Wax/Sealant for Red Car?

[stm]

Well, we bought a C63 couple months ago and I would like to prep it for the upcoming winter. What opinions do you detailing experts have for good wax or sealant for a Red car that needs waxing badly! Would prefer to bring the really deep and super WET shine.



If you are wondering what red that is, it is the Mercedes "Mars Red"



http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/stanleyleecm/2003%20M3/2158975831.jpg?t=1290522974



Thank you in advance!

[Dan]

Please list the following attributes in order of your preference and I think you can get lots of recommendatoins.



Looks

Availability (local vs mail order)

Durability

Easy of use

Price range

[stm]

Looks: "Mirror-Wet" Finish

Availability: online

Durability: 2-3 months but willing to apply as needed to maintain the look.

Easy of use: Average to easy

Price range: around $50

[Dan]

I`d go with either CG50/50 or BFWD. Both will produce a great look on red, are extremely easy to use and fit within your budget. Go with BFWD if you want a bit more durability.

[David Fermani]

Zaino Z5all the way. $16.95 Z-5 PRO Show Car Polish for Swirl Marks and Fine Scratches: Zaino Store (http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Z-5&Category_Code=Zaino&Product_Count=10)

[imported_sal329]

Duragloss 501, BFWD, Collinite 845 and Victoria wax red, mayham or chaos

[Cleaning Fool]

Sealant: Zaino Z5 Wax: Victorias Red

[2005GTPinMD]

BFWD or Autoglym HD.

[akimel]

I`m wondering what wax or sealant would NOT look good on that lovely red Mercedes. :)



For a mirror wet finish, I`d give Blackfire Wet Diamond a try. It`s my favorite synthetic sealant. I understand that Menzerna Powerlock gives a similar look.



Collinite 845 would also look lovely on it, I`m sure, and it won`t cost you an arm and a leg. Another excellent value is Finish Kare 1000p. It has a unique look (often described as adding another layer of clearcoat) and would provide outstanding winter durability.



But the list of candidates is almost endless. So many good choices.

[hplaceap]

Chemical Guys EZ creme glaze (seems to deepen the color and adds gloss)

followed by

Blackfire Wet Diamond (really makes reds pop, and provides great protection).

Used it the above products on my torch red vette; wow!



Or you can just try the Blackfire Wet Diamond alone; won`t regret it.

[2005GTPinMD]

Chemical Guys EZ creme glaze (seems to deepen the color and adds gloss)

followed by

Blackfire Wet Diamond (really makes reds pop, and provides great protection).

Used it the above products on my torch red vette; wow!



Or you can just try the Blackfire Wet Diamond alone; won`t regret it.



That is a great combo too - I used it on my wife`s car and even now when dirty the car shines.

[ltebow34]

I just had customer in for maintenance wash, 3 week old coat of BFWetDiamond, with fresh still wet bird bomb maybe sat on 20 min.... ETCHED already. Car is silver BMW and I would not say at this point that BFWD has great protection, good look like zaino but a bird bomb on for 30min - I will go back to something else... pretty disappoint with it so far.

[akimel]

I just had customer in for maintenance wash, 3 week old coat of BFWetDiamond, with fresh still wet bird bomb maybe sat on 20 min.... ETCHED already. Car is silver BMW and I would not say at this point that BFWD has great protection, good look like zaino but a bird bomb on for 30min - I will go back to something else... pretty disappoint with it so far.



This raises a couple of interesting questions. I know that some bird bombs can be so potent that they can burn into the paint in a matter of minutes, no matter what wax/sealant is on the car. After all, if something is sufficiently acidic to etch the clearcoat, how much real protection can we expect from a micro-thin layer of wax? What we do not know in this particular case is whether another synthetic sealant would have provided better protection than the BFWD. I`m not sure how one would even begin to test this.



But I have read that carnauba waxes provide better protection against bird droppings than synthetic sealants. Jon Miller (aka TOGWT), e.g., has advanced this claim on several websites:




Protection- a polymer sealant forms a molecular bond with any paint surface it’s applied too, so when it’s attacked by environmental elements (acid rain, bird excrement, etc) it provides a direct conduit to the clear coat paint surface, causing surface etching.



Carnauba wax- molecules form a closed linked mesh like structure, which means that they only butt up together to protect the surface and the wax forms a shell like structure that adheres to the paint surface. When attacked by environmental elements they have to compromise the wax surface before they can reach the clear coat paint surface and cause surface etching.



Most organic waxes (Carnauba) are more resistant to environmental hazards then synthetics, although an Acrylic polymer offers limited resistance. Being a sacrificial coating, the best way to avoid clear coat etching is too remove the environmental acid, along with the wax as soon as it’s noticed; but given enough time acid will compromise the clear coat whatever its protection.



I`m curious what everyone`s experiences are with carnauba waxes and synthetic sealants and their protection against bird excrement. Are some sealants superior to others? Are carnauba waxes superior to sealants?

[stm]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! Just bought some BFWetDiamond!

[hplaceap]

I just had customer in for maintenance wash, 3 week old coat of BFWetDiamond, with fresh still wet bird bomb maybe sat on 20 min.... ETCHED already. Car is silver BMW and I would not say at this point that BFWD has great protection, good look like zaino but a bird bomb on for 30min - I will go back to something else... pretty disappoint with it so far.



Sorry to hear that about your customer`s car. I wonder what happened there.

I have had bird droppings for several days (sometime baked on via sun exposure) on a number of my cars with BFWD and it always washed off with no issue or etching.

Must have been some mighty toxic bird stuff :)