I picked up last month's issue of Mini Magazine and read a pretty comprehensive review on automotive care products. I was surprised to find that Meguiar's NXT was at the very bottom of the list – rated even lower than Turtle Wax! I have been using the NXT product line for a few years now and I have to admit that the wax has been less than satisfying (although I love the quick detail and trim-care products.) I guess it's time to try some better wax.

 

I think NXT is more for people that do waxing by hand. it's a big improvement
in ease of use vs their natural wax so I like it.... but im coming to the
last 1/8th of the bottle and im open to try something different.

im in the market for an orbital buffer too...and some other goodies.
Anyone try the Griot's wax? Im thinking about maybe just getting their
'kit' that includes everything for $199 (even a DVD for newbs like me).

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog....1004&SKU=11119

and add a wax removal bonnet...

 

For my money it's Turtle ICE. Very satisfying results and easy to use.

 

I'm veryy happy with NXT wax, I'm on my 2nd bottle in as many years. I also have other Meguiars waxes, Pinnacle P21 wax, and Griot's wax on hand, but NXT is what I use most often, and it is all my Mini has seen. I usually apply it by hand, but occasionally use my Porter Cable as well.

-Keith

 

I am also very happy with the NXT wax, as well as the rest of the Meguiars line. Very easy to apply, and comes off fairly easy with my PC too!

 

Here is a wax comparison test done by a fellow auto enthusiast:
http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html

 

Here's the most through wax test/report I've ever seen.

http://www.gurureports.org/

It's how I discovered Zaino (and some other products). I've never looked back. Zaino lasts FOREVER. The time savings from not having to wax so often made the difference to me. And my car has never looked better. (I don't think they cared much for NXT. I've personally never tried it)

 

Consumer Reports rated it pretty low as well. I was quite surprised. I use NXT on my wife's car and I thought it was pretty good. Shiny and lasts reasonably long. But I guess there are several other products that are shinier and last much longer!

By the way, what was the top-rated wax?

 

Consumer Reports also says that the reliability of the MINI is poor! Although owner satisfaction is among the highest.

I don't trust anything that CR says!

As for other websites, trust me, EVERYONE has a bias. I can like a wax for a million different reasons, but maybe the strongest reason to promote it is because my friend owns it, or the company gives me free products.

Some waxes like Zaino bead water like crazy. Meguiar's didn't formulate NXT to bead, but rather sheet water which is preferred to prevent spotting. However, people often associate protection with beading, so it often gets knocked.

I mean, look how easily swayed Rick was. He read in a magazine that NXT is the lowest rated therefore it's time to look for something else.

Lately several people have exclaimed how great ICE is, and so people go out and try it, and seems there are mixed feelings about it.

Look at the Zaino crowd. They are very outspoken as well, actually zealots to a certain extent.

The one little secret that many people don't realize is that the secret of a high quality, durable finish is all in the prep, not the final wax.

Take a car with lots of bonded contaminants on the paint, with some oxidation, and apply Zaino. It's not going to suddenly look shiny, and feel smooth as glass. But put it on a new car just off the showroom floor that's in relatively good condition, and the owner is likely to be very pleased with the product because the surface is ready to accept the polish.

When I detail a car, the majority of a 10 to 14 hour detail is in prepping the paint making sure it's smooth as glass, swirl free, and as clear as possible so the base coat can show through to its maximum potential. Once this has been achieved, then any decent wax can be applied--Meguiar's, Zaino, Klasse, Menzerna, whatever, and it will look spectacular.

You should use what works for you, and not what someone else tells you.

Just my 2 cents

Richard

 

Uhm, yes, the reliability was poor on avergae (as compared to other cars). CR now does recommend the MINI because the reliability has gone "above average."

Not to trust anything that CR says might be a bit too strong a statement, don't you think? I know a lot of folks here love to knock the magazine, but hey, it is one of the only (the only?) venue for unbiased ratings (no ads). You gotta understand how they do the ratings and then using each criterion judge for yourself what best suites you.

CR gave NXT low marks for shine and longevity, things that can be measured pretty objectively. As I said, I use NXT and was impressed. But if other products are shinier and last longer I am going to try them.

(By the way, I use Zaino on the MINI, and yes, I'm a zealot! )

 

My father has been a subscriber to CR for 20 years. I've been an avid reader, but when it comes to reviewing enthusiasts products, their rating system doesn't always measure up the real facts. I mean, while there may have been reliability issues, they were taken care of under warranty, and most issues were minor, but that's besides the point in their system.

So ok, maybe I don't 100% distrust them, but I wouldn't go so far to say just because CR says a product has problems that you should believe it and vice versa--that because they think a product is great, we should all buy it.

re: Zaino
hhaha I knew it!!! jk. I'm a former Zaino user, but I reformed and found Meguiar's M21 since it lasts longer than NXT.

 

I suspect that enthusiasts have criteria for certain things that are important for those enthusiasts but aren't tested for by Consumer Reports. That's fine. If CR didn't test some aspect of a product then you certainly shouldn't base your buying decision solely on what they say.

Yes, the early problems with the MINI may have been covered by the warrantly, but still those problems occurred. (I should say though that I do not like CR's "Recommended" status that they bestow on products based on the reilaibility, for example. The MINI may have been below avergage for reliability, but it certainly wasn't "unreliable" and not to be recommended.)

Anyway, back to the topic. So, does M21, which you say lasts longer than NXT, last longer than Zaino? Does it have an equal or greater shine? If so, I'll switch then!

Once more, I was surprised that NXT was ranked so low on longevity and shine by CR.

 

re: CR
Agreed.

re: M21
Well, if you ask a Pro Detailer that uses Meguiar's, I'm pretty certain they will have lots to say about M21. I'd say yes, it has shine, and durability that's equal to Zaino, however it only needs one or at most two applications (to ensure even coverage).

It doesn't turn the trim white like NXT and once it's dry--anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes depending on humidity, it wipes off super easy. Also you only need a very small amount per panel.

Check out any of my work here, these have all been finished with M21, look at the black cars especially.

http://www.showcargarage.com/forums/...splay.php?f=31

Richard

 

I like the NXT wax. We use it in the bodyshop and it not only leaves a great shine but if you buff a vehicle and happen to leave a few swirl marks the NXT will make them dissapear. We use to have to use a swirl remover or a hand polish but not when we use the NXT. I have not used the M21 but I am going to give it a try. Am a firm believer in trying other products that might be better.

 

The only real way is to do a side-by-side test yourself, on a mini, with a variety of weather conditions over time. Kind of like what I'm doing with trim products.
I would really like to see that nscxc test repeated with the new zaino, nxt, ice, etc. I don't expect the results to be different but it would be nice to confirm, and also nice to know how much better the others are than the old fashioned brands. You have to generalize everything you read online and that makes it tough. But please don't take everything you read as true. Especially if it is in consumer reports.

 

Richard- you are the orbital guru.

 

I agree with Richard. Surface preparation is key for optimal results.

 

I was not swayed exclusively by the article - I said that I have not been very happy with it before the article . The article confirmed my thoughts - that maybe its not me and there is something better out there .

I don't think comparing the wax to a MINI is a fair comparison. Enthusiast product features are weighed differently by enthusiasts than that of “normal people.” Most of us knew when we bought our MINIs that they were not the best rated car but we were willing to compromise certain things, such as rear passenger leg room and less-than-expected gas mileage, for the fact that the MINI is a cool car. Wax isn’t an enthusiast product. Why would we compromise the quality of the wax we use, unless we got it for free?

 

I use the Griot's stuff and think it works great. The Best of Show is a true wax not a sealent/synthetic so it does need to be applied more frequently (once a quarter) than something like Zaino. The kit is a good buy and I would just add the 6 pack of microfiber wax and polish removal towels. Their microfiber drying towel is also great. I would skip the wax removal bonett and just do it with the microfiber towel. The wax comes off easy and the bonett doesn't really save you any time. They have tech sesions at their corporate office every once in a while so you can see their stuff at work.

 

Actually I do, because Meguiars happens to be an enthusiast brand of wax. So is Zaino. Go ask Aunt Lily who drives the family van if she's heard of Zaino or Meguiars, she will say is that like Turtle Wax or Nu Finish??? Which are mass market brands not catered to the detailing enthusiast.

As enthusiasts they are passionate about their chosen wax and not all products are perfect. There have been numerous recent complaints of poor quality control among NXT, that many of the enthusiasts overlook because there are many other products within this brand that are fine and continue to work well.

Meguiar's and Zaino are tiny fish in the wax market compared to the mass market waxes and they know that, but that's why they continue to formulate the products that WE demand.

Richard
[QUOTE=Rick-Anderson]
I don't think comparing the wax to a MINI is a fair comparison. Enthusiast product features are weighed differently by enthusiasts than that of

 

Sounds like youre in denial

The MCS isnt exactly reliable and does have more problems than the average japanese car. With that said, its common knowledge that the cooper puts a smile on our faces and helps owners overlook its shortcomings.

I used to read CR more in the 80's but found their studies were limited to what they had access to and not to all the products in the market. More and more I found more meaningful and appropriate information on the web. I cancelled my Online CR subscription last year... So i partly agree with you here.

Another thing, I have always preferred the canned paste versus the liquid bottled version of wax. Maybe its my old school way of thinking but the hard paste applications always seemed to last longer than the liquid equivalent... maybe its psychological. *shrug*

Personally I have been using Klasse on my cars with long lasting results. Swirls have been removed with my poorboys SSR and DA polisher.

I have used the canned hard version of the NXT wax with reasonable results. It doesnt last very long on cars parked outside (probably just as long as normal carnuba wax) and does not shine as brightly as using the Meguairs and Mothers 3 stage product lines.

Results are often improved when you use the right practices such as using multiple light coats with a combination of paint cleaner, sealant, polish and wax layering. With that said, ive had decent but not spectacular results with NXT wax. I use NXT and Nufinish wax on my old Jeep since i care little for how they look, and want to use up the stuff...

I can recommend wax from p21. Personally, I have a container of pure carnuba wax which I use sparingly on my m3 and MINI. I am happy with the results here. Just cant recommend NXT to anyone...

 

Not to get too far of the wax bit, that sentence means nothing ...

Reliability of a car can be poor (and you will be hard pressed to find many to argue not) AND an owner can be satisified. Its simply that the car is so much fun, its worth the hassle of poor quality build.

So not trusting CR because of that statement makes no sense to me. I have great MINI satisfication but would never rate it as "excellent" reliability.

Just a thought

 

Wow is your car so "black & white" too? Oh no sorry, it's CR/Blk.

This is a wax thread, and I wasn't about to spend a lot of time going over what everyone already knows about their MINI, so I summed it up. So I'm glad we are in agreement.

The direct relation of my not trusting CR based on that sentence is about as accurate as Rick saying his opinions of NXT changed by a Mini article. Geeesh.

Richard

 

Mini Magazine is an enthusiast publication so the review does come from a somewhat subjective point of view since the readers tend to value their cars a little more than the next guy. I only brought up the review because it confirms what I have been thinking for a while - the NXT doesn't seem to work as good as it smells!

 

hey, thanks for the tip MCS-WA. i was thinking pretty hard
about this today and i too decided that i wouldn't do the wax removal
bonnets and just use their MF polisher towels. will probably place an order
tomorrow or over the weekend. just can't decide wat else to throw in
there.

im thinking about also ordering their piloti shoes. oh man, next thing
you know, im going to be paying $40 for their damn wash bucket.