YACT: Nu Finish wax/polish

NeoPTLD

Platinum Member
Nov 23, 2001
2,544
2
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Anyone here tried or heard a story of Nu Finish car wax/polish?

The can claims to be once a year polish and even 52 automatic car wash won't take it off. I looked up online and it apparently got a 3rd place or so in consumer reports review, but I don't really find much information about this product.

When I went to the manufacture's site, there is no link for contacting them and that makes me skeptical.

If this isn't all that good, what kind of wax should I use? Since I have to park outside almost 24/7, protection and durability of finish are the utmost importance.
 
Feb 10, 2000
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I've used this stuff and been very pleased with it.

Pluses:
- Very easy and quick to apply
- Can apply in any weather conditions
- Very durable, and continues to bead water for months

Minuses:
- Not a brilliant shine
- Creates an ugly white haze on black plastic and rubber (can be removed with mineral alcohol)

This is NOT a show-car polish, but as long as you're not looking to have the shiniest car in town, it works very well indeed.
 

The Sauce

Diamond Member
Oct 31, 1999
4,741
34
91
Nu Finish is a very poor excuse for auto wax. I used to use it before I learned how to really take care of my car. And no, it lasts nowhere near a year...maybe a month at most. If you want to learn about detailing visit autopia.org. IF you don't want to spend the time then at least buy Meguiars NXT wax which can be found in most stores. The good stuff you can really only find online, though (Klasse, P21S, Pinnacle, etc.).
 
Feb 10, 2000
30,029
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Originally posted by: Snatchface
Nu Finish is a very poor excuse for auto wax. I used to use it before I learned how to really take care of my car. And no, it lasts nowhere near a year...maybe a month at most. If you want to learn about detailing visit autopia.org. IF you don't want to spend the time then at least buy Meguiars NXT wax which can be found in most stores. The good stuff you can really only find online, though (Klasse, P21S, Pinnacle, etc.).

I don't agree. I recently tried Zaino, which definitely provides a better shine, but it wore off much faster, and was far more of a pain to apply. NuFinish does have tremendous longevity in my experience, though it was closer to 6 months than a year. IMO it's not really made for car-wax afficionados (who won't be impressed with its shine), but it leaves the most durable finish of any wax I'm aware of, and seems to do a good job of protecting the car's paint.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,567
969
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Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
Anyone here tried or heard a story of Nu Finish car wax/polish?

The can claims to be once a year polish and even 52 automatic car wash won't take it off. I looked up online and it apparently got a 3rd place or so in consumer reports review, but I don't really find much information about this product.

When I went to the manufacture's site, there is no link for contacting them and that makes me skeptical.

If this isn't all that good, what kind of wax should I use? Since I have to park outside almost 24/7, protection and durability of finish are the utmost importance.

They're full of sh!t. All decent waxes are pretty much the same. Wax your car twice a year and you'll be okay. Detail it 3-4 times a year and you'll be golden. Meguiars is the only thing I use. Paint cleaner (if necessary), glaze and then wax. Wash & dry the car first and only work on it in the shade or a garage and follow the instructions on the bottle.

Edit-Zaino is for suckers with too much time on their hands and who like to waste money on overpriced car care products.
 

EvilYoda

Lifer
Apr 1, 2001
21,198
9
81
I'm still deciding between Meguiars, Zaino and Tropi-Care. I did a full Dawn wash, Tropi-Care wash, clay bar and Tropi-Care polish last weekend...it was great, but I don't know if it was perfect. I might just stick to Meguiars just because it's cheaper if I want to touch up the car every weekend. An hour every week isn't too much to ask.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,567
969
126
Originally posted by: EvilYoda
I'm still deciding between Meguiars, Zaino and Tropi-Care. I did a full Dawn wash, Tropi-Care wash, clay bar and Tropi-Care polish last weekend...it was great, but I don't know if it was perfect. I might just stick to Meguiars just because it's cheaper if I want to touch up the car every weekend. An hour every week isn't too much to ask.

Never use dishawashing liquid to wash your car unless your goal is to strip off all the wax on the paint. Use only a product designed to wash cars. Also, if you are washing, washing again then using a clay bar and then polishing you are really wasting your time. Polish will come right off unless you apply a wax immediately after polishing.

Why on earth would you wash twice? If something doesn't come off from washing use a paint cleaner like Meguiars paint cleaner, then glaze to remove any fine swirl marks and then wax.

Edit-Zaino is crap, see my post above.
 

EvilYoda

Lifer
Apr 1, 2001
21,198
9
81
meh, I'll try Zaino just to try it, I'll make my own decision. As for the Dawn, that's exactly why I did it. Since when was it a sin to wash a car twice? First real wash since before the winter, I wanted to be thorough.

yeesh.
 

TechnoKid

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2001
5,575
0
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Glaze, like 3M's imperial hand glaze, or meguiars show car glaze #7, does not remove swirls, they have no abrasives as far as I know; they are 'fillers'. They are good at temporarily filling in swirls/spider swirls.

Polishes contain some cleaner/abrasives to help remove swirls.
3M swirl mark remover (SMR) or meguiars swirl remover 2.0 are examples of some good, relatively mild polishes that remove swirls. After using a polish, follow up with a glaze. Then wax/sealant-carnuba topcoat.

Hopefully, the paint isn't so bad where you'd need to use compound like 3M perfect-it finecut or meguiars no. 2, which you can really only achieve good results with somethng like a porter cable PC 7424 random orbital dual action polisher.

http://www.properautocare.com/whatdif.html <---a lot about car paint care and then some.
 

NeoPTLD

Platinum Member
Nov 23, 2001
2,544
2
81
I don't need to use any swirl removers.

I have access to automatic car wash and whatever I can find at local auto parts store, but no access to garden hose.
 

beatle

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2001
5,661
5
81
I use NuFinish in the late fall to prepare for the winter since I don't wash my car much when it's freezing outside. I use NXT in the spring/summer when I'm able to wash/wax the car more often. NuFinish lasts quite a while. For best results, use two coats 30 days apart.
 

nwfsnake

Senior member
Feb 28, 2003
697
0
0
NuFinish does a good job of cleaning the paint, but it does stain plastic trim terribly. In my experience, if your car sits outside all the time, it just doesn't last very long (30-45 days). I use Meguires paint cleaner and clay to clean, then Zaino to protect.
 

The Sauce

Diamond Member
Oct 31, 1999
4,741
34
91
If you want the absolute best protection and longevity then there is nothing better than Klasse All-in-one.