Bought new products and need answers asap!!

maxima2k2 · 03-03-06, 07:04

hello, im really new to detailing and i have a couple of questions here. First of all, i have a charcol gray 91 max and had the car for about 10+ years now. Been taking good care of it, normally i wash the car with meguirs gold car wash shampoo and right after the wash, i apply zymol wax. This process is normal for me and i've been doing this ever since i've own the vechicle. Now i want to detail the car, i bought some new products, they are Nu Finish "the once a year car polish" and mothers california gold sealer and glaze phase two. The mothers came in 2 other phases, which i didn't want to buy because it would get a little pricey. Also since i already have the zymol wax, i didnt want to buy the phase 3 system which is the carnauba wax. Since i have these new products, how would the process of washing for my vechicle go? there are layers and layers of zymol wax on the max because i never did the dawn wash to remove it, so i just kept on applying the wax after each wash. I dont really know if the polish i bought is good but ill try it. What about the sealer and glaze by mothers, how does that work, and its ok if i apply a couple of coats of zymol wax after i've applied these 2 new products to my car right?

themightytimmah · 03-03-06, 10:28

Nu Finish is not one of the better polishes on the market. If you can, return it and get Long Haul polish/wax or Meguiar's ColorX. Any polish that you use is going to remove the wax that is currently on the car. Once you have polished, you can glaze it with the Mother's and then wax with the zymol. I'd highly reccomend picking up the Mother's Clay bar and using that before polishing, if you can. You'll want to wax immediately after glazing, there is no harm in doing so and it actually helps.

daveb · 03-04-06, 10:46

All I have to say is: Put down the orange bottle and slowly walk away as not to disturb it. It's preferred that it be left in the woods somewhere as no one will find it and/or buy it again.

White95Max · 03-04-06, 11:08

LOL, yeah return the NuFinish before you open it.

Wash/dry/Mothers Sealer+Glaze/Zymol wax.
I'd also recommend that you clay the car first.

Now, outline your washing regimen for us. How many buckets do you use? Mitts? Towels? What do you dry it with? Do you wash the wheels and tires? With a different mitt/towel or the same one?

maxima2k2 · 03-04-06, 03:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by White95Max

LOL, yeah return the NuFinish before you open it.

Wash/dry/Mothers Sealer+Glaze/Zymol wax.
I'd also recommend that you clay the car first.

Now, outline your washing regimen for us. How many buckets do you use? Mitts? Towels? What do you dry it with? Do you wash the wheels and tires? With a different mitt/towel or the same one?

Why is Nu Finish not a good polish? how would you guys rate it compared to other polishes that you've used on a scale of 1 to 20 with 20 the best? Here at my local pepboys, thats the only available polish they have on their shelves, i havent checked autozone yet. Whats wrong with the nu finish polish anyway? i might have to use that since i don't want to buy online. I think there is a meguirs color x at autozone, is that a polish too? they also have scratch x also. Is there any other good polishes that you can recommend me, thats available in autozone or pep boys only, no online products please....thanks

Gears · 03-04-06, 03:32

A lot depends on what Zymol you have. Is it the real Zymol carnauba wax or the made by Turtle wax Zymol one step cleaner wax.

White95Max · 03-04-06, 03:36

I'd look for Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze. That's usually easy to find. I know the Carquest here has it.

NuFinish is a PITA to use and yields sub-par results. I won't bother rating it, I'll just say that I don't like it. ColorX would be a better alternative IMO, but Meg's #80 would be better.

Accumulator · 03-05-06, 06:19

maxima2k2- You're getting good advice on the Nu Finish, but not the rationale behind it. Nu Finish is a fairly abrasive product that will often leave hazing ("micromarring") on the finish. Doesn't last as long as they say either and it doesn't look all that hot (in part because of the hazing) and as mentioned it's not user-friendly. It really is a crappy product meant to make money off people who don't know/care all that much about detailing. I wouldn't use it on my snowblower, seriously. On your scale of 0-20 it's about a 2, with 1 being Pledge furniture polish or maybe kerosene and 0 being nothing (just IMO of course).

There are some decent OTC polishes out there, including Mother's Power Polish. But I'd go to an autobody/paint supply store (check the yellow pages), where you'll find all sorts of great products, plus they can order stuff they might not have in stock. Such as the Meg's #80.

You probably don't have as much Zymol on there as you think (doesn't last all that long) and Dawn doesn't strip wax the way people somehow (where *DID* this get started

) think it does. If you want to strip wax/sealant you can just use rubbing alcohol.

tabinha · 03-05-06, 08:57

Accumulator, strange comments about a product that was rated at the top of the OTC market by Consumer Report several years ago.
Has the formulation changed recently?
Why would Consumer give a nice rating to a product that micomares. Are they blind?
I have followed your comments and advise over the past two yeare and you are generaly right on. Maybe I should write Consumers?

Accumulator · 03-05-06, 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by tabinha

Accumulator, strange comments about a product that was rated at the top of the OTC market by Consumer Report several years ago.
Has the formulation changed recently?
Why would Consumer give a nice rating to a product that micomares. Are they blind?
I have followed your comments and advise over the past two yeare and you are generaly right on. Maybe I should write Consumers?

Wouldn't be the first time I disagreed with Consumer's Reports. They seem, well, oriented towards a layman's/neophyte's level in most things. Seems like whenever they test something where I, or people I know, have expert knowledge, CR has an opinion that's , uhm, geared towards people who are not especially discerning or critical.

I've never experienced the Nu-Finish micromarring first-hand as I'venever used the product. But I've heard about it from people whose opinions I respect. If that's too vague/anonymous for you (fair enough), it did it for the guys who do the Guru Reports testing, who also commented on how they don't understand its good CR rating. Perhaps you oughta try it yourself and let us know how it works out for you (but I sure wouldn't try it on the hood of a really nice car

). After all, a product that micromars one paint might be fine on another, and different people are satisfied by different results.

Judging by the products CR liked, (IIRC, it' been a while since I read it) I'd say their report was geared towards people who have an utterly different perspective on detailing than I do. Sorta like back in the mid-'70s when they touted Classic's Cleaner Wax as being the best. I was used to a mild professional polish, then #7, topped with #16. Tried the Classic, and was utterly mortified at how awful my car looked. Yet they said it was the best

If you want to confront CR, refer them to page 16 of the Wax Test, Volume 1, 2002 by www.Gurureports.org. They were testing under fairly controlled conditions and their opinion would be better to base your inquiry on than my second-hand information.

Hey, Moe! · 03-05-06, 06:21

Once upon a time I tried NuFinish, even before I started poking around here.

It was a pain to work with, and the results didn't make me jump for joy.

When I got divorced, and my ex- got the house, I had to pack up my stuff and move.

The PC, the 3M products, and the Griot's stuff made the cut. I left NuFinish behind, laughing all the while ; )

'Nuff said?

White95Max · 03-05-06, 06:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hey, Moe!

When I got divorced, and my ex- got the house, I had to pack up my stuff and move.

The PC, the 3M products, and the Griot's stuff made the cut. I left NuFinish behind, laughing all the while ; )

'Nuff said?

'nuff said!