Wax

[onnfire]

Many companies say they use a cleaner wax or a pure caranuba wax. Others are synthetic. Which is the best for protection and a high gloss finsih?

[Mike Phillips]

NXT Tech Wax is pretty hard to beat for protection and gloss.

[Michael Stoops]

Synthetics, as a rule, have better longevity than pure carnauba but otherwise you can't really make broad statements about which of the three types is "better". Meguiar's makes all, and usually a few different variations of each - different amounts of carnauba in some blends, different levels of cleaning ability in various cleaner waxes, different synth formulas, etc. Some people feel a carnauba imparts a "deeper, wetter" shine than a synth, or that some synths (but not all) have a plasticy look to them. A strong cleaner wax will save you a step on paint that needs just a little help but doesn't need to be tackled with a machine just yet.

To confuse things even more, just how long any wax will last depends on your environmental conditions, how often you wash, etc. Nothing is set in stone in this game!!

Heh, and you thought you were confused before!!

[Murr1525]

One thing to note is that the average Joe is not going to know how to prep their paint properly, which is why cleaner/waxes are so popluar, including Meguiars Cleaner/Wax, Turtle Wax, NuFinish, etc.

When you start getting into waxes like Nxt, Gold Class, DC#3, #21, etc, the prep work before hand becomes very important.

If you dont do the prep work, then a cheap cleaner/wax could well look better and last longer or as long as Gold Class, or Nxt, etc. But with a little prep work, you will get much better results using a high quality wax like the Gold Class, Nxt, and so on.

Now, which is right for you can depend on a lot of things. Are you going for looks, durability, ease of use, one step products, only a little prep, all 5 steps, etc?

[miked2]

There are some/many who believe that only carnauba-based LSP's (last-step products) give the best shine, but I think that many synthetic-based LSP's, like NXT, are get close if not exceeding them.

Best way -- try out two different products on the hood of your car! I'd try NXT or #21 on one side and GC or DC3 or #26 on the other, and see which you like better. One advantage to Meg's products is that they're inexpensive -- for less than $30, you can have both NXT and GC, and for less than $25, both NXT and DC3. The one you don't like better you can save for a different car, or pawn off to a friend.

Some people even say that some LSP's are better on some colors, types of paints, etc.

At the end of the day, it is very subjective. Definitely the synthetics will last longer. But in terms of looks, only your eyes can say which is best.

How's that for a weasley answer?

[miked2]

I'll also chime in, buttressing one of the previous posts, that prep is a huge part of the equation. If you don't want to do the proper prep (clay followed by cleaning), then a cleaner/wax is almost always going to give you better results than a "purer" LSP like NXT or GC. Many on this forum swear by ColorX, especially for more neglected finishes, although I haven't tried it. And there's always Meg's original cleaner/wax.

[onnfire]

Can someone describe the prep work?

[Murr1525]

Give this a read, it talks about it in detail:

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

Basicaly, you would want to do a process that covers claying if needed, cleaning, and polishing. You could do it two ways, assuming working by hand:

1. Wash
2. Clay as needed
3. Clean
4. Polish
5. Wax - remember 2 thin coats are best.

OR:

1. Wash
2. Clay as needed
3. a cleaner/wax
4. Wax

[onnfire]

Step number 3 is clean. What product would i use to clean.

[Murr1525]

The simplest would be Deep Crystal #1. It is a good, mild, easy to use cleaner.

Give this a read as well:

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

[miked2]

DC1 paint cleaner is amazing! In a $5 bottle, it does great work. I had a bunch of swirlies on our 9-3 Vert, and it removed them all via application with a PC.

[onnfire]

So i would first wash my car. Next i would clay it. Then i would clean the paint using dc1. After that, it would polish it using Meguiars 7 Show Car shine. Then i would wax it using nxt. Is that correct?

[Murr1525]

Yup