HELP!!!
After continued reading of this detailing forum, I continued to get more confused regarding the options for waxes for my MINI.

Could somebody help me out by showing the pros/cons of the majors mentioned, which appear to be:
-Zaino
-Zymol
-Klasse
-Meguiars (NXT, M21, or GOLD)

I am really confused. I guess it is a matter of opinion....but everyone has an opinion. Could we get a subjective assessment of the products and what the strengths/weaknesses are?

Confused and indecisive,
Thanks,
Ed Jones
azminied
and Scooter (02 MCS - dark grey/white top, ALTA intake)

 

Try reading this first http://autogeek.net/qude101.html

notice the last paragraph about many people now mixing and matching by doing a synthetic sealer first followed by pure carnuaba

 

OK.....but that still doesn't answer the "which ones best" question. It makes sense to do a sealant then Carnuaba wax..... but.... which one is best.

Still confused...

Ed
azminied

 

You need to decide what "best" means for you.

Longest lasting? (In terms of water beading and shine.)
Best shine?
Least expensive?
Availability at most stores?
Ease of application?

 

IMHO....... YOU WILL NEVER GET A CONSENSUS ON WHICH PRODUCT IS BEST!!!
I like Klassie for a solid long lasting protective synthetic base coat. Goes on and buffs off easily. Very tough. Followed by layers of Pinnacle Souvreran which goes on easily and builds to a deep shimmering gloss. Three applications of Pinnacle is enough to knock your eyes out (ESP. ON DARK COLORS) If it wears off and I get lazy, the paint doesnt suffer as the Klassie provides long lasting protection. I understand Zaino can be used as a durable base coat also. The synthetics seem to last and shine nicely but lack the depth and gloss Carnuba wax provides. Of course all this is wasted if the paint isn't prepped properly first. (Another story)

 

Depends on the number of Zaino coats. I tend to do 3-5 coats and the finish looks almost liquid on my JB/JB '05 when I am done. Lasts pretty well too.

To stop the hijack:
Carnuba: Deep gloss, needs more frequent application
Syntheitic/Sealants:Last long, more labor intensive to apply and use initially.

My bias: See my sig.

 

Thanks for the replies and all the help.

It sounds like it is purely a matter of opinion. Sounds like the best thing to do is apply a sealant (for the protection) then Carnuaba wax on top of that (for the good visual). Granted this is all based on top of a "properly" prep'ed surface.

Basically what brand is used seems to be a passion arguement. Everybody has an opinion, but frankly it seems to be a mute point as long as some level of protection is there.

I assume the sealant will actually last much longer than advertised if some level of Carnuaba wax is maintained ON TOP of the sealant.... so that would be a good thing.

Thanks again! I appreciate ALL of the passion here. Sometimes it is purely a matter of "warm fuzzies"

-Ed
azminied

 

Aside from the Zaino zeolots ... you really want to do a four day process ... Klasse twins followed by the carnuaba after each layer cures. In other words,

Day 1 - AOI
Day 2 - Sealent
Day 3 - Carnuaba
Day 4 - Carnuaba

You can keep on layering the coats of carnuaba but it gets into diminishing returns. Even if the Carnuba eventually wears thin, the sealent will still last.

 

Yes, this topic does represent a passion argument, but your comment is not necessarily true. Generally, detailers will add a carnuba topper to a sealant for its visual impact - a sealant tends (not always) to have a more "plasticy" look that sometimes doesn't bring out the warmth or depth of the paint.

As a matter of fact, the carnuba topper will go away before the sealant undercoat, so it stands to reason that had you just layered the sealant instead of adding a carnuba topper, your durability would be greater. Also, once you add the carnuba, you'll be unable to layer the sealant since you can't be sure when it's gone and when it isn't (sealants won't bond over a carnuba).

I would suggest doing the necessary research to find which products meet your specific demands then using them all independent of each other. Once you have your innitial opinions, then start trying to mix and match or move on to other products.

Sealants are certainly VERY popular, but if you have the time once a month to wax your car, you can get amazing results from a carnuba as well. Detailing, like everything else, is a market that sways with trends and latest and greatest, however some things remain in place and solid: a well polished surface topped with a high quality carnuba wax is a protected surface.

If you don't have that time (like me) then do take a serious look at Zaino or Klasse, or any of the others on the market. From my research it seems that Zaino lives up to its expectations, and from my actual on-car experience, Klasse creates an amazing shine but will fall short of the 4-6 month durability claim.

It's amazing how many options there are and how many people swear one is better than another. It's also amazing how some of the best looking cars in the world are cared for very simply.

You've opened up an area of your car-care regimen that has the potential to explode!!!! Be careful!

mb

 

If you don't have that time (like me) then do take a serious look at Zaino or Klasse, or any of the others on the market. From my research it seems that Zaino lives up to its expectations, and from my actual on-car experience, Klasse creates an amazing shine but will fall short of the 4-6 month durability claim.

It's amazing how many options there are and how many people swear one is better than another. It's also amazing how some of the best looking cars in the world are cared for very simply.

You've opened up an area of your car-care regimen that has the potential to explode!!!! Be careful!

mb[/quote]

Thanks sooooooooo much for your frankness mb. I fully agree with everything you have said. Unfortunately I also have limited time to invest here and so that is why I am trying to gain the unlimited knowledge base of the folks on the forum.

I actually have an appointment tomorrow with the local Meguiars rep who actually happens to be a Pro Detailer (http://www.autodetailingsolutions.com/). I hope to gain some insight from him on what might work best for me.

Thanks again,
Ed
azminied

 

Prediction: There is a nice combination of Meguiar's products that will best suit your needs. Jokes aside, you could do a lot worse.

On another note, I know that time to spend researching all this is limited. But, do yourself a favor and spend some time learning about the "other tools" you'll be using. Picking the right wash mit, drying towels, polish applicators and detailing towels is as important as the polishes, sealants and waxes you use. You'll spend a lot less time and money with better results because you won't be introducing scratches as you go.

Best of luck and enjoy detailing your MINI.

 

It's not true that a sealent/synthetic takes more work to apply initially. Considering a sealent or a wax is the last step in the paint care cycle, where you would claybar, and then polish or clean the paint in order to prep the surface, there is no extra work necessary--atleast not the Meguiar's way.

With Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax or M21 Synthetic Sealent, it doesn't need to be topped with Carnuba.

To wash your MINI, consider.
1.) Car Wash Soap
2.) Paint Cleaner/Polish for removing swirls--either by filling them in or using diminishing abrasives to remove them, and giving extra shine
3.) Protecting or sealing it.

I'd put at 1.5)--Claybar, but that's not something you need to do everytime.

These were all detailed with M21 as the final coat.
Looks wet to me!




Sorry this isn't a MINI, but it's dramatic nonetheless


It's M21 on a single stage paint job

When I first got it, it looked like this


This was NXT Tech Wax (Synthetic Polymer)


Click this link to see how M21 Beads Water in a matter of seconds after being hit with a blast of water from my pressure washer

http://www.littlemini.us/showcar/swf/m21beading.html

 

I have taken the plunge with help and info gathered from all of you and using a reference Octaneguy made to a local Distributer/Pro-Detailer, Rick from http://autodetailingsolutions.com/.

Rick gave me about two hours of his time and set me up with the Meguiars products I requested. I purchased a Meguiars PC Dual-Action polisher and a bunch of products, included M83 polish, M80 Speed Glaze, and NXT 'Tech Wax'. I went home and went to work that night.

Here are some pics of Scooter the day after his workover:

pics were to high of resolution. Will retake them tomorrow and repost.

 

Good job!! Can't wait to see the results! Maybe you should set up a Flickr account? Then you can just upload your photos and link any of several preset sizes to NAM!

Richard

 

I hope this helps some of you out... I am no professional car washer like what most of these guys on NAM seem to be (no offense to all you experts);I just needed something to make my 03' MCS shine and look like new again; I also didn't have time to spend like a week washing my car off either.
I washed off my car with generic car wash soap then dryed it. Then I applied 1 coat of Zymol wax. I bought it because it was the most expensive wax at Advanced Auto and figured for 12 dollars a bottle it must work somewhat good. While it was drying, I washed off my wheels, wheel wells, and tires. After the wax was dry, I polished it off in about 30 minutes. The results were incredibly amazing! My swirls and fine scratches were completely gone and the car looked like it just came out of the showroom, minus a few minute rock chips on my aerokit.
Later that night I was pumping some gas then went inside to pay, when I came out I was amazed to see crowd of Asian people from a tour bus surrounding my car and looking at its beauty; I was proud. Truely amazing stuff (the wax), atleast for me. Total time for entire cleaning: < 2 hrs. I highly recommend this process to any busy person who wants to give their car a fresh new look in a relatively short amount of time.

 

I agree cooper99. I only spent some time for the first go round. My hood got all scratched up somehow and that really took some time to try and get them out. Much of the stuff I got was to help me save time... the Detail spray is a WONDER!!!! man.... I washed my wifes Tahoe in 15 minutes....

after polishing away for about 2 hours on the scratched up hood, the waxing only took me about 1 hr. with a squirt of the detail spray and a quick wipe it looks new 4 days later....

-azminied and Scooter

 

With pic's this time. Lighting wasn't the best, but it works.

Could not get a good pic of the remaining hood scratches, but they are still really bugging me.... I might try to tackle them again later....

Motor on,
azminied and Scooter

 

I'm new to this whole detailing process but I stumbled across this great comparison site to help answer which product rules

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

 

The carnuba steps give a much 'wetter' look than do the sealants. They also wear away with 3-4 washes (even with the good auto detergents) or a month in the weather.

I stopped doing the carnuba steps on my old metalic tan daily driver because it was too much hassle for that COLOR. The lighter colors don't benefit from the carnuba topper near as much as the darks do. If you are running a black or darker blue (not EB), you will really notice the Carnuba.

I haven't tried the comparison on my PW MCS yet... I'm holding off while some paintwork is done, but I don't expect to be doing the carnuba very often, if at all on that light of a color.