Zaino

 

This is always debated on http://www.autopia.org/

Some good resources, even if they are commercial are:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com
http://www.properautocare.com

Just click to the products you're interested in and there should be a lot of how-to's and product suggestions.

As for my own $0.02, You can have the best wax in the world but it will not make your car shine unless you have prepared the surface properly. Until you at least run a polish over the surface of your car, the high end paste waxes will do worse than a good cleaner/wax liquid.

Personally I use P21S Paintwork Cleansing Lotion (~$12), and then stick about 4-6 coats of Pinnacle Souveran (~$65) on top. There are many products that are equal in effectiveness and shine, but--not many that are easier to use. (Which makes a big difference in time spent, E.G. Klasse SG is a PITA to remove.) Also there is a difference between the shine of a synthetic and carnauba wax.

I have Zaino, the most recent formula, and IMO it is not the best in looks. Any good carnauba wax can equal or surpass it. Zaino, like all synthetics is very shiny, but does not quite match that inch deep 3D look to the paint when you start layering. Particularly on dark colors. However I will say that it lasts about 3 times longer than Pinnacle Souveran and looks almost as good. It also beads water like crazy, even more so than carnauba. Beading is impressive looking, but in reality it just makes water spots a problem, which then makes me go back to polishing them out all the time...

In the end, what makes a wax the best IMO is this:

- Shines and adds depth to all colors without significant yellowing or darkening
- Easy to use (applies easy, dries fast, buffs off in one wipe, doesn't streak/cloud and doesn't smell horrible)
- Lasts a long time (may or may not be important, but finding a few free days, several times a year just to dedicate to your car is tough)
- Sheets water away to prevent water spots
- Low in solvents that can damage paint over time
- High protection from environmental damage (acid rain, abrasion, UV, etc)

No wax currently exists at any price that can do all these with absolute #1 performance. Synthetics like Zaino can do most of them pretty well, (and are what I usually recomend) but are not the end all in presentation. Carnauba is generally agreed upon as the best in depth and shine (particularly on dark colors) but lacks in almost everything else, especially durability. (Hence the joke that it comes off as soon as you put it on)

So it's all a mater of what you can find as the best compromise.

*note: for show car level shine, many people will do a lot of preparation work with polish, glazes, etc, then apply a synthetic wax for shine, then add many, many layers of a carnauba on top of that for depth. Usually has even less durability since the carnauba starts eating though the synthetic coat...*

**I'm betting that the red RX-8 in that pic is finished with a carnauba, since the finish isn't as mirror sharp as a synthetic reflection usually is**

 

That is odd, I just made the above post on someone else's account?

 

Good work SpEeDxXxRaCeR.
This does help.

 

Wow that is weird, but not really weird throughout the forums world. On s2ki.com (s2000), this happens as well.

Since this is a big thread about wax, i'll shead some light as well from a S2000 owner's pont of view. To remember I think the rx8 is awesome car. I would love to have one, but I'm going to wait for the rx-7 that comes out, if they decide to produce it again.

Zaino!

I've tried almost every single wax out there and zaino does probably close to the best I can judge. The best is the application part it's simple and doesn't dry up into a white residue. The great part of zaino is the protection. I apply it 2x a year and use the other zaino products to keep it's shine all year long.

I look forward to scour and take part of threads on the rx-8 forum. I hope i have the same welcoming I had prior to purchasing my s2000 through the s2ki.com forums.

-Trung

 

So how much time does a brand new car need typically to fully cure?

Weeks/Months???

 

Speed...
Good write-up!

 

This looks good on my Hummer


Vintage Glaze is based on a custom formula developed for the 1947 Bentley Mark VI Cabriolet by Franay, winner of several "Best of Shows" in its debut year on the Concours circuit. Among the protective ingredients in Vintage are evergreen, honeydew, coconut, cantaloupe and sunflower oils. Vintage contains 61 percent Brazilian No. 1 White Carnauba by volume, the highest in any product designed to protect automotive finishes. Note: This container is refillable for life at no charge.

 

What's the deal on the refill - how often can you send it back?

 

Swissol comes well recommended and does special wax for Japanese cars paint.

rael

 

Every 6 months...but its like $2000

 

I like it deeper and wetter too. Oh, and I love my Zaino - easily the best wax I've ever tried. Doug, you're just hard to please. And just for you, I like my Bose system too :D