My definition would be the one that;
a) Applies the easiest.
b) Lasts the longest (with the least trouble of application).
c) Lastly (and least importantly) is the most affordable.

In the past I've used DuPont's Rain Dance and it worked very well, but it's been around forever and I have to assume that there have been advances in auto wax since Rain Dance first came out about twenty-five years ago.

Any suggestions?

I like Zaino.

Quoted: I like Zaino.

So does Paul, if I remember correctly. And he's quite fanatical about his black toy, so I'm inclined to take his word for it.

Meguiars nxt generation tech wax.  Best I have ever used.

Quoted: I like Zaino.

I don't think that's a wax

Zaino and Zymol ar pretty good and in all honesty Mcguires is still a gold standard

However having tried them all and having thrashed this subject untill it is a double dead horse This stuff come out on top.

http://www.pinnaclewax.com/

Have been using it on my exotics for a while and so have my friends.  I would use any of the ones I talked about above but the pinnacle seems to be the best.

+87 on Zaino. Not a wax technically but does the trick (I am an old school carnuba guy that uses only Zaino now).

Zymol is supposed to be good for kraut cars.

More car care tips and discussions than you can possible fathom is located here

That said I'm a fan of Pinnacle Signature Series Pure Carnauba Wax.

Quoted: My definition would be the one that; a) Applies the easiest. b) Lasts the longest (with the least trouble of application). c) Lastly (and least importantly) is the most affordable.

You want cheap, easy, and good.

Pick two, bubba.

The "best" wax would be the one that is going to give you the results you are looking for with the ammount of effort you are willing to put in. The absolute "best" wax job is going to be several thin coats of wax preceeded by loving polishing and claying and washing, and it can take many hours. But the results are phenomenal.

As far as easy and good, you cannot beat Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax. It goes on clear, lasts very well, and provides a superb quality shine. It is 15.99 a bottle directly from Meguiars, but that one bottle will last a while. This is the wax that I use on my vehicles, and I am thrilled with it. I have never seen a wax that is so easy to use, offers such wonderful results, and that offers such long-lasting protection.

Another good one is Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid Wax. It dries white, but it goes on easy and comes off pretty easy providing your paint is in decent shape.

If your paint is neglected, does not feel smooth to the touch, etc, and if you refuse to properly adress the problem, you can still get pretty good results from Meguiar's Cleaner Wax. This product will do a reasonable job of cleaning the paint and will still give pretty good protection to boot.

In the past I've used DuPont's Rain Dance and it worked very well, but it's been around forever and I have to assume that there have been advances in auto wax since Rain Dance first came out about twenty-five years ago. Any suggestions?

There have been MANY advances.

First thing you need to know is that I have tried a lot of waxes. Meguiars is the only brand I have ever used that has met and EXCEEDED the promises they make about their products. Their stuff is absolutely top of the line. Stick with their stuff, use as directed, and you can't go wrong.

Secondly, the forumulations available today are amazing. The NXT Tech Wax I reccomended helps remove swirl marks and fine scratches, survives more washes than most other waxes on the market, and keeps your finish slicker than owl snot so that contaminants and dirt are much much easier to get off.

Not to mention it provides one hell of a good shine:







To show you what I am talking about, I posted a response to Zaphod's question on paint restoration here. I used Meguiar's stuff to do one heck of a good job on my red Intrepid RT, and have since used their stuff to work on lots of other cars, always with spectacular results.

Quoted: I like Zaino.

Zaino is also supposed to be good, but I have never tried it.

I am too happy with Meguiar's products.

Pinnacle souveran is by far the best.  Doesn't last long, but wipes on and off like melted butter.  The easiest to apply I've ever used and I've been detailing for 8 years.  Next I would have to say that Klasse All-in-one and the sealant glaze are also good protectants for your vehicle.  They both apply incredibly easy as well and I use this on mine and my friends and parents vehicles.

Not really a wax, but for shine and finish use griots garage paint sealant. Process is wash the car with 50/50 car wash soap and dawn blue detergent (has to be the blue kind). This removes any leftover wax etc... CAR MUST BE SEALED immediately after drying. This works best if you apply the sealant with a radial random orbital. The treatment lasts 6 months and renders your car impervious to the elements. Cost about 20 bucks from griotsgarage.com.

you can apply more wax over it for extra shine in subsequent washings.
Note: do not use dish soap with every washing. It is a powerful surfactant that will remove any protection from wax and/or sealant that your paint has. Use only for the 6 month treatments with paint sealant. I have used this on my mercedes since I have owned it and it has no swirls or scratches (mercedes has a terribly soft clearcoat and its black to boot). I have pre 2005 ceramic polymer clearcoat.

Jeff

Edit: use NXT as a wax for every 2 wk waxings. easy on easy off, excellent shine and smells great.

Quoted: Quoted: I like Zaino. So does Paul, if I remember correctly. And he's quite fanatical about his black toy, so I'm inclined to take his word for it.

Me too but it doesnt fit any of his criteria. It's expensive and the application proccess isnt exactly easy.

The results are beyond reproach and well worth it though.

A lot of the Vette guys are talking about Rejex.www.corrosionx.com/rejex.html

Thanks for the replies, guys.
Especially for the pics JW.

The Meguiar's looks like the way to go.

Here's the details of the situation.

I used to be very particular about keeping my vehicles waxed and the finish maintained.  But then I injured my elbow in my right arm (cubital tunnel syndrome; work related) so I just started to not bother with the "elbow grease" maintanence on my vehicles because I just couldn't do it without a power buffer which I don't own.  My vehicles for a long time were a pickup truck (and the seven hours of work it would take to do the job right was simply not an option any longer) and a Ford Taurus (which was simply a commuting tool and the car wash was good enough).
I recently bought a new, smaller car and I feel I'm finally up for trying to do a hand rubbed wax job, but I've been out of the loop so to speak on products.

Like I said, inexpensive is the lowest priority provided it's not egregiously expensive.  The main considerations are ease of application and durability.

I'll get on the Meguiar's.
Thanks!

Any cleaner wax is designed to be used by itself, no buffing or polishing. It's results arent as good as doing the 3 step process, but the newer ones arent bad.

You arent going to get the quality of a paste wax with any cleaner wax, but they're better than nothing. Maguiers works well, Mothers arent bad either.

Personally, I use Wolfgang polish and paint sealant, then a paste wax. I claybar it every now and then. When done, the paint feels smoother than glass. After it rains, I just hose it off and it dries perfect.

What kind of car, and what color of paint? What weather conditions will this be kept in?

Quoted: I recently bought a new, smaller car and I feel I'm finally up for trying to do a hand rubbed wax job, but I've been out of the loop so to speak on products. Like I said, inexpensive is the lowest priority provided it's not egregiously expensive.  The main considerations are ease of application and durability. I'll get on the Meguiar's. Thanks!

When you have the money, get yourself one of their G-100A polishers. Trust me, you will wish you had one forever. You can apply wax in 1/2 the time or less it usually takes, polish in half the time it usually takes to apply hand polishes, and you can do some serious scratch and swirl repair using it with the right pads and a bit of #83 Dual Action Cleaner and Polisher compound from Meguiars.

I have had one for a while, and I LOVE it.

Zaino.

End thread.

.

I checked out that G-100A Polisher, JW.
Damn nice polisher; bookmarked.
I'll give the old elbow a try.  If it can't do it, I may just have to spring for the power tool.

Quoted: I like Zaino.

+10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000


that stuff is awesome!  I did mine a year ago and it still has 90% of the shine as when it was fresh.  I am about to do it again for a nice spring shine.

Make sure you buy the kit with the claybar and the fast drying activator, costs about $100 but is totally worth it.

Quoted: Meguiars nxt generation tech wax.  Best I have ever used.

This guy has it right!!!  I own a pretty high-end ride.  This stuff works like no other hands down.  My car is midnight blue and shines like ......the sun.......when it's done!!

Zaino Bros

www.zainostore.com/

You don't have to apply it that often, it doesn't get a haze when it goes south, no build up, easy on and easy off... I love the stuff, works especially well on dark colored cars. Get the car wash stuff they make too, it works real well.

mine dumped out and I haven't applied it in well over a year, truck still looks new and has an awsome shine.

I'll tell you what.

If you want the best finish and I mean a show finish, color sand your car and then polish it. It's a ton of work but you could wax it with candle wax after and it would still look good.

I did my trunk lid to get some shit off it and it took me about six hours for a 3x4' area but the results are amazing. Now that I've done the trunk, I wouldnt start with 1500 grit, I'd only use 2000 and 3000 and then compound and polish.

Google color sanding for instructions. If you look at the pics above, the shine is nice but it's orange peel city. Color sanding makes the finish look like a deep pool of still water.

Wax?  What the hell is that?  That green mossy shit protects my trucks.  

If anyone thinks that you can get away w/ 'waxing' your vehicle once or twice or even 4-6x a year is kidding themselves about long term car care.  There are a myriad of things that will destroy a cars finish in short order:  fallout, bug etchings, bird droppings, mold spores, tree sap, water droplets, etc...

A few points:

--100% Carnuba Wax burns off at 180*F--hot day + dark vehicle=WAX GONE!!

--Don't use the bristle brushes at car washes or run it throught the'touch' automatic.

--Synthetic sealants like:  Meguiar's NXT,  Wolfgang, Poor Boy's, or 4* Platinum Products are eleventy billion times better than a basic wax!

--The final product is only as good as the previous steps toward preparation ( This is HUGE!)

For some great tips and pics go here:  Autopia

For the best stuff locally--Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax (synthetic) avail. at Wallyworld $13.xx OR Meguiar's Cleaner Wax--inexpensive ($4.xx) and good.

Quoted: I'll tell you what. If you want the best finish and I mean a show finish, color sand your car and then polish it. It's a ton of work but you could wax it with candle wax after and it would still look good. I did my trunk lid to get some shit off it and it took me about six hours for a 3x4' area but the results are amazing. Now that I've done the trunk, I wouldnt start with 1500 grit, I'd only use 2000 and 3000 and then compound and polish. Google color sanding for instructions. If you look at the pics above, the shine is nice but it's orange peel city. Color sanding makes the finish look like a deep pool of still water.

It is true that you cannot beat the clarity of a good color sanded finish.

Still, that is a lot of work and a lot of risk for folks who love their paint.

Orange peel is the result of the normal application of clearcoat. Color sanding your own finish is something that is beyond the ability of most folks.

Thanks for all the info, especially on the NXT wax.  I've always used Meguiar's products and have been totally satisfied.  I've even called them to get info and they answered all my questions (back in the pre-pc day).

I agree with not using the brush at the car wash, I cringe when I see people using those on new rigs.  Hell, you don't know where they've (the brushes) been.  I am adamant about NOT having my truck washed when it's in the shop for maintenance, I have them write DO NOT WASH on the estimate sheet.   I don't care how cold it is outside, I wash it with a clean mitt and clean water.

And just cause I'm kinda anal (do ya think?) I use a duster on each section before I apply the wax.

But there's nothing like doing a good detail job, looking back at it as you're walking away, and thinking, wow, nice truck!

Karen