Car Wax product

[plong]

Hi all,

Could some one please recommend a good car wax product for the RX? Thanks.

Peter.

[salimshah]

You may be opening a Pandoras Box here ...

Some say with a clear coat you need not wax.

Some say Carnuba wax is the best.


Among the synthetics products:

I have had great results with NuFinish (DO NOT get it on the black moldings.)
and
Zaino lineup (lot of effort/work and bit more money)


Salim

[mooretorque]

Can't go wrong with Zaino. I disagree with salimshah on the contention that it's a lot more work. Zaino is now a one-step product (with the addition of a catalyst called ZFX to their lineup) and very easy to both apply and remove.


Look over in the "Automotive Care and Detailing" forum for more extensive discussions of various products.

[NeverSatisfied]

Zymol.

[gasjuju]

I use Zaino and the dang car glows in the dark (from the star light - or perhaps
from the plutonium i was transporting).
I personally like Zymoe also. The darn thing smells delicious. However, it
is a wax product so it needs to be applied pretty often. I used it for a few year -
now i am getting too fat and too lazy to do the waxing thing too often.
(once every presidential election is about right)
Also i did not like having the white residue in the various seams/cracks of the car.

Yes, yes, i did all those "Dawning", "claying", "preping", "curing", "layering", "micro-fibering", etc.
(man, i need some spa treatment of my own)

By the way, do you guys get chips (from flying debris) in the front of your
Lexus? I have a white RX300 and i already notice 4-5 sizable chips (10,000 miles)
near the front grill of the car.
I never notice this with my other cars. Perhaps, this is due to the profile of the RX.
Or perhaps, there is something peculiar with Lexus's paint. (since i also notice
that the paint on one rear door's edge is cracked because i think my kid banged
the door against the garage wall or some poor shopping cart).
Is there some aftermarket paint pen i can use to cover up these chips. They
are sort of annoying when i am washing/waxing the car.

[salimshah]

Originally posted by mooretorque
Can't go wrong with Zaino. I disagree with salimshah on the contention that it's a lot more work. Zaino is now a one-step product (with the addition of a catalyst called ZFX to their lineup) and very easy to both apply and remove.


Look over in the "Automotive Care and Detailing" forum for more extensive discussions of various products.

Thanks for the update. I have been out of touch ... still got the old stuff in the garage
Any difference in results .. old vs new?


Salim

[mooretorque]

Any difference in results .. old vs new?

Not that I can see. ZFX is merely a catalyst for Z2/3/5 so that the Z1 step is skipped. However, it also results in hazing (drying) after application within minutes, even when the weather is cool enough and humid enough that the polymer would otherwise take hours to dry!!!

Net result: same luminescent shine, same amazing durability. But I can still see using Z1 for the times when I want to just do, say, the hood and front quarter panels.


gasjuju, Lexus' paint seems to be a little on the soft side but all mfgrs are having some difficulty with this. In recent years, the development of water borne paint was mandated by environmental concerns over the release of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the older paint process. Unfortunately, a byproduct is that the resultant paint doesn't adhere as well. Ford has developed a new process of VOC recovery that potentially would allow a return to the glossier, more durable paint.

[tod071]

Originally posted by salimshah
I have been out of touch ... still got the old stuff in the garage. Any difference in results .. old vs new?

Had the same situation you had, so I emailed Sal himself and this is what he sent me:

I found that room temperature gave the best longevity for Zaino products... so that's what I prefer... The optical additives I use do not like extreme heat or cold. It will decrease there gloss enhancing properties.

When stored in a cool dry place. Avoiding extreme heat or cold. Shelf Life is as follows.
Z-1 For optimum results use before 3 years.
Z-2 For optimum results use before 3 years.
Z-5 For optimum results use before 3 years.
Z-6 5 years +
Z-7 5 years +
Z-9 5 years +
Z-10 For optimum results use before 2 years.
Z-12 For optimum results use before 2 years.
Z-14 For optimum results use before 2 years.
Z-16 3 to 5 years
Z-18 5 years +
ZFX For optimum results keep tightly capped and use before 18 months.

Results are the same, clean, easy(maybe easier now with ZFX), and a beautiful shine!

[PHML]

I use Zaino too....I don't need to wash the car often....maybe once a month (assuming nice weather).....I travel roughly 800 miles a month.

[mickey513]

Originally posted by msilverIS
Zymol.

I use it too, it's good stuff and very simple and easy to work with.