NXT 2.0 Review

[3Fitty]

I've been a Meguiars user for about 15-16 years (primarily using the consumer line) and I detail my cars and the cars of other family members as a hobby (ie: I am not a pro).

I recently purchased NXT 2.0 (even though I had half a bottle of the original NXT) at home. This weekend I finally got a chance to put it to the test (on two cars). Here are my impressions:

The first thing I noticed off the bat is that it appears to have a thicker consistency than the original (maybe "creamier" is a better word). Same great smell.

I start by applying by hand (as I figured this would give me a better feel for it). Without a doubt it goes on smoother. Was able to quickly cover half of my hood and move on to the other half. Nice even coverage and putting on a "thin" layer seemed easier with 2.0.

I waited about a 1/2 hour for it to dry (probably dried quicker) but I just wanted to be 100% sure. I did the swipe test and wax appeared dry.

I started to remove the wax using two high quality MF towels. Once again, 2.0 seemed MUCH easier to remove than the original (not that the original was difficult - this is just easier). Before long, the entire car was done.

Waited 12 hours and re-waxed the car in the morning. Second coat was as easy as the first. I didn't take any pictures, but as far as shine is concerned, I didn't see a discernible difference from the original. The next test will be to see how long it lasts.

So to sum up here's how I think it stacked up to the original.

Ease of Application: Definite edge to 2.0.

Dry Time: About the same as the original.

Ease of Removal: Definite edge to 2.0.

Shine: About the same.

Long term durability: Not able to determine.

*Note: I had originally planned to do my wife's car hood 1/2 with the original half with 2.0, but I chose to go full 2.0 because we'll be taking a 9 hour drive Thursday night (into Friday morning) which will definitely attract a lot of "elements". I wanted to ensure I had the best protection available. I will do a long term comparison at another time.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

Thanks for sharing your review with the community, were glad you like the NXT 2.0

Keep us updated on your experience...

[Andy M.]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

Hey Guys,

I tried it for the first time this weekend also. I love the stuff! I think there was a deeper wet look shine with the 2.0 than the original. And in staying with NXT tradition, the car looks even better this morning than it did when I first applied it. Hopefully the claims of better longevity will prove true and correct.

Andy
101impala

[3Fitty]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

Hey Guys,

I tried it for the first time this weekend also. I love the stuff! I think there was a deeper wet look shine with the 2.0 than the original. And in staying with NXT tradition, the car looks even better this morning than it did when I first applied it. Hopefully the claims of better longevity will prove true and correct.

Andy
101impala

Andy,

One of the reasons I may have been unable to see the difference is because of the color of my cars (white and silver). They're not exactly the most conducive to evaluating depth of shine.

I'm looking forward to seeing the longevity as well.

[Emig5m]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

I can't believe it hides swirls by hand better then Autoglym Super Resin Polish which was my former favorite for hiding swirls by hand, lol. It's definitely better then that and the old NXT where at a certain time of day/angle you can see pretty bad swirls in my paint and after I clayed which removed the fillers from the Super Resin Polish the swirls really jumped out but after just one coat of NXT 2.0 even at the right time of day and looking at the side the sun hits at just the right angle when I can normally see the swirls I couldn't seen anything! This impressed me the most about the NXT 2.0.

Can anyone verify that they increased the performance of swirl fillers in 2.0 because I've never seen my swirls hidden so well (they're pretty much not there anymore, lol, from any angle in the sun), especially directly after claying and not doing any polish what so ever - just wash, clay, and one coat of NXT 2.0 and I've never seen my finish so brand new/swirl free (got the truck used and the previous owner must not of used proper wash techniques.) I've done five passes of Super Resin Polish on my hood before and one coat of NXT 2.0 beats it out!

And yes, it looks a lot less artificial then the old NXT and more smooth/natural like #26 (but with a more mirror finish and what seems like a ton of swirl fillers which is nice for lazy guys like me who just wanna clay and wax and be done with it, lol) It's real easy to apply and remove but I still think #26 liquid is the easiest to apply/remove I've ever used before. Oh, and I remember the old NXT (especially the original paste) used to make white dust when removing, no longer in 2.0. I prefer liquid version of waxes when available.

As a single step wax for people like me who don't have the energy to do five different polish steps after claying and topping a synthetic with say a carnauba like #26, NXT 2.0 is superior to anything I've ever used before (from Liquid Glass to AutoGlym Super Resin Polish). It does everything right and nothing wrong! Actually it does do one thing wrong, it makes me want to throw out all my other waxes and polishes I've spent a lot on and collected over the years because I won't be using (or needing) them anymore, lol.

[RamAirV1]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

I have used the NXT 2.0 Paste version and would agree that it does a very good job of hiding swirls. That is a big plus when you use it on a daily driver.

Don't shy away from using the paste version if you're interested, it is also easy to use. It looks great too.

Wallyworld now has the 2.0 Paste BTW.

RamAirV1

[3Fitty]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

Okay... I'm updating this review for two reasons:

1. For the sake of updating and;

2. For the sake of finding out if I'm doing something wrong.

The update is a little bit disappointing. I still LOVE the NXT 2.0 but I'm not that happy with the longevity (and I'm not sure it lasts any longer than 1.0), at least not in my test.

As you can see, my original post was made on April 21, 2008. This was the last time I did the full job on my wife's Honda CR-V. When I did the big job, I washed with NXT, clayed, used DC paint cleaner, #7 and two coats of NXT 2.0, 12 hours apart.

Everything was done by hand and I think my prep work was quite good. The car felt like butter when I was done and I was EXTREMELY happy with the quality of the shine.

About a week later, the family went on a 1200 mile round trip excursion. Bugs weren't to bad on the drive, but we did experience one bout of bad bugs that lasted about 1 1/2 hours on the way to our destination. When we arrived, I washed my car with NXT (brought all my supplies with me because I wanted to do my Dad's car) and the bugs came off really easy.

Again, I was really happy with how the NXT 2.0 performed.

However, today was the new test. I wanted to see how it was lasting. The first thing I did (a couple of days ago) was to run my finger across the paint to see if it squeaked. I think I read Mike wrote that if it squeaks, there is no wax left (or vice versa). In any event, it squeaked, so I was concerned.

Then today, I went to wash it and nothing. No beading, no sheeting no nothing. Water just hung out on the hood like it was having a memorial day picnic. There was NO wax left on the hood.

Now, the car is just over a year old, the paint is in great condition, but it is NOT garage parked and exposed to the elements. We have had about 5-7 days of rain in the last six weeks (some heavy), so I'm sure that has had some effect, but to be honest, I was really hoping to get more than 5-6 weeks out of a wax job.

So, that brings me to point #2. Is there something I might be doing (not doing) which affects longevity? When I was cleaning the bugs of the car, I noticed beading and sheeting like crazy, so I know there was wax on the car. Even as it sat in the rain (in the driveway) I would see beading on the hood, but today there was nothing, nada, zilch.

Any thoughts on what I might try to improve my results?

BTW, all work was done by hand.

[Derrick]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

Did you use any products like UQD or NXT spray wax to help maintain it? I'm shocked to see the wax protection went away so fast. You know another good way to test and see if it needs to be rewaxed is to use some QD and when it begins to be slow to wipe off then it is usually time to rewax. The 1200 mile trip may have played a big part in the longevity but i usually get about 2 months of protection out of a good wax job on my daily driver and it gets driven alot and never garaged.

[Emig5m]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

Well I agree on the longevity...doesn't seem to last any longer then 1.0. I used UQD for weekly washes and it didn't seem to help it last at all (we've had A LOT of rain here though, but it just sits in the rain and isn't driven).

I'll still use it for it's swirl hiding ability and looks though....no complaints there. I'm wondering if topping it with a pure wax, say #26 for example will help it (and it's swirl hiding abilities) last longer? The most durable sealant I've ever used to date is Liquid Glass. Even after two washes with Dawn that stuff will still bead good, it just doesn't have nowhere near the swirl hiding ability of NXT 2.0.

If they could somehow get the durability of LG while not messing up its other strengths it would be the perfect product in every way. In the meantime, what do you guys think about topping it with #26 for the sake of making it last longer? (I assume you would want to top it with a pure wax with no or very little cleaners so you don't strip any of the 2.0 off)

[3Fitty]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

Derrick,

During the 5 weeks, I used the NXT spray wax twice and the UQD about 5 times (once a week).

[Alfisti]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

I can't believe it hides swirls by hand better then Autoglym Super Resin Polish which was my former favorite for hiding swirls by hand, lol. It's definitely better then that and the old NXT where at a certain time of day/angle you can see pretty bad swirls in my paint and after I clayed which removed the fillers from the Super Resin Polish the swirls really jumped out but after just one coat of NXT 2.0 even at the right time of day and looking at the side the sun hits at just the right angle when I can normally see the swirls I couldn't seen anything! This impressed me the most about the NXT 2.0.

Can anyone verify that they increased the performance of swirl fillers in 2.0 because I've never seen my swirls hidden so well (they're pretty much not there anymore, lol, from any angle in the sun), especially directly after claying and not doing any polish what so ever - just wash, clay, and one coat of NXT 2.0 and I've never seen my finish so brand new/swirl free (got the truck used and the previous owner must not of used proper wash techniques.) I've done five passes of Super Resin Polish on my hood before and one coat of NXT 2.0 beats it out!

And yes, it looks a lot less artificial then the old NXT and more smooth/natural like #26 (but with a more mirror finish and what seems like a ton of swirl fillers which is nice for lazy guys like me who just wanna clay and wax and be done with it, lol) It's real easy to apply and remove but I still think #26 liquid is the easiest to apply/remove I've ever used before. Oh, and I remember the old NXT (especially the original paste) used to make white dust when removing, no longer in 2.0. I prefer liquid version of waxes when available.

As a single step wax for people like me who don't have the energy to do five different polish steps after claying and topping a synthetic with say a carnauba like #26, NXT 2.0 is superior to anything I've ever used before (from Liquid Glass to AutoGlym Super Resin Polish). It does everything right and nothing wrong! Actually it does do one thing wrong, it makes me want to throw out all my other waxes and polishes I've spent a lot on and collected over the years because I won't be using (or needing) them anymore, lol.

Great description.

[Alfisti]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

When I did the big job, I washed with NXT, clayed, used DC paint cleaner, #7 and two coats of NXT 2.0, 12 hours apart....

...Any thoughts on what I might try to improve my results?

I'd drop the #7 glaze. I find 'oily' glazes compromise sealant durability. They work work better with carnauba waxes.

Besides, I don't think NXT needs it.

[3Fitty]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

I was worried someone might suggest that! The only problem is that I once did a portion of my wife's car with #7 and a portion without (actually each front quarter panel). I asked her to come out and tell me if she saw a difference and immediately picked the side with #7 as having the better shine.

[badasis300]

Re: NXT 2.0 Review

I agree about the longevity of NXT it does not last.


[quote=Emig5m;218245]Well I agree on the longevity...doesn't seem to last any longer then 1.0. I used UQD for weekly washes and it didn't seem to help it last at all (we've had A LOT of rain here though, but it just sits in the rain and isn't driven).