Waxes 101: Types of Waxes & Their Uses

cwj370

Has anyone used the Ultima line. I have used the entire system once on my 370 and it seemed to do a great job. Just wondering if anyone else has tried it?

cwj370

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FricFrac

Has anyone else tried the Turtle Ice yet

sensi09

Einszett is great. I've been using their products for awhile. I like how their polish does great with no machine application. And their glanz wax has to be the easiest wax to apply.

Alexus

A member on another forum I frequent has come up with some very valid point, so I thought I'd share them with you!

Yes, you will want to wash your car twice with a proper car body shampoo. Do not use the all-in-one products (soap, wax, paint cleaner, &c.) as you're just putting more muck on your paint! I recommend Meguiars' Deep Crystal. You will want to use your scratch/swirl remover (I recommend ScratchX from Meguiars') after you have completed your clay bar process, but only if you're not laying down a polish. If you are not comfortable with a clay bar, as you can damage your paint if you don't do it correctly, I recommend getting the liquid version; it works just as good if not better and it is practically fool-proof. A good polish followed by a finishing polish will get rid of most if not all minor scratches and imperfections, so no real need for the scratch remover (it's more or less just a finishing polish in itself). You will want to work your polish in a small spot before you lay it down over the whole car; during this first application of a new polish it's a good idea to keep track of the amount of time it takes for the polish to settle! Clean up the spot you've worked on regularly and check the finish of the paint. When you see no more marring and imperfections, your polish has been worked thoroughly and you now know how much time you have to work per panel in order to get the most out of the polish! I'm personally not a big fan of polishes… they're a lot of work. I'm a lazy detailer! :P

You will then want to seal up the paint with a wax. Now I'm not up to date here when it comes to the English-language terms but as far as I know, regular waxes are made from a natural base (carnauba) and a sealant is just a fancy term for waxes made from synthetic polymers. A true paint sealant such as the Quantum Sealant System, I don't recommend applying yourself. Remember, stay away from Teflon and silicone based waxes and "sealants!"


After a clay bar your car will be as clean as you will ever get it! I don't recommend washing your car between the steps, but giving it a good wipe-doy with a microfiber cloth and the detailing spray provided with the clay bar sure doesn't hurt!

FoxMan

You should check out the high end Zymol products. The last one doesn't even list a price, but the product below it lists for $8,416!

k20z3

I like Carnuba, I don't know why, but I use Mothers Gold

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Alexus

Many people like carnauba on black and red. It has amazing depth! Just make sure your car doesn't sit immobile in the sun for long periods of time; the wax will yellow. Also, carnauba-based waxes don't last very long.

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"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."
-General George S. Patton Jr., 1885-1945

PrObLy

I bought the Turtle Ice clay bar and the "liquid polish" (which I don't believe is a polish, but rather a liquid wax or sealant) since they were on sale B1G1 at Pep Boys.

I bought them for my daily driver, a '94 Buick Regal GS coupe (hey, don't call it a beater!) because it has a lot of rubber molding and plastic trim. The ICE product is supposed to not leave any white residue or crud on the plastic and rubber.

The clay bar system worked well...it came with a "liquid clay" to treat your car with before actually claying. This removes any sap, tar, bugs, etc. And then the usual 100g clay bar and lubricant.

The liquid polish/wax/whatever was extremely easy to apply...and it barely took any to cover the car. I'd say there's enough in the bottle for 15+ coatings. True to their word, it left zero residue on the plastics and rubbers and the wax buffed off the rest of the car with ease.

The finished product looked nice. Not mind blowing nor ultra wet...but certainly much better than it had looked prior to the application. As for durability...my car is parked outside all the time and subjected to the always changing Chicago climate. After two weeks, I gave her a wash. The water didn't bead off quite as well as I was hoping, but the car still washed up extremely well and maintained a very nice shine when dried.

I'd definitely recommend the ICE for a daily driver or a car with a lot of rubber and plastic trim. It was extremely easy and quick to apply; however, I don't think I'll be using it on my Z.

dlmartin81

How does one remove Carnuba wax?

LiquidZ

Unscented liquid dawn dish soap.

Zaino mentions it in their instructions.

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nogoodname

dish soap and detergent removes everything...that's why it's really bad to use that regularly................i have no paint left on one car....lol

hybridnation

I have you used a product called 5starshine on all of my cars and u cant beat the protection

molamann

I got my Z back in January and so far all I have been doing on it is washing and waxing(SP Meguiar's NXT Techwax and Meguiar's quick detailer when I'm lazy.)

However, I think it's due for a claybar and some nice polish since it just doesn't have that glow and it's got little scratches concentrated on the front of the car. So basically I'm going to:

Wash with unscented dish soap
Clay bar
Polish
Wax

Should I make any changes in orders? Also, I'm wondering if I should invest in a dual-action polisher since it'll speed up my work a lot faster. Is it worth it?

rsboland

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