M21 Durability?

[Nacho_Z71]

I have decided to bite the bullet and try M21. The #7/#26 combo has been working out great for me but since I have a light metallic colored vehicle, I don't think I will lose any shine by switching from a Carnauba to a Sealant.

How long does M21 last. I am currently getting about 5-6 weeks out of the #26. Also, can I get M21 here locally in Dallas, TX or do I need to order online?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M21 Durability?

It's not how long will a wax last, it's all about Preventative Maintenance, you change you oil every 3000 miles not because the engine will fall apart at 3001 miles, but because you're practicing preventative maintenance, that is you change the oil so the engine won't wear out before the oil is completely used up and no longer properly lubricating the inner workings of an engine.

Same thing for car wax, or paint sealants, or paint protectants, (whatever you want to call them), practice preventative maintenance, re-apply a coating of wax on a regular maintenance program so that your car in never without a sacrificial barrier coating of protection.

You can find M21 at any PBE Store.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M21 Durability?

The below can be found in the Information Station

in the sub-forum Meguiar's How To Articles


How to locate Meguiar's Professional and Detailer products in your hometown.

And here it is for your reading pleasure...

How to locate Meguiar's Professional and Detailer products in your hometown.

At every Detailing clinic held on Saturday's here at Meguiar's in Irvine, California, around the rest the of the United States by our Professional staff, and constantly on discussion forums all over the web, the question comes up,


"Where can I find the Professional Line of products and the Detailer Line of products?"


Meguiar's Professional Line
For those that may not know, Meguiar's Professional Line of products, are the products that come in the Tan Bottles with the Numbers on them. Like this one,



Or sometimes they're not in a tan bottle, but another container, but they have the distinctive and often talked about or posted part number, like this one,



This is what is known as Meguiar's Professional Line. These are products primarily formulated and sold into the professional side of the auto appearance industry. This includes products for use on the assembly line at car manufacturing plants, and also products for use in the Refinishing Industry, for example your local body shops and dealerships that offer collision repair.

Meguiar's Detailer Line
Meguiar's manufactures the highest quality products for the professional detailing industry. This includes,

Degreasers and Multi-Purpose Cleaners
Car Washes
Glass Cleaner
Wheel Cleaner
X-Press Liquid Wax
Last Touch High Gloss Quick Detailer
Body Solvent
Tire Dressings
Solvent Dressings
Water-based Dressing
Aerosol Spray Dressing
Leather Cleaner & Conditioner
Plus other miscellaneous tools and supplies

In order to purchase these products locally, you need to find what is called a PBE Store. Let me explain what a PBE Store is.

In the Automotive world, there are two types of auto parts stores,

* Hard Parts Stores
* PBE Stores

A Hard Parts store is a store like Pep Boys, Kragen, AutoZone, etc. These types of auto parts stores sell a large variety of auto parts including Meguiar's highly popular Consumer Line which includes, Meguiar's Deep Crystal, Meguiar's Gold Class, and Meguiar's NXT Generation.

Some Hard Parts stores sell a few products from the Professional Line, such as M-02 Fine Cut Cleaner, M-07 Show Car Glaze, M-2616 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax, M-3416 Final Inspection, and M-4016 Vinyl/Rubber Cleaner & Conditioner to name a few.

PBE store is an auto parts store that like a Hard Parts store sells traditional auto parts like spark plugs, starter motors, oil etc. but they also stock and sell Automotive Paint, and Body Shop Supplies and Equipment.

PBE stores don't tend to have large neon signs on the outside of their building because they often lean more to the Mom & Pop type of business than belong to large, nationwide chain stores.

For this reason, these stores a little harder to find. But note this, if your town or city is large enough to have a body shop or two, and also a new car dealership or two, (which probably includes a majority of towns and cities in America), then chances are very good there is at least one PBE store within an acceptable driving area from where you live and work.

Here are three ways to find a PBE store in your area,

1) Meguiar's Online Dealer Locater
Simple click on the link above, type in your Zip-Code and then select the Meguiar's Professional Products option. Hopefully this will give you some accurate leads.


2) Look in the Yellow Pages of your local phone book. Look under the Automotive section under Paint Supplies, (or something similar). Often, if there is a PBE store in your area they will place an add in the local yellow pages. A quick phone call will tell you if they do indeed sell body shop supplies and carry Meguiar's Professional Line.


3) This is probably the easiest and simplest, but not always the fastest way to find a PBE store. The next time you're out driving around and you see a Body Shop that is open. Pull over, and locate someone who is wearing jeans and looks like they work in the shop. Often times their clothes will be dirty because the refinishing business is a dirty business. Ask this person,


"Where does your shop purchase their paint, compounds and polishes at?"


Chances are very good he is going to tell you about a local PBE store, also called a Paint Store, (but not house paint), and point you in the right direction.


Those are three ways to locate a PBE Store in your hometown.


Important Note: After you locate a PBE Store in your hometown, upon exploring the store, if you do not find the Meguiar's product you are looking for, whether it be a Professional Line product or a Detailer Line product, but you do see other Meguiar's products in tan bottles with numbers, rest assure they can order the specific product you're looking for, simply ask one of the counter people if they can help you out.

Sometimes it will help if you have either a Meguiar's Professional Catalog with your are the part number for the product you are looking for. For example, if you're dying to try out Meguiar's very popular quick detailer in the *New* Detailer Line, the part number is D15501 and the name is Last Touch Spray Detailer



I hope this helps...

[Nacho_Z71]

Re: M21 Durability?

WOW! So much information in a fast amount of time. Thanks Mike!!!

[trooper99]

Re: M21 Durability?

Yes, but the question was about comparative protection times. I can put cheap Citgo oil in my car and change it every 3000 miles, or I can put M1-EP and change it every 15,000.

I also use #21, and I was of the understanding that the synthetic wax is supposed to last longer, i.e. not require as frequent applications to maintain the protection barrier. I can only compare the length to zaino's which lasted longer, but I really didn’t like the ‘look’.

So I think it’s still a valid question, does the #21 ‘generally’ last longer?

[RDVT4ME]

Re: M21 Durability?

What you are asking is very subjective. In general, I like M21 better than NXT. I feel it looks better longer. But, you will probably get people that dissagree with that statement.

Right now I have an experiment going on my vette. On one side of the vette I have M21. On the other side I have Gnome Wax from Barry's Speed Shop (the Wrecks to Riches guys). I applied both in June. The only thing I've done since then is use Meguiars detail spray on the M21 side and the Gnome detail spray on the other. Both sides look great.

Now you also need to take into account that my vette which is a daily driver, is parked in a garage at home and parked in an underground garage at work. So it does not get much abuse from the weather.

My recommendation would be to try M21. You can get 12 oz samples from some online vendors and I believe you can get a 16 oz bottle from Meguiars.

When using M21, remember that a little goes a long way (just like the Zaino you used).

[ebpcivicsi]

Re: M21 Durability?

5 months in Memphis--washed weekly, stored outside at night, inside during the day, no QD's, no other maintenance outside of washing. Pretty durable stuff IMO. IIRC, I applied two thin coats in late April, this was during *heavy* pollen season and continued through our brutal summers. It really could have used a "refresher" during the last month, but it continued to repel water during washing, beading during the rain, and retained a smooth feel while drying. FWIW, I used NXT wash during the 5 month period.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M21 Durability?

Weird, we've answered this question 3 times and each time we hit the "Submit Reply" button the answer disappears?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M21 Durability?

Barry has 3 video clips you can watch and he addresses wax protection and longevity in these clips, check them out and if you have any further questions post them here or start a new thread,

Clip 1

Clip 2

Clip 3

Check it out!

[RamAirV1]

Re: M21 Durability?

IMHO #21 has better durability and a similar look to NXT, so I would recommend giving it a try.

RamAirV1