The more I read the more confused I am about waxes. Can somebody please help me out?

Somewhere here I read that synthetic waxes last longer but do not give the depth of a carnuba wax, is theis true?

I also read here that Zaino is a synthetic; if that is true, is it used for depth of shine or how long it lasts?

Confusedly yours,

 

1. Synthetics, in general, do last longer than waxes. BradB posted a link a while back from a home-grown durability test... I'll see if I can find it for you.

2. In my honest opinion, synthetics have a bigger shine... meaning that they are more reflective. I get a better mirror effect out of the synthetics.

3. I do like the look that waxes give, especially on the jewel-tone colors... red, purples, dark green. There is a certain richness on these darker colors that waxes tend to bring out... It just makes the surface look a bit more liquid. Unfortunately, my experience is that this wears off very quickly... usually just a week... maximum of a month with good detailing, few washes and no rain.


I use synthetic for the durability and long shine. There are times when I could wax every month, but there are also spells where I just don't have the time to do it. I'll take the high shine for 3-4 months vs. the liquid shine for 2-3 weeks every time.

Some of us nuts go as far as to apply a few coats of synthetic (Zaino or Klasse) for protection and shine and then layer on a coat of a carnuba wax (Soverign or P21s for example) for the richness. I did it once on my wife's SUV (dark metallic blue) and I had several people approach me at gas staions and parking lots to ask how I did it. It was very cool, but I haven't done it again because it was just too much hassle to keep up the wax layer where it had that liquid-like effect. If I were going to show my car, I'd think about it, but I'd rather be driving the car, so I just stick with the synthetic.

To add one more factor to the mix, Meguiars has a line of wax called NXT. People on this board have had good experience with it and it seems to give more durability than pure carnubas (still less than synthetics) while giving the same richness. Do a search for NXT on these threads to get a first hand account... I've never used it myself.

 

I'd say the other reason for opting for a synthetic over pure carnuba might includes the ability to hide or fill scratches and swirls, and ease of application. Whether Zaino or NXT, the effort to apply and remove it, is a lot easier than Carnuba IMO.

 

From what I've read here over the last few months, I'd say go with the Zaino - if you don't, your car will rust away, your house will burn down, you'll get zits, your wife will double in weight, your dog will get worms, you'll suffer from erectile dysfunction, your friends will abandon you, you'll get audited by the IRS, you'll get demoted at work, a big guy named Bruno will beat you up for no reason, and people on NAM will laugh at you. Oh, and your MINI won't start because of acute embarrassment.

For the sake of all that's holy, man, just do it!!!

 

I've also heard that Zaino fixes 'The Stumble', adds 40+ horsepower and is a 'natural male enhancer.'

 

Natural male enhancer? Is that if you apply it to the hot rod?

And what if you're of the female persuasion? I don't like the possibilities there. . .

 

Wow... 5 posts in 5 minutes... You would think we were discussing the AGS or something.

Here are the 2 wax tests that I've seen. I couldn't find BradB's previous post to the roadfly test, but Josh Wardell's site (http://www.jwardell.com/mini)
that one and and another I had never seen before...


http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html

http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/detailing/forum.php?postid=5504326&page=1

 

OK, OK, I on it right now - the Zainos is on order. I only hope it gets here before I get demoted or fired or something worse.

I appreciate your heads up.

 

Hey Frank - don't just rush out and buy Zaino because I said to - I'm an old-school dude and I just use Carnuba.

 

My first purchase was a can of Meguiars Gold Class for clear coat which seems to give pretty good results so far.

 

I used the Meguiars Gold Class for a few years. It's not a bad start, but it doesn't have much durability... it's going to need a fresh coat every month... maybe every 3 months if your car is constantly garaged and you don't need to wash much.

If you use the Gold Class before the Zaino comes, make sure to Dawn wash well to get the wax off before you seal.

 

Not likeing to waste, the Meguiars Gold Class will be used up before switching to another system. My car is garaged and and not left out very often. I am going to have three coats [Meguiars Gold Class] on the car today. Then I will see how it lasts under my circomstances and driving conditions before switching to another type of wax.

 

I hate to res an old thread, but this sarcastic post just gained new meaning with the discovery of rust under the door seals...