My thoughts on "Expensive" wax

First, a little background. I have been detailing my vehicles for years as a hobby. I take great pride in my cars or trucks looking new. For the first few years I used nothing other than carnuba waxes. Usually, Meguires gold though I've tried just about all the box store brands. I found that they all did a great job of protecting my finish though some certainly were easier to work with and lasted longer than others. A few years back a friend of mine turned me onto synthetic sealant for the first time. Since then I have tried in number of brands and in general they last a lot longer than carnuba.
I buy most of my stuff through Autogeek.net. They carry quite a few products that are much higher end than what you can find at your local Autozone. A while back I decided to try Pinacle Signature Series II carnuba which at $60.00 a can is far more than I had ever spent on a wax in the past. I figured what the heck. Probably a colossal waste but I've always been curious.
After trying it a few times I can honestly say that this is the easiest wax I've ever worked with. Buffs off with practically zero effort. Water beads as well as it should but, and there is a big but.... It only lasts 3-4 weeks now I know not to expect much more than that from a carnuba but honestly, the Meguires Gold lasts a couple weeks longer than this stuff.
My verdict is this. I'll continue to apply a quality synthetic every 3 months or so and I'll still use a carnuba once or twice between because I love doing it. I just enjoy the hobby however, I will never spend a lot on a carnuba again. I mean, If this stuff were a few bucks more than Meguires I would get it just for the ease of use but at $60 we are big time into diminishing returns. All carnuba comes from the same type of tree so why pay a lot more for a different brand? Here's a video showing the truck after washing with Meguires Ultimate Wash N Wax, followed by the Pinacle wax and simple Armoral on the exterior plastics. You'll see the results after the time lapse. Enjoy and I welcome your opinions
http://youtu.be/jdlOnNdXpdM

 

I agree with your post. A lot of these high dollar waxes are made of more expensive carnauba blends but it's never seemed worth it to me. You could put two identical vehicles next to each other, one with a $100 wax & another with a $10 wax & 95% of the people out there won't see any difference between the two.

I also purchase most of my detailing products from Autogeek. I apply my sealant (Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection) every six months. I usually apply two coats of sealant & then top it with

$21 Collinite 845 Insulator Wax-Easy to Use Carnauba+Polymer Wax Sealant-High Gloss Shine+Durable Hydrophobic Beading & Long Lasting Paint Protection for Cars/Boats/Trucks/RVs & Motorcycles (16 fl oz)

Collinite 845. After every wash I hit my truck with Optimum Car Wax which is a great wipe on/wipe off liquid wax with UV protection to keep my paint nice & slick. For my exterior plastics & rubber trim I've been very happy with Ultima Tire & Trim Guard which I apply every few months.

 

I recently put a top coat of 845 over meguires #21 synthetic sealant 2.0. I was more than impressed with the sealant, but after the top coat of Collinite, the surface didn't feel as slick. I'm just curious- what is it that you like about the Collinite top coat? Honestly, I thought the shine was better before i top coated with Collinite. It also seemed easier to clean before Collinite.

Second question... After six months and when it's time for re-application of sealer, do you strip it down to bare paint? Or do you just re-apply sealer hoping all the Collinite has weathered/washed off?

 

If it's time for sealant, then you do a strip wash. Sealant needs bare paint to adhere to.

 

Sealant should be the last thing you put on. Anything you put on after sealant negates the purpose of it. I use a lot of Meguiars Mirror Glaze line of products. I used to do a bunch of car shows with my Mustang and it's the best, cheap, line of products that I have used. Some of waxes and compounds in that product line can often be found at local stores.

 

I use Collinite and love it. A bottle cost $16 and is sold locally or on Amazon. I got the tip to use this from a buddy who works at a local BMW dealership, it is what the use (used at the time at least) on their cars.

 

Sealant goes on first so it will adhere to paint. If you put it on top of wax, what happens when the wax melts or wears off? No more sealant.

When you top sealant with wax, it is still there once the wax is gone.

 

If I only use sealant and want to re seal it . Should I strip of the old sealant first or just apply more sealant.

 

If you want to be extremely anal then yes. Let's say you plan on applying a good sealant (synthetic wax) once every 4 months. Your time between can vary based on a lot of things. If you want to do everything pefectly, you would wash, clay bar, and then apply sealant.

In my experience, this is total overkill for a daily driver. I consider myself to be very anal and I only clay bar about once a year or when the paint feels bumpy when I lightly rub my clean hand over a freshly washed vehicle.

My point is, I hardly ever strip old sealant off. I wash just about every week. Apply sealant once every 3 months and even do a carnuba application or two between. I never have problems with this. Water always beads perfectly and my paint never fades. In fact, on my wife's car I only wash about once a month and apply sealant once every 4 months. Water still beads very well. I clay bar hers once every two years.

To properly clay bar a truck you're looking at 2 - 3 hours of work if you're doing it alone. Longer if it has been neglected. My recommendation is, don't create more work for yourself than necessary. You don't want to burn out.

Check out the video below. This is my wife's 2010 Mazda CX-7. I applied Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 exactly four months earlier. I only washed the car 2 or 3 times since and did not apply any other type of wax, sealant or quick wax since. The water still beads very well. After shooting the video I spent 7 1/2 hours detailing it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGMwWlXjh4U

 

If you don't want to apply wax and only use sealant, or if you want to apply sealant, wax, then another coat of sealant, sure. I respectfully disagree with you though. The purpose of wax is to fill in the tiny imperfections in paint so that it appear as glossy as the day it was new. Wax also works as a protective coat on it's own. You are correct in that sealant is primarily a protective coat, but it is to be applied as a final coat, on top of wax. It protects the wax, which protects the paint. If you coat the car in sealant first, you prevent the wax from doing it's job, and probably end up removing some of the sealant in the process. I don't disagree with you in that sealant alone or as as the first layer on paint would protect it, but it should also or otherwise be the last layer after wax.

 

Lol last thing you put on? I don't think so

 

Learning a ton in this thread.

 

Zaino

 

A proper full, professional detail should be in this order
Wash
Clay
Polish/paint correction
Sealant
Wax

A sealant seals the paint and waxes added after cure time are basically coats of protection.

 

You will learn NOTHING from THAT guy. His second response is even more wrong.

 

Have you seen the $1000 chemical guys wax? Such a gimmick

 

Do it either way, but in my opinion (and experience) your layer of wax will last longer if you top it with sealant. I've just never heard or read about putting sealant on before wax. But I've been out of the show car game for a while.

 

Here's what I do:

Wash
Clay Bar
Polish
Sealant

Then add wax after a few days, (after at least 24 hours) to allow the sealant to cure. I always thought sealant needed the paint to adhere, but... maybe i'm wrong. Because sealant is pretty much wax on steroids, I don't even bother applying wax for a while.

Larry from AMMO NYC says to apply wax AFTER sealant so that's what I do. I think he kinda knows what he's doing

 

how about multiple layers of Sealant?