[Scourge]

Hey guys,

I'm in the midst of getting everything together to prep my fofo for winter and I'm at the waxing point. I want something that's going to last as long as possible, I don't mind the lack of depth that long lasting waxes tend to give, it's just for the winter.

I'm in Canada and the product selection sucks up here. So far I picked up Megs. deep crystal pre-wax cleaner and their polish. I was thinking to since I already have a few different liquid waxes still around (I use paste for summer these days, I like working with it better) I'd use one of them. I knew I had a bottle of liquid Zymol around that I haven't even opened, after looking at it I now see that it is at least in part carnauba based (I was planning to use a synthetic wax for the winter) and it's also labeled as a "cleaner wax".

So my questions, first, will the fact that it's a cleaner wax make my use of the polish somewhat redundant? I know there's no substitute for a good polish but will the cleaner aspect of the wax "undo" what I've done with the polish? Second, does anybody have experience with the liquid Zymol? Does it last very well?

Next up, Megs. Cleaner wax, I've got a bottle around from waxing my dad's truck. It makes no mention of carnauba, so I'll assume it's synthetic. It seems to last ok but it's nothing spectacular. Same questions about it as the Zymol.

On to layering. I know with high % non-solvent carnauba waxes you can layer on multiple coats. Can you do the same with non-cleaner synthetic liquid waxes? I've read somewhere about layering a carnauba paste over a fully cured synthetic wax to get a bit deeper shine but with the added durability of synthetic. Any opinions?


Thanks guys, sorry for all the questions, I'm just finishing up my first summer with a car that actually has a clear coat and I'd like to make sure it's as protected as it can be for an all year DD.

-George (Missing the easy winter prep of a flat black car)

 

[BradWhite]

You might find some helpful info under "detailing tips" at this site.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/

 

[Scourge]

You might find some helpful info under "detailing tips" at this site.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/

I flipped around that site the other day, tons of good info! Still had these questions though

-George

 

[jetrinka]

Instead of a cleaner wax use a claybar. Then a light polish. After that use a synthetic base wax and then a carnueba over that.

 

[Scourge]

Instead of a cleaner wax use a claybar. Then a light polish. After that use a synthetic base wax and then a carnueba over that.

I use my clay as needed, I'll most likely need it this time around . I will be using a pre-wax cleaner and I will be polishing. My dilemma is with which wax to use for my "main" coat. I wanted avoid buying another wax as I already have three different ones here (Megs generic entry level cleaner wax, Zymol carnauba-polymer cleaner wax, and my summer carnauba paste). I can't seem to find any decent synthetic based waxes locally and I'm not placing an order with my US supplier until mid-winter.

Will using either of the above mentioned "cleaner" waxes over the polish have any adverse effects on the final outcome?

Thanks
-George

 

[jetrinka]

Well a cleaner wax has light polishing agents in it. Kinda doing two things at once. Basically if you don't need the polish to remove surface scratches, swirls or other paint imperfections I wouldn't use it. Even the really light polishing agents remove paint. Its just what they do. Its a process of sanding very very finely. So overuse will actually damage your paint. In addition you need to make sure while/if you are polishing that you don't overheat the paint while doing so. Lots of polishes will overheat and damage the paint while you are doing it.

Here is a link to a very good light polish that won't overheat. It is designed to be used with a random orbit polisher. Everything this company makes is very very good stuff.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product...polishes/machine+polish+4++(finest+polish).do

 

[Scourge]

Awesome, thanks for the info jetrinka.

Final decision: Megs. Deep Crystal paint cleaner, then polish, and finished it off with Megs. Gold Class Paste. The gold class was the only one I could find around here that wasn't flaunting carnauba.

I got through half the car today before the weather turned foul. First impressions are good, although the polish was rather difficult to buff off, wondering if I might have used too much or not started cleaning it off fast enough.

Thanks for the input!
-George

 

[Scourge]

Update!

I ended up using the above products and megs. Techwax 2.0 paste. Process was Wash > Clay > Pre-cleaner > Polish > Gold Class > Second coat of Gold Class a couple days later > Final coat of Techwax a day later.

A month and a half later and I'm VERY happy with the outcome. The finish was a lot better then the 36% carnauba I used over the summer, much deeper and shinier. And now with just a super quick wash the car still looks freshly waxed! I'll post again in another month or two and let everyone know how it's holding up over the winter.

-George

 

[jpc]

Scourge give WWW.eShine.ca a try i have order some things from him back into the States.If you can get some einszett wax or some (Collinite's 845 Insulator Wax). Collinite is the best wax for winter protection that you can buy or get. Barr-None.

 

[death_bomber]

meg has a 3 step wax that i use in my mobile detail business. it works wonders!