I have used this product on my Protege5 yesterday and S2000 today with only one coat and both came out amazing. No prep, just the dawn wash and wax step. Easy to apply and easy to buff off smells great and no white stuff too. No swirls, just deep darker mirror shine. This stuff is amazing!!! It's so good it's BAAAADD!!!! . As for durability, well i don't know yet but will keep you guys and gals updated. People! try this stuff. I used to own a MINI cooper S and this site has help me a lot so i thought i'd share this to everyone that likes to keep their MINI in top shape with minimum effort and time. I learned about this product over at the S2000 site.
For inquiring minds, yes, I traded my S for another S.

 

funny, I just bought some tonight.

 

I got a free sample at SEMA, I'll give it a try next time I wash my mini. :smile:

 

I've been impressed with the new NXT line from Meguiar's (correct spelling).

For the money, I haven't been able to find anything that covers all major bases well:
*easy on
*easy off
*great depth and gloss - 90% the gloss and depth of Zaino Z-2 with 25% the effort (only one coat of NXT needed vs. many coats of Zaino)

The only not-so-hot points I've found is it comes up a bit short on color richness, and tends to actually highlight deep scratches. You'll need to use a finishing spray like their Final Inspection or the NXT booster wax to tone down the scratch highlighting.

For under $20, it's an excellent product.

 

I have been using it for about a month. So far I really like it. We are getting some rain this week, so it will be interesting to see how it handles all the road grime.

 

I just finished doing my '04 MCS (Indi Blue/Black) and my wife's '03 New Beetle turbo (Blue Lagoon metallic). I prepped by using a Mother's clay bar, then applied the NXT. I am very happy with the results.

I took the MCS on a 600+ mile road trip immediately following the NXT application. All of the grime and dead bugs washed away effortlessly. I'll have to wait a few weeks to get an impression on durability.

So far, it gets a from me!

 

>>I just finished doing my '04 MCS (Indi Blue/Black) and my wife's '03 New Beetle turbo (Blue Lagoon metallic). I prepped by using a Mother's clay bar, then applied the NXT. I am very happy with the results.
>>
>>I took the MCS on a 600+ mile road trip immediately following the NXT application. All of the grime and dead bugs washed away effortlessly. I'll have to wait a few weeks to get an impression on durability.
>>
>>So far, it gets a from me!

I hear good things about NXT. I am skeptical only because I don't know what you used before. Has anyone used premium waxes like P21S or Blitz to compare it with? I use P21S and it is by far the best I ever used but that doesn't mean NXT isn't better. Love to see a comparison.
THX

 

If you search on (i am not making this up) "The Great Wax Off" you may find just the comparisons you seek (not to mention the warm fuzzy feeling you get when you realize you're not the only one obsessed).

Tatt

 

This is a copy of a post that I made on Autopia about a month ago:

As some of you may know I’ve got a ‘75 ‘Vette (non-operational) with badly oxidized non-clearcoated orange paint that I occasionally use as a detailing test bed. Perfectly suited for this NXT thread!

Prepped the test area by scrubbing with a pretty strong Dawn/water solution using a terry washcloth. Then sanded an 8”x8” area with some very fine sandpaper - don’t know what number, maybe 800? - to get rid of the oxidization layer and leave a good hazing. Washed again with Dawn/water to clean up any paint dust. Rinsed with water and then wiped down with isopropyl alcohol. Rubbed dry surface with heavy pressure using a white terry towel to ensure that no orange was picked up. Used a black Sharpie Permanent Marker and put some test lines in the test area. Waited about 20 minutes for the marker to stabilize. Test area is now prepped and ready to go.

To test the marker’s ability to withstand a solvent I put some alcohol on a cotton ball and found that it took only a couple of wipes with very light pressure to start removing the marker. Repeated on another line using NXT and found that using the same pressure it took between two and three times and many strokes to remove the same amount of marker. Repeated with Z-1, Z-2, and Z-5 and found that even with heavy pressure they didn’t affect the marker. Aha, I’ve learned a little about the solvent content of these products.

To test NXT abrasiveness I positioned an obsession lamp so I could get the best view of the surface hazing that I caused with the sandpaper. Used NXT on a scrap of microfiber towel and using medium pressure rubbed half of the test area until the NXT hazed, then I buffed it off. After three cycles of this much of the surface hazing was gone. Since moving to SoCal I haven’t been able to find my high power loupes, but using a 4X glass the marring appeared to be smoothed, not filled. Since I didn’t do a comparison, and it’s been awhile since I’ve done any serious detailing this is just a WAG, but I’m guessing that NXT is similar to 3M SMR is abrasiveness.

To remove the NXT and Zaino I used a terry washcloth and alcohol with fair pressure and rubbed until I just started to pick up a little bit of orange - - so the NXT, Z, and marker are gone for sure, but the alcohol hasn’t done much to the paint surface. The surface (using the glass) appears only slightly more hazy than before the alcohol wipe, so most likely the NXT was doing very little filling of the marring - certainly not like IHG. I should have just used alcohol on half of the area to get a better comparison, but my brain wasn’t properly engaged (that’s what happens when you get to be an old fart).

Did a water wipe down and then more Sharpie lines. Applied a coat of Z-1 to the entire area. Then Z-2 on half and Z-5 on the other half. Let it sit for almost an hour then buffed it off. The area that was polished with the NXT looks pretty good. Tomorrow or the next day I’ll play with NXT and SMR on the cured Zaino.

{rant ON}
As for the reliability of what industry representatives say about their products, Steve was very generous in what he said. A year or two ago I did some UV shielding research and corresponded with 303, Meguiar’s, Vinylex, and others. All, except 303, ran the gamut from evasiveness, to misleading, to outright lying about their products. They are not in business to make your car look better or to make your life easier, they are in business to make as much return on investment as possible!

Don’t believe what the manufacturers say! Don’t believe what people who post on the message boards say! Don’t believe what I say! If you want to know how a product performs for you, then beg, buy, borrow, or steal the product and get out to your garage and try it out. Engage your brain and devise methods of comparison. Read some of the old Roadfly posts where Steve tells how he did the Wax Test comparisons. Get ideas, not facts, from others!
{rant OFF}

 

And here's my post from a few days later:

Here’s the final result . . . . .
After letting the Zaino cure for about 35 hours I started testing.

1) A light wipe with alcohol quickly went through the Zaino and dissolved the Sharpie line.

2) It took only moderate pressure and few strokes with NXT or SMR to start working on the Sharpie. Once through the Zaino the NXT had more effect on the Sharpie.

3) It took more pressure and more strokes with IHG to start working on the Sharpie line.

3)I tried several QD sprays and found that none of them went through the Zaino unless a lot of pressure was used for quite a long time.

Conclusions:
1) Isopropyl alcohol is effective at removing Zaino

2) NXT is about as aggressive (abrasive) as SMR and contains more solvents.

NXT is an adequate cleaner/polisher. As a wax it will not layer effectively. If you’ve already bought some, then I wouldn’t throw it away - - but you’ll have to use a good carnauba for a topper. If you haven’t yet bought NXT, then I wouldn’t do it - - Perfect-It III Machine Glaze followed by PI-III Finishing Glaze is much better for surface prep - - then follow with your favorite final polish (I prefer Platinum Ultimate Paint Pre-Cleaner) and protectant (P-UPP topped with Souverän or P21S paste). As always, YMMV!

 

And a final NXT post:

AcMDX . . . . In my experience all of the "last step" paint prep products such as P21S GEPC, Klasse SG, and P-UPP Pre-Cleaner are very mildly abrasive and contain some solvents. This allows them to remove the very slight hazing and residue left by the more aggressive prep steps. They also contain oils or fillers to help hide any marring that they don’t remove.

I agree that NXT is better classified as a “one step” product - - and as such are better utilized by somebody that’s looking for a “quick fix” rather than a full ground up detailing. My choice for this application would be SG - - an excellent product if used properly.

As had been said many times before, the is no best product. It’s all dependent on what you want to accomplish and the methods/techniques that you use.

Many of you are dealing with daily drivers and don’t want to spend countless hours playing with your paint. Others clean their car before and after each and every drive (Edwin??). Different products and different methods/techniques are called for. Those of you that have been Autopians for more than 7-8 months probably recall that I was advocating “spit shinning” techniques for topping your multi-layered Zaino. Superb results - - fantastic reflectivity and depth - - but not for a person that has a life (or even a job and wife)! My advice to all is to experiment and find what works best for you on your paint taking into consideration your ultimate goals.

__________________
OCD sufferer and charter member of the
**** Retentive Z3 Owners Association

 

Allagaroo - I've been using Zymol Carbon prior to this. One of the reasons I decided to try NXT is that I'm tired of not being able to get my detailing products locally. It can be a problem if you run out of product in the middle of a project. It's worse if you can only get more product via mail order.

Nick - are you sure that using paint that badly degraded is going to produce accurate results? As you well know, there's a world of difference between one-stage paints from the '70s (and I don't know if your 'Vette has OE paint) and the water-based 2-stage base coat/clear coat paints of today.

I'm still in the evaluation stage on NXT, so I can't make any long range recommendations. However, my first experiences with it have been positive.

 

Kevin - No, I don’t think that testing on my ‘70s OE paint is an accurate test, but it is where I usually do my initial testing. Based on my results I didn’t continue testing on my 2-stage paint.

I do not think that NXT is a bad product, it’s just that there are several other products that produce better results for me.

Re: Zymöl Carbon. In the past I did considerable testing of both Carbon and Z3 and found that it performed poorly when compared to other paste carnaubas such as Souverän, S100, and P21S. I now have two jars of very expensive wax sharing space in my refrigerator with the unidentifiable green stuff.

 

>>Re: Zymöl Carbon. In the past I did considerable testing of both Carbon and Z3 and found that it performed poorly when compared to other paste carnaubas such as Souverän, S100, and P21S. I now have two jars of very expensive wax sharing space in my refrigerator with the unidentifiable green stuff.

I haven't been impressed with Zymol Carbon either. Costs a lot, not readily available, total PITA to apply/remove and doesn't last that long. However, I'm hard headed enough that I was going to use it up rather than let it sit on the shelf.

The best results I've seen in a while were when I half-heartedly detailed my wife's Z3 (prior to listing it for sale) with Meguiars Gold Class. When I delivered the car ~60 days later, it still had an excellent feel, shine, and color.

Go figure...


Okay Nick, I just read a few of your other posts on the subject of detailing. We are obviously not looking for the same thing in these products. I am a fully recovered detailing addict. I have removed terms such as "micro-marring" from my internal dictionary. I no longer need intensive care if I find a scratch, nick or ding on my cars. I just try to drive them and keep them looking good now. No more counting layers of product for me.
_________________
'04 MINI Cooper S
Indi Blue/Black

 

SuperSam - -

That’s a tough question - - way too broad.

First off, I am not a detailing expert! What I am is an obsessed detailer who loves to experiment with techniques and products. One thing that I have learned is that there is no best product, but there are some that are definitely superior, and others that are inferior, while most are middle of the road. None of my testing/comparing took durability into consideration since that is not a factor for me.

For paint protection and final appearance the is the choice between carnauba wax and the new synthetic products. As a general rule the carnaubas give greater “depth” and the synthetics give greater reflectivity.

In my experience Souverän, S100, and P21S paste carnaubas give much better results than any of the others. Liquid carnaubas are easier to use, but give reduced results. A good liquid such as liquid Souverän, will give better results than the low end paste waxes.

The two “standard” synthetics are Klasse and Zaino. IMO both are top of the line. I use Klasse on my Chili Red MINI and Zaino on my Jet Black Z3. The newer “mixed” synthetics have potential, but as yet I haven’t tried one - with the exception of the Platinum Ultimate (now 4 Star Ultimate) - that can compete with the previously mentioned products. The Wolfgang line has gotten good reviews by people who’s judgment I trust, but I haven’t tried it yet.

For paint prep products there are chemical cleaners and abrasives. The only chemical cleaner that I’ve been happy with is Klasse AIO, but I haven’t done much experimentation. For the abrasives, both 3M and Meguiar’s have been good performers for me.

I haven’t found there to be much difference between brands of car shampoo. I tend to use Zaino Z-7 on my Z3 and Meguiar’s Gold Class on my MINI.

Vinyl care is one are where I have strong preferences: IMO 303 Aerospace Protectant is head and shoulders above the others. I threw away my Armor-All and Vinylex long ago.

For clear plastic such as instrument panel covers, headlamp covers, and convertible windows there are also clear cut winners: Plexus for routine care, and Novus for scratch repair. Easier to use and a little better performance than the popular 3-step Mequiar’s line.

Leather care is one are where I haven’t found a product that really pleases me. For cleaning and restoring old dirty leather Leatherique is clearly the winner, but for routine cleaning and conditioning I haven’t found anything that stands out from the others.

Stoner’s Invisible Glass and Eimann Fabrik’s Clear Vision are both excellent for window care.

For carpeting I haven’t found anything that works better than Woolite Heavy Traffic.

I did a lot of tire dressing comparisons and found a very wide range of results. There are a few better dressings, and 3M Tire Dressing is my current choice.

No preference for wheel cleaners, because since I use Klasse on my wheels a dedicated wheel cleaner isn’t needed.

For canvas tops there is nothing that comes even close to RaggTopp.

For rubber seals Gummi-Pfledge is my favorite.

Caveat Emptor! Don’t believe anything that you read on the internet - and especially don’t believe me! Decide how much work (or play) you want to put into your car and what appearance you want, then experiment with different products and techniques. Pick any area such as a hood, door, or rear deck as your testing area and do side by side comparisons. When testing/comparing abrasives use a smaller and less conspicuous area.

Autopia is a good source of detailing opinions.

 

WOW, does it go on and come off easy. :smile:

 

>>WOW, does it go on and come off easy. :smile:
No

 

>>>>WOW, does it go on and come off easy. :smile:
>>No
It did for me today.

 

Just detailed my MINI with a PC DA and NXT and it's beautiful. Goes on and comes off easy. I used to use Zaino, but once I was shown what NXT could do in capable hands, I was very impressed. NXT not only costs less to use and maintain (using Meguiars products), since I go through gallons of Quik Detailer all the time, but it's fun to apply with a Dual Action Orbital Buffer. Detailing the entire car goes very quick.