What wax do you recommend and why?

[Jeff7181]

So, I'm finally getting a car I'm excited about and will be proud of - 2013 Fusion SE. And I'm already starting to think about maintaining it and spending some summer afternoons washing and waxing it in the shade with a beer.

It's been years since I've waxed one of my vehicles. My 2008 Altima Coupe was a lease, as was my 2010 Altima Coupe, so I didn't bother babying them. My 2009 Jetta was nothing special. I got it to get me out of the lease on the 2010 Altima and I think I washed it once a year for the couple years I had it. Never saw a drop of wax while I had it.

Anyway... my dad was always a big Turtle Wax fan and that's what I remember using on all my parents cars when I was a kid/teen. I know there's some carnauba die hard fans out there, but I also know there's some newer synthetic waxes that may outperform carnauba.

Any suggestions? I'd probably be looking for an all-in-one cleaner/wax - afterall, this is a Fusion, not a Ferrari.

 

[fr]

I use Meguiar's Tech Wax 2.0 or Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid. Both provide a long-lasting shine and are a pain to apply to my white car.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

I use Meguiars carnauba wax for the past 2 years but thinking about trying out their "black wax".

 

[bryanl]

 

[Railgun]

Zymol. Use it and you'll know why.

 

[Meghan54]

Zymol. Use it and you'll know why.

Used that stuff on my maroon colored Silverado. Bought it by its reputation (and the fact it was being close-out priced and I got it way cheap) and it worked OK.

But the shine it produced was wholly outclassed by the Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax 2.0 I used subsequently to the Zymol. Wife even noticed at difference in the appearance between the two, and she doesn't really care. She noticed the NXT gave a deeper look to the finish than the Zymol produced.....looked "wetter" to her. I may have the Zymol around somewhere...unless I threw it out. Not a worthless product by any means but certainly isn't the best any longer.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Used that stuff on my maroon colored Silverado. Bought it by its reputation (and the fact it was being close-out priced and I got it way cheap) and it worked OK.

But the shine it produced was wholly outclassed by the Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax 2.0 I used subsequently to the Zymol. Wife even noticed at difference in the appearance between the two, and she doesn't really care. She noticed the NXT gave a deeper look to the finish than the Zymol produced.....looked "wetter" to her. I may have the Zymol around somewhere...unless I threw it out. Not a worthless product by any means but certainly isn't the best any longer.

You didn't spend enough time waxing. You have to apply at least 10 coats to get that wet Ferrari dipped in fresh paint look. Sure it takes 30 hours to wax your car but if you're not spending that much time on it you don't deserve to call yourself a car guy. :awe:

Personally, I use Meguiar's products exclusively.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Car wash wax setting mostly and maybe a coat of turtle wax once a year. It's just a tool after all. No different than the lawnmower out back.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

I just started using Chemical guys products on my new car when I got it. Worked very well for me

 

[iamwiz82]

Go big or go home

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Meguiars Gold Class Carnuba paste wax - It's long lasting and a bitch to apply.

 

[WackyDan]

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...sl_cc3wrcoef_b

Collinite. PERIOD. I've used Meguiars Gold and went back to Collinite. I use the liquid insulator wax #845. It is designed for utility work... but it does have a decent shine and it lasts longer than anything else I've tried and I've been using it since the 80's. If you park outside, you should try it.

 

[ballmode]

I use the British Wax, Auto Glym. Surprisingly it was sold for a short time at your local walmart. Then out of the blue went on the clearance rack and discontinued to be sold there. I bought 4 containers and currently got 1 1/2 left. I would buy it again if it was easy to come by. I'll go back to a liquid meguiars afterwards

 

[JulesMaximus]

Car wash wax setting mostly and maybe a coat of turtle wax once a year. It's just a tool after all. No different than the lawnmower out back.

I just had my car waxed at the local hand wash place. They had a $39.99 special.

I have no idea what they used but the paint looks nice and shiny and smooth now. I'll probably go back and have them do it next time too.

 

[Kaido]

If it's just a whatever car, Turtle Wax is great. Meguiar's has a really nice A-Z system (including their DA stuff). Wolf's Hardbody stuff is great, especially on darker cars. Personally I like a combination of carnuaba & synthetic if I'm really going for the showcar-shine look, but that can take days to apply between washing, waxing, waiting 24 hours between coats to harden, etc. I'd care more if I had a heated garage, but it's 16F out right now and I park in a lot at my rental, so it gets a free car wash with the rain or at the dealer :awe:

 

[JackBurton]

Go big or go home

Hey good news, Amazon shows it's compatible with my Mustang.

 

[eng2d2]

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...sl_cc3wrcoef_b

Collinite. PERIOD. I've used Meguiars Gold and went back to Collinite. I use the liquid insulator wax #845. It is designed for utility work... but it does have a decent shine and it lasts longer than anything else I've tried and I've been using it since the 80's. If you park outside, you should try it.

How long does it last?

 

[deadken]

FWIW: I've used Zymol and I wasn't overly impressed with what it did for my White car. When I used it on a neighbors truck (every time I borrowed it, I'd bring it back better than when I took it), it did WONDERS for his black truck.

I don't mind Rain Dance. It's not overly expensive and it holds up pretty well.

 

[WackyDan]

How long does it last?

I last waxed the truck and car 7 months ago. Rain is still beading, still easy to wash.

I live in Charlotte, NC and my garage is my workshop... Plus my bike is parked in it and my truck won't fit in it.

Our pollen season is just starting and lasts for about six weeks as several types of trees start to bloom... Thick coats of abrasive yellow pollen.

Then there is the caterpillar poop from the trees above, etc. Collinite is the only wax that seems to hold up down here for any amount of time. I'm probably going to attempt to at least wax the hoods and roofs before pollen season just to refresh the protection.

Best part is, a bottle will wax a car maybe 3 times and it is easy/forgiving to buff off.

 

[alexruiz]

The wax makes little difference, what makes the paint stand out is the preparation work.

At the autopia forums that has always been the message, the best wax on poorly prepared paint will look like grabage, while a humble wax on a nicely polished paint will look killer!

As far as wax, considering it for what it is, the protection of the hard polish work (LSP or last step protectant), it depends on a lot of factors: Easy to use, shine, durability, look, depth, etc.

For the winter, I still keep using Collinite 476P and 845IW.
For shine on white/silver cars on mild months, a sealant like EX-P or mothers FX
For metallic flakes paint, a hybrid wax like HD Poxy or mothers reflections.
For a dark or red, hard to beat a good carnauba like Pinnacle Souveran

If you want to something that takes little time, does some paint correction, looks decent and lasts decently, a good AIO or cleaner wax is the ticket. HD speed (3D products) is the AIO that seems to be the best rounded at the moment, Klasse AIO was well regarded but it is older.

 

[Jeff7181]

The wax makes little difference, what makes the paint stand out is the preparation work.

At the autopia forums that has always been the message, the best wax on poorly prepared paint will look like grabage, while a humble wax on a nicely polished paint will look killer!

As far as wax, considering it for what it is, the protection of the hard polish work (LSP or last step protectant), it depends on a lot of factors: Easy to use, shine, durability, look, depth, etc.

For the winter, I still keep using Collinite 476P and 845IW.
For shine on white/silver cars on mild months, a sealant like EX-P or mothers FX
For metallic flakes paint, a hybrid wax like HD Poxy or mothers reflections.
For a dark or red, hard to beat a good carnauba like Pinnacle Souveran

If you want to something that takes little time, does some paint correction, looks decent and lasts decently, a good AIO or cleaner wax is the ticket. HD speed (3D products) is the AIO that seems to be the best rounded at the moment, Klasse AIO was well regarded but it is older.

I'm most concerned about protecting the pain. I live in Michigan so we get some decent sun in the summer and salt in the winter.

Appearance (although it's sort of a by-product of well-protected paint) is secondary to me.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Wax is not needed for maintenance in new cars. It is 100% cosmetic.

My last truck went 150,000 miles. I probably washed it twice. And never waxed it. Not a single bit of rust on the thing.

I grew up in Buffalo and my first truck (1995-2002) that also went 150,000 miles had no rust. And never waxed it or washed it.

 

[Vdubchaos]

You are really looking forward to washing your car OP?

I mean I wash all my cars, but I can't say I look forward to doing so.

 

[iamwiz82]

Wax isn't to keep rust away exclusively, it also protects the paint itself. I'm sure your truck's clearcoat was gone and it was a faded mess.

 

[WackyDan]

Wax isn't to keep rust away exclusively, it also protects the paint itself. I'm sure your truck's clearcoat was gone and it was a faded mess.

This...

I think most people just want some added protection, but also ease of washing off bugs, tree sap, bird poop, etc.

Our 2005 Chevy was waxed the first year and then never again until last year... The paint on it was pretty bad quality from the factory. Fuck it, it is just an economy sedan, so I wasn't interested in showroom quality shine at all though I had planned on waxing it once a year.

Now I mainly wax it just to make it easier to clean the shit off of it. It is silver so every leaf stain and such is a bitch to get off the worn paint.