this is a constant interest of mine. I have a BRG/BRG mcs with chromeline and silver konig wheels. It looks damn nice actually. Paint is great except for dealers messing with it before I picked it up (against instruction).

Carnauba on the car is the best look. You really cant deny that the carnauba paste i have from griots is the best look for the car. I challenge anyone to strip their wax on their BRG and try some sort of carnauba paste wax. damn. depth is golden green and still has gloss of course as it a paste, heavy carauba for a decent shell.

I wish I could try a synthetic system to see if I could tolerate it, but it would cost me a LOT of time removing that coating and cash for another half of paint prep bottle.

 

^^ dang, you use 1/2 a bottle of paintprep to remove wax off your
MINI? i don't think you need to use that much.

I dampen my car with a hose, then i have a full spray bottle of tap water
in my right hand and the bottle of PaintPrep on my left. it's a 50/50 mix
for me. do one side of the car then take my MF towel and gently rub
it down. then fire more water on top of it to keep it damp.

i then move to a new side of the car and repeat. go back to my first side
and fire more water on top of it to keep it damp. then so on.

then hose away after 2 full min. it's squeaky clean. ive done 3 cars already
on my one PaintPrep and still got about 1/2 bottle left.

 

Besides El Jefe, all you really have to do with Carnauba is wait a couple of weeks and it will all be gone anyway.

 

my Best of Show lasted close to 20 washes and 3 months...
it was still beading water well but gave it another coat in November to
make it last over the winter.

i think it's more how you apply it and how you take care of it.

NXT is wat only lasts weeks. maybe 3-4 washes tops.

 

Do you use spraywax from griot's?

I just started to. not the easiest stuff to use actually. I think I will do what I read on a forum somewhere. It said to saturate a cloth with it and not just spray it on. The whole spray while wet is not that easy when you have very pure water from NY. We have just about nothing in our water, no lime, nothing but loads of chlorine. The water beads up in huge pools on a clean car, it doesnt break apart and run off. Drying while you wax is kinda difficult as you get so much water in your mf absorbing towel that it like... hm... cant really buff with it. so i have 3 towels and probably not enough buffing towels which is odd because I have several for such a tiny car.

 

I'm using Menzerna FMJ on my paint, but I used some of the Best of Show on my interior carbon fiber pieces this afternoon (dash, downtubes and trim rings). Clearcoated carbon fiber already has a great "3-D" illusion of depth, and the BoS really enhanced that. The only drawback is that the extra shine really makes it obvious that the clearcoat on the JCW pieces isn't perfectly smooth. I'm not sure if it's orange peel or if the texture of the carbon fiber weave is coming through the clear, but it's a lot more obvious now. I guess I could wet-sand and buff out the pieces to get them perfectly smooth, but they honestly look great as-is, so I think I'll leave them alone. Plus, since they're interior parts, the wax will probably last just about forever on them!

And kudos to JCW for burying their logo completely under the clearcoat on the dash, rather than just sticking a decal on top of the clear - it's a neat sensation to run my finger over the logo and not be able to feel it.

 

yep, SprayOn wax is my favorite from Griots as Nero is from Prima.

I apply dry after a wash and just buff with the Griot's MF towels.
you can also apply at about a 30:70 (water to SprayOn wax) using a
spray bottle with some distilled water as well if you're doing it on a
hot day under the shade.

On my NXT coated G35C, i just QD with Speedshine, then use SprayOn
wax like i do SpeedShine, but buff with another fresh MF towel at the end.
the finish is just awesome.

 

that's a pimp tip.

also unique is the waterless wash and wax via speedshine then spraywax.

As far as qd's go, speedshine is just amazing. I noticed that speedshining after I spray waxed made the shine of the wax come out without having to buff much. It took off the excess and put a smooth finish on it within 1-2 mins vs buffing and laboring to get off the spraywax (leaves a light film if too much on).

hm. interesting combos....

 

oh yah, don't forget that the G35C and MCS are my garage queens...
they don't go out when it's wet. that's why i do just CalDuster and
QD SpeedShine only and apply SprayOn wax. I wash it once or twice
a year.

my commuters are another story. they don't get QD'ed or CalDusted
but washed. i use SprayOn wax over Epic and Best of Show with
great results. I'll probably try Prima Hydro over the Civic's Epic next
season, but continue to use SprayOn wax over my G35C even if i
switch from NXT to Epic. it's the color that ultimately decides
wat waxes (polymer or natura.) to use. NXT is very user friendly
even in the cold temps so that was my deciding factor this fall on
the G. durability doesn't matter on that car because as i mentioned,
it does not get exposed to the severe elements.

 

Yeah, I am guessing that my griot's wax will last so long as I apply it every month. I am going to take a shot at that. shrugs. Easier than switching to another system and much cheaper too as I have gallon of speedshine, gallon of spray wax, and a new tub of paste that looks undented after 2 waxes.

I think in NY the air gets to 45 sometimes every couple of weeks even in the coldest weaks of the winter. thats enough to wash the car. I have a 40 degree limit before calling it quits. I could consider a "touchless" wash actually. I assume that would strip just about anything on the car so I would be starting from scratch on the wax. Only problem is getting it home after clean to wax which is impossible. Hm. Will have to figure this out shortly!

I realize that waxing is not the problem but washing is. Waxing I can borrow a family garage with heaters in it to make it comfortable and enough for the wax to cure.

 

Fantastic topic.

My car is dark blue and to me the most important thing is gloss, wetness and clarity and I believe that except for the front doors, I am there

When you look into the paint and move your head around, you want the paint to look like it's just been hosed down (even in full sunlight) and images you can see in the paint to look just like real life. Crystal clear and level - ie no orange peel, fuzziness or cloudiness

I've managed to attain a wetness on 3/4 of the car that is so good that it's like the car was hosed down and a 4mm thick sheet of perfectly clean wet glass was placed on top of it.

As for depth, carnauba can help but best way to achieve real depth is to start with a brand new car or quality re spray and remove the thinnest amount of paint necessary to get it swirl free and get the most gloss and then pile on the synthetic's and then a few coats of carnauba.

I don't believe in using carnauba on metallic paints as the wax will mute and hide the majority or all of the metal flake.

On a flat black car though, acrylic or polymer sealant x 3 to 4 coats followed with same of carnauba will give an insane finish.

Atm I have six coats of acrylic (spray), and two of duragloss aquawax and with prima shampoo and slick, I got the slickness from when I last buffed it in february to last eight months.
I won't be waxing as it seems to take the slickness away and will hide the flakes in my paint.

Main thing is that your looking after your car's appearance.

when looking at your car, you should not be able to see much of the colour, just the images being reflected.

 

Agreed, except I would say that the amount of clearcoat you remove by polishing, combined with the amount of sealant/wax that you put on top afterwards, will never be sufficient to completely level out all of the orange peel in a typical factory finish. You'll level it out somewhat, and the distinctness-of-image will be greatly improved, but nothing short of wet-sanding and buffing will flatten it out *completely*. The reflections you see in the paint will look crisp and clean, but if you move your head back-and-forth, the image will waver slightly. Probably not on every surface of the car, but on some of them. Late-model Jeeps are the worst for this - it almost looks like the factory orange-peeled the finish on purpose to hide the minor scratches they must figure Jeeps are bound to get.

 

Interesting about the Jeeps... we have been seeing pretty bad orange-peel on alot of new BMWs lately. It makes me wonder if they're almost doing it on purpose since the BMW paint is so soft and scratch-prone. It's very frustrating though!

-Heather

 

I know that some of the German automakers are still trying to find the perfect balance on their clearcoats between too hard (chip-prone) and too soft (scratch-prone). I've heard good things about the new ceramic clearcoat that Mercedes is using, but I haven't heard anything from BMW.

Motorcycles are the same way. My first Ducati had all the scratch-resistance of a melting ice-cream cone. I swear the "swirl fairy" would visit at night, because I'd find fine scratches and swirls on places that I never even touch on the bike!

Harley-Davidson is using clear powdercoat in place of a conventional clearcoat on their tanks and fenders now, and I have to admit that they have the smoothest factory finish of any bikes on the market right now.

 

I just used the Turtle Wax Ice (synthetic) this past weekend. Result: very nice, shiny, highly reflective surface. Not as easy to remove as other polishes I've used, but the results are great. And it's fast. And it didn't eff up the plastic molding. Let's see how long it lasts with a NY-metro-area winter coming up.

 

I used prime acrylic by machine to leave a level coating over the top of the
peel.
So many people are afraid about machine polishing. If you want to get all the marks out and get it perfect, it needs a machine work over

 

er carnauba is much better at showing deep metallic flakes vs synthetic. There is no comparison. Key is the other 70% of the wax. I could have crap in it. ps21 or whatever it is called and griot's show or carnauba paste will crush synthetics in terms of showing the metallic flecks. A raw car that is perfect and swirl free shows flecks LESS than a carnauba waxed car. The refraction is just completely different. I would be using a synthetic on my brg/brg mini right this moment if their existed a synthetic that would allow the eye to see the rich colour as well carnauba. So far, no detailer has suggested or come up with a suggestion that can best carnauba for depth. wetness and shine, synth wins. If i could find like a close match... I would switch instantly. Carnauba is much harder to work with, about an extra hour it takes. I did 2 synthetic formulas (griot's sealant and turtle's something or other, was cheap for a cheap car) in about 1 hour vs 2+ hours with carnauba wax.

 

Agree about the shimmery wetness and the depth (especially with many layers but you still have to do the preparation.

I'll never put just wax on, poor protection (except water spots) but 3 x sealant, 3 x wax should be better than either on it's own and have better protection.

 

Carnauba wax can stand up to a 300 lb person grinding their ski's into ice. It is VERY strong stuff.

Also: Octaneguy says that he sees no difference in protection from carnauba vs synthetic. interesting.

Durability gives out the yes, carnauba is bad, but if it still is on the car, it seems quite powerful.

Sealant and carnauba might look good BUT it might not bond correctly. I noticed that the cleaner and cleaner I get my paint, the more it bonds like iron to it. Temperature also made it stronger, warmer temps and longer wait before buffing made this last wax almost have a glass effect.

I still wish a synth looked like a carnauba though. I would switch in a second due to durability and difficulty in using carnauba.

 

A friend in melbourne told me he applies the wax, sticks the car out in the aussie sun for 20 mins then brings it back in garage and buffs it off. Then applies another coat later.

Maybe the semi melting wax helps it achieve a better finish.
I applied six different carnauba's to one panel today. I'll inform you of results

 

HM! interesting!

 

I feel that the carnauba I have (P21S) is a breeze to work with. It goes on like butter, wipes right off, & doesn't mar the black bits. It takes around 20 minutes to do my whole Mini (granted I don't have to do the top as I don't have one)

 

Word has it that p21s is both a great wax to apply as well as not very durable. However, I do not know this for sure. I know that the griot's is 30% carnauba, its really strong stuff.

What allows it to not make white marks on vinyl and rubber ? Wax is wax, it dries white. Is it low in caruaba and maybe more oily or something?

 

That's an interesting question. Some sites list the waxes in P21S as a mixture of German waxes and Brazilian Carnauba, while others list the waxes as 100% Brazilian, but no one seems to know the actual wax content.

Just once, I'd like to try one of the Zymol waxes where the Carnauba content is so high that you have to melt it in your hands before applying it, and they warn emphatically NOT to let it dry - just apply it, immediately wipe off the bulk of it, and then go back four hours later to buff off what was left behind.

 

I don't know what gives me the durability I get because I use carnauba over Klasse (is it one or the other or most likely both ). I will only do the Klasse twice a year & apply the P21S carnauba every 2 months or so. When I reapply the carnauba I am just doing it for added shine though I do not feel that I "must" do it because I have lost protection.

Also I don't know why why but neither the Klasse nor the P21S carnauba mar your black bits which sure does make life a whole lot easier for me. Never used Grioit's but the P21S looks like hard wax in the tub but when you put it on the applicator it wipes on the Mini just like soft butter & it wipes off that easy too Klasse is a breeze 2. If I remember correctly (only used it once thus far) you don't even have to let the Klasse haze over, you just wipe it in until it wipes away.

Autopia recommends the Klasse sealant in conjunction with the P21S carnauba. Oh would you just go ahead & get some P21S already so I can quit trying to convince you how good it is