Thanks man. I don't think I ever had as good results as I did with the Mothers. Washing and drying is unbelievable. It's like washing glass and drying was really fast. I hope to put another coat on tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

Bob

 

Oh I've already opened the box. Had to smell it. Still trying to find time to do it. All's good in Zainoland my man.

 

I bought the Ice before I bought the car, so may try it. I want something that will work well and will encourage keeping the car clean and shiny.

 

Simple.... Zaino.... don't use it unlees u want to be addicted to that brilliant shine and 'cashmere' softness.....

 

like asking a bunch of people whats the best way to cook a steak... everyone has their own opinions. it depends on what they like.. durability, depth, clarity, or cost..

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...Term=car%20wax

Consumer reports says that the Black Magic Wet Shine Liquid Wax (BM48016) was the best overall wax and they based their conclusion on gloss, durability, ease of use, cleaning, resistance to scratching, swirls/hazing, and plastic compatibility.

I picked up a bottle but the weather in houston has been too ridiculous to even attempt to wash the car...The weather this weekend might be nice enough to wash...

 

dont trust comsumer reports when it comes to detailing... we had a big thread in autopia.org about how stupid they were when it came to choosing "the best wax".

 

trust autopia.org!!!!

 

do you trust consumer reports for anything?

 

yes but just not for detailing.

 

zaino ftw.

 

CR is a wonderful resource for newbie shoppers who want some quick, basic info and recommendations without investing a lot of time in thorough research.

Detailing supplies are an entirely different proposition, however.

 

Anyone have a white/pearl 8? Which product do you use to shine it up?

I might try the Turtlewax ICE stuff everyone's talking about.

 

i have a white rx8 and am also a mobile detailer... the product i most prefer among customers cars as well as my own is NXT in conjunction with #80 speed glaze from the meguiars professional line.... ive actually went from zaino back to meguiars when i had my black acura... there z5 polish for removing swirls and light scratches is nothin short of pathetic. while the z2 does last longer than nxt..nxt is also a synthetic wax and last much longer than caranuba waxes and shines like the best of them. i found some of the other zaino products such as the leather conditioner and there z7 spray to be nothing more than more expensive versions of products that you can get at the local pep boys are autozone.

since the z5 didnt do much to the swirls on my black acura when i had it, maybe i didnt get to fully appreciate the 3 coats of z2 that followed... but 1 application of #80 follwed by a nice thin coat of nxt is enough to keep the 8 nice and shiny

 

Z5 has been redesigned as of a few months ago. (just a quick fyi, not sure how long it's been since you used it)

 

p21s

 

Nothing compares to what this guy did - a $7,000.00 + wax job:

http://www.corsasport.co.uk/board/vi...=347865&page=1

 

cant go wrong with turtle wax. secret tip: spray tire shine in wax and heat it up for 15sec. in microwave. mix it and wax. and it your car will shine like ****.

 

Okay, so I just purchased "ICE synthetic Paste Polish" from Turtle Wax ($14.94 Advance Auto). It does work. I would have to rate this wax above average compared to many other waxes I have used. It claims to have no white residue, which is true. However it will cause very minor dark spots if is not rubbed off completely or not applied evenly. It is supposed to have "exceptional high-gloss shine" which I would have to say yes to. The shine is above average compared to other waxes. It also claims to protect against U. V. Rays, which I have no idea how to figure out if it does or not anytime soon. It also claims to be more durable than the leading pastes on the market. Can't really confirm that.

Pros, you can use it to shine all parts of your car except glass. I used it on the black of my mirrors and it worked very-very well. Works in direct sunlight, and doesn't cause any issues what so ever.

Cons, you have to moisten applicator with water before applying wax. I wasn't prepared for that at the car wash. (I live in the city where hoses and buckets don't exist)

Over all, great wax. It also has a money-back guarentee if it is not the best wax you have used so far, you can return the wax for a full refund. However I still really like the Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax. GREAT STUFF.

I also use Invisible Glass, awesome product. Works great on any glass (old or new), but you should use paper towels rather than any kind of cloth. It requires you completely dry the glass to remove any spots. For the tires, I use Meguiar's NXT Insane Shine Tire Coating ($5.44 Advanced Auto, Aero Can). I am in love with this crap, the best I have ever used so far. Dries easy and doesn't sling all over the rest of the car.

But I am however a complete fan of the clay barring kit from Meguiars. Best stuff so far, and great pre-treatment for wax. However it takes alot of time and energy.

 

What do I buy if I use zaino, i hear z2, but thats 14 bucks....so if im spending 100, what else am I buying?

 

meguiars nxt FTW!

 

I recommend Meguiar's #21. You can find it in more reasonably sized containers now (used to be half-gallon size only). Meguiar's #21 has a really good look. I think it looks better than NXT, but some say that NXT looks a little bit better. However, Meg's #21 lasts much longer, about 5-6 months. I had it on my car as long as 4 months and it was going strong. Others report 5 and more months of protection.

Meg's #21 (a recent release) has a deeper look to it than most polymer sealants, and has that longevity that I like. It's also really easy to put on: wipe on, wait 20 minutes, wipe off. You don't have to rub hard and the wax buffs out real easy. It seems to bring out the flake nicely, but it doesn't make it pop wicked crazy like Zaino.

It also has light cleaners in it, which helps it bond better to the paint if you didn't prep the paint surface thoroughly (e.g. you have remnants of old wax and all you did was claying).

(When I last used NXT, I didn't like the buffing and working in of the wax required.)

Meg's #21 also seems to stain plastic very little, unlike NXT, which stains quite a bit. OK, so it's not like I intentionally applied Meg's #21 to plastic to see what it looks like, but I don't have to be super-careful to not touch plastic (tape it off or whatever) when I use it.

Finally, Meg's #21 leaves quite little residue. It's not residue-free like Zaino, for example, but it's nowhere near as bad as typical natural wax.

Here's my car with M21:



Nice flake action:



Another M21 shot, this is about 2 months in:



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I also liked Mother's Reflections Advanced Car Wax when I used it. You may have an easier time finding this in a local store. However, it doesn't last as long as Meg's #21 (expected durability about 3 months), leaves more residue and doesn't seem to look any better. It has a slightly less deep look than Meg's #21, a bit more reflective, wetter look? It's hard to compare. I only had it on for two months. Application is really easy, wipe on and wipe off. It's a great wax to try if you have it handy in a local store, but I wouldn't seek it out.

Here are two photos of the car waxed with Mother's Reflections:





(Sorry that a lot of these photos have snow tires on them, it just happened that I tried different things around winter time).

-----------------------------------

I also recommend Zaino. It's certainly is a great product, but application is tricky (make sure that the paint is fully prepped cleaned and then you have to mix it with an activation thingy).

Unfortunately, despite owning lots of Zaino, I've only ever applied Zaino Z5 (non-Pro), old version, to my car's paint.

Zaino Z5 that I used seemed to bring out the flake quite well, and had quite a lot reflectivity to it. Pretty decent depth, although I only applied one layer.

Here are some pics of 1-layer Z5... After 2.5 months after original application:



About 1 month after... you can see the popping flake:



The day of application:



It actually did hide dealer-installed minor swirls:



I have though applied Zaino Z2 Pro, 3 layers, to my winter and summer wheels, and it makes for insane flake pop:



(click on photo for full-size, full effect)





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OK, to make a long post longer, here is Meguiar's Deep Crystal Carnauba Liquid Wax, an all natural wax, so it has some good depth to it. I don't have full sun photos, so it looks deeper than it really was, but you can still get a flavor of the different look. This stuff doesn't last long (I would guess about 2 months).





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Finally, just recently, I tried Poorboy's EX-P sealant. It does stain plastic. Leaves some residue, but not too bad. Looks pretty good, is pretty damn slick, that's for sure.

 

What are you trying to accomplish?

You should try the newest Zaino stuff, the clear seal. No buffing required, just wipe on. Check out this triplets deal... would be a great start for you.

If you're buying Zaino Z2, you're about to drop $60+... You need to buy Z2 Pro ($15), then ZFX additive ($20), then you should use Zaino Z8 spray sealant for that last 5% ($20), and if you don't want to use the expensive Z8 in between the Z2 Pro layers, you can also add in the less expensive Z6 spray sealant ($10).

 

Astral--I noticed the last pic of your WB 8 has the appearance pkg side and front on it. How recent of an addition? Did you buy them new?

 

The app pkg was brand new in box, but I bought it 2nd-hand. I added it in March 2007, with about 36K miles on the clock.