OK I tried 'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

[94 RT/10 Black MAMBA]

OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

Disclaimer - I have no financial interest in any products. I'm just a waxer!

I won't say anything negative about any of the products. I will just say that until you've tried to care for a black car "You don't know squat about waxing". Some products were easier to apply/remove others were better at not streaking/smearing. I'm not listing all the products I tried but you all know them, many are listed on this thread all the time.

WINNER - Dri-Wash 'n Guard

If interested you can read about the stuff at this link.
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/envirotech/

 

[BobK898]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

I think it would be great to hear why you thought that was the best product.

 

[Mopar Steve]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

I also tried the "Dri-Wash" products. The optician, next door to me, has his BMW detailed in the parking lot once a week. The detailer (who has seen my cars) kept trying to get me to try it. It was OK. I had better luck with 3M products and (here we go again) Zaino.

After trying Zaino I again was not impressed, UNTIL, The third or fourth coats. Looks good, but what a lot of work! Swirl marks go away but after not too long.... There they are again.

I dont beleive there is a "magic potion" just lots of work...Wax on...Wax off...Wax on...wax off.

 

[Matt M PA]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

What I have found about those hairline scratches that appear, say, after a wash, is that a quick touch-up with Z6 gloss enhancer spray removes them. I reckon that they are hairline marks in the polish itself...NOT the paint. that said--I have never used a better polish than Zaino. And in my 14+ years of restoring showcars I have probably tried them all. But as you all know...it's up to a person's own opinion.

 

[94 RT/10 Black MAMBA]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

Why did I think it was the best product? Without going through all the usual kudo's I'll just say:

"TRY THIS WITH ZAINO"

Spray the Dry-Wash'n Guard on your windshield (that's right I said windshield!) and polish it off. That process takes about 2 minutes. Not only does it shine like crazy but there's no smears or dull areas (it also performs just like Rain-X).. That should give you an idea of how easy this stuff is to use and the more you use it the wetter it looks.

That should be the ultimate challenge in the future...

If you can't put it on your windshield (where you can see through the product and how clear it is) why would you put it on your paint?????

 

[Joseph Houss]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

Tried it....more than once.... with Zaino! ALWAYS comes out PERFECT! I never need windex... just Z6!

I know there are a few that feel that this website is "slanted" towards Sal... but if you had the time to look back through all the archives you'd notice that MANY of those that now enjoy his products were the ones that were doubting its' superiority when they originally heard about it.

I would imagine nobody here would say that there couldn't be a close competitor to his products... but here's the BIG PLUS:

Sal is a great guy! Sal is an enthusiastic Viper Owner! Sal is honest, honorable, and available for any and all questions! Sal lives in NJ (just thought I'd throw that in!)

 

[Afy]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

I actually do use Z5 and Z6 on my windshield and it does perfom better than rainx.

I must try dry wash though..

 

[XS TORQ]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

I am not a waxer. I personally don't enjoy waxing my cars and trucks (although I do it when necessary, because I like them to look their best).
Many of the "one step" polishes and/or waxes that are available contain chemicals and abrasives (although they claim not to) that - in the long run - are detrimental to the finish on your car. You will also find that most of them contain a lot of silicone (even though they claim not to), which does a great job of covering scratches and/or swirls initially, but don't last (they also attract dust). Pledge makes your car shine like crazy, but that does not make it a good product for can finishes.
I've tried them all (on my black Viper, Black Durango, 55 Chevy show truck, Suburban, Sebring convertible) and I think that you need to factor in things other than how the car shines on day one. UV protection, durability, ease of use, "technical assistance", shine, removal of swirls/scratches....
I am a Zaino guy.

 

[JonB]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

I was a firm believer in Dri-Wash'N Guard, and still have about a quart. EASY to use, and indeed great on glass. Black Stealth and Black Vette were the playgrounds. A 1-part system!

I also liked DER Shiney Stuff.. a lot. A several part system.

But once I tried Zaino, the leftover DER and Dri-Wash is gathering dust.

Try this "Wax Dyno" experiment: Before you wax, stand a yardstick at right angles to your hood or fender. Read the reflection of the yardstick in your paint as "depth" or "inches of shine" Maybe you can read 12" of reflected yardstick. Maybe more, or less.

After you wax, do it again. See what you gained in depth-of-shine. With ZAINO, my eyes fail as the depth is greater than 36" on black!

 

[XS TORQ]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

The Wax Dyno. TOO FUNNY!!!!

 

[94 RT/10 Black MAMBA]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

First of all I never intended to knock Zaino products or any other product. I've tried Zaino several times and I could never get the stuff off easily, even though I've waited overnight (maybe it's the humidity where I live, I know he says that can be a problem). I do in fact like the Z-6 spray. In fact I would buy some more if it weren't so difficult get (gotta send a check instead of ordering on the phone or internet with a credit card, bummer).

It's probably the greatest for exactly what it says it is a "Show Car Polish".

Well I drive my car a lot in good weather (19,000 miles) and never trailer it to shows or anywhere else. For my purposes and ease of use, Dri-Wash'n Guard looks mighty fine and lasts quite a while (although I can't say how long because it's so easy to use I use it a lot). One of the things that I especially like about it is (you guy's with black cars will know what I'm talking about) after I drive around awhile, even in good weather a dusty film accumalates on the paint. Before I had to wash the car to get this crap off (Duster didn't do it good enough). I know it sounds crazy but you can use this product right over that dust. I don't know how it works, I just know it works and I wouldn't try that with anything else.

By the way I'm not married to this product either. Right now I just think it's the best for me (easy to use, etc.). I'm always interested in hearing about any new product that is easier than the one I'm using.

P.S. JonB I will try that "Wax Dyno" test and let you know!

 

[Ron Hickey]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

I like the Griot's window cleaner. It does not leave streaks. However, if there's a lot of road film or bug guts, you'll need to use a plastic webbed scrubber to break loose the dirt. (or clean first with Windex) Griot's cleaner doesn't seem to have much dirt-cutting power.

 

[JonB]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mark Mazon - 94RT No CA:
The Wax Dyno. TOO FUNNY!!!!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

"The Wax Dyno" is available from PartsRack for $49.95 + s/h!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : )&lt;~

 

[Matt]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 94 RT/10 Black MAMBA:
I've tried Zaino several times and I could never get the stuff off easily, even though I've waited overnight (maybe it's the humidity where I live, I know he says that can be a problem).
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I had this same problem and I'm in CA. which isn't very humid. I talked to Sal and found out I was putting it on too thick and it was not drying. It appeared to almost all come off, but under the right light you could see a "film" which just smeared around. I washed that off with a little Z7 wash and have been putting multiple thin coats on and it seems to work better. I'll have to wait and see how the long term tests look.

Matt

 

[Matt]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rollo:
Lemme get this straight...I can use Zaino Z5 and Z6 on my windshield?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Windshield, wheels, lenses, car, helmet, dress shoes . . . . Zaino works on everything!

Personally, I just started using the windshield cleaner from Griot's Garage. It's not supposed to leave any streaks. I'll find out tomorrow when I get it out in the sun.

Matt

 

[Mike Adams]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

This may be a little redundant but Dri wash is a neat product but even though it says it doesn't say it contains silicone it does. For those who don't know the dangers of silicone I will post why it is important not to have silicone especially on a composite body car like a viper or Corvette !!!

As far as gloss goes anything with silicone will shine like hell but will it last. and protect. Pledge funiture polish will win any shine contest but is loaded with silicone.

No matter what you buy make sure it is body shop safe !!!!

Silicone oil is not body shop safe and is a painters worst nightmare.

Silicone oil always remains a liquid in a mobile state that
can permeate and ********* paint or metal or fiberglass over a period of time.
This can cause the term "fisheye" and make repainting virtually impossible among other things.



Carnauba Wax and Gloss

The truth of the matter is Carnauba is a, dark yellow, brittle wax. It
has no durability. It also has no high shine. In reality it's actually a
dull wax. It is not optically perfect and leaves a film (haze) on the
paint finish. If you took two identical colored cars and placed them
side by side. The one with Zaino would be the true color. The other car
would have a slightly different tint to it.

What you are seeing with Carnauba is a combination of carnauba wax,
polyethylene wax, paraffin wax and the key gloss ingredient SILICONE
OIL.
Silicone oil is inexpensive, greasy, smeary, not durable, but shines
like crazy. Just try Pledge furniture polish on your car. Voila same
shine. Hmm. Pledge is loaded with silicone oil, so is Armor All tire
dressing. Did you ever notice how greasy, smeary and dusty, furniture
looks with Pledge on it. How soon does your car get dusty after you
polish/wax with your favorite product?????

When does the gloss start
to drop???

I already know..

Now here's the best part. Silicone oil and other oils are an essential
ingredient of Carnauba based products. It's the only way to achieve a
shine. That's why it's used in all Carnauba based polish/wax. However,
it has no durability, does not last and it attracts dust and dirt like a
magnet and once dust settles on it, it sticks to it. Dust on paint
causes tiny Swirls and Scratches. Also Carnauba is very brittle. It will
not stay on the paint surface for any length of time. Most of the time
less than 3 weeks....... The sun also effects Carnauba based products.
The sunnier and hotter it gets, the faster it deteriorates. Remember wax
melts and oils tend to migrate to the surface and evaporate... Sad but
true.

Fact: On a sunny 80 degree day, the surface temperature of black paint
will reach 149 degrees and go up to 198 degrees if the ambient temp
reaches 90. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what
happens to the wax.

When designing and formulating a polish. These are just a few of the
factors that you want to avoid. .

 

[Matt M PA]

Re: OK I tried \'em all. My 2 cents on waxes.

Well put Mike! I would like to add that a local auto body supply shop turned me on to a great galss cleaner. Sprayway comes in a spray can and works great!