Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

[walletless]

Car: Super Black 2012 Nissan Altima (daily driver)
Goal: Logetevity. I plan to only detail my car once a year. I know that wax won't last long, but I want it to last as long as it can in NorCal hot weather. I will be using UQW throughout the year as well.
Plan: Will wash/dry (ONR v3), remove some deep scratches (Megs UC), clay (Mothers Clay Paint restoration system), remove some light swirls (Megs SwirlX), touch-up some chips, polish (Megs UP), Seal (Collonite 845). I'll be using Megs Ultimate Quick wax every other week when I wash my car.
Tools: PC 7424xp with Megs 7" polishing pad (for UC and SwirlX), Finishing pad (for collonite and topping wax).

Which of these waxes would you use for the job?


I am sure the cleaner wax is useless after applying collonite 845.. so lets rule that out.
From the other three, which one best first the job?

• Big White High Temperature Paste Wax (I thought Carnauba has the best temperature resitance among non-synthetic wax.. is this really a marketing gimmick of some sort?)
• Megs Ultimate Paste Wax (seems synthetic - similar to Collonite.. I am not sure this will be a good topper)
• Megs Ultimate Liquid Wax
• Megs Gold Class Carnauba Plus (seems like the best fit to my n00b eyes..)

besides the form (paste vs. liquid), what are the differences between Ultimate Paste & Ultimate Liquid Wax?

[Shawn T.]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

You really don't have to top 845. It has great longevity and looks really good all by itself. However, I would probably go with Gold Class out of the ones you list if you really wanted to top.

[ffboy]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

None, however i would use 845 or the big white to top the ultimate wax or gold class or cleaner wax.

[Mark58]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

None! 854 works great by itself. It was designed as high voltage INSULATOR wax, so if it works on insulators it sure will work on your car. As far as topping it with something else in my opinion it is a myth. Your Gold class and Ultimate wax will last and look just as good if not better then any wax you might try including 845.I have done few tests on Black car with many different waxes and sealants and could not tell any difference and they all last about same length of time. Save your money and use what you have. I also purchased some Blackfire products and they did same as everything else I tried. It is all in the PREP WORK which is the most important step. Waxes and sealents will NOT give you the shine but protect your paint after your PREP work.
Just my opinion and my 2 cents. I would appreciate if someone would correct me if I am wrong.

[ethereal45]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

Also reading through your post:

- You should clay after washing, before doing anything elese
- If you use Ultimate Compound, follow it up with Ultimate Polish. You don't need SwirlX if you are using ultimate polish, nor do you need cleaner wax.

[BrightonRT]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

As everyone else said, you don't really need to top 845, but if you absolutely want to and are looking for durability, I would go with the Ultimate Liquid Wax.I've used both that and the Gold Class on my black car, and the Ultimate will give you the longest lasting wax Meguiars offers with a look that is nearly as good as the Gold Class on black.

[walletless]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

Thanks everyone. Ok, that was unanimously loud & clear :-) No need to top 845.

I already have 845 too, so I am not buying separately..

Would either of you use a cleaner wax before 845? The car is only 3 months new (no idea how long it sat at the dealers.. it did come with DISO). If so, cleaner wax is before polish or after polish?

[Mark58]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

Polish is most misunderstood word! To Polish a car you are removing old wax and getting down to bare surface of the paint. Paint needs to be polished perfectly so you are getting rid of any minor scratches and then you follow up with 845. It is very simple, you POLISH it to perfection as you would like it to look then seal or wax (using your 845) or Ultimate liquid wax.

[walletless]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

- You should clay after washing, before doing anything elese

Yes, but touch-up paint needs to be dried for atleast a week or so before using polish. If I do this after claying, I will have to polish the entire car and leave the areas where I touchedup.. and come back a few week later and polish the touched up area. (As it is, I need to come back and wax the area after a month since it is not good to apply sealant or wax on fresh paint before letting it fully heal)

- If you use Ultimate Compound, follow it up with Ultimate Polish. You don't need SwirlX if you are using ultimate polish, nor do you need cleaner wax.

Yes, but since UC is more aggressive, I plan to use UC for the deeper scratches, and SwirlX for the lighter swirls

[walletless]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

Actually ethereal45, I think I will follow your advice and just touch up later.. I am not waxing the area anyway, so I can just use prepsol and clean the area before touching up later..
So steps are:

Wash/Dry: ONR v3
Clay: Mothers Clay System
Remove Scratches/swirls: Megs UC/Megs SwirlX
Polish: Megs UP
Seal: Collonite 845

Later, when I have time, I will clean the area that needs touch-up paint on some chips, apply touchup. Once that area is dry, I will polish, and apply wax using a hand applicator (the area is small enough that I won't need machine for it.. just a 1x1 square-feet area).

[ffboy]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

For not-so-intense or detailed detailing, i would just use cleaner wax before the 845. Cleaner waxes offer cleaning, polishing and protection. If you have corrected and maintained it properly (by not instilling any more swirls) cleaner waxes are very good all-in-one products, and I would use it regularly. Then seal it with 845. The 845 is an extremely durable wax, just remember to apply it real thin and not to let it haze up for too long or you may encounter smearing with it. I would apply it 1 panel at a time, and use a microfiber type applicator, but since you have a D/A polisher, use a finishing pad (megs black finishing pad) and spread as thin as possible.

The 845 in my experience is a "bright" wax. But it still looks good on black, looks bright but still has that warmth associated with traditional carnauba wax. And it beads water real well, if you like water beading, 845 will please you. How it sheds water vs. ultimate wax is a different matter though..

Collinite recommends working in an area no bigger than 2x2ft sections, when it dries to a haze remove excess. Your car being black will show those smears if the product is not applied properly.

For Full detail/correction, ultimate compound ultimate polish/swirlX is the more potent combination. Honestly, I think it will be very hard to see the difference between whatever wax/sealant you use, since most of the shine and durability you'll be getting will be dependent on how well the paint has been prepped before waxing. But for durability and shine, you can experiment between most of the waxes you have vs. the 845.

[ffboy]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

This thread just gave me a reason to apply 845, again, layered on top of NXT 2.0... NXT has a slighltly thicker look than 845, but 845 seems to have a brighter look. Slickness is virtually the same

[umi000]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

I'd do it differently - use FK1000p as my sealant base (and yes, FK1000p is synthetic - it's kind of like a paste sealant), then top with 845 - this should give you the best durability.

[walletless]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

thanks for the suggestion.. since this is my first ever detail, and the guinnie pig is my own daily driver, based on the advice on this thread, I decided to cut down the steps.
For now, I have also decided to skip claying until I get comfortable with polishing. I read several "horror story" threads where claying caused marring because of wrong technique.. I don't want to mix too many things together the very first time.. I'll leave claying for 6-months later.

So here is what I decided:
1) Wash/Dry: ONR v3
2) Remove Scratches around chips: Megs UC
3) Remove Chips: Touch-up paint (multiple thin layers using OEM color and toothpick. Let it dry for 1 week)
4) Remove Swirls: Megs SwirlX
5) Polish: Megs UP
6) Seal: Collonite 845 (will not seal around touched up areas.. will follow that up after a month)

If time permits, I might apply another layer of 845 after a month or so. I think between SwirlX & UP, I should be able to remove most swirls/scratches and some over-surface contaminants. I realize this is not a substitute for claying, but my motto for now is "better safe than sorry".
Thanks again everyone for valuable inputs.

[walletless]

Re: Which of these waxes would you use on top of Collonite 845?

I'd do it differently - use FK1000p as my sealant base (and yes, FK1000p is synthetic - it's kind of like a paste sealant), then top with 845 - this should give you the best durability.

Thanks- I'll keep that in mind. I have FK1000p already - I'll probably do what you said. I am reading a couple "how-to" articles on FK1000p.