N8theGr8

Washed the 8 today and it's been about 2 weeks since I've waxed and the wax(NXT) is still going strong. Today I used a quick detailer after the wash, and since I've been a religious Meguires user over the years I used thier Quick Detailer. I had already used half a bottle a while ago when I clayed the car, so I thought I'd use it up. Well, I ran out. I did all the car except the front fenders, hood, and front bumper. Digging through my box of cleaning stuff I found Mother's Showtime. It came with a clay kit I bought a good while ago which I used Quick Detailer with instead. I figured what the hell it won't hurt anything so I finished the car with that. I must say that stuff is great! I find it much better than the Quick Detailer, and the Showtime smells like cinnamon:-) The surface turned out much smoother and much glossier than the parts I used Quick Detailer on. While I'm still a Meguire's fan, I think it'll be Showtime for the quick details from now on.

markd

Cool write-up. I've never heard of Mother's Showtime--Do they still make that stuff? Sounds like a great product. I haven't quick detailed in a while b/c every time I wash, I usually just layer on another coat of wax. With the little time I have to detail my car these days, though, this might be an invaluable option. I know that QD's are 95% water--is there really that significant of a difference between the 2 products you used? Post pics if you can!

markd

Holy sh*t, I just went to the Mother's website to check on that Showtime stuff, and they have an RX-8 on their front page! How cool is that?

In doing that search, I answered my own question--they do make Showtime still. Looks like they have a new line of waxes out, too--probably to rival Meg's NXT line. Hm--yet another product to have to experiment with!

N8theGr8

I didnt take any pics and probably wont have any as I'm going to wax the car next wash. Next time I use the Showtime I will. It goes on a little more murky than the Quick Detailer. I use a little bit different method. I spray it on while the car is still wet and run over it with The Absorber. It not only somehow allows the water to be wiped off much easier, but it leaves no water spots and very easily removes any from before (thats if you use the chamios and I highly recommend the absorber, if you use a cloth like the directions say it wont take off as much of the crap on the clearcoat). When the paint is streaked with it I'll run over it with a large microfiber towel which will remove any more water/qd left and leaves a perfect glossy shine. It also seems to intensify the beading action of coat of wax already on there. The biggest difference I saw between the Mother's and the Meguire's was the feel of it. The showtime felt smoother when running the towel over it and when running the back of your hand across it. It seems a bit more shiny as well. I think I'll substitute the Showtime into all my Meguire's products from now on.

bmcc49er

Not so fast! I was a faithful user of either Meguiar's or Mothers. Didn't matter. Both of them did the job. Today I bought Meguiar's NXT Detailer. I loved their wax and tire shine so much I felt this had to be good. My camera isn't the best but this stuff gave a better shine in my opinion and also is suppose to enhance the NXT wax between waxes. If you could see it in person you might believe it. NXT line is good stuff. Although my camera isn't the best if you look at the front bumper on the Mazda 6 it shows up pretty well.

markd

Holy cow, that shine is ridiculous. From the picture of your 8, you can see that the paint reflects the clouds just as well as the rear windshield. And yes, like you said, the 6's front bumper says it all. Very nice. I'm sure it's hard to compare products without looking at them directly, but n8, does Showtime even come that close on the gloss??

KYLiquid

I have always loved Mothers over Meguires.

The Meguires products always make the car feel 'greasy' to me. I dunno if that makes sense.

The Mothers just leaves a smooth finish, although they both make a nice shine.

N8theGr8

That is pretty damn glossy. I'd have to do a double take next time I use the showtime, I just know I was impressed over the Meguires (although not the new NXT QD i'll have to try that also). Kyliquid experienced the same thing I did. The mothers left the car feeling very smooth and the meguires didnt. I'll try the NXT stuff next and continue this experiment:-)

No More Oldsmobiles

I have a bottle of Mother's detailer that came with the claybar kit.

Questions: Can using detailer sprays scratch your finish? What kind of cloth do you use with the detailer?

bmcc49er

No, the detailer helps not hurts the finish. I use a microfiber and a soft towel to wipe off. i haven't experienced any greasy feel from the NXT. Smooth as glass.

markd

NMO: QD sprays are mostly water, so alone they will not hurt your paint. It's only when you try to QD a dirty car when you run into trouble b/c then you end up scraping your paint with dirt that has collected on your car. Wash, then QD (or clay bar, which is used to remove these contaminants and make your paint really smooth). If you clay bar, wash again, and then wax.

N8: Don't forget to post your thoughts on this comparison later on when you've been able to do so. I have a bottle of the Meg's maroon bottle b/c it came with the clay bar, but after that, I'll go with whatever recommendations you guys deem suitable for our paint (at this point, that NXT stuff is looking good!)

No More Oldsmobiles

Thanks to both of you.

So then you would use the detailer for stuff like fingerprints but not, say, some mud behind the wheel?

bmcc49er

I use the detailer when the car is lightly soiled with no caked on dirt. The type of dirt you could wipe off by running your finger over it. Caked on dirt, hand wash and for a great shine detail afterwards.

N8theGr8

I live on a dirt road. The dirt is WHITE and I have a BLACK 8. Try that on for size I keep it clean though by wiping the dirt off with a KOZAK. If I keep the car nice and waxed the dirt settles on the car very lightly. Its more like a dust (limestone) A quick light wipe of the KOZAK works great and leaves it shining with no added scratches. Everytime I get home I wipe it down takes me less than 5 minutes.

The maroon bottle is what I've compared the Mother's Showtime with so far. Next will be the NXT if I can find it anywhere and I'll definatly post. I honestly used to think the quick detailers were just a waste of time, but it takes much LESS time than waxing the car ALL the time and really does shine the car up. Now the question is, is the NXT Booster Wax a waste of time:-)

markd

N8: I'm not really sure what the point is of the Booster Wax. I bought a bottle of it a while ago but haven't used it since maybe October or November, when I had a terrible experience trying to remove it. Unlike the regular NXT wax, it's a mistake to wax the whole car with the booster wax before removing it. I felt like I had to scrub to get it off. Like many in other detailing forums have asked, if you're going to put forth that much effort, why not just add another layer of NXT? Definitely a rhetorical question.

Blue87Sport

I understand the use of QD spray to clean a slightly dirty car but what's the purpose of spraying it on a freshly cleaned car? Does a detail spray like Mother's Showtime do anything to add to or protect the wax (or is that what the Booster spray does)? Is the point that the detail spray adds to the shine even though it doesn't contain wax?

Pardon the newb questions but I have a bottle of Showtime from a clay bar kit and wonder if I'm wasting my time detail spraying the car after a washing.

bmcc49er

When I hand wash the car i always follow up with a detailer. It makes it shinier and gets slight dirt you may have missed off. Great finishing touch that takes 20 minutes or so.

N8theGr8

Definatly not wasting your time at all!! It takes me about 10 minutes extra as I use the stuff while I dry, and buff right after. For me the advantages are...


1) It helps water come off more "efficiently" with a chamois, preferably The Absorber, I feel that works the best for what it does.

2) It really DOESNT take much time, I spray it on while the car is wet, chamois to get it mostly dry, and go over with a microfiber towel and buff the car. It removes any excess QD and water.

3) No matter how well I dry the car I do get SOME light water spots....but not with the QD, it eliminates them.

4) The finish is incredible! I'm not all-knowing of the components of the QD and I dont think it ENHANCES or ADDS TO a coat of wax, but it does leave a very smooth and glossy finish. I've never used the NXT QD but look at pictures from bmcc49er earlier in the post. Thats just from washing and applying QD after, and his cars look beautiful! It really does make a difference, and you will see it if you start using it after washes. I was in the same boat as you, figuring it was an overlapping product of something else that did the same job. Now I recommend it to anyone who is in between waxes.

N8theGr8

I tried the booster wax as well one time...and never again. I had the same problem of getting it off. When all was said and done it took me LONGER than using the regular NXT wax and left streaks no matter how much I buffed. I think it may just be a marketing ploy.

markd

So far, agreed. I only use that stuff to wax my rims. I think the Booster Wax would be fine if you wipe it off panel-by-panel, but I don't know why you would spend so much time with it when you could just apply another coat of NXT. I suspect that the answer may be due to the fact that you can't layer NXT beyond 2-3 coats. Maybe you can layer the Booster Wax? I'll have to look into this...

EDIT: I just checked the Meguiar's forum and I'm still not thrilled with the product. Supposedly, it's supposed to be applied/removed more quickly than the NXT wax. I disagree. And according to this thread, you're supposed to do the whole car before you wipe it off. I completely disagree with that advice. The last time I applied the booster wax to the whole car, the wax had been on there long enough that it clung to the paint. It was very difficult to remove. Besides, I could have sworn the bottle said to do it one panel at a time, but I'll have to double check. Anyway, that's the supposed difference between the Booster Wax and the regular wax.

N8theGr8

No thanks! After the same results as you, I think I'll stick to the regular wax. And the QD:-)

N8theGr8

Well I ordered 2 bottles of the NXT Detailer and used it today. I couldnt find it anywhere around here so I ordered it from Meguiar's website. My results were the same as bmcc49er. This stuff is hot! The shine and gloss outdid the Showtime and the regular Meguiars QD. HOWEVER, this detailer is a little less than quick. While still much easier and quicker than waxing, this stuff you must allow to haze up, and it goes on white instead of clear like the others. It took more to buff out, and you need to let it sit a few minutes to "haze". The bottle it comes in is larger than the others, and the spray mechanism applies more product than what seems to be needed. All in all it does the job it says and shines the car up REAL nice. Depending on my time constraints I'll use this when I have a bit more time....or the Showtime when in a hurry.

markd

Wait, are we talking about the same product here? N8, I think you're talking about the NXT Booster Wax, am I right? The NXT QD is called "Speed Detailer." Both come in a spray bottle. You shouldn't have to allow a QD to dry to a haze and, in turn, it being difficult to remove. That sounds more like the Booster Wax to me. I could be wrong, though. bmcc, do you have the same experience with the Speed Detailer as N8?

N8theGr8

HAHAHA Mark you wont believe this. You totally called it. I just went out to the trunk and looked in my detail bucket....and I put the booster wax in there instead of the speed detailer!!!! I grabbed the wrong bottle! I'll wash the car again tomorrow...THIS TIME with the speed detailer. I didnt even think to look! WHAT AN ***! I'll have a report tomorrow.

P.S. The booster wax DID allow for a pretty nice shine when used in the same way as a QD plus allowing it to haze. A PITA to buff off though.

markd

HAHAHA That's a riot! I knew something was fishy about that application. hahahaa--sorry, I can't stop laughing :D The funniest part is that you did the whole car without realizing the mix-up!

Btw, you don't have to wash your car again just to QD. Give yourself a break and wait a week, brother! We're not going anywhere. And hide the Booster stuff so you don't actually think it's glass cleaner and smear it on the windshield

PS. I suspect that you have to treat the Booster Wax the same way you treat a carnauba--you have to fight the resistance to want to let it dry completely. If you let it sit for a few (as opposed to several) minutes you should probably get the same results and it will be easier to buff off.