Synthetic vs Cleaner Wax???

J

JaCkaL829

it was my first time...
Ok so this question is for other cars that I will be detailing. Mainly my parent's cars. They are both light colors(white & beige). I read throught the LEARN link at the top, and it describes synthetic waxes as being more durable and last longer compared to carnuaba wax. Im thinking that might be a good choice for my parent's cars because im not sure how much of a shine i can get out of them. I honestly rather have durability over shine for both their cars to.(They don't treat them very well) I've used cleaner waxes various times on both these cars with pretty good results. I used the Prestone synthetic wax on a friend's black focus, and at first it looked really glossy and good. It seemed though after a couple weeks there were white stains all over the place. It really didn't seem that durable. I think there are a couple factors with his car though. First off he washed and him not knowing to much about car washing wasnt to great. He only did it 1 time round and didnt do such a good job. Second, as i was applying it he was removing it so im wondering if he might have messed it up or smeared it. I guess i would like to know if anyone else had this problem with Prestone wax on a darker vehicle. Its very possible it wasn't prepped properly and just looked good for a week to. For my parent's cars though im leaning towards the synthetic wax side(Prestone)..what do you think compared to a cleaner wax(Mothers)???

Any information is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
prestone synthetic wax isn't really a syn wax, its more of just a carnauba with some polymers in it. If you want a syn wax, get klasse, zaino, platinum, meguiars #20, meguiars nxt wax, nufinish even, and blackfire. All these waxes provide great durability and shine(not sure about nufinish), and will outlast any caranuba wax.
 
A "wax" can be either synthetic or natural, AND either a cleaner wax or a pure protectant. Examples of each:



Synthetic and cleaner: Meguiar's #20, Klasse AIO



Synthetic and protectant: Klasse SG, Zaino



Natural, cleaner: Meg's cleaner wax, Gold Glass



Natural, pure wax: S100, Meg's #26 or Step 3, Pinnacle Souveran, Mother's Cal Gold



Cleaner waxes help to remove minor marring and provide protection. Pure waxes assume a perfect finish, and then protect it. Both products have their place in the Autopian world, just like synths and naturals do. It's like having both box wrenches and open end wrenches.



For the goal you describe, I recommend Meguiar's #20. It will give you excellent durability and a great shine. Nu Finish will also do what you want, if appearance isn't first on your list, but it's dusty" and hard to work with, and stains trim.



Welcome to Autopia!



Tom
 
Prestone, is pure synthetic, according to the Prestone Customer service......I evaluated it about 6 weeks ago on my Taurus....The problem I have with it, is its composition is way too thick, to apply thin. And thats key with Prestone"Wax". It applies fairly well on a properly prepped surface, removal is decent IF APPLIED THINLY. Durability ? I think Im at the end of its cycle, 6 weeks.

Now back to your question, being as shine isnt really an issue, then a synthetic isnt an issue. Although IMO, I think I can make two identical cars, look the same with either a wax or a synthetic. You would want to use a synthetic, #20 would be a good way to go, it has a mild cleaner in it, so your getting the best of both worlds, however dont attempt to layer it.
 
Ok thanks to Mosca I am able to eliminate 2 types of waxes and mainly concern myself with the other 2. I am thinking either Synthetic or Natural cleaners. Meguiars #20 sounds pretty good for what im looking for. Should I apply anything else over the cars before I use #20, or is it good to use as a 1 step type thing???

I'll be doing a little more searching on #20 to.
 
It depends on what you are trying to accomplish, and the condition of the paint at the start. You say that you're not sure how much shine you can get, but you are only limited by how much you are willing to learn, and how much work you want to do.



#20 will clean and brighten the paint, but it won't remove swirls and scratches. It should last the rest of the winter, though.





Tom
 
I tried every store-bought wax out there, and, after stumbling on this site, decided to try the Klasse twins. I couldn't be happier with the results. Klasse is easy to use, looks great, and is very durable. That is the way I would go if I were you....
 
No matter what product you decide on, you will probably get better results if you prep the paint first. A swirl remover maybe, but even some kind of pre-wax cleaner would probably help. The difference is, the former requires more working in and is a bit more effective, while the latter is easier to use but less effective.



You'll notice that many enthusiast type products come in 2 or more steps (like those Mothers and Meguiar's 3 step systems and the Klasse twins). Part of the reason why this is done is to to reduce the compromise that arises when a wax has to try and both clean and wax at the same time. Doing these steps separately is usually worth it - especially on a somewhat neglected vehicle.
 
JohnnyDaJackal,



"after a couple weeks there were white stains all over the place."



Did you find stains on rubber and plastic trims?



It sounds strange that it appeared after a couple of weeks. When I applied TurtleWax Super Hard Shell, some stain appeared on some trim and crannies after one day.
 
Wow this post is 10 months old. There really isn't a lot of rubber and plastic trim on that cars, its mainly all painted. The "unbuffed" spots were probably from my friend not buffing it out that good, we also weren't using a MF at the time, so that could have had a big real in it to. Your TW like other cheap waxes might stain the trim, one way to avoid that is to tape up trim prior to waxing. Or buying a wax that doesn't stain trim, I know P21s, Poorboy's and Clearkote don't stain, but i'm sure there plenty more out there.
 
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