Best Car Wax On The Market? Consumer Reports Tested Them

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by divinebarrel

ear wax gets the job done

Oh I'm repping you for that one!

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by ryker

a general all in one wax contains abrasive cleaners and abrasive polish. So it can/could cause very micro swirls. I only use pure wax products.

That's why I said "wax" not "cleaner wax". It would be hard to swirl even with most mild cleaner waxes when used properly. NXT is considered a cleaner wax but if you swirl with that stuff you have a serious flaw in your method.

[divinebarrel]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

Oh I'm repping you for that one!

hell i will rep u for repping me.... almost sounds like raping , Jeezzzzzzzzzzzz

[divinebarrel]

any one else is more than welcome to rep or rape me

[twindragons11]

hey guys is this safe??:

first i wash my car. second i dry it. thrid i apply turtle wax platinum series spray. i do the wax on and wax off thing. then i wait for a few minutes. and then i apply the turtle wax 2000 series paste, and then do the wax on wax off thing. so basically im doing two coats.

many thanks!

[Si_Sedan_Fan]

Car wash does not cause swirl marks. Regular wax does not cause swirl marks. A dirty rag, wash mit, polishing cloth will. End of story.

Even the smallest contaminent (not visible to the naked eye) in your towel, cloth, micro fiber etc will F your paint up. Trust me I've been detailing the piss out of my rides for over 20 years. If you have a black car your going to get swirl marks eventually no matter what. Dont like swirl marks. Dont buy a black car.

White and silver hide swirl marks the best. Dark colors suck for that.

[televascular]

Originally Posted by twindragons11

hey guys is this safe??:

first i wash my car. second i dry it. thrid i apply turtle wax platinum series spray. i do the wax on and wax off thing. then i wait for a few minutes. and then i apply the turtle wax 2000 series paste, and then do the wax on wax off thing. so basically im doing two coats.

many thanks!

It is generally accepted in the detailing community that wax needs at least 12-24 hours to cure before another layer is applied. Some have no problems when layering immediately, while some experience a cloudy haze in the wax layers.

It depends heavily on the product. I'm not familiar with Turtle Wax products (they're not very good, FYI), so maybe your platinum spray is synthetic and doesn't need curing. Who knows, unless you try it. Or you could search the Autopia forums.

The general method is to wash, wax, wait 24 hours, quick detail, then wax again. This will avoid all questionable actions that may lead to cloudy paint.

Good luck!

[usakicksass]

I wash VERY CAREFULLY then after toweling dry I use the spray on stuff. Seems to give a good shine for the time being.

[Si_Sedan_Fan]

Whats the point of waxing it twice in 24 hours? Your just wasting wax.

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by Lucy Brown

Whats the point of waxing it twice in 24 hours? Your just wasting wax.

It's called layering. When it's really cold outside do you only wear a shirt or do you add maybe a sweater and a jacket. It's the same for your paint. The more layers the more protection from stuff like bird crap and bugs.

[bizzybearfigiblue]

Originally Posted by FIJIROB

My experience:

I bought Zaino just after buying the car (Fiji Coupe) - thinking I would make the car sparkle. I spent a lot of money, and was dissappointed.

Then I switched to NXT, had great results - no better than the Zaino, but far quicker, easier, and less expensive.

So to sum it up - if you have nothing but time on the weekends Zaino is really great, but not much more than NXT. NXT has worked great for bi-weekely or monthly polishings. Get the Zaino tire dressing. Mequires Ultimate Quick Detailer with clean microfiber cloths will keep the car looking amazing for 10 minutes a day...

I'll have to disagree with the Zaino is only a little bit better than the NXT... I just put the NXT on my car and a few hours after that it started to rain and the water would bubble up on the car... but when i used Zaino it the water would literally fall off the car... kinda like it didn't want to even touch the car...

also the amount of time to apply the Zaino is well worth the finish... but u make it seem like an all day event it only takes maybe 3-4hrs from start of wash to finish with Zaino...

one more observation was that the Zaino protects wayyy longer than any other wax i've used b4...

[KND]

Seems like everyone has their "favorite or preferred" wax. I have been a fan of the NXT wax for years until I tried Prima Epic. This wax definitely made the car "wet-looking." It was also friendlier on black plastics and such. Not to mention, the wax was noticeably easier to remove. For the extra 8 dollars, I think it's well worth the investment.

After reading the review, I will have to try the Black Magic and Turtle Wax to see for myself =). There really is no reason to spend more money if you don't have to.

As far as scratching, one of the main reasons is due to dust particles on the car being brushed around by your hands. So take precautions to spray off the dust as much as possible and use clean/washed towels. I use a lamb's wool mitt to wash and micro fiber towels to dry. I use a sponge to get rid of gunk and such on the lower sections of the car. I usually wash my mitt and towels after the wash.

[jpik2003]

Originally Posted by MaKo

I thought the cross section of products tested could have been broader also. Informative none the less.

[MellowGato]

Don't believe everything you read. I purchased a 2002 VW Passat based on Consumer Report's ratings. Took it in early for every service. If anything broke, I immediately had it fixed. 500 miles out of warranty, and it needs over $3000 worth of work - and of course, VW won't do a thing about it. Checked Consumer Reports again when looking to buy the SI, so thought I would look at the Passat again - funny how they change their ratings. In 2002, the Passat was a best buy, in 2006, when I looked again, they had changed their ratings to show that it was far from a best buy.
Moral - I am a dumbass for believing Consumer Reports. Don't be like me...

[rames]

i must agree too, although i was not able to read the report. i've been using black magic for a year on my car and it looks great! i also use a California duster and i there is really no need to wash my car for weeks.

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by rames

i must agree too, although i was not able to read the report. i've been using black magic for a year on my car and it looks great! i also use a California duster and i there is really no need to wash my car for weeks.

You mean the "California car scratcher"?

[07LX]

My wax is 22 in the list and first on the spray....I really love Eagle 1...Yea I am that lazy

[eh3]

Very nice.. I'm going to check that Black Magic Wet Shine Liquid Wax next time..

[Tachyon]

OTC Waxes are absolute junk compared to what else is out there. There are only one or two OTC waxes I trust.

[Si4Life]

I just used the meguires gold class car wash. then meguires claybar kit w/meguires spray detailer, finished with the meguires cleaner wax. the car is baby's ass smooth after a warm bath followed by some J&J baby powder.