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Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts)
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Now I thought, unlike polishing compounds, that NuFinish was a cross-linked (zinc I think) polymer product that is referred to as a polish because it contains no wax.
It doesn't seem abrasive and seems to hold up longer than most carnauba wax products. I question the notion that it scratches the clear coat any more than any of the carriers used for wax like products.
Thoughts on this?
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with NuFInish in any way other than a vehicle owner with new car fever re-searching for the best exterior investment protection.
I feel the two products are similar, but I have some interesting observations...
The application is just a bit different. NuFinish recommends doing a section of the vehicle at a time, while Meguire's directions instruct you to apply to the whole vehicle before buffing. The Meguires carrier is a bit more difficult to remove than NuFinish (perhaps party due to the longer on-vehicle time?) but NXT has less dusting than the NuFinish.
IMO, hands down, the Meguire's produces a deeper, richer shine than NuFinish. In addition, I had some car-wash brush marks on the hood (you had to look real close, on an angle, in the right light to see them) that remained after applying NuFinish, but all but disappeared after the NXT application.
I can't speak to how long the shine/protection holds up, but I think NXT has an edge over NuFinish.
Perhaps this edge justifies that NXT costs a bit over twice as much as NuFinish?
I wonder if anyone uses a carnuba wax product over one of these polymer base products for increased shine/protection?
I'm wondering because the concensus seems to be that the polymer base products offer greater protection with less shine and carnuba wax offers greater shine with less protection (doesn't last as long). But maybe that's just overkill? Then again...if you wash, clay bar, wash again, seal, wax, ect....is there such a thing as overkill? haha
Going back many years now, I have to say I'm more a fan of the polymers than conventional carnuba wax's - the waxes were good for gramps (I don't think dad ever waxed a car!) but now a days I just think the polymers are better.
I'm not so sure about silicones and Teflon.
Thoughts out there about Duponts line of Teflon car 'wax' products ????
But I think it's odd that in all of Auto Exterior, there just seems to be forums for "Zaino" and "Store Bought Waxes".
Is that all there is to auto detailing? Does a post about tire/wheel, vinyl, claying, polishing compounds/procedures, really belong in a forum called store bought waxe's?
What if I wanna get some opinions about the Porter Cable 7424?
I mean I guess it's all being done here in the wax forum, right?
I suppose a subset of Maintenance & Repair could be auto detailing and then a few categories within that.
Since then numerous chat forums have been launched on the internet, either specific to detailing or a car forum with a detailing discussion sub-forum. Nowadays people can get their detailing fix from almost anywhere.
Still, Edmunds brings a lot of people from different walks of life to one place so the perspective is broader. We have hard core detailing nut jobs like me to regular folks who just want to share their experiences. I have my own detailing chat forum but I still come back to Edmunds to hang out and talk about cars.
I've used a few of their products and they're not bad for store bought. The conventional wisdom (supported by DuPont's own statements) is that Teflon adds very little benefit to car wax, but obviously that hasn't stopped them from getting involved in a $775 million/year industry.
What stuff do you want to know about?
Gotta wonder if it's snake oil or not.
"The addition of a Teflon fluoropolymer resin does nothing to enhance the properties of a car wax. We have no data that indicates the use of Teflon is beneficial in car waxes."
I think it's from the 80s. I've heard from some industry people that Dupont makes several variations of Teflon and some are usable in car wax but I don't know anything more than that. Until I see something definitive and verifiable, I'll stick with Dupont's original assertion.
Still, that doesn't mean the Dupont car wax is bad. Just that it's not going to turn your car into a non-stick frying pan. Which is probably a good thing.
It's hard to say what it will take to remove the scratch without seeing it. If it's down to the metal or the primer, it might be able to be reduced but only a body shop will be able to fix it properly. Perhaps a shop that can touch up the scratch, sand it down and buff it out can take care of it.
Sometimes a detailer can use a circular polisher to reduce or remove the scratch, but, yes, it will level the adjacent clearcoat. There is nothing you can do about that.
Lots of potential fixes but no perfect solution, unfortunately.
First, I'd point out that I'm not a die hard detailer like some here. I just got bit by the new car bug and want to take care of the thing. I'll confess that I've always been easy on vehicles and taken average care of them. But this one I want to try and keep like new as long as I can (that's probably the fever talking). You all know how this goes...the fever lasts for about 8 weeks or until the first scratch, then the fever breaks and life goes on. But this is different. My last 3 have been lease deals and this one I bought! I'd like to keep this one like a show car (fever talk again) lol
So anyway, I went out on the web to research detailing to do it right. And I've learned a LOT already! Now I probably shouldn't confess such things, but for instance, in the past, I would have used dishwashing soap in the wash bucket (never realizing it would strip wax). I would have washed the wheels/tires last, instead of first, using the same water/sponge I washed the car with. Before recently, I never heard of claying, polishing, sealing, glazing and all the other buzz words/stuff! Whew, there's a lot to this stuff.
So I'm just looking for all things detailing, like...
-> procedure / checklist for auto detailing inside and out
-> wax or polymer (I'm leaning towards polymers but not especially interested in the "Z" stuff)
-> Cleaning products (Like I just tried some Simple Green for the first time and was very impressed as it made short work of scuff marks and crud). I thought Windex was good until I tried Invisible Glass. I think Meguiars Nxt is great, but the Quik Detailer and Spray Wax is not so hot. Stuff like that.
-> Porter Cable 7424 seems to be a tool of choice. I wonder about my Black & Decker Mouse for polishing?
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So basically, I want to learn all that I don't know so I can keep the new vehicle newer, longer and still have a life!
And then there's my wife's car...now there's a detailing challenge story!
I'm suggesting ask at an honest shop with great experience with the paint for your car.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I appreciate people commenting as to which products work and which don't work. Even when they differ in opinions.
Does anyone see Claymagic claying products anymore? I can't find them in my area.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
both the truck lid and the hood.
I washed well with Dawn, rinsed and dryed. I used a Mothers clay bar per their instructions except I didn't buff the detail spray off since I was planning to wash again.
This clay process is totally AWESOME!
I was surprised the stuff that was left behind, even after an agressive wash with Dawn. The clay bar really cleaned the surface.
I clayed the whole thing from top to bottom. Washed again with dawn and dried again. I used Turtle wax polishing compound on both lids (by hand) and wiped off after it dried.
Then I used some NuFinish Scratch Doctor on both lids (as they still needed help). For this I used my Black & Decker mouse to apply - removed by hand. I began using the Mouse to apply Meguiars NXT, but the foam pad separated from the backing and I didn't have another one so I did the rest by hand. (can you say Porter Cable 7424?)
It turned out really nice and it hasn't been this clean in a long time. I'd like to say it's in showroom condition, but lets be real, it's 6 years old and although hasn't been beat on, it hasn't been babied either - still, it looks really, really good and all the scratches are nearly invisible.
I haven't checked recently but I do recall seeing it at my local AutoZone. Our Walmart's had it for awhile then closed it out (at $5.00 each so I snapped up a few kits). I see the Mothers kit more frequently. Pep Boys carries like 20 SKU's of Mothers products so that makes it easy for me to find what I want.
I've seen the new Meguiars clay kit at a few places but they don't have the distribution the other two have.
Have fun!
I think once it gets here the new ride will get washed, clayed, washed, polished/sealed and 'waxed'.
I was a bit skeptical about some of their stuff until I tried a few things. Funny how something as simple as the blue detailing sponge is important to me now.
I put their paint sealant on my new Accord and I use their spray-on wax after I wash it. Very impressive. We'll see how long it lasts. I've tried a number of waxes and polishes (no, not all of them) over the years and this has worked the best so far.
I love the Interior Cleaner. My old Accord has the tan interior and that stuff got out stains in the plastic and cloth that I never thought would come out.
Pretty much all the paint detailing clay sold in the US is made in Japan. One company holds the patent rights to the stuff and everyone who sells clay either has to pay them royalties or buy it from them. If modeling clay could be used to clean auto paint, I'm sure someone like Mothers would have gone to it a long time ago.
One well-known brand was thought to have been using some version of window caulk as a paint detailing clay. I think they were trying to skirt the patent requirements. Stuff didn't work too good and has since been improved.
Have you ever experimented with polymer clay to see how it performs as a detailing clay?
No, haven't tried it. But I know people who have tried various other clay products and none got decent results.
Considering how infrequently one needs to clay (maybe 1-2X per year), I can't imagine a significant cost savings or potential for improved performance. But it might be worth an experiment if you have some clay lying around.
Eggs are made of amino acids and proteins so you need to remove the goo ASAP or sooner. The shell can chip or scratch the paint and the acids can eat into the clearcoat. Usually by the time most folks notice they've been egged, it's too late except to remove the solid residue.
If you can get to it in time, use a liberal amount of rubbing alcohol instead of water or other liquid. The alcohol will neutralize the acids which should help reduce the paint damage (hopefully...).
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
On Saturday, I washed, dried and clayed the Rondezvous.
I used Claymagic this time - this clay bar is quite different than the Mother's bar I used on the wifes car. Very tacky by comparison. Did a nice job, although the Rondy was very clean.
I used the PC out of the box with the pad it came with. I used a setting of 3 1/2. I used Meguiars NXT liquid.
It worked really well ending up with a very thin amount of applied product on the surface. After I finished the entire vehicle, I wiped off by hand with micro fiber towels.
This is Frost White, so I can't get the same look as with a darker color, but the surface has a sqeaky clean sheen and feels like polished glass. After dressing the tires and using Invisible Glass on the windows and Rainx on the windshield, it looks like a million bucks!
That night we went into town to for a function and it rained. UHG! Oh well, into every life some rain must fall.
Hmm...the Mother-in-law's car is looking a little dull - lol
Is there another popular site on auto detailing?
I assume you would recommend a non-cleaner wax?
Thanks.
Most waxes available in stores have at least *some* cleaning power but you should be plenty safe. Just stay away from stuff like rubbing or polishing compounds, and products that say they restore old, faded paint. Buy some new applicator pads and a couple of nice microfiber towels for wax removal and you'll be stylin'.