Silver

Nu-Finish claims it's a once a year thing... bla bla whatever, but it makes it sound like it offers better protection than the rest... is it BS?

What's the best wax I can get for protection off the shelf at Wal-Mart, etc?

I want a good, hard resistant shell. Shine is nice, but not the overriding factor. Don't feel like looking up some zaino dude.

NXT or Zymol from other posts... but I'm wondering if people are just judgeing on shine only?

lbls1

Nu Finish, they are still around? LOL.

Best wax is a subjective term. My advice is this: decide on the limit you will spend on wax, your routine for washing and waxing (critical), and what you are expecting out of a wax.

Stay clear of the "miracle waxes" that promise you one application per year, or short-cut waxes that waxes as you wash, unless you are not concerned with quality, depth of shine, and excellent protection.

If you want a really good wax product, then I'd say that you should pick up the Mother's California Gold 3-step wax system, and follow its directions.

Like I stated earlier, no wax will offer you protection unless you have a good wash and wax replenishment routine. I can't stress this enough, that a consistent routine coupled with a proven product will give you the best results that will bring out the best qualities of your paint in terms of shine, durability, and long life.

LS1 Sounds

NXT.

MustangEater82

We were jsut talking about different waxes on a v6 board, I asked about Nu-finish... guy said it lasted a month before he had to start redoing it...


I hear NXT lasts roughly 1-1.5 months... Honestly if I wasn't using zaino I woudl consider this stuff. I have heard nothing but good things.


I know you said you didn't want to hear about it but Zaino... Reason why I went after it was durability and protection, shine is a plus. My car is an always outside car and its a dark color. Zaino is fully synthetic, most everythign else is a carnuba wax. Think of synthetic oil and regular dyno juice, which breaks down faster? The natural stuff, not the synthetic.

Put on zaino 3.5 months ago , 2 washes, couple hose downs to get dust and bird crap off, no chemicals used. I also zainoed my rims, haven't used a chemical on them since January when I zainoed them, thats nearly 6 months, just wipe them off with a damp rag, when I hose it down.

and car looks like this
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...5_102_full.jpg


here is a mini list of my 3.5 months of zaino with lots of pics showing the shine over time.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/514505/3

LS1 Sounds

Can't buy Zaino off the shelf at Wal-Mart though... So far NXT is holding up great on my car, which is daily driven at least 300 miles per week. The reports I've read are showing NXT to hold up 3-6 months, not 1-1.5. I haven't experienced either of these intervals first hand though.

hcvone

Any true synthetic "wax" will outlast carnauba 5 to 1 in durability, Zaino, Klasse, Nu Finish and Liquid Glass will outlast NXT at least 3 to 1, Zaino and Klasse will outlast it 5 to 1.

MustangEater82

I know but its the synthetic I know most, so I list it... Its really not that hard to order, I ordered and got it like 2-3 days later. Didn;t even have to drive anywhere

lbls1

Yes and no. With a carnauba wax, if you follow its directions and allow a proper time for the applied wax to cure, and you develop an adequate amount of coatings, the waxed surface will last a long time. I've stated testimonials on my living example with its showroom shine that has lasted 11 years on carnauba wax with no garage and all the acid rain you could toss at it.

It seems, however, that some synthetics can hold beading longer than a typical carnauba when you compare them in lighter coatings. Zaino also seems to have very good durability as well.

Shine quality, that's a pandora's box all in itself, but in general I've noticed that the synthetics can develop as good of a result as some of the typical carnaubas. The better carnauba waxes, applied and stretched properly, as I've seen it, can develop a bit of a sharper resolution and, if you really go into the high end carnaubas, a deeper and more intense resolution. The downside of the carnauba waxes is that without building up on the coatings, you lose the beading quality and slickness if left to the elements. A plus to carnauba, though, is that the actual wax remains, and it continues to do its job, long after the beading and some of the shine has stopped.

Cmr0z28

Don't ask what will give you the best protection and say you don't want to "look up some zaino dude", that's ignorant. Nu Finish sucks, I wouldn't consider putting that crap on my paint. NXT is nothing special, there are better and worse. It sorta falls in the middle, and usually lasts 3-4 weeks on a daily driven car. You can't get this wax at a store, but any local detailer's supply should have it....Meguiar's #16 Professional Paste Wax. It's about $12-15 for a tin (comes in a blue tin), and should last you years. It's a very hard wax and applies like butter, and lasts longer than any carnauba I've used. Just don't leave it on the car for too long or it will be a bear to remove.

Silver

lbls1 - thanks for taking the time. So, it seems as though Nu-Finish does have a few fans, albiet a mediocre support?

Sounds like synthetic is the best for 'amatuer' applications with carnuba tying or surpassing in some cases if you start with a perfect surface and build it up...

hcvone seems to have hit on my exact concern - synthetic is the most durable so start with a synthetic and decide from there if I'm not willing to follow a multi-step process to clean, etc before applying carnuba? You also like Nu-Finish? lbls1 this is against your recommendation to stay away from gimmicky sounding products...

Cmr0z28 - "Don't go away mad, just go away."

Let me tell you guys what I did - I went after a bottle of NXT and saw the price and cheap-o'd out at $15.00. I said to heck with it and picked up a bottle of Kit carnuba. Heck, with that cool yellow bottle and $4 price I couldn't resist LOL. I've used Kit a lot in the past and got kindof frustrated.

So the thing is for the next time... use a synthetic for sure from what I gather?

MustangEater82

Synthetic is the way to go... like I said earlier think of mobil 1 vs. dinosaur juice.

Protection and durability...

Zaino goes on, and comes off very easy. I have left a coat on for ~9-10 hours before I took it off and it still came off easier then 90% of carnuba waxes I ever used.

Pics speak 1,000 words...

Initial application... Valentine's day weekend
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_60_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...505_8_full.jpg

One month later, right after a car wash
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_41_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_46_full.jpg

Two weeks after last wash, I hosed the car down drove it dry, no chemicals, less then 5 minutes
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_52_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_54_full.jpg

April 24th, second wash of the car
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_67_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_70_full.jpg

June 1st, 4.5 months later, hosed the car down, drove it dry
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_98_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...05_99_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...5_100_full.jpg
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...5_102_full.jpg



I zainoed my rims, they have not had any chemical other then carwash on them since January when I zainoed them, dirt wipes of with damp rag. I only washed the car twice in 4.5 months, I only hose it off...

heck, my car was under a tree for a 7 day cruise, had at least 20 spots of bird crap, just hosed them off and looks great.

water still beads perfect.

Only drawbacks, more expensive then others stuff, but I was, wax and do everything waaaaaay less then I ever did on any other car. And you have to order it, I got mine in like 3 days.

Cmr0z28

Sigh, okay then, I'm done giving my advice to morons like you. Enjoy the ****ty wax, and have a nice day.

lbls1

No problem! The best thing to do is to find a wax or syn. that works for you. If it works, than that's the system to use.

Silver

Yep '82 it looks like your wax job is as good as anyone could expect. I was never questioning Zaino's worthiness, just that I was going to wax my car within the next day and knew I wasn't going to wait. A big storm moved into North GA and I wanted to get a coat on before it b/c the car just came out of the body shop and wanted to get some protection on it right then.

You know the only bad thing about getting your car in good shape is the obsession that comes with it... it was a lot easier when my car was banged up from the fender bender and I didn't give a crap. Now I'm seeking out waxes, fixing all these little things and hoping no one opens a door into it. Sheesh.

I should plan ahead though not only for my car but my wife's new car too with some Zaino.

Thanks a WHOLE lot for everyone's input.