Newer-tech waxes and finishes?

InterBlog · 03-04-2019, 03:17 PM

I'm looking for recommendations on the newer-generation polishes and waxes. Which (if any) have merit, and which are snake oil?

If possible, I'd like to ID a good "happy medium" DIY product - not a six dollar bottle of the usual polymer wax which does not last very long, but not a six thousand dollar treatment either. On other forums, there have been discussions about high-end paint treatments with buzzwords like "nano" and "ceramic". But reportedly, those treatments are both extremely expensive and extremely labor-intensive, requiring an impractical amount of ongoing maintenance to sustain the associated warranties.

For the past 4 years, I have used a polymer product called Rejex, which was recommended by AIrstream. It works well -- for a product of its generation (it doesn't last very long). The tech is constantly evolving and I'm wondering what other options are now available.

I know there are multiple people on here with older Class Bs with various paint finishes who may be seeing a lot of weathering in their paint by this time. Ours is now 13 years old and beginning to show its age. I'm putting this thread here because this is not a Sprinter-specific question for me - the company that did my upfit (Airstream) repainted the van, so it's not an original finish that I have.

Thanks.

booster · 03-04-2019, 03:31 PM

I haven't tried any new ones in the last couple of years, but I probably tried nearly all of them before that on the drivers and on our 1970, now gone, hotrod. I never found anything that survived as well, looked good, and kept stuff from sticking as well as the very old school Collinite paste wax. It is white carnauba and doesn't need the horrible amount of rubbing and buffing like the old Simonize paste carnaubas did. It is actually very easy to put on and let dry before polishing off the haze with buffer or by hand. I normally will put a coat on the front edge of the hood and fenders before we go on a trip and don't rub it off, as that makes the first couple of bug removal washes really easy.

InterBlog · 03-04-2019, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by booster

... old school Collinite paste wax....

Interesting. There's a product #885 which is called a "paste wax". And there's a #850 which is a "metal wax". Have you used both?

At the very least, something heavier like that might be preferable for the areas that take the biggest beating.

rowiebowie · 03-04-2019, 05:05 PM

For a quick touch up on the front and hood, I use Turtle Wax Ice. It is not going to provide a long-lasting finish, but it so darn easy it takes only minutes to use. No worry if you get it on black plastic or rubber areas and I actually apply it to the black side mirrors. I does not leave a chalk or power anywhere.

I too am interested in suggestions for a wax product that provides a lasting finish.
.

booster · 03-04-2019, 05:11 PM

Here is what we use.

https://www.collinite.com/automotive...oat-paste-wax/

InterBlog · 03-04-2019, 07:51 PM

Thanks.

Amazon is weird. I went on to read some reviews of the 476 product, and it popped a message "This does not fit your 2006 Dodge Sprinter 2500". I can't imagine why that would be triggered.

Bud · 03-04-2019, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Thanks.

Amazon is weird. I went on to read some reviews of the 476 product, and it popped a message "This does not fit your 2006 Dodge Sprinter 2500". I can't imagine why that would be triggered.

It means your B does not need any wax. It appeared with mine about a nanosecond after I purchased it. I don't use anything over the clear coat. We're only about 350 miles apart, hope we will cross paths someday - you'll understand.

Bud

InterBlog · 03-04-2019, 09:13 PM

Amazon's opinion is not necessarily consistent with mine. Only part of my van appears to be clearcoated - I have a huge garnet stripe down the side which doesn't seem to be the same formulation as the overcoat. I noticed yesterday that it's starting to show signs of oxidation, particularly closer to the rear end which bears the brunt of the highway abuse due to wake turbulence.

Our weather has been utter crap in Houston - 26 out of 28 days in February were rainy, overcast, drizzly, etc., and January was not much better (Houston is typically 50% sunny in winter but we have an El Nino effect right now). Everything is a slimy filthy mess. Having a decent wax of some sort over the clearcoat does make repeated washings easier, I find. I'm washing it a lot these days.

booster · 03-04-2019, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Amazon's opinion is not necessarily consistent with mine. Only part of my van appears to be clearcoated - I have a huge garnet stripe down the side which doesn't seem to be the same formulation as the overcoat. I noticed yesterday that it's starting to show signs of oxidation, particularly closer to the rear end which bears the brunt of the highway abuse due to wake turbulence.

Our weather has been utter crap in Houston - 26 out of 28 days in February were rainy, overcast, drizzly, etc., and January was not much better (Houston is typically 50% sunny in winter but we have an El Nino effect right now). Everything is a slimy filthy mess. Having a decent wax of some sort over the clearcoat does make repeated washings easier, I find. I'm washing it a lot these days.

We will trade weather with you! We just came off of 44+ inches of snow in 24 days, and the last two nights have been -18F at our house. We are on the northern edge of the Minneapolis suburbs.

lmittell · 03-05-2019, 12:19 AM

I've had consistently good luck with Meguiar's (https://www.meguiars.com/#/) products. I don't know that they're the absolute best, but they're pretty darned good. As their website is chock-full of good information; you might want to visit it. Mother's products also have a good reputation, though I've not tried them.

An absolutely wonderful font of information and how-tos is contained in the collection of Dallas Paint Correction videos on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...int+correction). Scott cuts right through all the hype that's out there in the detailing world with no-nonsense, straightforward advice. Plus he's an entertaining guy.

Last but not least is the Corvette forum. I frequent it, since I own one of the beasts, and have found a lot of good info in the car care section there. (https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...discussion-10/) But you have your BS filter set on "high," because folks there are frequently way too anal about their cars and product preferences.

InterBlog · 03-05-2019, 01:23 PM

My husband asked this same question on one of his mega-forums and there were numerous recommendations for a product called CarPro Cquartz. About $76.00 for 50 milliliters - so the obvious next question is - snake oil, or does it have merits?

Reading reviews on these types of products is an exercise in futility, I find. Every negative review is appended by observations such as (1) "Obviously you didn't clean your clear coat properly prior to application if the product didn't last", (2) "Well, some car wash detergents strip this product quicker than others", etc. There's also no way to control for the type of paint, or age of paint, when assessing the performance of any given product. Too many variables.

There's also an issue of end users potentially being at cross purposes, at least in part. Many vehicle owners seem to be chasing appearance over other factors. I don't give a hoot how "shiny" my paint is - I just want it optimally protected from road hazards and the constant onslaught of washing that I do, and in the process I aspire to maximize the outcome of my labor (e.g., it doesn't matter how well a product protects if it requires me to apply it 4 times a year, which is never going to happen). It's not about appearance - it's about ease of maintenance and long-term paint protection. I don't assume perfect positive correlations among those factors.

For what little it's worth.

booster · 03-05-2019, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

My husband asked this same question on one of his mega-forums and there were numerous recommendations for a product called CarPro Cquartz. About $76.00 for 50 milliliters - so the obvious next question is - snake oil, or does it have merits?

Reading reviews on these types of products is an exercise in futility, I find. Every negative review is appended by observations such as (1) "Obviously you didn't clean your clear coat properly prior to application if the product didn't last", (2) "Well, some car wash detergents strip this product quicker than others", etc. There's also no way to control for the type of paint, or age of paint, when assessing the performance of any given product. Too many variables.

There's also an issue of end users potentially being at cross purposes, at least in part. Many vehicle owners seem to be chasing appearance over other factors. I don't give a hoot how "shiny" my paint is - I just want it optimally protected from road hazards and the constant onslaught of washing that I do, and in the process I aspire to maximize the outcome of my labor (e.g., it doesn't matter how well a product protects if it requires me to apply it 4 times a year, which is never going to happen). It's not about appearance - it's about ease of maintenance and long-term paint protection. I don't assume perfect positive correlations among those factors.

For what little it's worth.

Some good observations here, that I have also seen over the years.

Reviews are pretty useless unless you do them yourself

Many/most of the "careful" reviews are done by enthusiasts like Corvette, Porshe, street rod, resto, folks whose vehicles spend 99.85% of their life under a cover in a climate controlled garage, so IMO are often way out of touch. Better to check with OTR truckers who own their own trucks for a better dose of reality.

I haven't heard of the one listed, but sure is high buck. I am very leery of anything that uses trendy buzzwords like ceramic, nano technology, etc. Ceramic is used to imply hardness, high temp tolerance, etc so sounds impressive. It also just happens to be opaque and abrasive, so probably not what you want on your vehicle if it is really a ceramic.

For years, before we switched to the Collinite, we used two different products, one for the drivers (Nufinish) and one for the hotrod (Raceglaze). The Nufinish lasted much better, but was not nearly as shiny and smear free as the Raceglaze.

I used to work at a company that made pumps for the carwash industry, so we wound up testing a lot of the detergents, and other additives that they used in the water, for pump material compatibility and many of the were really nasty aggressive, especially when they all wanted to go "touchless" to prevent scratching damage to the vehicles. There was even one product that contained "microspheres" which are the tiny little balls they put in some cleaners. They ate up the pumps and did measurable removal of paint, so they never caught on. They sure did clean though.

When we travel, we don't try to keep the van looking pristine, as we have better things to do, but we do try to keep most of the crud off it whenever we get a chance to get to a DIY wash that has a high enough door. Usually use just the clean rinse setting to peel off bugs and mud, so if it gets leaned on or brushed up against there is less chance of scuffing or scratching. Looking better is nice, but certainly secondary. If we are in particularly buggy areas, I may use the Collinite to remove their residue once in a while, and renew the non wiped off wax on the hood edge. Of course, salt would be taken off ASAP, but we have never needed to do that to this point as avoidance has worked so far.

We have seen people that would clean the brake dust off the wheels nearly every time they came back from a day of driving to the campground, and we have seen vans that you couldn't tell what color they are for the grunge, so there certainly is a wide range of styles out there.

avanti · 03-05-2019, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by booster

we have seen vans that you couldn't tell what color they are for the grunge, so there certainly is a wide range of styles out there.

Our van gets a nice sparkling car wash every 15K miles when we get our oil changed at the dealer.

Bud · 03-05-2019, 03:59 PM

Unless the product says tactical, military grade and/or professional, I won't use it on my B. So my B gets dish soap in a bucket twice a year whether it needs it or not. Well, most of the B, just not on top.

rowiebowie · 03-05-2019, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avanti

Our van gets a nice sparkling car wash every 15K miles when we get our oil changed at the dealer.

I'll be on the lookout for a dusty white Sprinter.

.

parkgt · 03-05-2019, 06:56 PM

While it is not the latest hi-tech stuff, Klasse AOI has served me well on all my vehicles. Holds up for a long time and is easy to apply and buff.

The reviews are typically very positive.

https://www.amazon.com/All-In-One-Kl...-2&tag=mh0b-20

JoePacificNW · 03-10-2019, 06:31 PM

I use Nu Finish. It's one of those polymer finishes that is easy to go on and wipe off, which is a must for me given the surface area on my Pleasure Way. I'm not going to polish it like a vintage Corvette. This stuff has been around since the early 80's, maybe before. I've used it on my boat and cars. It beads water and has a lasting shine. It may not be the best stuff out there, but it works for me and it's pretty easy without a lot of rubbing and buffing. I've used the Collinite as well on my boat. It too works well, but is a little more work, and not noticeably better IMO.

Boxster1971 · 03-11-2019, 05:47 PM

I was at the Amelia Island car show yesterday and noticed Meguiars has a new ceramic wax product.

https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/...-g190526-26-oz

dhectorg · 03-14-2019, 04:34 AM

You can't beat Collinite for lasting protection.

ponti33602 · 03-14-2019, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoePacificNW

I use Nu Finish. It's one of those polymer finishes that is easy to go on and wipe off, which is a must for me given the surface area on my Pleasure Way. I'm not going to polish it like a vintage Corvette. This stuff has been around since the early 80's, maybe before. I've used it on my boat and cars. It beads water and has a lasting shine. It may not be the best stuff out there, but it works for me and it's pretty easy without a lot of rubbing and buffing. I've used the Collinite as well on my boat. It too works well, but is a little more work, and not noticeably better IMO.

+1 I use and have more costly waxes/polishes (Think Nu Finish technically a Polish so bit of abrasives) and agree that for the $$ NuFinish does a great "every-day" job and don't really see the other stuff working any better.

I do use this stuff which IMO puts an awesome shine over any of waxes/polishes I use. Expensive stuff but very shiny when completed.

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