911_993_997

About a month ago I took my car to get a full exterior detail (clay, polish, & wax), but took a bottle of Rejex & had them use that instead of their product. When I went to pick it up I was seriously amazed at the shine & how smooth it felt. BUT, after a couple days that initial "wet look" wore off. So, I washed it really good & applied another coat myself. Again, initially it looked incredible, better than the first coat infact. But after about 4 days that wet look & slippery buttery feel wore off. With the Rejex, my car is so much easier to wash & it still beads pretty nice, so I know it's "there," but what I really want is the "wet look" so Rejex kind of has me disappointed now... I want my car to shine like crazy. I mean, it IS Cobalt Blue Metallic! It deserves to be shown off, lol.

So I decided to do this thread so we can all discuss the products we've used. Carnaubas, polymers, teflons, etc. are all welcome. I want to know how they compare in durability, shine, depth, ease of use, etc. I know a lot of guys swear by Rejex, or by Ultima, or whatever other brand. So I want to know why. Wether positive or negative, lets share it all. Also, if any of you have tried using a carnauba on top of a sealant, share your results. Pictures are very welcome!

By the way, please don't tell me to do a search as this has been discussed before... I already did, & there's threads comparing 2 main competitors such as "Rejex vs. Klasse" or "Zymol vs. Swissvax." What I want is a very broad comparison of all products & knew methods such as using a carnauba on top of a sealant, mixing of products, or whatever else has worked for you guys.

Thanks in advance.

Jon996

Sounds like a fun thread. My limited experience: Tried a few basic waxes, then went to one of the higher end Swissvax options. Did a RO polish first [Menzerna Final Finish PO85RD], then a hand applied wax. Looked pretty good. Waxed again in a few weeks. . . .

At the third application, it seemed to "pop." Without any prompting, I had comments from both the dealer and my wife at the gloss. It is still pretty amazing after the winter, but will repolish and start over soon. [PS: I also have a metallic paint; Orient Red]

Mother

I have found that using a qwik detailer (Mcguirs ultimate) pulls the shine out after the original wax dulls.

gota911

Raphael,

I think you should make you car the "ultimate test" subject for the products. I am thinking that you could test 9 different products.

Hood - 2 products Rejex on one side and xxx on the other side
Front Fenders - 2 products, one on each fender
Doors - 2 products, one on each door
Rear quarter panels - 2 products, one on each panel.
Top - 1 product

Leave the front a rear bumper covers in Rejex because they would be hard to document and show different shine characteristics. The doors may end up the same was since they have limiter horizontal surfaces.

jerome951

I agree with raphael. Rejex doesn't offer the depth of shine that a good carnauba wax does. I've been using it on my truck (daily driver that sits outside) because it lasts a long time. I'm going to start using it on my other cars (except the 911) because I don't like waxing frequently.

Van

I use the Ultima product, but mainly because it's quick to apply and lasts a pretty long time.

But I'm not sure how it compares to "depth of shine" or maintaining the "wet look"... I think it's pretty good, but I have nothing to compare it to.

Also, I find that within a few days of washing my car, it starts to get dusty and/or gets rained on (it's a daily driver, after all). So, it's hard to say how the "shine" holds up.

But I will say, and this probably goes for a lot of the brands/methods, when you use good products, re-washing and maintaining a sharp looking car is much easier.

AudiOn19s

Something you may be missing here...is that proper prep work for a detail is what will get you most of your look. Last step products should have very little impact on the look. They may boost gloss ever soo slightly but the look should really come from perfectly polished paint and not what product you're using. If you're getting drastically improved looks it's the products covering up problems which quickly reappear since they're not being fixed

I won't argue that some products have different characteristics to their look, but the look really shouldn't be lacking that quickly with properly polished paint.

While I've never been a huge caranuba paste user I periodically use Pinnacle Soveran on my Guards red car to tame down the look of the sealant (zaino) I use under it. The Zaino is always my base because of it's longevity of protection. The Pinnacle makes the look somewhat deeper and less reflective which I prefer on medium and darker cars.

I've been messing around with a tub of DoDo Juice Supernatural as of late as well. I may be switching to it over the Pinnacle for my paste of choice but I still have some further evaluations to do with it prior to making that decision.

Again, none of the mentioned products look worth a darn to me if I havn't first spent hours polishing the paint to the desired look.

Andy

Orient Express

I have been using Rejex on all my cars for about 5 years now, and continue to have great results. I apply 2 coats of Rejex about every 6 months, which seems to keep the car nice and slippery.

Part of the process of applying a good Rejex coat is making sure that the body surface temperature of the car is less than 85 degreed F, and that the fresh rejex coat is allowed to cure in the shade (garage) for at least 12 hours (overnight).

I find Rejex to be very practical in that by applying it on the wheels, it keep the brake dust adhesion to a minimum, and on the windshield to keep bug splats to a minimum as well.

wross996tt

zaino is it for me.

SH || NC

Like what Andy said, I’ve used synthetic sealants, topped off by Carnaubas for the warmer, wetter look on dark colors cars. The Carnaubas, especially the liquids, simply aren’t as durable.

The most durable Carnauba wax I used was a paste, Blitz 1Grand. Easy on and off, and durability was better than most liquids.

Just this weekend with the White, I polished and sealed [PC7424 Yellows/Greys] with Poor Boys products with great optics and protection.

perfectlap

if you want to preserve the just waxed appearance long beyond the few days you mentioned, I would suggest waiting a day after waxing and then applying a polymer spray with anti-static properties. I use FK1 #425 for this religiously. But I think Chemical Guys make one as well.
425 is pretty well known at this point, its not a gloss enhancer, more like a teflon coating that cuts down on dust that starts to hide the shine. I use it on glass, wheels, dash. I alwasy keep a couple of gallons in the garage. Their F1000P high temp wax is pretty good too. It lasts an ice age so I use it as a sealant even though its just an acrylic base wax. If you call in the order you can request free samples. But the 425 has to be the Last Step Product to get the extended "wet look" benefit.

I don't have a favorite in terms of a wax. I've tried everything. It takes a very experienced and well trained eye to tell brand A from brand B. The ingredients in nearly all the brands are identical. The biggest difference is mostly price and durability. But durablity is really only an issue if you never clean your car which obviously isn't the case for an enthusiast owned car. 98% of your above average shine comes from proper claying and washing and not the wax. You're better off spending the money on high grade towels than expensive 12 step waxes.

SH || NC

Teflon? How does it stick to the paint?

sparks259

+1 for Blitz 1grand
ezon/ez off
found the trick is to let it haze over thoroughly.

CosmosC4S

^^^Exactly! That's what I believe. I've used lots of products over the years, hoping to find the ultimate product. There is really no one ultimate product, especially when it comes to durability. I haven't come across one that will stand up against the weather for long.

Most of the time, car owners do not know how to do the job right and don't achieve the desired results. They then go in search for a better product, often times thinking pricier is better, or new & improved must be good. And the search goes on and on....(I've done that)
So don't be tempted to spend more on a product when you can achieve the same results with one that costs much less.

flash80

I definitely agree with this. Waxes (synthetic or natural) will just seal in the imperfections. That being said, I use the Mezerna products IP, FP and finish with FMJ. I have a silver car, so the sealant doesn't matter that much (i.e. the warmth of the carnubas vs the clinical shine of the synthetics). I find the FMJ is pretty durable and I can stretch out the waxing intervals with the Mezerna Acrylic shield. Also, don't forget the clay part of the prep--this makes such a big difference.