What wax is everyone using?

It looks as if spring is here to stay finally here in WI, so it's time to get out the buffer and get the Explorer all shined up for summer cruisin'.

Just wondering if anyone had a favorite wax/polish/sealant they used.

I planned on buffing mine first with a foam finishing pad and 3M Perfect-it finishing glaze to get out all the swirls the previous detailer buffed into it with their quickie "one step" products, then using Liquid Glass on it. Nicest thing about Liquid Glass is it builds up, so applying a second coat once the first cures actually deepens the gloss and adds protection. Most polishes or waxes will self-clean thru the first coat, so it's pointless to add more.

Black is such a PITA to keep clean and maintained, but it's also one of the most rewarding colors when it's done right. I'm sure if you've ever been to a car show you've seen some of the black cars with an absolutely stunning gloss and depth to their paint. That's my ultimate goal with this vehicle. I want people's jaws to drop when they see it.

Back when I had my Grand Prix, I'd take that to various car shows, and the most frequently asked questions were "Is it supercharged?" (no), and "What kind of wax do you use?" (Liquid Glass). The GP had about six coats of Liquid Glass on it, and before car shows, I'd just wipe it down with some quick detailer.

I'm kind of curious to see what Zaino is all about, but I can't justify the price. I've seen guys at the car shows using Zaino, and honestly, I wasn't impressed. Evidently, neither were the judges, because I usually ended up taking home a 1st or 2nd place trophy. Last show I was at with it I ended up 2nd to a black GP (mine was red) that was absolutely immaculate. They worked on that car every minute they were there the whole night before the show. They had it up on jackstands, and were polishing the undercarriage! They used Meguiar's on it, and it looked great. I wasn't ashamed to take 2nd to that car.

 

[snoborder42]

This is what I use...

This stuff is amazing, its a synthetic wax and I love it. It goes on easy and comes off even easier. Since my expo is black scratches show very easily and this wax eliminated it all and made it look like a brand new paint job. That was 6 months ago and it still looks a good today.

 

[Minivek]

Turtle wax, seems to work good, but then again, I've never tried anything else

http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,4,1

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

Only thing is usually synthetic = silicone. I'm not a big fan of any silicone-based polish or sealant. It has its purpose, but usually it's for dealer quick prep products, etc.

 

[Flounder]

Zaino here, but not for the shine. It lasts forever. If you want more pop, top Zaino with P21S Carnuba.

 

[Tbars4]

back to the part about the black paint and having scratches...i am interested in finding someting that a month after i wax it, the scratches do show up white and i want the dust to just blow off as i drive....years ago we used to use airplane wax...now there is so many waxes, it is hard to find the ones i want...

 

[aldive]

I only use Zaino products.

 

[Tbars4]

so how bad is the cost??? is it easy on easy off??? is it ok for fiberglass?

 

[Flounder]

Very easy on and off. The cost--well, it costs a bit. See: http://www.zainostore.com.

If the fiberglass is painted, it's fine. It can be used on glass, too.

 

[Tbars4]

it's alot more than my once a year polish, lol....thanks for the link, i'll keep reading about all their products...

 

[X6StringerX]

I usually use carnuba based waxes. At the moment, I'm using the Dupont Teflon wax. It seems to be pretty good stuff. I can't tell that much difference in most of the waxes, but to be honest, I don't really care. I'm driving a 9-year-old vehicle with 146,000 miles that will never be a "collector" piece. Its slowly becoming an offroader, so wax is becoming less important to me.

 

[shadowex]

i like liquid glass it lasts forever easy on easy off

 

[UtahX]

Prima Epic, Werkstatt AJ, Pinnacle Paste Glaz, Collinite IW, ClearKote CMW, FK1 Pink Wax.

 

[htjunkie]

I use this....

every 2 weeks....and this...

twice a week...

 

[94eddiebauer]

I use something i found at the Detroit Autorama called Pink Wax. It removes crap and polishes my truck.

I also use Turtle Wax, not to expensive and effective.

-Bill

 

[John Lucci]

I use the turtle wax ICE,and to finish off the wax,I use the turtle wax ICE detailer spray with their micro cloth. You will not be disappointed with the results.

 

[jwrezz]

Zaino

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

A cheap wax that produced some amazing results for me is Kit. It's usually one of the lowest priced waxes at the store, but its "bang for the buck" factor is huge. It doesn't last very long, but the shine it delivered on a somewhat neglected paint was way better than expected, and it took very little effort. I rate it higher than some of the stuff I see a professional detail shop using when they do our cars for the dealership.
If my Explorer wasn't borderline show quality right now, I'd probably just use something like that, but since it's in such pristine condition, I want to make it even better. Like I mentioned, I want this everyday "seen one, seen 'em all" SUV to turn heads with its shine. The last black vehicle I had was a practically new (6000 miles) '01 Jeep Cherokee Classic. That one had poor quality paint from the factory, but I was still able to make it look like it was dripping right off the metal. My goal with the Explorer is even greater, considering Ford actually knows how to paint a car, I have a lot more to work with.

 

[chriswells78]

I use Liquid Glass, its about $20 per can but a can lasts about 3 years.

 

[jwrezz]

A cheap wax that produced some amazing results for me is Kit. It's usually one of the lowest priced waxes at the store, but its "bang for the buck" factor is huge. It doesn't last very long, but the shine it delivered on a somewhat neglected paint was way better than expected, and it took very little effort. I rate it higher than some of the stuff I see a professional detail shop using when they do our cars for the dealership.
If my Explorer wasn't borderline show quality right now, I'd probably just use something like that, but since it's in such pristine condition, I want to make it even better. Like I mentioned, I want this everyday "seen one, seen 'em all" SUV to turn heads with its shine. The last black vehicle I had was a practically new (6000 miles) '01 Jeep Cherokee Classic. That one had poor quality paint from the factory, but I was still able to make it look like it was dripping right off the metal. My goal with the Explorer is even greater, considering Ford actually knows how to paint a car, I have a lot more to work with.

So then, what are you using?