Best wax or polish?

[siscobmw]

I got zymol years ago, during a holiday in England....I saw that wax in a car care shop....
spent quite a lot but in the end was not the best I've ever tried.
maybe different tipes of paint may influence the end result....
dunno.....but I am still happy with my swisswax.
turtle wax has nothing wrong in it,dodo juice is really good too, they worth something....
and anyway we are talking about good stuff, not 3 dollars wax you find in the super-market.....

[Tamman69]

Originally Posted by Rolf-Dieter

You did a wonderful job looks great

I started my wife's Jag today using the Zaino I purchased on line here in Canada. Done the wash, clay treatment and second wash. Her car is resting in the garage now I am in my lazy chair ... the wax treatment will start tomorrow.

Enjoy your trip and take some photos ... post them when you return.

Thanks Rolf!

Hope you get as much joy as I did when I started applying that wax, the second coat after a spray of z6 went on like a dream.

I'm in day 3 now, clocked up a good 900 miles since that post - and an awfully big bug graveyard at the front. Of course I can do no cleaning here and still don't really want to trust the car washes... Photos will come, but the pristine look will be somewhat diminished! Hoping it still looks good against all those 3K year old columns. On the plus side the Greeks seem to appreciate the z4 and are all clamouring to do the screen cleans at the garages (gas stations)

[Alext]

I am suprised no one has focused on the importance of paint prep before waxing.

With good paint prep I can make a car's paintwork look fantastic with just some meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer or cheap Turtle Wax Platinium - as good as if I used some Pinnacle Souveran paste (my personal fav. carnauba wax) or other expensive LSP and NO prep.

If you are serious about your car's paintwork then I recommend investing in a simple random orbital buffer (such as Meg's polisher or a Festool or equivalent) and some quality pads (such as Lake Country).

Then use Merzerna polishes specifically formulated for Euro ceramacoat clear coat paints like on the BMW with the buffer to prep the paint as necessary. This is after you clay the paint. My preference is blue Clay Magic.

Then you can use your Zaino etc..

[Darbs330]

Originally Posted by Tamman69

Hope you get as much joy as I did when I started applying that wax, the second coat after a spray of z6 went on like a dream.

After just finishing a weekly wash (using Z-7) and a spritz with the gloss enhancer (Z-6)... I was, again, marveling at how great these Zaino products make my Z look. I rarely sing praise on any product like this... but have to say... I am impressed.

While certainly no expert... I think it's inaccurate calling Zaino a wax - since it doesn't contain "wax". (I honestly think that's why it works better - and longer.) Rather, they call it a polish or sealant.

Well, whatever it's called... I just want to say good job Sal Zaino.

[Dr Stig 2]

Thanks everyone for the inputs!

Alex - where do you source your clay in AUstralia?

[Alext]

Originally Posted by Dr Stig 2

Thanks everyone for the inputs!

Alex - where do you source your clay in AUstralia?

I got the Clay Magic from Detailed Image in the States. http://www.detailedimage.com/Clay-Bar-C6/

Very easy to use. I use Optimum No rinse diluted to about 5% or so with water as a lubricant. I also use it to clean the wheels prior to using Armor All Wheel protectant to stop the brake dust almost completely.

Darbs: You are correct - Zaino isn't a wax - it is a polymer sealant of sorts. I use Zaino Z5 Pro. It is good for dark coloured cars.

[Alext]

I should add that claying your car (esp if it is black) is not for the faint hearted.

I once used some meguiars clay on the hood of a MX5 and ended up creating a LOT more work for myself: the clay had somehow picked up a small fragment of grit and I ended up scratching the clear coat.

Clay your vehicle infrequently. Feel the surface of the paint through a plastic bag carefully. If it is rough then it's time to clay.

Meguiars 00 Techwash makes for a good clay lube too.

[Darbs330]

Originally Posted by Alext

I should add that claying your car (esp if it is black) is not for the faint hearted.

So true!

Honestly, I had never heard of "claying" before researching this topic in the forums. When I received a couple of bars with the Zaino kit... I thought I would give it a try.

Using the baggie technique... I was surprised at the minor imperfections that claying took care. Even dried on bird & bug residue, that couldn't be washed off, disappeared magically.

You have to be careful... but it's quick, easy, and well worth the extra steps.

[Tamman69]

Point taken - not a wax!

regarding the claying, I too only discovered it from these forums. It came as part of my Zaino 'kit' so I wanted to give it a go. Initially starting on some less obvious areas so as to get a feel for it, I was wondering what all the fuss and effort was about.

Then, I came to tackle the small panels just behind the front wheels, before the door panel. No doubt this is where a lot of spraying takes place. Oh my god, suddenly I could feel lots of rough areas, looked clean but felt like riding over cobbles. Sure enough within minutes this area was feeling like a pristine ice-rink, I was a convert!

Point of reference to those buying clay separately, you must use some lubrication in the process and not do it in direct hot sun. With zaino you use half a cap of the z7 shampoo with around 500ml of water in a spray.

[siscobmw]

Originally Posted by Alext

I am suprised no one has focused on the importance of paint prep before waxing

cause here we were asked about the brand and the type of wax we use....

anyway i gave some advices about the good car detailing with some link....
example detailingworld.co.uk.....
anyway:
for z4 I use swisswax shampoo(2 bucket),foamed some car shampo and I let it work for a while..I rinse the car from top to bottom, and I start clay with megs mild claybar, with compressed air and cobra xxl microfibre cloths I dry up the car, dodojiuce pre wax cleanser polish where there are no scratch, some 3M fine polish on worst paint surfece(difficult to find bad spot on a car with just over 4k kms, but my car cover in some point ruined it slightly).Then swisswax wax,with pre-wax and then shield or mirage(I have also the saphir, an old swisswax wax that now I am not sure it still works after years),it produces also blau-weiss wax for bmw, but mirage works beter.
logically I use tape to cover seals and trims .....
the wheels:I remove wheels(DIY job at home), I use sonax extreeme wheel cleaner and let this product works , in the meanwhile I clean up wheel arches and wheels hub, brakes etc...then in & out from adam's a good spray for a good result....
Wheel are well cleaned up with a powerful dose of water ,I dry them up and I then autobahn for alloys or some sealant ....I dont mess with alloys as they they will get covered of brake dust soon and sealant don't last a lot on alloys(maybe i think because of the hot air coming from brakes .....)
Francesco

[tranquility]

Bump for more comments.

I have a general question: which is better - the solid, traditional wax or the new liquid stuff?

[ManiacGT]

Best I've ever used is Farecla Wax Top (Liquid). Fantastic shine, lasts months, easy to use, and takes out fine scratches without hazing the existing shine.

http://www.farecla.com/?screenID=127#/127

[taYab]

Never use solid, traditional wax to our E89.
It will be stuck into rubber parts and it is not easy to get rid of.
Use spray(liquid) wax.

[rmorin49]

There is no "best" wax/polish. Ask 100 people and you will probably get at least 25 different answers, maybe more. Durability, ease of use, type of shine and many more factors go into what folks like best. I have tried at least 15 brands and have found that for the money, Meguiars and Mother's make good products. Others will say Zaino and Zymol are worth the extra cost and effort. I'm too old to spend more than about 2-3 hours on my cars. To each his own.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by taYab

Never use solid, traditional wax to our E89.
It will be stuck into rubber parts and it is not easy to get rid of.
Use spray(liquid) wax.

Thx. I never tried liquid, guess I'll start soon.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by rmorin49

There is no "best" wax/polish. Ask 100 people and you will probably get at least 25 different answers, maybe more. Durability, ease of use, type of shine and many more factors go into what folks like best.

That's the crux of the matter - I have a "wardrobe" of waxes for various goals. Collinite for when I want maximum durability and protection with little concern for appearance (my winter wax), Turtle Wax ICE for a quick wax when I don't have a lot of time, Meguiars #16 for a decent mix of shine and durability (usually boosted with a detailing spray every once in a while, and it responds well to machine buffing), Zymol Carbon for maximum shine with minimal durability (car meets and shows, sometimes a date).