#66 vs. COLORX vs. CLEANER WAX -- i need some insight!

[fgraciano1980]

hey guys/gals, i was wondering which of these is more aggressive and would be safe to use once a month:

-#66
-ColorX
-Cleaner Wax

i used to do the 5 step process once every 4 months, but now my time is very limited. all i can do is a wax once a month, and clay maybe twice a year.

im looking for an "all-in-one" product. something that will clean, polish and wax in one step and is aggressive enough to remove light to moderate swirls/scratches, insect droppings and light contamination yet safe enough to use once a month with the da-g100. i have a black car with a semi soft clear coat.

any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Ash Erickson]

Re: #66 vs. COLORX vs. CLEANER WAX -- i need some insight!

I am in the same boat. I have a lifted F150 that I do a 5 step on 2 times a year. However month to month I like to do a cleaner wax to keep things nice. To say what product would be more aggressive with use of a D. A is hard to say. All of the products will be very close. If you were to step up to a Rotary Polisher, then M66 would be a more aggressive product. In this case it’s really going to come down to which product you like using. I am a M66 guy. I use it with all methods of application including the D.A. The reason that I like the M66 is due to the fact that it is a cleaner wax that is versatile in application methods (Hand, Orbital, D.A. and Rotary) and is a product that comes in a gallon. It’s really going to be up to you in which product you use but they all will give you good results.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: #66 vs. COLORX vs. CLEANER WAX -- i need some insight!

hey guys/gals, i was wondering which of these is more aggressive and would be safe to use once a month:

-#66
-ColorX
-Cleaner Wax

i used to do the 5 step process once every 4 months, but now my time is very limited. all i can do is a wax once a month, and clay maybe twice a year.

From least aggressive to most aggressive

• A12 Cleaner/Wax - A light cleaner/wax, this product can be applied by hand or DA.
• ColorX - A strong cleaner wax, this product can be applied by hand or DA.
• M66 Quik Detailer - A strong cleaner/wax, stronger than ColorX and can be applied by hand, DA or Rotary Buffer.

I'm looking for an "all-in-one" product. something that will clean, polish and wax in one step and is aggressive enough to remove light to moderate swirls/scratches, insect droppings and light contamination yet safe enough to use once a month with the DA-G100. i have a black car with a semi soft clear coat.

any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated!

If you do a great job with your initial 5-Step process, then you can probably get away with the A12 Cleaner/Wax since you're applying it with a dual action polisher and on the 5.0 setting this tool is going to provide plenty of cleaning power with the diminishing abrasives and chemical cleaners found in the A12 Cleaner/Wax.

If you it's just not aggressive enough you can switch to ColorX and only be as aggressive in your application as you need to be to get the job done.

Remember --> You <-- determine how aggressive a product is or isn't in part by how you apply it, (hand or machine), and how aggressively you apply work either your hand or the machine, as well as how many applications.

Polishing paint is an art form, not merely a step by step mechanical process, the person doing the work brings the human elements of care and passion to the mix and it is these intangible factors that often times make or break your results.


As far as your clear coat paint being soft, every since forums have been around a common observation on all the other forums is for people to describe their clear coats as being soft when in fact their clear coats are hard. At the same time they are hard, they are also SCRATCH-SENSITIVE which most people confuse as soft and it's not the same thing.

So you may indeed have a clear coat finish that is on the soft side relative to other modern clear coats, it's hard to say without actually working on your car in person and weight the results against experience.

Also be careful to not run the foam pad over pebble textured black plastic trim or rubber components as most cleaner/waxes will stain these surfaces as they tend to dry white. Painters tape is a great precautionary first step prior to actually buffing out the car.

How to tape-off a car


Hope this helps...

[fgraciano1980]

Re: #66 vs. COLORX vs. CLEANER WAX -- i need some insight!

hello mike, thank you for the reply.

i had superior shine detail my car about a year ago, and joe said i had a soft clear coat. he worked on my car 2 months after it was painted so maybe it has hardened up since then.

is it safe to use colorx or #66 on a monthly basis? i plan on using the 8006 pad on speed setting 5, but i dont know if im going to wear out my clear coat if i use either of these products once a month. i tend to have medium arm speed, medium pressure and i usually do about 3 passes horizontal and vertical.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: #66 vs. COLORX vs. CLEANER WAX -- i need some insight!

hello mike, thank you for the reply.

i had superior shine detail my car about a year ago, and joe said i had a soft clear coat. he worked on my car 2 months after it was painted so maybe it has hardened up since then.

It's quite possible the paint is now harder than it was 2 months after it was painted, the only way to know is to go out into your garage and work on it and weigh your results against your experience removing below surface defects.

is it safe to use ColorX or #66 on a monthly basis? i plan on using the 8006 pad on speed setting 5, but i don't know if I'm going to wear out my clear coat if i use either of these products once a month. i tend to have medium arm speed, medium pressure and i usually do about 3 passes horizontal and vertical.

These product should be completely safe for your circumstances, if you're not putting swirls and scratches into the paint, thus really needing a cleaner/wax you might consider a polish/wax like NXT or a more mild cleaner/wax like the A12 Cleaner/Wax.

It's all about using the least aggressive product to get the job done.


Hope this helps...

[fishbonezken]

Re: #66 vs. COLORX vs. CLEANER WAX -- i need some insight!

Mike,
which of the three waxes give the most durable protection?