I'm done with carnauba waxes.

I

imported_Detailing Technology

New member
Finally, I think I am done with carnauba waxes all together. I always buy solid black cars, I enjoy having a part time job with them. But once you know what 100% perfection is, I feel it is more easily acheived with a synthetic sealant on my daily driver. I have Souveran, Natty's Blue, Swissvax Concorso, Swissvax Mystery, Meg's #26, so I cant say that I need to try a different wax.





I'm tired of that "smeared oil" look that occurs when you apply slightly too much product.



I'm tired of the elevated up front costs.



I'm tired of the storage debates. Refrigerate or not?





Zaino is it for a LSP for me. If I am seeking a different "look" I'll shoot some Z-8 on the car.

I got off a plane yesterday afternoon and waxed my Jeep with Swissvax Mystery. Hey, it looks great, but I think my issues with the carnauba based products are elavant.
 
Guess it depends on where you live. Up north, you probably benefit more from a sealant than a nuba. Down south, I am fine using a nuba. We have a pretty mild climate here, and my cars are garaged. I can use M16, or Carnauba Moose, and get several months, and I have never had an issue with application. Don't get me wrong, I am not a sealant hater - I use sealants on our 2 lighter colored vehicles, and nuba on our dark colored car - I just like variety.



Justin - PM me if you are looking to unload any of your nubas.



David
 
I agree with the topic.



I like Zaino products and the look they entail when properly applied to a properly prepared finish.



However. I am a full fledged Ultima convert across the board. Check out the PGP! You will be amazed at the look and gratified at the ease of application(s).
 
I thought I'd be happy with sealants after I replaced my black car with one that is metallic grey. I was wrong. A sealant would be less work overall, but my car is still dark enough to benefit from the added depth of a carnauba.



FWIW, I don't have any 'smearing' problems, costs of most of the waxes I use are in line with sealants (other than Souveran, I don't have any high end waxes), and everything is either in my laundry room or my trunk. I've never refrigerated a wax. :nixweiss
 
Depends on what you are looking for and where you live and what you use the car for.



A guy that details cars for a living driving a grey Maxima in Texas is an ideal set up for most products. You have it made with product choice.



I can only spend the weekends on the customer cars. My solid black daily driver gets pushed to the side constantly. I only have 3,000 miles on it since August 07, but it stays outside for 10+ hours per day. The smearing I see is when the car is in direct sun, you can clearly see there is something on the paint, looks like too much product. Oils and silicones left behind which the microfiber isnt removing.
 
As always, I will say to carnauba or to seal is a very personal decision. A lot of factors come into play and everyone's situation will differ.



I too live in the northeast, but I choose not to use sealants. During the colder months when it's too cold to detail often, I switch to a more durable carnauba like Collonite or Megs #16. During the summer, I switch back to a "beauty wax" like Swissvax or Concourso. DD and carnauba are not mutually exclusive terms. Granted if you work a full time job, detail part time, and have any kind of social life what so ever then you probably don't have time to scratch an itch let alone wax your car. So, in your case it might behoove you to use a more durable carnauba.



For me, I will always use carnaubas exclusively for two reasons:



1. The look - I've yet to see a sealant come even close to matching the look of a high end carnauba. Yes, they can match the look of a low or mid end carnauba but not even close with something like a Zymol or a Swissvax IMO/IME.



2. Protection - I think most will agree that overall most sealants last longer than most carnaubas. However, I count myself among those that believe carnauba protects better than a sealant. So, I feel that I come out even time wise by using a carnauba because I'm not spending that time polishing out etching from bird bombs or water spots that I would have gotten if using a sealant.



Just my 2 cents.
 
Mikeyc said:
As always, I will say to carnauba or to seal is a very personal decision. A lot of factors come into play and everyone's situation will differ.



I too live in the northeast, but I choose not to use sealants. During the colder months when it's too cold to detail often, I switch to a more durable carnauba like Collonite or Megs #16. During the summer, I switch back to a "beauty wax" like Swissvax or Concourso. DD and carnauba are not mutually exclusive terms. Granted if you work a full time job, detail part time, and have any kind of social life what so ever then you probably don't have time to scratch an itch let alone wax your car. So, in your case it might behoove you to use a more durable carnauba.



For me, I will always use carnaubas exclusively for two reasons:



1. The look - I've yet to see a sealant come even close to matching the look of a high end carnauba. Yes, they can match the look of a low or mid end carnauba but not even close with something like a Zymol or a Swissvax IMO/IME.



2. Protection - I think most will agree that overall most sealants last longer than most carnaubas. However, I count myself among those that believe carnauba protects better than a sealant. So, I feel that I come out even time wise by using a carnauba because I'm not spending that time polishing out etching from bird bombs or water spots that I would have gotten if using a sealant.



Just my 2 cents.
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Hold on NOW! Thanks to the progress of technology, you need to try the MEGUIRE'S NEW TECH WAX GENERATION 2 or the new NANO WAXES. I'm sure you will really appreciate them. The shine is revelutionary :wow: !
 
I believe Mikeyc is not talking about shine, it is more like the warm carnauba glow that gives out from the high end carnauba wax which sealant has problem reproducing that effect.
 
Mikeyc said:
Protection - I think most will agree that overall most sealants last longer than most carnaubas. However, I count myself among those that believe carnauba protects better than a sealant. So, I feel that I come out even time wise by using a carnauba because I'm not spending that time polishing out etching from bird bombs or water spots that I would have gotten if using a sealant.



Just my 2 cents.
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This is the major benefit of carnauba waxes compared to sealants. Carnaubas protect better against airborne contaminants such as bird bombs, dirt, pollen, etc. Also, applying carnauba thinly is an art, just like polishing, practice makes perfect. I do find that the spit shine method is beneficial when applying carnaubas as well.
 
I've not used a carnuba in about a year , been using DG stuff and if I want a softer more of a carnuba look I've been getting hooked on Megs 21. Wonderful synthetic and been going to it more and more , durability , depth and shine are great.
 
Huh..I've never had any problems with the carnaubas I use, but the only one on jsatek's list that I use is Souveran. Funny, but I find *sealants* generally more finicky about application/etc. :nixweiss



Tom P said:
Carnauba waxes and daily driver are mutually exclusive.
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Eh, I'm using them on year-round daily drivers, and you know how I'm not one to make things hard for myself ;)



But as regulars here know, I use both sealants and waxes, so it's not like I don't see the merits of both. From garage-queens to daily drivers, I do OK with both approaches and firmly believe that people oughta use what works for *them*.
 
I dont think durability should be on anyones list on this site.



From reading the results of the last poll, isn't wax applied 39 times per month on average by the members of this forum?





The Mystery left my car so greasy in spots, I wanted to do an IPA wipe down! The driver door and quarter had an oily appearance. I would wipe and watch is smear around. Water removed it. Clearly a too much product issue. $580 per can, I have to say the up front is a little big to swallow. I have over $1,000 in carnaubas in my possession right now. My customers like it, I'll use it. For my stuff, Z-5pro.
 
budman3 said:
This is the major benefit of carnauba waxes compared to sealants. Carnaubas protect better against airborne contaminants such as bird bombs, dirt, pollen, etc. Also, applying carnauba thinly is an art, just like polishing, practice makes perfect. I do find that the spit shine method is beneficial when applying carnaubas as well.
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This I have heard, but could never verify.
 
I have drifted away from the expensive nubas as well because the cost didn't really seem worth it. But I haven't moved to using sealants exclusively. I really like Clearkote CMW since it applies like a sealant, has great durability, but gives the depth of a carnauba. As far as paste waxes go though, I can get a similar look from P21S to what I can get with Souveran, or even something nicer. It's all about prep.
 
I'll always use carnaubas. Carnaubas are much easier to apply IMO than something like Opti-Seal that steaks and requires a double wipedown method to perfect.



Carnaubas=Summer

Sealants=Winter



Simple enough.
 
Scottwax said:
I thought I'd be happy with sealants after I replaced my black car with one that is metallic grey. I was wrong. A sealant would be less work overall, but my car is still dark enough to benefit from the added depth of a carnauba.



FWIW, I don't have any 'smearing' problems, costs of most of the waxes I use are in line with sealants (other than Souveran, I don't have any high end waxes), and everything is either in my laundry room or my trunk. I've never refrigerated a wax. :nixweiss
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what he said.
 
Young Scholar said:
I'll always use carnaubas. Carnaubas are much easier to apply IMO than something like Opti-Seal that steaks and requires a double wipedown method to perfect.



Carnaubas=Summer

Sealants=Winter

Simple enough.
Click to expand...



Considering that Carnuaba wax itself melts at 149 degrees, which even white paint can reach in the summer, why would you choose a product that melts off?
 
TH0001 said:
Considering that Carnuaba wax itself melts at 149 degrees, which even white paint can reach in the summer, why would you choose a product that melts off?
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I thought it was lower!



Love when science come in to defend a non-popular opinion. Like wheel sealants and the such.....
 
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