[Danberg]

I have a 1 1/2 year old black color auto.  What wax do you recommend for:
1. best look
2. protection

[Vapor Audio]

Since you said best ...

You almost certainly have significant swirl marks, just about every car that's actually driven does.  And in just 6 months a new finish can accumulate significant surface contaminants. 

1st step - 3m Perfect-It cleaning clay
2nd step (for good condition paint) - 3m Perfect-It swirl remover
3rd step - 3m Perfect-It Ultrafina

You can use a pure wax after the Ultrafina, but once you use that stuff you'll see it's pointless to wax after.  Of course to use this process you'll need a GOOD buffer, I have the DeWalt based on the many auto-body guys I know saying it was best.  It's also good for beginners because you can run it at really low rpm to get the hang of it, and avoid burning through. 

There's no point of waxing paint that has swirls or other imperfections.  Get the paint glass smooth first.  I also use something called Crystal Guard which isn't a wax, it's a surface polymerization treatment that bonds to the paint and provides a hard protection layer for a year or more.

[mcullinan]

Say you never washed your car ever... and the black paint is white... what is happening and will wax bring it back to black.
Mike

[woodsyi]

Triple wax Mr. Wash uses.     I haven't washed and waxed my own for years.   

[BRILEY804]

To keep my car looking brand new, I use a clay bar and zymol polish.

I sent you an email explaining the process....

[cryoparts]

http://www.zainostore.com/

Zaino.  Used to use it, back when I had cars that were worth waxing... 

Smells good too.

Peace,

Lee

[Levi]

I agree with the rest.

What type of paint do you have in your car?  Clear coat? 

This is going to tough recommendation.  You also need to analyze the paint condition. 

The best wax is Carnauba based wax.  Preparation is the key.

[TheChairGuy]

A few years ago, Consumers Research or Reports rated Nu-Finish as the best product available for luster and endurance.

Once a year for almost 15 years - that's what I use still.  It may have been eclipsed by better more recently....haven't looked around to see anything else.

The beginning of the year I have my local car wash give me the $125.00 clay buff and wax....and a few months later (in October) I seal the cars finish with Nu Finish for the (watery, soggy, rainy) winter here (no garage for the past 6 years)

John

[TONEPUB]

I have a 1 1/2 year old black color auto.  What wax do you recommend for:
1. best look
2. protection

Keep it out of the sun at all times!!



(owner of two black cars....)

[Vapor Audio]

I'm guessing nobody else here has used 3M Ultrafina?  I have two friends that both run body shops, both said without a doubt it's the best final paint prep product on the market ... forget wax, prep the paint, finish with Ultrafina, and then put a sealer on it.  If you want, wax over that, but Ultrafina produces such a perfect surface the effects of wax are almost unnoticable.

[JerryM]

The best results I have ever had came from Meguiars. They have a very cool feature on their website where they tell you the exact product(s) to use on your car's finish based on your actual automobile and area of the country you live in. I would never use anything else.

http://www.meguiars.com

Have fun,

Jerry

[Mijknarf]

I have used Collinite Insulator Wax #845 for years.  It goes on easy and wipes off easily with no powder or dust.  By far the easiest wax I've used.  I have not found anything else that surpasses it.  Check out this link: http://www.autogeek.net/collinite-insulator-wax-845.html

[giantsteps]

 I spend a fortune at the car wash trying to keep my car clean. Since my car is red I'm convinced the birds just love it for target practice. I'll wash her late afternoon and next early morning I hear the robins and crows soaring overhead laughing and joking...bombs away! Splat! Ha ha you missed that one! It's depressing.


 Frank

[low.pfile]

Another Zaino fan here.

It's polymer based .... lasts a long time and provides great protection.
I've used it on my previous car - a black accord, and every car since then (BTW no more daily driver black cars for me!)

good luck

[Levi]

That's easy Frank, quick detail it.  Once you have the final wax, you just maintain it.

I use Griots' products.  Meguiar's  has one too but I like Griots' better

[yooper]

(IMHO) Cryoparts and low.pfle know their wax!!!

Zaino really is the cat's ass!   

A little more time consuming than other options, but the end result is stellar.

Mark

[Vapor Audio]

I used to use Zaino as well, but it's a ridiculous amount of time ... it takes an entire weekend to do the whole process right, and you still have your swirl marks - they're just temporarily filled.  In a few weeks to 2 months you'll just start seeing them again.  I'm telling you guys, waxes just hide imperfections.  Follow the process I posted above and your paint will be flawless, and you'll see wax is pointless.  It'll be a deeper shine than you've ever seen with any wax.

The Griots instant detailer is the shiznit though 

[golfugh]

Griots' Garage Paint cleaning clay and Best of Show Wax

[KS]

Understand the difference between cleaning, polishing, and waxing.

Cleaning removes contaminants from the surface.  Clay bar or, for badly oxidized surfaces, fine (abrasive) polishing compound.

Polishing provides the shine and does light duty cleaning.

Waxing protects the shine.  It can be either actual wax or modern polymer sealants.

I've gotten the best results with RejeX sealant.  It works far better for me than any Meguiars product or Nu-Finish.

[low.pfile]

I used to use Zaino as well, but it's a ridiculous amount of time ...

Agreed, Zaino is a bit time consuming. I only do it 2x a year. fortunate to have a garage now--not to obsessed with the the finish like years ago. And when I was in SF, parking on the street was the worst for the finish.