My initial NXT review

**imported_Aurora40** · 01-19-2004, 08:51 PM

So, my NXT arrived today, and I was planning on washing the Regal and hitting it with #16, so it worked out perfectly.

The Regal had been hit with DACP and MPPP about 3 weeks ago, and hadn`t been washed since then. I washed with QEW in the garage since it was 25F out... I did wash the wheels outside and hosed the salt off a bit.

The NXT bottle is easy to shake because of the shape. It`s real easy to grab and shake around. But the shape is sort of annoying when you try to dispense the actual product. It`s hard to hold onto it without squeezing it too much accidentally. It smells sort of like aftershave. I don`t particularly care for it. It is a bit too punchy when you are actually working with it. The garage smell afterwards is ok, but when it`s right by your face on a foam app, it`s kinda sickening. The foam app is weird. It`s like a normal Meg`s app, but green on one side and purple on the other. Pretty neat. But it is softer than the usual Meg`s pad, and also the purple makes it hard to tell if the pad is getting dirty.

It spread very easily. It almost seems like Blackfire but with more solvent/carrier so that it spreads easily, you use a bit more, and it dries quickly/normally. Blackfire is thicker, you can work it longer, and Blackfire always seems to have practically no solvent in it, which I think plays a part in why it can get streaky and hard to buff sometimes. I probably used about 3/4 - 1 ounce on the whole car. Very easy to apply. I waited about 30 minutes, and a finger swipe revealed that the product was powdery. It was a cinch to buff off. (Edwin, you could leave it on for 24 hours, but I suspect it will just powder up after one hour or so and then not really change/benefit from any longer period of time. I doubt it will turn to cement/glue, though.). It doesn`t dust up or anything when buffing. A very easy product to use. Much more fool-proof than Blackfire.

The finished result was very smooth. A lot like the smoothness of MPPP/Klasse, but with a bit more slickness. It feels good. Not unlike Zaino`s slick and smooth feel. But not the super slick feel of Blackfire. While moving the car outside to admire, a few drops ran out of the door handle and down the door. The small amount there was beaded very well off the paint and rolled off pretty freely, but then it`s a freshly applied product, so even products that don`t bead well will do that right after application.

Outside, the car was very reflective. It has a similar look to Blackfire with nice metallic pop, nice gloss, but more shine and reflection. Blackfire is quite reflective, but NXT is a bit moreso. However, this is not on the Aurora that I applied it to, so keep that in mind in regards to my comparisons. I don`t have any direct comparisons to make yet. The car really looks great and the shine is really impressive, especially given the ease of use and the amount of prep work done. Provided it can bead strongly for 2-3 months, this will be an excellent product to use on my wife`s car. I will certainly be trying it out on the Aurora come spring time (unless the durability on my wife`s car proves terrible or something).

Here are some pictures, though I think I took some pretty poorly composed ones. The lighting also wasn`t that great as there were fast-moving clouds, it was 25F, the wind was gusting to 20+mph, and I didn`t have a coat on... There were also one or two that seemed to be composed nicely, but when I transferred them, it turned out they were not in focus....

Oh, I used regular Endurance on the tires (my #38 was backordered and didn`t arrive with my NXT).

This picture isn`t great, but look at the reflections on the side of the car:

Some hood reflection shots:

**JustinR32** · 01-19-2004, 09:14 PM

I`d say that looks mighty reflective, and "clear".

Tom

**imported_Aurora40** · 01-19-2004, 09:16 PM

Oh, I meant to mention. I really didn`t notice any effect on the swirls that were on the car. It wasn`t any different than most other products. However, given that I did DACP my car recently, it may just be that the swirling is beyond the scope of NXT being able to fill it. But as far as this experience, the swirl-filling part wasn`t any better than anything else.

**Wasatch** · 01-19-2004, 09:20 PM

I also say it looks pretty reflective and clear. Thanks for the review and pics.

**JustinR32** · 01-19-2004, 09:59 PM

Y`know, you made me go out ino the gargage and do my car, inbetween these last two posts. It`s down there drying right now (I QEW`d it yesterday).

Tom

**AMP01** · 01-19-2004, 10:39 PM

Aurora40,

Great Review! :xyxthumbs Those reflection shots look sweet!

Have you noticed that NXT seems to get better after it has a chance to "cure"? I found that NXT looks better and feels more slick the next day after it is applied.

Again, great shots of your Regal!

Cheers,

**imported_Aurora40** · 01-19-2004, 11:29 PM

Originally posted by AMP01

Have you noticed that NXT seems to get better after it has a chance to "cure"? I found that NXT looks better and feels more slick the next day after it is applied.

Well, I just put it on this afternoon. I`ll check it out tomorrow, though as it`s the wife`s car I may not get an optimal look at it. We did take the car out tonight, and it was quite reflective and glossy. Looking down the hood it was very wet looking. I might get better specific and small impressions when I try it on my car. But so far, providing it makes it at least 8+ weeks, it is worth it from a cost per shine/gloss perspective.

Thanks for the compliments on the photos. I guess the hood shots did come out pretty well, but the other two aren`t composed very well. Still, they do show the shine of NXT.

**Scottwax** · 01-20-2004, 12:36 AM

AMP is right, NXT improves within a few hours, both visually and in slickness. Seems to be about as slick as UPP a couple hours after buffing off the excess.

I used it on a white F-350 this afternoon in low 40 temps with no problems with it hazing or removing it without streaks...and it looked very wet and reflective.

The only 2 problems I see with it (and for most Autopians, they probably are not problems) is that you can`t use it on hot surfaces and it isn`t wipe on/wipe off immediately...meaning I have to go around the vehicle twice instead of just once. Certainly not anthing that would prevent me from using it, but CMW and S100`s incredible ease of use resulting in only one trip around the car have spoiled me.

**imported_Aurora40** · 01-20-2004, 09:44 PM

My wife came by work today to drop some stuff off for me. Her car looked freaking awesome! It was incredibly reflective and glossy.

Maybe it`s mean, but I`m sort of hoping it will rain on her car so I can see how the stuff beads...

**andriver** · 01-20-2004, 10:13 PM

I have been using BF on my wife`s mustang for the past year. I may have to try NXT to her car next. Thanks for the review Aurora40.

**imported_memnuts** · 01-21-2004, 10:54 AM

Excellent review and follow-up Bob.

**JoshABI** · 01-21-2004, 11:19 AM

Go feel the car, Bob! I agree with Scott, I think it gets much slicker after the cure time.

**imported_Aurora40** · 02-07-2004, 03:45 PM

Ok, I washed the Regal for the first time since I applied the NXT. The weather has been in the teens for a while, snowy, salty, and miserable. It`s still all wet out, but the car was so yucky I just had to wash it (it got up above 40F today).

I washed it with Gold Class car wash and a chenille wrapped sponge (I usually use them instead of sheepskin when the car is really disgusting). I did use about twice the normal amount of car wash, and put car wash in the rinse bucket too since the car was so disgusting.

While washing, the beading was pretty terrible, but this seems normal given all the salt and crud on the car. The cleaned panels felt very smooth and reasonably slick. It reminded me a bit of MPPP or Klasse in the smoothness. It would seem there is still good protection on the car judging by the smooth feel.

However, the beading was nonexistant. After rinsing, water didn`t bead up at all, nor did it have that sort of Klasse/MPPP type of sheeting/beading behavior (you know what I`m talking about, weak beading but it is so distinct you know the Klasse or MPPP is still there and going strong). The car really behaved like there was nothing there, water just clung and slowly sheeted off. But it is possible that this was due to the liberal use of Gold Class car wash. I don`t usually use that much of it, and it does cause water to temporarily sheet off the car... I`ll have to hope it rains before the car gets sprayed down with salty road spray so I can watch the beading...

The appearance of the car has also changed. It still looks very nice, but it does not have the same look it had initially. The car looks nice and shiny and has good depth, but much in the same way that MPPP does. A nice clean look, but it is definitely not the deep wet gloss the NXT had when first applied. But the car does look nice.

Oddly, except for the water on the surface sheeting a bit more slowly, the car behaves much like it has MPPP on it. But I sort of doubt that any MPPP is still there after using NXT. I would bet the NXT would have removed it. It feels like MPPP feels, looks like MPPP looks, and has the poor beading of MPPP, but it seems poorer than MPPP would be (maybe due to the soap?). Very odd. I sort of wonder if it`s the MPPP, or if NXT just behaves like MPPP, or if it`s all just an oddity due to the wash technique?

I did use so much soap that there were some streaking issues. That was also due to the fact that the sun was out. I could either wash early in the morning to beat the sun when it is barely above freezing, or wash in 40 degree temps and have to work fast and repetitive a bit to deal with the sun. I chose the sun. So perhaps the soap that was causing the streaking was also causing the crappy beading. I just don`t know.

What I do know is that for the look and all, if in fact NXT doesn`t ever bead, then I might just go back to MPPP. I like MPPP, it has good durability and a nice look. And it is easy to apply. It seems like possibly NXT gives you extra gloss for a week but gives up the not-great, but tell-tale beady/sheeting action of MPPP. At least MPPP`s looks don`t degrade and you can tell if it`s there if you know what to look for. We`ll see....

The loss of gloss after the wash sort of reminds me of Final Detail, though. You put it on and the car looks sooo deep and wet and awesome. But once you wash the car, you can tell immediately that it`s gone. A quick spray and wipe and it`s back again, but then you expect it to be that way with a Quick Detailer.

I`m still up in the air about this product. But no denying the initial look is impressive. I do think I`ll stick with Blackfire topped with #16 or Souveran and Final Detail on my car, though. Looks are important, but so is beading and such. I just really love everything about the combo I use on the Aurora currently...

**Corey Bit Spank** · 02-07-2004, 04:12 PM

You hit the nail on the head.

NXT is a good product, and it compares well with Blackfire. It`s just I`m either used to Blackfire, or Blackfire is a half-nudge better than NXT overall. Is it $10 better? I don`t know. You always do good reviews. Thanks.