NXT: Is it Durable?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by sonicblue02
Hey Mike,
Did you find out anything yet from R&D about the durability and stuff like that? Thanks.

It's still Tuesday. (At least in California )

[breastroker]

Hey a lot of people don't know how hard we have it in Kalifornia. Last weekend it was 93-95, hot all week and nice in the 80's this week end. Too nice to wax:p

So I just washed with NXT, used the NXT Booster wax and some final detail. The NXT wax looks as good as when I put it on several weeks ago (2-8-04). So after a month the car still gets strangers talking to me in parking lots. They don't know much about great shines, but they do comment on the great paint and how great the car looks.

Men and more importantly women love the Mercedes color (Orion blue, semi-metallic).

Looks far better longer than the Griots Best of Show I used to use.

[breastroker]

Tim, it's pronounced Kalifornia The Governator is actually doing a great job, even has the Democrats promoting his tax plans.

Last weekend was too hot, but does bring out the babes in the bikinis.


The old governor we booted out did not even know the price of bread or gasoline!!!!! He went on TV and said he was amazed at how much every thing cost. Talk about a sheltered life. I know people who have seen Arnold at gas stations filling his Hummers, so I know he knows the price of gas. We are at $2.19 for regular and $2.39 for premium.

Down in Orange County where Mike lives it may have been hotter.
Of course there ain't an Orange grove left in Orange County, not for 30 years!!!

[Larry A]

As far as durability of Nxt is concerned I think most people would be happy to know how it compares with other Meguiars waxes. All things being equal as far as prep is concerend which meguiars wax offers the most protection , longest lasting shine , highest inital shine gloss and dept and how many car washes with Meguiars car wash soap does it take to remove #6 #20 #26 #16 cleaner wax Gold Class And NXT, And Deep Crystal ? Im sure their is a chemist that knowes the results of all his testing.

[RamAirV1]

I have had birds dump on my NXT treated car a few times. No etching and the residue came right off. That's a good sign!

The NXT has held up just fine through some snowfall/road salt molasses cycles.

Breaststroker, that Orion Blue looks very similar to the Impulse Blue on my GTO. The #81 and NXT combo looks great on it. I wasn't sure if blue could really benefit from #81 but it does.

I will be comparing NXT to MPPP which has always been the most durable wax for me. I do have to say that MPPP is harder to apply and remove than the NXT is. As a result I will probably be using the NXT more often. Besides, I'm hooked on that key lime aroma! At first, I thought it was too strong, but now I say don't change it!

My dad uses #20 in his Grand Prix and it has held up very well also. #20 would be a good thing to compare to NXT also.

RamAirV1

[sonicblue02]

Ok Mike, I have given you plenty of time. Have you heard anything back from R&D yet?? Thanks.

[rjstaaf]

Mike isn't going to be able to tell you how long NXT Tech Wax is going to last on your car. Frankly I wouldn't trust any company that would. There is no way to tell. There are soo many variables that affect your finish that there is no way to take it all into account.

I can tell you on my Mustang it has lasted a bit over 2 months so far. In that time we have had rain, an ice storm and a couple of days of snow with the accompanying road sand/salt. The paint still looks great and the beading is still round with no pooling but, It has taken its toll on my finish and I will probably detail the car this weekend.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by sonicblue02
Ok Mike, I have given you plenty of time. Have you heard anything back from R&D yet?? Thanks.

Yes.

I stay pretty busy with my job and it's easy to get caught up in the most recent discussions, plus the usual tasks at hand. I in no way meant to not get back to this thread.

Your orignial question that started this thread was,

NXT: Is it Durable?

Tech Wax is now Meguiar's best protecting wax. That means the polymer layer it leaves behind on your finish will protect your finish better than any of our other waxes, and probably better than any other wax on the market.

That brings up some other issues which I will address after lunch.



Mike

[breastroker]

Mike, Lunch is over. We are all waiting for your book. You know you just have to set aside time for it every day. In your case you might have between 2 am amd 4 am free

So far the NXT wax is as durable as any I have used. Still looks great, but I do touch it up with the NXT booster wax, so that may be cheating.

[sonicblue02]

WOW! this really is a long lunch just kidding Mike, whenever you ahve the time.

[sonicblue02]

Mike,
You stated a bit ago,
"Tech Wax is now Meguiar's best protecting wax. That means the polymer layer it leaves behind on your finish will protect your finish better than any of our other waxes, and probably better than any other wax on the market.

That brings up some other issues which I will address after lunch. "

Just wondering if you could inform us on these other issues. Thanks a million.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi sonicblue02,

I appreciate your persistence, I have many irons in the fire, and it's easy to always be focused on what's right in front of you...

The other issues have to do with comparison testing.

I noticed after Tech Wax came out, a majority of the feedback has been positive, that is people really like how Tech Wax makes their paint look good.

Then, some people decided that since it's passing the Appearance Quality Test, they would check it out for durability.

This brings up the issues.

From what I can tell, most people judge how well a wax is protecting by how well it beads water. Yet this isn't a good indicator. It is an indicator of high surface tension, but that's about it.

Other things that influence how long a wax lasts are things like

* What soap is used to wash the finish with?
* Hand washing or Automatic car washes (Tunnel Washes which usually use strong chemicals)
* How many coats were applied to start with
* How well was the surface prepared to accept the wax

These and of course many other factors....

I seen quite a bit of chatter on Autopia about the salt on the road and how Tech Wax didn't hold up against that. Salt can affect surface tension, thus water could stop beading because of the salt in the water, but the protection is still there.

There are so many different factors that affect protection and durability, that I find it kind of useless to try to analyze it let alone test it. I'm never going to convince someone that already has his or her mind made up that Tech Wax out protects another brand.

So... I really don't want to spend a lot of time typing about it.

Meguiar's knows paint. They know how to make a coating that will protect the finish as much as is possible from a coating that is measured in microns. Tech Wax uses brand new polymer technology, we call it ESP, which stands for Engineered Synthetic Polylmers. These polymers are both water and detergent resistant. They bond strongly to the surface and protect your finish from attack and deterioration.

To me, it comes down to having confidence in the company. Which I do. After that, because I trust Meguiar's, then it comes back to... How good does my finish look?

I mean, nobody ever goes up to the owner of a car ands says,

"Wow! That's some nice looking protection you have there!"

That just doesn't happen.

What really happens is this,

Wow! Your finish looks great! It looks as though your paint is wet!

That's what really happens.

Tech Wax protects your paint and makes it look great. How can you measure protection and durability... too many variables. Choose who you want to trust and go with it.

* If you trust Meguiar's
* If you want your finish to look good
* If you want a product that's easy to use, affordable and accessible
* If you believe Meguiar's unique background and relationships with the OEM and Paint Manufactures provides Meguiar's with a competitive edge over the competition

* If you believe more Best of Class Winners and Best of Show winners at the most prestigious car show in the world, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, for as long as records have been kept, reflects, (no pun intended), on the quality of what's inside the bottle...

Then choose Meguiar’s.

Protection and Durability – easy to question... hard to prove.

That's why I always say,

"Find something you like and use it often"

Mike

[RamAirV1]

I judge durability based on how slick the surface of my paint feels after washing. Is this not a valid method? True, I use the NXT wash most of the time. I don't know if it adds slickness and/or protection or not. If the NXT wash adds protection, then that is fine with me. My paint maintained it's slickness even after using GC car wash, even though it does not contain protectants to my knowledge.

I used Tech Wax on my TA before I traded it and it held up just fine to road salt. As a matter of fact it appeared to hold up just as well as MPPP.

People are always going to differ on how durable different paint sealants are, as they will also have different opinions on which ones improve the appearance of paint the most. That's just the nature of car enthusiasts!

RamAirV1

[RamAirV1]

NXT two weeks later

Today I washed my GTO with NXT Car Wash. When I rinsed the car off, the water did not sheet off the horizontal surfaces like it did when I washed it last weekend. There were beads on the hood trunk and rear deck but they were very flat, more like blotches than beads. I had to use 3 towels to dry the car off, whereas it only took one last week. The sides of the car sheeted very nicely. But the look on the hood was similar to what happens when the wax is wearing off.
Last weekend was the first time I did not apply either NXT Tech Wax or the Spray Booster Wax. I did use Final Detail after after last weekend's car wash. The sides of the car feel noticeably slicker than the hood, roof and trunk. This makes me wonder if there is a durability issue with NXT, at least with my paint. Maybe the Spray Booster Wax needs to be applied at least every two weeks to maintain slickness and sheeting/beading. The shine is still excellent though.

Durability of NXT seemed better on the TA, but then again there were two coats of MPPP underneath the NXT.

I guess the next thing to do is apply NXT Tech Wax to half of the hood and MPPP to the other half and then compare durability.

RamAirV1

[rusty bumper]

I read in one of Meguiar's magazines that a sure way to tell if the wax protection is gone, is to wash & dry the car, and then take a clean, folded terry towel and twist it back & forth on the paint with downward hand pressure and listen for a squeeking sound...If it squeeks, then the protection is gone.

I have noticed this many times when I was removing a cleaner or polish...But I have never tried it just after washing & drying a car yet.

Maybe this could be the ultimate protection test?