Cleaner wax

[EvoFire]

What is it, what exactly does it do?

[eddie926]

Exactly what it says. Rather than being a pure wax that you put on for protection, it's a wax that has a cleaning additive either chemical or abrasive. So, you get some minor paint improvement and protection in one step.

The key word there is MINOR. Don't expect to get the same level of improvement that you would see if you used a dedicated polish/cleaner followed by a pure wax/sealant.

If your paint is in good shape, it can be a good maintenance item. If your paint really needs some TLC, you'll get better results using dedicated products. Depends on the condition of your paint and what kind of results you want.

[EvoFire]

So its like an average of both worlds item.... I see.

[eyeball96]

^^ Exactly as Eddie says!..

A real very Good cleaner wax I used recently was Zymol. Did well cleaning (not that my paint needs it) and the Shine was awesome.....longivity? don't know about that yet.

[Tideland Prius]

Yeah it's like an all-in-one product. Of course dedicated ones will produce better results. I still have some cleaner wax left over (Mother's) that I haven't used yet but might if I get lazy. I use the Pure Carnuba paste wax now and it really makes the paint pop. (used in conjunction with the sealant/glaze).

[EvoFire]

I've been lazy.... I don't like waxing the HL, its too big and too tall and some places are hard to reach, and the roof is not flat.... I can go on and on. Been using Meguiars Gold Class since I started car care. It works well, though I would wish it lasted a little longer though.

[eyeball96]

I'm sure there will be people who disagree, but if u want a polish/cleaner that lasts...its Nufinish, yeah I know, the shine isn't the brightest, but the shit really does last, cleans the paint pretty good too. I use to have a "Hippy" van, a Ford E150, LWB, no windows,white, years ago, not something one would polish once a month, the thing was hugh. Nufinish, was the trick.

"The once a year car polish"

I still use it on the Daughter 96 Camry, hell she only washes the damn thing once a year.

[EvoFire]

I dunno how it works, and its expensive, so I've been putting off buying it....

[zzyzx85]

I read this post before going to the neighborhood Target to go buy some wax. Was about to buy NuFinish to try it out but it was only a polish/cleaner (even though the label says it beads water), so I bought some Turtle Liquid Paste Wax (which is cleaner wax) instead. Good or bad decision? btw, Zymol cleaner wax was expensive (13.50 per bottle). NuFinish was 7.50 a bottle.

Tell me if I got this right:
polish = very gentle abrasive to literally polish the surface smooth.
wax = leaves a thin film of wax to (temporarily) protect the paint and hides minor scratches and blemishes
cleaner wax = like what was said above, has a chemical or abrasive that removes contaminants, along with the wax.
sealant = seals the surface and lets wax last longer? I've never used it before so I wouldn't know about it.

[Pb]

Originally Posted by zzyzx85

Tell me if I got this right:
polish = very gentle abrasive to literally polish the surface smooth.
wax = leaves a thin film of wax to (temporarily) protect the paint and hides minor scratches and blemishes
cleaner wax = like what was said above, has a chemical or abrasive that removes contaminants, along with the wax.
sealant = seals the surface and lets wax last longer? I've never used it before so I wouldn't know about it.

Yeah, that's about right.

I prefer to use a dedicated polish and then a dedicated wax, separately. Better results, usually.

A sealant is just like a wax, except a sealant is made from man-made products, not carnauba or bees wax, etc. A sealant and a wax both do the same job. You can use one or the other. You don't have to use both. But sometimes I will use a combination of both, just to get the best of both worlds. A sealant usually lasts longer on the paint, but a natural wax usually has a deeper, wetter shine than a sealant does. Sealants are a good choice for most people. Plus many sealants will not leave behind white residue if you get the sealant on plastic trim. Some natural waxes will leave white stuff on plastic. I just take my time and don't get wax on the plastic. LOL. Most people apply wax/sealant too thick and then they get it all over the place, and caked down in cracks and seams. Apply it thin.

[ToyotaJimD.]

Originally Posted by zzyzx85

I read this post before going to the neighborhood Target to go buy some wax. Was about to buy NuFinish to try it out but it was only a polish/cleaner (even though the label says it beads water), so I bought some Turtle Liquid Paste Wax (which is cleaner wax) instead. Good or bad decision? btw, Zymol cleaner wax was expensive (13.50 per bottle). NuFinish was 7.50 a bottle.

Tell me if I got this right:
polish = very gentle abrasive to literally polish the surface smooth.
wax = leaves a thin film of wax to (temporarily) protect the paint and hides minor scratches and blemishes
cleaner wax = like what was said above, has a chemical or abrasive that removes contaminants, along with the wax.
sealant = seals the surface and lets wax last longer? I've never used it before so I wouldn't know about it.

What you buy would depend on your needs -- generally, in terms of polishing or defect removal.

If you want an excellent multi-purpose wax at a good price, try Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax -- available everywhere except Target -- and can usually be found for $7 or less at Pep Boys or Wal-Mart and everywhere in between. If you don't mind spending $10, I also like FX SynWax at Pep Boys.

The Zymol at Target is made by Turtle Wax. Not sure how it differs from their new Liquid Paste Wax, but if either is anything like their Ice products, I'd consider upgrading next time you need to buy wax.

[zzyzx85]

Gotcha. I'll use the Turtle wax on the cars that need a little more help getting clean and waxed at the same time and get a bottle of Mother's for the other cars. I'm sure my parent's LS400 would benefit greatly from the dedicated stuff. I used the Turtle wax on my Corolla and it came out looking pretty good. It made the surfaces much smoother and slicker than before. However, it still need a good polish to fix up the paint. I still see scratches and swirl marks only if the light is hitting it a certain way. Next up to try is our Tundra, which was parked under the same damn tree (Eucalyptus or something like that) that kept dropping flowers and sticky things onto the driveway.

Are waxes and other related items less expensive at Target/Wal-mart or at auto parts stores like Kragen and Pepboys?

[ToyotaJimD.]

Originally Posted by zzyzx85

Gotcha. I'll use the Turtle wax on the cars that need a little more help getting clean and waxed at the same time and get a bottle of Mother's for the other cars. I'm sure my parent's LS400 would benefit greatly from the dedicated stuff. I used the Turtle wax on my Corolla and it came out looking pretty good. It made the surfaces much smoother and slicker than before. However, it still need a good polish to fix up the paint. I still see scratches and swirl marks only if the light is hitting it a certain way. Next up to try is our Tundra, which was parked under the same damn tree (Eucalyptus or something like that) that kept dropping flowers and sticky things onto the driveway.

Are waxes and other related items less expensive at Target/Wal-mart or at auto parts stores like Kragen and Pepboys?

I haven't tried the Turtle Wax Liquid Paste, but generally that sort of genre of product is a little frowned upon, but if it works, then good for you. Turtle Wax tends to be a little gimmicky, such as their Ice Liquid Clay Bar, which really doesn't work for me; or their Ice Liquid Polish, which even on the fine print says if your paint needs polishing, use another product.

I know the Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax has some real nice polishes and there's no smoke and mirrors.

What little Wal-Mart stocks is at rock-bottom prices. Some people are anti-Wal-Mart, but if you don't mind shopping there (and dissing your local retailer), no reason to not take advantage of their prices. They have a variety of brands.

Mothers clay is $14 and change at Wal-Mart, and you might consider claying your vehicles before you wax next time -- if you haven't clayed them, that should be done especially if you have sap, flower or pollen issues. They also have the Meguiar's clay.

If you have spiderwebbing issues, you might try FX SynWax, which does tend to give some glaze benefit, which helps hide those defects. Otherwise, I'd say try a 3-step system, generally available at Pep Boys (I don't think Wal-Mart or Target carries one).