Best Wax for my NB

[mybubbles]

Hi All, I've been using Meguires to wax my NB. I got my 2000 NB in July and have waxed it about four times already. With winter coming soon, I want to make sure it's really well protected. What waxes have you all been using. What can I use to give him the ultimate protection?

[GINA]

For the winter, I wax with Zaino. It puts a real good protective shell on the car. Other times I'll use Meguiars NXT or Yellow Wax - but Zaino is def a great product. Pricey, but good.

[digitalputty]

For me I use the mothers stuff that comes with the clay bar. I think it is nice.

[SMG]

For winter I recommend Collinite's Insulator Wax. It lasts FOREVER, and offers a similar shine to Meguiars Gold Class wax. I prefer Meguiars NXT for carshow season, but I use Insulator Wax for the spring and fall.

I wax my father's Corvette with it once a year, since his car is garage kept and only used in fine weather. His car still beads water after a year, it's amazing stuff! Even on an outside car, it lasts 2 months easily, and I wash my car every few days. Most wax only lasts 3 weeks on my car, so this stuff is really great when waxing that often isn't convenient.

The Bottle:


The Car:

[yellowsportbug71]

Personally all the above mention waxes are great . I put Zymol on my 35 yr old bug that has'nt seen wax in about that long and it brought a fantastic shine to the paint ... You can buy Zymol at your local Advance Auto

[BumbleBug]

I used to be a Zymol guy. Then I was a strict Zaino guy (was even sponsored by them for some time) Then I moved to the Meguiars stuff because it was easier to use and less time consuming than the Zaino.
But now... I use primarily Prima car care products. The waxes are their Epic which I use for my twice a year wax. In between (every 2-3 months or so) I boost the wax with Banana Gloss It's great stuff because it's really easy to use. You can apply it on a hot surface or in the sun and it works great!! Then, I use the Prima Hydro when I am drying the car. After the final rinse, I spray some on the car and dry with my waffle weave microfiber. Never had a deeper gloss or better shine with ANYTHING else I have used! I really like the Prima Stuff. I use it on my car and all my customer's cars as well!!

D!

[OldSkoolVWLover]

Originally Posted by mybubbles

Hi All, I've been using Meguires to wax my NB. I got my 2000 NB in July and have waxed it about four times already. With winter coming soon, I want to make sure it's really well protected. What waxes have you all been using. What can I use to give him the ultimate protection?

I love Megs ..... also I would say waxing the car four times in 3 months is EXCESSIVE. Properly waxing is more important than over waxing. Being that you are asking I am guessing you are not looking to spend time or money to do or have a professional detail job done. So I would suggest Meg's cleaner wax followed by Meg's polish.... I would also suggest a clay bar before either wax, but that is another step and more money. Not knowing how the car was cared for before you got it leads to my suggestion of the 3 step process.

[BumbleBug]

Originally Posted by OldSkoolVWLover

I love Megs ..... also I would say waxing the car four times in 3 months is EXCESSIVE. Properly waxing is more important than over waxing. Being that you are asking I am guessing you are not looking to spend time or money to do or have a professional detail job done. So I would suggest Meg's cleaner wax followed by Meg's polish.... I would also suggest a clay bar before either wax, but that is another step and more money. Not knowing how the car was cared for before you got it leads to my suggestion of the 3 step process.

I don't know that you can call waxing a lot excessive. It's just extra protection. I generally use some Prima Epic and sometimes I will top that with some Prima Banana Gloss. That just provides not only extra depth and shine, but also extra protection from the elements. To top that all off, every time I wash, I dry with Prima Hydro. Hydro has to be one of my favorite products because it contains such amazing shine qualities. The coolest thing about it is that the shine just gets better over the first 24 hours as it cures. I guess you could compare the Hydro to Meg's Ultimate Quick Detailer. I think Meg's actually modeled their UQD after it. It's amazing stuff.

As far as a cleaner wax, I don't think you should need to use that more than twice or so a year. As long as you are properly maintaining your car. I wash with either Meg's Gold Class car wash or Prima Mystique Auto Wash and the two bucket cleaning method using DirtGuards in both buckets and a high quality wash mitt (generally either 100% lambswool, or a high quality microfiber) One bucket is filled with car wash solution and one is filled with clean rinse water. First, presoak the car, then wash one section at a time working from top to bottom. After each section, you will put the wash mitt directly in the rinse bucket and run it against the DirtGuard to help remove any contaminants that you have pulled off of the car from the wash mitt. Continue that with each section and rinse each section with clean water once you are done. I like to try to make it easy on myself so I fill my Nomad Portable Pressure Washer with deionized water and use that for the final rinse. I do this because with the deionized water I do not have to worry as much about water spots on the car, which is critical with a black car especially. Once rinsed, I pull out my Hydro and a waffle weave microfiber drying towel and lightly spritz each section while it is still wet and then dry the vehicle.

[OldSkoolVWLover]

Originally Posted by BumbleBug

I don't know that you can call waxing a lot excessive. It's just extra protection. I generally use some Prima Epic and sometimes I will top that with some Prima Banana Gloss. That just provides not only extra depth and shine, but also extra protection from the elements. To top that all off, every time I wash, I dry with Prima Hydro. Hydro has to be one of my favorite products because it contains such amazing shine qualities. The coolest thing about it is that the shine just gets better over the first 24 hours as it cures. I guess you could compare the Hydro to Meg's Ultimate Quick Detailer. I think Meg's actually modeled their UQD after it. It's amazing stuff.

As far as a cleaner wax, I don't think you should need to use that more than twice or so a year. As long as you are properly maintaining your car. I wash with either Meg's Gold Class car wash or Prima Mystique Auto Wash and the two bucket cleaning method using DirtGuards in both buckets and a high quality wash mitt (generally either 100% lambswool, or a high quality microfiber) One bucket is filled with car wash solution and one is filled with clean rinse water. First, presoak the car, then wash one section at a time working from top to bottom. After each section, you will put the wash mitt directly in the rinse bucket and run it against the DirtGuard to help remove any contaminants that you have pulled off of the car from the wash mitt. Continue that with each section and rinse each section with clean water once you are done. I like to try to make it easy on myself so I fill my Nomad Portable Pressure Washer with deionized water and use that for the final rinse. I do this because with the deionized water I do not have to worry as much about water spots on the car, which is critical with a black car especially. Once rinsed, I pull out my Hydro and a waffle weave microfiber drying towel and lightly spritz each section while it is still wet and then dry the vehicle.

As far as the cleaner wax I agree..... same concept with clay baring. But a car with no known history of paint protection should be clay bared and cleaner waxed vs. just polish waxed every couple of weeks.

I still stand by the amount of waxing being excessive considering (at least from the post) the car hasn't been clay bared or cleaner waxed. There are various factors on wax time as we all know.... but some people do come with the preconceived notion that just waxing more alone will improve or protect the quality of the paint.

Also remember, my waxing time frame comes from living in a state with nice weather.... just realized the OP is in a much different climate, just as you are.

[BumbleBug]

Originally Posted by OldSkoolVWLover

As far as the cleaner wax I agree..... same concept with clay baring. But a car with no known history of paint protection should be clay bared and cleaner waxed vs. just polish waxed every couple of weeks.

I still stand by the amount of waxing being excessive considering (at least from the post) the car hasn't been clay bared or cleaner waxed. There are various factors on wax time as we all know.... but some people do come with the preconceived notion that just waxing more alone will improve or protect the quality of the paint.

Also remember, my waxing time frame comes from living in a state with nice weather.... just realized the OP is in a much different climate, just as you are.

Yeah, I agree completely. The car is not going to truly look it's best until the paint has been brought to it's highest potential through methods such as claying to remove bonded contaminants and polishing to take carre of surface defects. Until that has been done, you are really somewhat limited on the shine that you can achieve. Once the paint is in it's optimal state, then your waxes and sealants are protecting the paint to help keep it that way. I don't think that more wax is going to detract from that. Just help keep it so that contaminants that fall on the paint are less likely to become bonded to the paint requiring more claying.

And once the paint is at it optimal state, then having a proper maintenance plan, such as the one I mentioned above will help keep it that way longer so that you will need to clay/polish less often.

Generally the initial step can be a time consuming one getting the paint to the level you want it, that's why people hire detailers like me to do the detailing. And that's also why I provide all of my detail customers with a maintenance perscription so they can keep their car in top shape and in essence not need me as much.

Here are a couple examples of one of the cars I have done and how flawless you can get the paint with work:







Once I get the car to this stage, it's the maintenance (ie. the wash technique and touch up) that will help keep it looking this way for longer.

But then again, it's hard to tell what kind of shape a car's paint is in without seeing it. That's why pictures always help!



D!

[BumbleBug]

Originally Posted by OldSkoolVWLover

Also remember, my waxing time frame comes from living in a state with nice weather.... just realized the OP is in a much different climate, just as you are.

And as far as weather goes, that can certainly play a factor, but sometimes being in a place with "nice" weather doesn't necessarily give you more time between details. You have to take into account factors such as how much the car is outside in the direct sun, how much industrial fallout is in the air (the main reason you will need to clay a car) and how often you actually wash the car.

But then again, you don't have to deal with harsh salt in the winter either.

[OldSkoolVWLover]

Originally Posted by BumbleBug

And as far as weather goes, that can certainly play a factor, but sometimes being in a place with "nice" weather doesn't necessarily give you more time between details. You have to take into account factors such as how much the car is outside in the direct sun, how much industrial fallout is in the air (the main reason you will need to clay a car) and how often you actually wash the car.

But then again, you don't have to deal with harsh salt in the winter either.

WERD! Agreed 100% with both posts, nice pics of your work as well.

In the Nor Cal valley my biggest worry out of all would be sun, but thankfully 2 of the 3 VW's spend lots of time in the garage (sadly the NB hasn't moved in a while, I need to get that damn VSS done so it can be driven).

[Shaolen]

Turtle wax platinum series ultra gloss worked great for my bug

[noR]

I'm a big fan of BlackFire. It provides excellent results and a low initial effort. Decent cost for a fancy wax too.

[Herbie3Rivers]

I use a combination of Meguiars and Mothers waxes on Elwood.

[ButtonsAmy]

I've just used NuFinish Polish on my car, 2x this month. It looks great and it claims to protect the car for a whole year.

Anyone else give that a try? I am trying to make sure my bumper in back doesn't fade any more than it already has. (I bought it that way)
Thanks!
Amy

[BumbleBug]

Originally Posted by ButtonsAmy

I've just used NuFinish Polish on my car, 2x this month. It looks great and it claims to protect the car for a whole year.

Anyone else give that a try? I am trying to make sure my bumper in back doesn't fade any more than it already has. (I bought it that way)
Thanks!
Amy

Don't believe the hype. It won't last for a year, so please don't believe that it will.

It's ok for over the counter stuff. Really hard to remove from what I remember with so so results. Meguiar's NXT 2.0 is MUCH better, and if you want to get something that you order online, Prima Epic is FANTASTIC!!

This is a customer's car, but you get the idea.

Before:


After:


and the shine is amazing!


D!

[_goREDgo_]

damn shaolen!!! that is one reflective bug!!! you should put a warning, do not look directly into the beetle! very awesome i shall use that for Red!

[kate_the_valkyrie]

What does anyone suggest for HIGH TEMP heat? I live where it gets to 130 degrees in the summer. Help?!?! lol

[ButtonsAmy]

I have now tried EVERYTHING on my beetle. I saw absolutly no difference using Meguires stuff. I tried out the clay bar treatment after my local car wash (I had a freebie there) showed me a section of my car treated with clay bar. They gave me nasty looks and waanted to charge $179 for the whole car. I went out, bought the clay bar stuff and did it myself for $20. The results, meh. Not really anything spectacular.

However, I then tried the Turtle Wax Ultra Gloss or whatever what shown above, and had similar results myself. It's also lasted nicely too. It's been almost a week, and still spotless. (except for the errant bird poop I keep windex in my car specifically for)

I've got the cyber green, and it seems to attract DUST like there is no tomorrow. I've started to use the detailing spray, and that works nicely too.

I'd love something that maintains as dustless as possible. Any good reccomendations?
Amy