Any comments on a wax to use?
Single Stage paint, no clear coat.....

I'm old enough to only remember Turtle Wax....
But I haven't waxed a vehicle since I was 18......

Thanks in advance,

 

Anything that is NOT silicone-based. Cheap stuff uses silicone. Wax is like motor oil, everyone has a favorite. Mine is Meguiar's. I like their Gold Class wax, easy to use, lasts a long time, great protection.

 

Ross is right about wax being like oil. Everybody has a favorite.

My favorite wax is "Liquid Glass". It's expensive but it's the best I've found for finish on my show cars. It is NOT a cleaning wax. It's the last step. Goes on easy, comes off easy.

 

I attended a daylong seminar at Mequiars and learned more than I thought I ever would about car finish products. One thing that stuck in my head was the debate over carnuba vs synthetics...there doesn't seem to be a concensus either way. Guys who have used carnuba-based waxes for decades are not likely to switch...others who look at the benefits of the new synthetics wonder why anyone would ever even consider using the "old skool" waxes.

I use many of the Meguiars professional-line products and I asked the rep to explain the difference between the "Mirror Glaze" professional line and the store-bought line. He told me that the new "waxes" are really more accurately called "sealants" but since the consumer is not familiar with the term "sealant" they probably would be less likely to buy it when they wished to "wax" their car. The professional line also is formulated to work a little better with machine application as opposed to "by hand".

I prefer the synthetics myself for a few reasons...high clarity, ease of application, resistance to airborne contaminants, and overall durability. In the end I think that the choice of wax will depend on the individual and their own personal experiences with whatever products they have used in the past.

 

Are the synthetics what I was calling silicone? I spoke for quite a while with a Meguiar's rep at a car show, but she was good-looking and I didn't retain much....

I think what you want from a wax is a big factor too. Here in NM I could care less about water-beading, UV-blocking is the important thing. I don't wash my cars a whole lot, but if you lived where it was muddy a lot then resistance to washing would be more important. Like Eman says, for a show car it's all about shine.

 

Ross, it is interesting that you mention "water beading" because that was one of the topics that came up in this seminar. Meguiars went to great lengths to develop a sealant that would be durable, easy to use, and last a long time. What they didn't consider was the perceptions of the consumer...that is, how many of us rate a wax by how well it beads up water. The Meguiars NXT "wax" did not bead up water and therefore was perceived by many as to being an inferior wax. If you notice the new packaging, Meguiars NXT is now "2.0" and there is a water-beading component in it. They actually refer to this property as "hydrophobic"... :~)

As for the silicone aspect I am not sure...the synthetic sealants are polymer-based and silicone is a polymer. That said, not every polymer is a silicone so I guess that a little more research would be in order to answer your question. I find it interesting though, if the big selling point of silicone is its ability to bead water, and the NXT product with its polymers did not bead water, then can it be assumed that the polymer in the NXT was not silicone?

 

I alternate between 2 waxes; an expensive (55$ a jar) product called "Blackfire",(formulated for black paint) and a German wax called P21S. Both are excellent products. Easy on and off, and does not discolor vinyl or rubber if you get it on it. Google these two. Or, click here: www.properautocare.com

 

Interesting... Meguiar's Gold Class paste is not really great at water beading.

BTW, I normally use a Meguiar's "soap" to wash the car, but once or twice a year I use the Mr. Clean AutoDry Cleaning System. The Mr. Clean soap takes off just about everything, far more than Meguiar's, to the point the sponge is nearly ruined, it's so full of road grease and dirt. We have lots of minerals in our water, and the sprayer also has a built-in demineralizer cartridge that you use for the final rinse. No water spots even on glass, it leaves a perfect surface for waxing.