Which Cleaner wax?

[NorthantsPete]

So, for my daily driver and due to time constraints (as well as great feedback to these underdog products) Ive decided to use the Paste cleaning wax (in the maroon tub A1214) so it can clean a step further than the weekly wash and apply a coating of wax. Ive already detailed the car with UC and UP, so want to top this up.

I have however stumbled across a professional line version Meguiar's M6 Mirror Glaze Cleaner Wax

Do you think this would be a bette rproduct or is it too harsh for regular use?

Which would give best wax protection?

Ive also seen a Mothers cannuba cleaner wax, does the meguairs have much cannuba in it?

[Don]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

If you have already used the UC and UP, then there is no need for a cleaner-wax. All you should need is a finishing wax or sealant to top off the work you've already done to keep it protected. Personally, I stay pretty much within the Ultimate line of products and follow the UC/UP with Ultimate Liquid Wax because it's easier to use sparingly on a pc and loses nothing over the paste version.

And no, M6 is not to harsh for regular use

[Top Gear]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

I use Detailer Finishing Wax (D301), along with the other pro-grade DAMF components. It's a carnauba-based cleaner-wax with a blueish, dark/wet finish. I haven't used M6, so I don't know how it finishes, but it's also a carnauba-based cleaner-wax. Cleaner-waxes are not harsh in the least, and will not harm your prior polishing work - they will pull dirt off the surface you didn't know was there, though. Gold Class Quik Wax, also based on carnauba, is your best bet for carnauba maintenance between regular waxings.

[NorthantsPete]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

yeah im more interested, as its a daily driver, to drag the dirt out after say 3 months of harsh contaminates. I dont want to be clayign all the time, and i dont want to be waxing on top of contaminates, hence the cleaner waax.

while i understand i dont need cleaner was after my initial prep, months down the line I will need to clean and wax as i go.. to keep it looking good until say next year i do a total pull down and re-do of CB, UP, Wax

[The Guz]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

So, for my daily driver and due to time constraints (as well as great feedback to these underdog products) Ive decided to use the Paste cleaning wax (in the maroon tub A1214) so it can clean a step further than the weekly wash and apply a coating of wax. Ive already detailed the car with UC and UP, so want to top this up.

I have however stumbled across a professional line version Meguiar's M6 Mirror Glaze Cleaner Wax

Do you think this would be a bette rproduct or is it too harsh for regular use?

Which would give best wax protection?

Ive also seen a Mothers cannuba cleaner wax, does the meguairs have much cannuba in it?

M6 and A12 are very similar. It is not a question of one being better than the other. Both will offer the same amount of protection. Both are carnauba based products.

If you have already used the UC and UP, then there is no need for a cleaner-wax. All you should need is a finishing wax or sealant to top off the work you've already done to keep it protected. Personally, I stay pretty much within the Ultimate line of products and follow the UC/UP with Ultimate Liquid Wax because it's easier to use sparingly on a pc and loses nothing over the paste version.

And no, M6 is not to harsh for regular use

I'm with Don on this one. You have already done all the hard work with UC and UP. Seeing as this is your daily I would finish it off with one of the many sealants (NXT, Ultimate Wax, M21, Paint Protect 365). Then for your maintenance you would only need something like ultimate quik wax until you need to polish again. Keep the car as clean as possible by washing it routinely and you can limit the amount of contaminants. This will save you more time than applying a cleaner wax more often. It is recommended to clay once or twice a year.

[Top Gear]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

yeah im more interested, as its a daily driver, to drag the dirt out after say 3 months of harsh contaminates. I dont want to be clayign all the time, and i dont want to be waxing on top of contaminates, hence the cleaner waax.

while i understand i dont need cleaner was after my initial prep, months down the line I will need to clean and wax as i go.. to keep it looking good until say next year i do a total pull down and re-do of CB, UP, Wax

That's easy. You've already have a great carnauba-based cleaner-wax that will look amazing, so once you get a good "correction" and clean surface, you just maintain it, a little bit every day or few days as needed. As the weeks and months go by, if you very regularly use a "California Duster" and wipe the car down with UWWA (to clean) and GCQW (to boost), you won't at all need to clay or re-wax for a very long time, as long as you want, assuming you use the spray products liberally enough to maintain full protection. You won't have to clay again for years, if ever, but the paint will be baby smooth. You might want to re-wax monthly, but in the real world you can go as long as 6 months or more without a full re-waxing, and you might even bucket-wash only a couple of times during all that. This is the power of regular maintenance, by which you can effectively "clay" little by little over time, and using a QW like Gold Class QW is re-waxing. However, no matter how often you waterless wash, bucket wash, QW, etc, you'll still have grime build-up, so the cleaner-wax offers a minimum level of cleaning when you do re-wax, and also eliminates the need for a regular dedicated clay step.

This is why non-cleaner "sealant" waxes are way over-hyped IMO, especially on forums, because, while they do provide protection and are waxes like any other, they do not help with regular maintenance in this way. They get just as dirty and need just as much cleaning and boosting as any other finish, which means we're wiping them right off just like anything else. Worse still, people seem to believe pure synthetics automatically last significantly longer and "seal" in some literal sense - and in a way that carnauba-synthetic blends somehow could not - thus by "sealing" instead of "waxing" they assume they won't have to "re-seal" or do as much maintenance as often. Oddly, nearly anyone will agree, if grudgingly, that carnauba-blended waxes look better

Lastly, it doesn't matter one little bit if you use UC and UP with a carnauba and/or cleaner-wax. UC/UP are great basic correction solutions which can be finished with any protection from any line (I used them with Gold Class LW for a couple of years to great effect). Try both the A1214 and M6 you already have and see what you like on your paint, then go from there.

[billddrummer]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

M6 and A12 are very similar. It is not a question of one being better than the other. Both will offer the same amount of protection. Both are carnauba based products.



I'm with Don on this one. You have already done all the hard work with UC and UP. Seeing as this is your daily I would finish it off with one of the many sealants (NXT, Ultimate Wax, M21, Paint Protect 365). Then for your maintenance you would only need something like ultimate quik wax until you need to polish again. Keep the car as clean as possible by washing it routinely and you can limit the amount of contaminants. This will save you more time than applying a cleaner wax more often. It is recommended to clay once or twice a year.

Question on claying frequency: I was under the impression it depended on how many miles you drove and whether contaminants were constant in your environment. (I recall seeing a thread on this forum that suggested you may need to clay right after someone spray painted in the vicinity even if you had just done it.)

I use the plastic bag test to see whether I need to, and usually do it 4-5x/year since I have a high mileage daily driver ( crossed 7,000 miles this week, had the car 3 months).

Will spend part of Father's Day doing UP to get more of the swirl marks out (last time was about 70% successful with UC, but will use a less aggressive method this time). I fully expect to have to clay beforehand, even though I did it just about a month ago--but that was 2000+ miles ago.

[The Guz]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

Question on claying frequency: I was under the impression it depended on how many miles you drove and whether contaminants were constant in your environment. (I recall seeing a thread on this forum that suggested you may need to clay right after someone spray painted in the vicinity even if you had just done it.)

I use the plastic bag test to see whether I need to, and usually do it 4-5x/year since I have a high mileage daily driver ( crossed 7,000 miles this week, had the car 3 months).

Will spend part of Father's Day doing UP to get more of the swirl marks out (last time was about 70% successful with UC, but will use a less aggressive method this time). I fully expect to have to clay beforehand, even though I did it just about a month ago--but that was 2000+ miles ago.

Contaminants are going to get on the paint the next day after waxing or sealing. Especially if the vehicle sits outside. It also depends on the environment the car is in as you have stated. Say I lived in a very industrial area, I may need to clay more often based on the industrial fall out. If I lived in an area where it was more clean then I would clay less often. Another thing is whether the car sits inside a garage. If you feel the need to clay that many times then by all means go for it. There is no wrong way. 1-2 times a year is sufficient. I personally clay my car twice a year and use a sealant on the paint. Routine maintenance (washing) helps with keeping the contaminants lower than not maintaining.

Now if you have paint overspray that is a different story. Some will not even know if they have paint overspray most of the time.

[Top Gear]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

It depends greatly on when you check for smoothness - after a full bucket wash and dry is a great time, but after a day of driving and parking under a tree, not so much. Even after a full wash it could be that a given area will smooth over with a fresh wipe of QW. Even if you're correcting right after that bucket wash, it could be that any roughness becomes smooth with a pass of cleaner-wax, or certainly with a pass of compound or polish. There's more than one way to get a perfectly "clayed" surface, and honestly, I trust the DA pad more than I trust the clay for almost all situations. As for overspray or the like, that's different. I'd start with a small bucket wash (or intense waterless wash) of the area, then clay as necessary with lots of QD lube, re-correcting as needed. Don't ruin the paint around the overspray dots in the process, though!

[NorthantsPete]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

Armorall sealant has prematurely failed due to a harsh shampoo stripping it back so I've Just pulled the trigger on Meguiars Cleaner Paste wax and the NXT Shampoo. hopefully should keep the paint cleaner for longer and keep on top of the swirls, contaminates and scratches as they appear, being always outside near overhanging bushes and environmental dust (cars parked near a recycling plant at work).

I dont fancy claying often and I dont want to wax over contaminates the shampoos wont remove, so this will be a good cleanign top up every couple of months without multiple steps (it took me a whole day last time, its a big volvo)

[The Guz]

Re: Which Cleaner wax?

What type of shampoo was used? Are you sure it was stripped? Certain shampoos can leave behind surfactants which give the appearance of no protection. But wipe the area down with IPA and the beading and sheeting returns. For example Dawn gives this appearance until it is wiped down with IPA.