ultimate Wax: this is also a 100% synthetic polymer sealant, but it uses different polymers than those found in NXT. This is why, in liquid form, Ultimate Wax won't stain plastic trim. It's also why you can apply UW on a warm surface in direct sunlight, and why it spreads so incredibly thin (ie, Thin Film Technology). Ultimate Wax is also our longest lasting, best protecting wax/sealant at the moment, recently knocking NXT off that top spot.

It is true that carnauba can not withstand the temperature extremes, or moisture extremes, of full synthetics so in extreme conditions those synthetics are better choices. Of course, they have their limits as well and they are not impervious barricades against things like acid rain, bird droppings, etc. They will do a better job against these attacks, but it's not like deploying the deflector shields on the Starship Enterprise just prior to a Klingon attack.

So if synthetics are that much "better" than carnaubas, why does anyone still use carnauba waxes? Because a lot of people prefer the way carnaubas look, especially on darker colors, and that is their primary reason for choosing a paint protectant. They don't mind applying the wax a little more often, and/or they were just brought up on carnauba so that's what they like. There's no real right or wrong here - there's a lot of personal preference at play here, especially among enthusiasts who liken the subtle visual nuances imparted by different waxes to the subtle nuances of wine tasting, or the acoustic nuances of high end audio.

But when push comes to shove, the wax you choose should be something that's easy to use, provides the longetivity you want, and the look you're after for your own car. Nobody can ever tell you that you're using "the wrong wax" or that you should be using "Wax A" because it looks best on your color car. That is merely that person's opinion, and yours may be quite different. That "Wax A" may be the best wax for them, but not for you. But if your only criteria is "what's the longest lasting, best protecting wax?" then in our line up that would be Ultimate Wax. And it has the added bonus of looking great too (at least that's the opinion of a whole bunch of people!).

[strader327]

Re: Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

Thanks for clearing that up Mike, I wasn't sure as far as how each of the top three Meguiars consumer waxes were graded.

That helped alot, I guess I'll start using Ultimate wax as my primary wax but I"ll still use Gold class carnauba probably during the cooler months like in late fall, early spring, and maybe during winter if my area is having a mild winter.

And then use the Ultimate wax during the rest of the year. I like many others like carnauba because even though my 03 Pontiac is not a black car but where it is a medium to dark shade of blue the carnauba really gives a brighter and darker look that I really like. Plus it smells very very nice! But does that sound like a good plan?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

That plan sounds fine, but have you considered applying the Ultimate Wax and then just topping with Gold Class? Using a carnauba on top of a synthetic is pretty popular, though not really necessary. Most who do this are doing it to gain the protection of the synthetic and the final look of the carnauba. Others just think it's overkill. Whether or not it's right for you is something only you can decide......... are you up for a little experiment????

[strader327]

Re: Meguiars carnauba wax, synthetic polymer wax, and the summer sun/heat

Yes indeed, I'm up for an experiment I might just try that and let you know what it does.