my favorite also

 

there's the correct answer.
proper pre-wax polishing is far more important than wax top coat.

I use Menzerna polishing products which have proven effective and easy to remove.

Craig

 

Well blow me away! I did one half of the hood on my 1974 260Z's original, well worn metallic blue paint, with Topcoat and the other with P21S. No comparison. The Topcoat is much shinier, thicker looking and covers nicks and scratches much better. Did the same test on the tt with the same result. The Topcoat was so much better, I recoated the P21S side with it. I sprayed it on glass, plastic, etc. Easy on, easy off, no white crap. Anyone know how this stuff lasts? As a novice I may be missing some colour or depth issues but I'm sold on Topcoat.

I use Optimum Polish II on an orange pad, followed by Optimum Poly Seal on a white pad - 2500 to 3000 rpm on a Porter Cable. Maguiars Scratch X on the bad stuf. So far I've found polishing technique is more important than the actual product. Special thanks to Danny for use of his products in this test.

 

Big vote here for Rejex - cheap easy and does the job.......

 

Zymol is over priced hype! The cheap Zymol is basically Turtle Wax.

There's Carnauba Wax and there's synthetic polymer....The polymer lasts longer because it bonds to the paint. The Carnauba has natural oils that can actually feed the paint but doesn't last as long. You need to decide which you want to put on your car.

We are of the Carnauba team. We've won Full Concours at Porsche Parade using a combination of Griots and P21.

 

I'm another fan of Ducora topcoat. Been using it for over a year with great results. Pics of my 85 turbo body are shown on the site. I have not submitted photos of my C4S but I am a fan of this product.

 

It really depends on what you want a wax to do. If it is shine, skip Zaino. I never won a single car show trophy with it. Meguires Professional Series No. 7 Car Show Glaze is the best for bringing trophies, I brought home 3 in a row when I switched. I learned about it from people who were winning classes at car shows. Downside is to keep that level of shine, you need to wax often. Zaino is less shiny, but it hides imperfections better and last about twice as long. For light oxidation in clearcoat, NuFinish works really well for older finishes. For removing light scratches, Mequires Cleaner Wax should be a staple. I always keep a bottle around, but use it only a scratch remover. If I am doing a full wax, I always use new microfiber pads. They are very cheap compared to getting scratches from contaminated old ones, so just buy new ones. For buffing out scratches, I just use microfiber towels.

 

So Top Coat is a polymer then? Is it bad for your paint? Does the carnauba help durability? I keep my cars a long time so I'm most interested in preserving paint.

 

I went to order the Ducora Topcoat but found they wanted to charge $16 for domestic UPS ground shipping of a 16 oz bottle. no thanks

 

aye, this is a disaster of a post.

You realize, i hope, that #7 is a glaze, not a wax, and offers no protection. In fact, all it is doing is using fillers to hide imperfections in the paint.
and cleaner wax is a POS that has no real purpose.

The LSP (last stage product) should simply protect, it should offer no correction whatsoever.

Prep the paint properly, and you won't need those fillers, because there will be nothing to fill.

 

Carnauba for the 993 P21 and even the cheep turtle wax

I've been using the Meguire's tech wax on my 05 F-350 and my 08 F-450 trucks. Probably have used it for the last 4 years and/or whenever it came out. I'm really happy with the way it has held up the finishes on 2 trucks that sit outside. It also seems to hold up to many washes between applications (every 2 to 3 months).

 

Exactly! Over time paint looses its oils and needs to be replunished. Wax doesn't have enough oils to do this and that's why you need to use a polish like Menzerna (which is the best I've found). Here's the Cliff notes.
1. Wash car
2. Clay car
3. Polish with Menzerna or other quality polish for two stage paint.
4. Apply wax, I use Zymol with Meguires glaze using an orbital.
5. Collect trophy at car show.

Jimmy

 

what? Oils in the paint? Come again? Automotive paint these days is water based, and once the VOCs evaporate and the paint is dry, there are no oils to replenish.

Polish does not replenish any oils, it is simply abrasives in a carrier solution. its sole purpose is to use that abrasive to round the edges or flatten scratches in the clear coat. In fact, most good detailers will, after applying and removing the polish with a mf towel, wipe down the surface with an alcohol based product to remove any solution residue.

Once again, if you correct the paint properly, there is no use for a glaze that fills in scratches with fillers, since there are no scratches to fill in.

 

QC,
The problem in posting Cliff Notes someone wants to prove they read the whole book.

First, water soluble paint DOES have water soluble oils and if you do some research you'll find that polishes are more than just an abrasives that add emollients and nutrients to the paint that is a FACT. Check out the fact sheet on Meguriers products. Better yet go to their detailing school and they will hammer that point home.

Every detailer has their own technique, I just happened to share one of mine that has proven to be a show winner.

 

I'm sorry, but I completely disagree. Paint is not nourished, nor does one provide it nutrients.

Please provide a link to a meguiars product that said it contains "emollients" and provides nutrients to paint.

Yes, you can add oils on top of paint...hell they do a reasonable job of making it shiny. Add that glaze you use, and you get a bunch of oils and fillers to cover up scratches.

Correct the paint with the appropriate polish...apply wax over the top...done.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...=define+polish

Nothing about nutrients in this description of polish by meguiars.

Nutrients in the product descriptions are simply a way to sell this product to the unknowledgeable.