Best Car Wax On The Market? Consumer Reports Tested Them

[webby]

Is there such a thing as the "Best Wax"?

So you just purchased a vehicle and want to keep the shine lasting for weeks and years to come? What products really work, and what products just don't perform like they should? Consumer reports in their July 2006 Magazine decided to test car wax for themselves and see which ones worked the best.

They tested spray wax, liquid wax, and paste wax. Which one lasted the longest in their testing? Which has the best gloss for the money? Is the most expensive product really the best product to buy, or are you wasting your hard earned money? And what's the difference between waxes and polish? You'll have to read their report to see how the results turned out.

3 pages of their testing and results. The final page shows the outcome if you really want to just jump to it. I think it's worth the whole read personally. It explains why some don't work well on plastics etc.

Happy Cleaning

[jc21]

Great article. Seems perhaps I should just use the wax while you dry stuff. No need to get some super protectant stuff.

If I use that method would that protect my paint just fine? If I did it say once every other week?

[ShaggySi]

I'll have to remeber this when I get my Si.

[Chris Dillon]

I don't agree with this. I like my NXT a lot better then that black magic but I own a white car.

[atruhondagrl]

I'm going to have to give that Black Magic a try. Cool.

[fryd_ryce]

haha i just bought the Black majiic and it works great!!

[TommyD]

Those clowns didn't test Zaino.

[etf]

Originally Posted by TommyD

Those clowns didn't test Zaino.

Zaino is insaino. It takes one all day to wax your car with Zaino!

[RaskyR1]

I thought it was interesting how they said no wax will improve the shine of a new car....yet this forum is for new civic owners and everyone is saying how great this waxed made their car look....:rolleyes:

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by etf

Zaino is insaino. It takes one all day to wax your car with Zaino!

+1

good stuff but in now way worth the time or money...not even close!!!

[jc21]

Originally Posted by RaskyR1

I thought it was interesting how they said no wax will improve the shine of a new car....yet this forum is for new civic owners and everyone is saying how great this waxed made their car look....:rolleyes:

Agreed. I plan on just using wax as you dry stuff and quik detailer. If you do it often enough your paint will be protected. If years down the road it looks like the paint could use some help then i'd actually take the time to really detail it, or just take it to a shop.

[jp375]

This report doesn't really help much. There are alot of higher end products that probably put the best of these to shame. Wish it would have been a more comprehensive test....

[MaKo]

Originally Posted by jp375

This report doesn't really help much. There are alot of higher end products that probably put the best of these to shame. Wish it would have been a more comprehensive test....

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

[jc21]

Originally Posted by jp375

This report doesn't really help much. There are alot of higher end products that probably put the best of these to shame. Wish it would have been a more comprehensive test....

I think they were trying to show the best bang for your buck. I'm sure zaino is far better than black magic but black magic is good and doesn't take forever and isn't a PITA to use, it's dummy proof.

You have to remember that it's consumers reading this magazine. Not car enthusiats only, or people who know a lot about detailing cars.

[larryd]

Originally Posted by RaskyR1

+1

good stuff but in now way worth the time or money...not even close!!!

Your nuts. Zaino isn't that expensive and it is by far the best.

[jc21]

Is a bottle of Zaino wax $6?

Even if it is the same price as other waxes it could be the fact that their testing products that can be commonly found at walmart, autozone, advance auto, etc etc. Not waxes you have to buy online. There's a lot of speciality waxes. But i think they were just testing a general, most commonly known, cheap and easy to use waxes.

[spear85]

Originally Posted by etf

Zaino is insaino. It takes one all day to wax your car with Zaino!

it may take all day...because its supposed to take that long when you do the ENTIRE process of prepping the car to be polished. Think about the imperfections you are covering up with wax when you dont claybar the vehicle first. Nothing wrong with Zaino itself...some people dont like to spend a day treating the paint the way its supposed to be.

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by larryd

Your nuts. Zaino isn't that expensive and it is by far the best.

Well I wish I could find the site that show's how much more the zaino costs per application that other waxes but I'm not going to spend all night trying to find it again. I'm not saying Zaino doesn't work great because it does, but when you consder that you have to mix the Z1 with the ZFX accelerator and what ever is left over is waste....I suggest you get good at mixing the exact amount you need. Plus it's anyoying that if you run out of ZFX you have to go and order more even though you have plenty of wax left. Plus it's way too time consuming....having detailed cars for over 17 years now I've become used to working fast and I don't have time to wait for the wax to dry. If you have all day to wax your car and don't mind all the BS that goes along with Zaino that by all means buy it...it does work great! But there are other waxes that require far less work, less $$$ and look just as good. I guarantee that I could wax half my hood with zaino and half with a wax of my choice and nobody will be able to tell the difference....because I've done it!

[Sam388]

Originally Posted by RaskyR1

Well I wish I could find the site that show's how much more the zaino costs per application that other waxes but I'm not going to spend all night trying to find it again. I'm not saying Zaino doesn't work great because it does, but when you consder that you have to mix the Z1 with the ZFX accelerator and what ever is left over is waste....I suggest you get good at mixing the exact amount you need. Plus it's anyoying that if you run out of ZFX you have to go and order more even though you have plenty of wax left. Plus it's way too time consuming....having detailed cars for over 17 years now I've become used to working fast and I don't have time to wait for the wax to dry. If you have all day to wax your car and don't mind all the BS that goes along with Zaino that by all means buy it...it does work great! But there are other waxes that require far less work, less $$$ and look just as good. I guarantee that I could wax half my hood with zaino and half with a wax of my choice and nobody will be able to tell the difference....because I've done it!

I used to use collinite because it lasted way longer than anything else I ever used. The car would bead these little tiny beads for alot longer than other waxes I have tried. When I read the big wax test in Guru Reports a while back they felt the same way that I did about the collinite. Being that we seemed to have similar opinions and the Zaino rated number one I decided to try it. It is by far the best there is. It takes getting used to I admit, just give it some time. I mix just the right amount every time and you should go thru ONE bottle of ZFX for every two bottles of Z2 Pro. A little goes a long way so put it on thin. It doesn't take me any longer to use Zaino than any other wax and it doesn't have to dry that long either. If it is hot out, by the time you get done waxing the whole car you can start taking it off. You guys are right, all the waxes look good especially on new cars, but Zaino looks noticeably better after a few applications. I'm not talking all at once, just waxing as often as you normally would. None of you seem to go long enough between waxings to ever know how long your wax would last anyways. Those cheap waxes are junk and they always have been. If your not going to wax frequently or your putting that last coat on before winter wouldn't you rather have something that lasts? What's 40 dollars man? You'll spend more than that on junk waxes that you will use once and put on the shelf or just throw away. Big deal, it lasts a long time.

[AznMTboy]

nice...