Nov. 2011 "Consumer Reports" results on best car wax

[AlexRuiz]

You guys have to remember the context of this test, its meant for the regular ole Joe that might wax his car once in the spring and once in the fall. In that context, I think the results are spot on.

Disagree.



The cleaners in NXT are still too mild to provide a good improvement on neglected paint, and its durability, while better than NXT gen1, still stinks. 2-3 washes and it is gone. Yes, just applied looks killer gorgeous, but so do many other products.

NuFinish has shined in these test because of its aggressive cleaners, but looks is mediocre. And why a product like Mothers cleaner wax wouldn't take top honors is beyond me (good cleaning power, nice finish, good durability) But hey, these are the chimps that recommend Behr paint also

 

[Dan]

Disagree.



The cleaners in NXT are still too mild to provide a good improvement on neglected paint, and its durability, while better than NXT gen1, still stinks. 2-3 washes and it is gone. Yes, just applied looks killer gorgeous, but so do many other products.

NuFinish has shined in these test because of its aggressive cleaners, but looks is mediocre. And why a product like Mothers cleaner wax wouldn't take top honors is beyond me (good cleaning power, nice finish, good durability) But hey, these are the chimps that recommend Behr paint also

I think the cleaners in NXT aren't that mild at all, if you look at the solvent content between their cleaner wax and NXT, its mighty close. I agree with you on the looks durability issue, it does fall off faster than I'd like but something does remain there longer than 2-3 washes for sure. CR noted the durability stunk.



Not sure how late of a formulation of NuFinish you have tried, but the cleaners in it are as weak, possibly weaker than NXT. The durability is pretty incredible though, in one of the tests I posted, it was head to head with ZAIO. As much bashing as the stuff gets, its certainly no looker, but its a fantastic base for a carnauba or just leave it alone for a DD. One of the things I respect most about the stuff is they said to hell with looks, lets go with durability and protection. CR noted it didn't improve gloss much but was moderately easy to use and had good durablity.



While I really like Mother's cleaner wax, I would hesitate to say it had good durability. Its a great all around product, but for a lazy man, its not going to make the six month mark. And CR noted it looked good, was easy to use, but again, durability was the issue.



In the end, I think they were wooed by NXT's looks AND ease of use, which can't be argued as far as off the shelf products go. You can certainly argue their points weighing system, but I don't believe their testing results are incorrect.



I'm not sure how you can call them chimps when the point rating between those waxes was 5 points, or the equivalent of a 7% spread. Perhaps you can come up with your own test and a weighted criteria system, I'd love to see the results.

 

[Bunky]

In the end, I think they were wooed by NXT's looks AND ease of use, which can't be argued as far as off the shelf products go. You can certainly argue their points weighing system, but I don't believe their testing results are incorrect.

I find it similar to their car ratings. I do not question their raw results but disagree with their weighting on certain aspects. They should provide more info and let people decide.

 

[Ron Ketcham]

I can't speak for the other manufacturers you mentioned, but we don't operate that way.

Forrest, I will vouch for that!

Mother's is a great company, which could have not moved into their place in the market without doing things right for their target market!

Grumpy

 

[Dan]

I find it similar to their car ratings. I do not question their raw results but disagree with their weighting on certain aspects. They should provide more info and let people decide.

Totally agree. I wish they made their test methodology more open. I would like more than the dumb circles.

 

[Accumulator]

I'm always a bit....uhm...suspicious of their results since in most instances where I possess expert knowledge (or at least extensive first-hand experience) I end up disagreeing with them :think: I actually think it's mighty *weird* that it works out that way :nixweiss



But I was glad to see Autoglym SRP included in their test. Now if they'd just had some Collinite in there too....and maybe suggested topping the former with the latter...Eh, I can dream, can't I?

 

[Bill D]

All I can say is testing toasters and televisions is a lot more cut and dry than attempting to produce all-conclusive data about something as subjective as a car LSP. That really ought to be left to the big time Autopians

 

[Dan]

All I can say is testing toasters and televisions is a lot more cut and dry than attempting to produce all-conclusive data about something as subjective as a car LSP. That really ought to be left to the big time Autopians

I agree to an extent, but for the average Joe, I think they do ok. Until someone comes out with a product that cleans like KAIO, polishes like Powergloss and is as easy on/off and has the durability of 845IW, we'll never agree with them on a purist level.

 

[autosalonleschi]

No. 1 liquid was Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0, with a score of 69. Second and third, respectively, were Nu Finish NF-76 (score: 68) and Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Premium Liquid Wax (also 68).



No. 1 paste wax was Nu Finish NFP-80 (71), followed by Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste Polish (68) and Mothers FX Engineered SynWax (56).



"The best pastes can provide longer protection than liquids," according to the report. Only two waxes -- the two top-rated paste waxes -- got "Excellent" ratings for durability.



For your consideration.

Nu Finish, Turtle Wax, Really? I wouldn't apply any of the above products on my lawn mowers paintwork. Any polish

or wax you can purchase in your local auto parts store do not belong on the top ten car wax rating.

 

[Junebug]

"Any polish

or wax you can purchase in your local auto parts store do not belong on the top ten car wax rating."



I disagree, I've seen too many wax tests from guys all that pitted the boutique stuff against the cheap stuff and the results were so close, some cheap stuff actually did better.

It's like the experiment I read about where they took a bunch of professional wine tasters and had them sample 2 groups of wine, one pricey and one from the supermarket. They all agreed the pricey stuff was better, then the guys running the tests told them that they had switched the wine in the bottles.



I recently did a test on the hood of my car with 3 different products - I couldn't tell them apart afterwards, neither could my wife, and she can spot sh!t Superman would miss! She also has this bionic ability to see deer in the woods that would make Ted Nugent proud.

 

[Dan]

Nu Finish, Turtle Wax, Really? I wouldn't apply any of the above products on my lawn mowers paintwork. Any polish

or wax you can purchase in your local auto parts store do not belong on the top ten car wax rating.

There are probably three or four sealants that can match the durability and protection that NuFinish offers. None of them costs more than $25. The only thing that beats it is Opticoat. TW makes some great stuff too, their Platinum line stands up to most mid to highline boutique stuff.

 

[Accumulator]

Collinite is available OTC in many areas, and I've had an "expert" at a concours mistake it for Dodo Juice, saying "you can tell that's what it is because nothing else looks quite like it!" :chuckle:



And, heh heh...Ron Ketcham thinks that TW's Ice QD is better than the "pro type" QD that I like so much :nixweiss

 

[Junebug]

You know, next time I'm at Wally Mart- looking for .22 LR's - like they will have any, I think I'll go down a few more feet and pick up some TW Ice Paste wax. WTH - never know till you try and it may be an overlooked gem.

 

[Dan]

You know, next time I'm at Wally Mart- looking for .22 LR's - like they will have any, I think I'll go down a few more feet and pick up some TW Ice Paste wax. WTH - never know till you try and it may be an overlooked gem.

Beat you to it. Biglots actually has it for $5. I could find no redeeming attributes other than ease of use. If you want to blow the $20 and haven't already tried it, Meg's Ultimate Paste is very nice stuff.

 

[Junebug]

I still haven't used the Megs Ultimate Compound I got for cheap at Target, so no joy in TW Ice?

 

[mikenap]

I still haven't used the Megs Ultimate Compound I got for cheap at Target, so no joy in TW Ice?

Meg's UC is a great product, OTC or not!

 

[Dan]

I still haven't used the Megs Ultimate Compound I got for cheap at Target, so no joy in TW Ice?

Yeah, after using the TW ICE, I wondered what it was good at. And I always seems to find something I like in every product. Too bad their Platinum line isn't available locally. The paste wax is great.

 

[autosalonleschi]

I have always found that you get what you pay for. In this case automotive wax. I remember back when I was a kid helping my Dad wash his car. We always had Zip wax car wash, Bug and tar remover, Turtle wax and Rubbing Compound in our garage. This was in the late 1970's. At the time I didn't think much about the products or how they worked. As time went on I grew older and obtained my own car I realized that these products were very generic.



Professional Auto Detailing and detailing products have come a long way since then. We now have the ability to provide permanent paint correction and we can maintain a perfect finish all year round with our non abrasive wash process. You professional detailers out there know what I speak of.



The products that are available in our local auto parts store may be ok for an average consumer or for a home project, but you won't find these products on our shelf nor do they compare to the high quality products available in todays professional detailing market.



We use only the finest quality products in our store. Some from here in the U.S. Some imported from the U.K. Here are some of the Polishing Compounds and Protection products we recommend. Menzerna Fast Gloss, Super Intensive & Super Finish, Meguiars M105-M205, Meguiars Micro Fiber System, Sonax Perfect Finish, 3M, & Scholl Concepts. Protection products are as follows. #915 Collinite Marque D' Elegance Auto Wax & #845 Insulator Wax. (Both extremely durable). Einszett Glanz Wax, Auto Glym Super Resin Polish & High Definition Wax, Scholl concepts Rock & Premium Vintage Wax, One Grand Blitz Wax, P21S Wax, 3M Perfect it Paste Wax, Nanoskin Hydrophobic Nano Wax, Dodo Juice Super Natural, Swiss Vax, C.Quartz Paint Coatings, Nanolex Paint Sealant, Menzerna Power Lock. Just to name a few.



Hope this helps.

 

[Dan]

Umm a lot of the above products CAN be found at local auto parts stores.

 

[autosalonleschi]

You may find 3M or Meguiars at Wesco Auto Body Supply, but thats pretty much it. None of the other products are available in any auto parts store here in Wa.





Plus most ultra high quality product makers do not want to sell to your average consumer. They want to sell to professional detailers only. That is why we are in business. We purchase the product & incorporate it into our services. We also resell it here at our store.