New plan of attack...

metroplex

New member
I talked to some folks who have used NuFinish on clearcoat vehicles and they all say that it doesn't give as good of a shine as carnauba, but its synthetic and durable.



My requirements:

has to be inexpensive (under $10/bottle 16 oz or so), easy to locate products

Easy to apply and remove (i.e. Gold Class, NOT i.e. Mother's ORiginal Formula paste, oh G-d!)

durable - long lasting protection!!

appearance - a shine is good enough, I don't want to attract bird bombs



At MOST I'd wash and wax 2-3 times a year. Nothing more than that.



My plan of attack:



3M Imperial Hand Glaze, a nice thin layer to bring out the shine and make the surface smooth

1 layer of NuFinish, maybe 2-3 layers on the hood, roof, and trunk

then 2 layers of Meguiar's Gold Class, with an additional 2 layers on the hood, roof, and trunk.



The car won't be kept out in the elements 24/7 365, but it may be kept outside for maybe 1/4 to 1/2 the year at most, but not done consecutively (a day here, a week there, etc)



What do you think?
 
DETAILKING said:




As for nu finish. Nu finish is a bit harsh, and in my opinion best suited for older cars that could need some sprucing up. it contains abrasives and I wouldn't make it a habbit of using it often. It's fine for the person who wants to use it on their car 2-3 times a year and does not want to bother with prep. It has a decent shine, and good durability. It does make a mess though, stains rubber trim, and dusts like crazy. Also, NU FINISH can not be layered, all you are doing is striping the last coat and kind of reapplying. There are better products out there. Some similar one step products that will yield better results are liquid glass, finish first, and Klasse AIO.



3M IHG is a glaze which is essentially the oil in a carnuba wax, with out the wax. It has its uses, but to use a product like nu finish over it is a waste of time as the nu finish will strip off all the IHG.






EOM.
 
I just wanted a few second opinions.



So far I've conversed with approximately 8 people regarding this and I've already heard 2 accounts that go against what was said here.



One guy who has a 97 F-150 and a 2001 Escape, and another guy with a 94 Crown Vic and a supercharged 89 Mustang GT.



I'm not really experienced in body care, so I wanted more input.

Thanks
 
If it makes a difference, then I'll say that I agree with Alboston.



Nufinish is very abrasive (for a cleaner wax) and thus layering it will really do nothing except prep your paint a bit more. Given you want to use Gold Class after, why not just pick up some SMR or Meguiars #9 (or PPCL or....) and use it first, followed by the Gold Class? That way you'll be using a real paint prep prior to waxing.



Also, just FYI, I believe that Gold Class contains some mild abrasives. Chemical, mechanical, whatever. If you do a search for Gold Class you'll come up with at least a thread or two about the abrasiveness of Gold Class.



You mention Imperial Glaze to smooth the surface - in your scenario the Nufinish would simply remove the Glaze - and I dont' think it has much cleaning or paint prep properties at all. Just oils, as per Alboston.



To make this all simpler, why not just go with Klasse? I know, you want low cost. But I bought the Klasse Concours kit from CMA and I expect it will last me a couple years. If you only want to apply it a few times a year, it may last you 3-4 years! The cost doesn't look bad when you put it that way. And the AIO has some cleaning properties, and with a couple layers of SG you'll be set for more than a couple months...
 
I think NuFinish over IHG is a waste of time and product. IHG is mostly fillers and oils and is designed to be a last step prior to a pure carnauba wax layer. The harsh solvents and abrasives in NuFinish will strip off whatever was done by the IHG, negating that products performance.



I also question the GC application over NuFinish. GC provides a very nice gloss but it doesn't last too long. So the car will look great for a few weeks until the GC is gone then it will look like a NuFinish car. It's up to you..........



For a one step product that will last a long time and be easy to work with, I like Klasse AIO. Or Meguiar's Medallion. Both will look better, last a long time, be easy to apply, and will be less harsh on the paint than NuFinish. And you can skip the budget stuff of $10/bottle because you are replacing three products with one, two max.
 
Ok, so how about 3M IHG then layers of Meguiar's Gold Class?



I hear GC has MILD cleaners, mild enough to layer up?? (Is this true?) I do know that GC doesn't clean jack **it because I've gotten little tree sap markings/bug markings that didn't come off with GC. They would have come off almost immediately with Mother's Cleaner Wax.
 
IHG is mostly fillers and oils and is designed to be a last step prior to a pure carnauba wax layer



I think IHG, applied with a PC and the Yellow polishing meguiars pad, will not just make the paint shine like crazy, but will also do its bit to get rid of minor blemishes and swirls...I think its a good product to use prior to the wax, if theres not a lot of surface damage which would require something stronger.
 
Metro,



It sounds like you wish to stay within products sold OTC. If so (& there is absolutely nothing wrong with that), use a polymer sealant like Meguiar's #20 if you are looking for durability & a good shine. For the ultimate shine, use 3M IHG + Meguiar's #26 (liquid form).



Since you say your car is going to be outside from time-to-time (sometimes up to a week at a time), I would recommend sticking with polymer sealants.



NuFinish is a paint sealant like Meg #20. As a general rule of thumb, glazes and paint sealants and cleaner waxes like MGC are incompatible with each other.



The cleaners in MGC might not be strong enough to remove tree sap or bugs in your paint, but it's probably strong enough to remove a substantial amount of oils from IHG. So use MGC only on days when you want to slap on a quick coat of wax and are not planning to use 3M IHG.



On a side note, when using IHG, be sure to use a very small amount and work it into your paint until the surface is nearly clear and dry....otherwise you'll have a tough time buffing it out.



Also, consider whether or not your car needs claying and/or swirl-removing.
 
Meguiar's #26 looks like a cleaner wax, 24% of it is kerosene.

Meguiar's #20 isn't really a polymer sealant, its actually a silicone sealant (made up of mineral spirits, petro distillates, and Kaolin).
 
metroplex said:
Meguiar's #26 looks like a cleaner wax, 24% of it is kerosene.

Meguiar's #20 isn't really a polymer sealant, its actually a silicone sealant (made up of mineral spirits, petro distillates, and Kaolin).



All waxes contain high-solvents of some sort. Doesn't mean it's supposed to be labeled a cleaner wax. If you wish to put it that way....ALL waxes are cleaner waxes.



Mineral Spirits, petro distillates...etc..etc...yada... yada... All polymer sealants also have to contain some form of solvent...some more than others. A silicone polymer is NOT made up of mineral spirits and petroleum distillates. They are two different things serving two different functions. If you do not consider a silicone polymer to be a polymer at all, then Klasse SG and Blackfire aren't polymer sealants either.
 
TRY THIS.................ALL MEGUIRES PRODUCTS ...........CLEANER WAX THEN #26 ON TOP LIQUID THEN FINISH WITH 3M IHG(SORRY 3M)OOOOOOOOOOOOOOWHAT A SHINE IF YOU DO IT RIGHT!
 
Meguiar's Gold Class:



Hydrotreated heavy distillate

light distillate

Kaolin (china clay)

Hydrotreated distillate

polysiloxane

polymer wax blend

conditioners

polyglycerol ester
 
All waxes contain high-solvents of some sort. Doesn't mean it's supposed to be labeled a cleaner wax. If you wish to put it that way....ALL waxes are cleaner waxes.



From what I saw, all of these so-called non-cleaner waxes "Mother's Natural Carnauba, Meguiar's #26, etc"



all contain Kerosene as their chief ingredient, Mother's also has turpentine.



I suspected Gold Class was a combination of #20 and #26 because it contains kaolin, a polymer wax blend, and polyglycerol ester (synthetic compound??) along with the regular solvents.



#26 doesn't have the kaolin (china clay) while #20 has the kaolin but not the wax stuff.
 
metroplex said:
I suspected Gold Class was a combination of #20 and #26 because it contains kaolin, a polymer wax blend, and polyglycerol ester (synthetic compound??) along with the regular solvents.



I wouldn't be surprised at all by that. It might be very close to a combination.



Petroleum distillates (or kerosene) is the chief ingredient in pretty much any wax.
 
I cross-referenced the CAS#s for the various ingredients of Meguiar's Gold Class.



it's 10-20% Safeclear II (Fisher makes this, its stoddard solvents, naptha, and isoaklkanes)



5-15% Pennzoil Penreco 2251 Oil



5-15% Kaolin (china clay, clay, etc)



about 16% unknown/unconfirmable oils

1-5% silicone oil

1-5% carnauba wax



Consequently, the "polymer wax blend" is nothing more than pure carnauba wax. The CAS# for this "Polymer wax" led me to manufacturers of 100% carnauba wax. So we can expect about 5% of carnauba in Gold Class.



GGet this:



Meguiar's #26

18-25% of the same Pennzoil Penreco 2251 Oil as Gold Class

10-15% Naptha

and 5-10% Kaolin

the others were labeled as unhazardous materials (couldn't find any more data)



Meguiar's #20

slight variations in the percentages of #26, otherwise the same.
 
Petroleum distillates (or kerosene) is the chief ingredient in pretty much any wax.



Yeah I agree, I just wanted to make that point very clear because I've gotten arguments from ppl saying that GOld CLass was a cleaner wax and that #26 wasn't ... and I've been in debates where NuFinish was regarded as being strong just because it has kerosene (and again they said #26 was their recommendation because it "didn't have any kerosene")



I'm going to compare the content of kerosene in GC with #26 to see what the deal is.



Meguiar's #26

18-25% of the same Pennzoil Penreco 2251 Oil as Gold Class

10-15% Naptha

and 5-10% Kaolin

the others were labeled as unhazardous materials (couldn't find any more data)



Meguiar's #20

slight variations in the percentages of #26, otherwise the same.
 
metro, what on earth did you do from the time you started this thread up to now? All of a sudden, I feel like I'm talking to Ron Ketcham Jr.!



Does the amount of solvent play a role in whether or not a wax is a cleaner or not? I'm not so sure it does. #26 in liquid form obviously contains more solvent than in its paste form, but does that make it a better cleaner? Perhaps people are just wrong when they say NuFinish is strong because it contains kerosene.



If MGC really does contain 5-15% Kaolin, then it definitely IS a cleaner wax. Clay is a very common abrasive used in many cleaners. It also makes sense that #20 has Kaolin....but I'm surprised #26 has it too. Hmmmm, maybe it isn't such a non-cleaner wax after all.....
 
Hi Metroplex:



I have enjoyed reading your thread. Keep up the good work. Please add the condition of your paint and that will aid in making a final decision.



Used car lots love IHG. Its use is an old trick thats hides imperfections however you can make it last a little longer by adding a non-cleaner carnuba.



I gave away my bottle of Meguairs gold class. The shine was very good but, it did not last long enough for all my hard work. MGC will leave waxs marks on trim, so be careful.



Cost is important but, I feel you need to break the cost down per application and not per bottle. Since you park outside often a polymer appears to be the way to go.



What polymer meets your expectations of protection,cost and shine?
 
Well I don't park it outside very often. Out of 365 days, perhaps I use it 50-60 days tops, and these days are spread out.



I can swing the budget a little, I would probably wash and wax the car 3 times a year (every 4 months).



My paint is "brand new", it's a 2000 Ford that I got in April of 2000. It's dark dark blue.



I need something that's easy to use (like Gold Class), durable and protects my paint - and I should be able to build layers of protection.



I'd like to use OTC products if possible.

Thanks!
 
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