I've assembled everything I need to take care of my Mini when I finally get it except for one thing: a good wax. I'd like to know what your favorite is, particularly if you've tried one thing and found another you liked better. People seem to feel passionately about this, and I've read so many conflicting opinions I'm somewhat confused. Your thoughts??

 

Sorry, I meant to post this on the Detailing 101 forum--somehow it ended up here.

 

For Car Shows: Wizards ShineMaster
For daily protection: Zymol Carbon

 

Try this thread out. It has some interesting info I prodded Ryan for even though the topic name was different than the subject matter

Sunroof Gasket

 

Zaino is my first choice, Maguair's Gold second.

 

Greetings,
I'm sold on Meguiar's products and use the Gold Wax (liquid version). They offer great customer support and very good instructions in total vehicle detailing."Shine on Silver MINI !!"
Kind Regards.
Ron

'03 MCS PS/B

 

I use Zymol, but I have used meguiars and others with great success.

Any quality wax applied properly looks great.

Just stay away from any wax with a reptilian spokes-animal

 

Got to put in my plug for Griots Garage "Best of show" Wax (my favorite). http://www.griotsgarage.com

I also want to say that a lot of opinions go without a true comparison. Meaning some people only use certain waxes, polishes, etc. because someone told them or they have always heard good things about that product, without a side by side comparison. I know it may be hard to obtain this info, but if you could get sample packs, you could see for yourself.

Now I've stired the pot.

MINIACK

 

I use Zimol and products from Griots Garage. The Zimol works great and smells yummy. I just started to use the Griots products and just love the products they sell. If anyone out ther lives in the Tacoma area Griots is just up the street from the MINI dealer. You can walk in and get anything they sell. They are a bit on the spendy side but I think they are well worth it. The Best of show wax they sell is great. Anything you get from them you will be very happy with. The Speed Shine is great too. Go to the web site and check it out.

 

Ear wax.

Honestly, I dont plan on waxing my mini. No particular reason other than I think the paint will look fine in 5 years, but I do think it would be intersting to see a comparison of my car next to one that has been waxed and what not, to see how the wax makes a difference or possibly dosent.

 

I vote for Zaino Brothers even though it's a polish, not a wax. It's somewhat pricey, but a little bit goes a long way, especially on a small car like the MINI. Plus you can apply it to just about anything without worry - plastic, chrome, vinyl, whatever.

 

>>Ear wax.
>>
>>Honestly, I dont plan on waxing my mini. No particular reason other than I think the paint will look fine in 5 years, but I do think it would be intersting to see a comparison of my car next to one that has been waxed and what not, to see how the wax makes a difference or possibly dosent.

I always sort of thought this too. I'd never waxed a car before I got my MINI, and my old car was lucky to even get washed more than about 3-4 times per year. A couple of months ago, I saw a car in the parking lot at work that was the same year, model and color as my old car, a '93 Toyota Paseo. This car, however, had obviously been treated better than mine, and I was pretty shocked at how much better it looked than mine does. Of course, we're talking a span of 10 years from new (even though mine got cared for pretty well for the first 5 years of its life- it belonged to my mom), and I live in So. Cal. where we have lots of sun, smog and acid rain, but still, it was a very noticeable difference, even without having the cars side-by-side.

PigLick

 

Not WAX again!!!!

You guys carry on with your smearing layers of wax on your MINI. I'll stick with Eagle One Wax as U Dry, it's the best I've ever used and I've been polishing cars for over 51-1/2 years. It is a polymer glazing solution that leaves no swirls and doesn't discolor the black plastic wheel arches. Don't bother defending all the different pastes out there until you've tried my suggestion. Of course, you'll first have the task of getting rid of all that WAX!!

Yes, I know the Eagle One has WAX in it's name but again...it's a polymer glaze. Keep smiling. Plus it's less than $5. Oh no!! You don't get a MINI bag. Tears..

 

Meguiars all the way, but that's just because I use it for detailing at work all the time. For normal jobs, start with #6, next with #9, then put the #26 Yellow Wax on, to make it all shiny, smooth, and smell like bananas.

 

Yup yup, Meguiar's here, too!

R

 

Actually.... tried em all...
and not to toot my own horn... but the carnuba I'm producing is my favorite!



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[img]null[/img]

 

Yeah, sirron !

Eagle One "Wax as U Dry" is the one I use... just spray it on when the MINI is still damp, and towel it off

 

>>Yeah, sirron !
>>
>>Eagle One "Wax as U Dry" is the one I use... just spray it on when the MINI is still damp, and towel it off


Finally! Someone with common sense. John, some of these Miniacs have even resorted to peanut butter to get the wax off the black plastic. Chuckle.. chuckle.. I love it! Ron.


_________________

LTL YELO

 

I started with a coat of Klasse All In One followed by three coats of Klasse High Gloss Sealant. Then to deepen/enhance the shine, I applied a coat of P21S carnuba. I know, I know... a bit over the top, but the shine is unmatched!
JB

 

>>JBS111>>but the shine is unmatched!

Wanna Bet???

 

Do you guys find that the Wax as You Dry stuff holds up well if you aren't useing it on a regular basis? I know that I will have a hard time keeping up a regualar wash/wax regimen once I get the mini. The Wax as You Dry sounds great for saving time, but if it's another month or two before I use it again, should I opt for something that will provide a little more protection?

 

>>Do you guys find that the Wax as You Dry stuff holds up well if you aren't useing it on a regular basis? I know that I will have a hard time keeping up a regualar wash/wax regimen once I get the mini. The Wax as You Dry sounds great for saving time, but if it's another month or two before I use it again, should I opt for something that will provide a little more protection?

It's so inexpensive, just use it when you wash your car. It takes only 30 seconds more time to spray it on. So, if you wash your car every two months or so, that's about 3 minutes extra time per year. What are you looking for? Safe washing? (provide a little more protection?).

 

Sirron-
Thanks for the advice. Count me among those who will NOT spend endless hours and dollars waxing and shining. I'd much rather be driving.
Wax As U Dry sounds like it has my name all over it!

 

We recently did a MINI detailing session in Charlotte, NC, compliments of Steve Treece (STREECE on MINI2) and Loren Koski (owner of Import Paint and Body).

This was all done using Zaino Bros products. We performed a prelim wash, clay bar, final wash, then we used Zaino polish with gloss enhancer. The final detail shots are with three coats of Zaino.

I've got to tell you, I was a bit skeptical going into this, but the stuff really works. It's incredibly easy to apply. No dust, no taping up the car, no worrying about getting the polish on smooth plastic, etc. And it only took 1 oz to do three coats.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:




Click here to see more shots in my gallery of MINI's detailed with Zaino.

NOTE: I have no financial or business affiliation with Zaino Bros, Steve Treece, or Loren Koski. I was simply impressed with the product.

See ya,
JS

 

JS,
Thanks for the comments. Actually, the amount of polish we used for the 3 coats was 1/2 (one-half) ounce. That was just the right amount since we were using our "pinkie" fingers to get the last little bit out of the mixing bottle for the last coat. The multiple coats do more than add gloss and depth, they also stack layers of UV protection on the finish. Pretty cool.