Wax - Had Its Day??

Its been an interesting few months of late for me, trialling different LSP systems and bringing in more and more sealents into my armoury... This I have to say is in a complete turnaround to my previous opinions on sealents, where the claimed plasticky and cold looks always put me off, along with many assertions that sealents were difficult to use and fussy to bond.

However, of late, sealents have started to arrive in my arsenal and are getting more and more use as they find their way to the front of my LSP cupboard... Sealents have been around for a while and I confess I have shyed away from them for a variety of reasons and the ones I have seen up until now didn't really impress me with the exceptions of EGP and TW Gloss Guard whose durability kick most, if not all waxes, firmly into the weeds.

But now - two particular sealent systems have arrived with me, and both have served to thoroughly impress me on many fronts. Indeed more so than any wax has done previously. These of course being Zaino, and Duragloss. Now both of these have been around for a while, but they are new to me, however with each application and test I find myself impressed with the slightly glassy nuance they offer and there does seem to be something small that they offer over waxes. Couple this to durability of these products, where Zaino is beginning to impress me and reports suggest that both of these ranges are hugely capable and ready to kick most waxes for six.

Sitting looking at all the waxes in my collection now, I do wonder how many of them will be used again... Having been suitably impressed with each of application of sealents and their offering over a well prepped finish and in one case, the durbaility, I find myself wondering why I didn't go down that route sooner! :doublesho Thinking about it, I wonder if carnauba waxes are now more and more becoming limited by the fact they work with the same raw ingredient (albeit in various quantities, but let us not start that discussion!!)... its always carnauba wax that is left on the surface which presents some sort of glass ceiling at least to the durability but also to any look (if at all) that can be offered. Sealents, being man made, are open to advancements beyond what the "wax-tree" has to offer and this seems to be showing in typical performances of the products - they can offer more and are continually being developped to be better.

Now, I'm quite sure its not so cut and shut as that... I mean there are huge variances in wax durability (and some claim in looks, I'd venture to say highly subtle nuances are the only difference), so there's obviously more to it than simply carnuaba... the blend is important. But is the carnauba ultimately going to represent a limit that the man-made polymers are capable of exceeding by virtue of the ability to enhance them with chemistry research. Comapre durability of Concours and Souveran, both using carnuaba, and you can see huge differences, but I wonder how much of this is actually down to solvents carrying the wax and they way they prepare the underlying paint to take the wax? Or are there other ingredients around that can affect the durability significantly, and are these man made?

Its food for thought for me, definitely, and a lot of questions will be answered by the big LSP test in July, whether or not looks wise any LSP offers any differences to the real-world human eye that I, and the rest of us happen to have. But in terms of performance, it does seem to me that after trying so many different waxes of varying prices, there is a glass ceiling which they are struggling to break through. In my opinion, and that is dominating my LSP thoughts right now - if a product relies on a natural ingredient, then surely it must be limited by this, regardless of how much you wish to pay for it. Can man-made products as raw ingredients be tuned, developed to go beyond the natural products and then exceed still further... citing Bilt Hamber Autobalm as an example here, and its ability to withstand the salt test and protect unprotected metal. Not exactly a real-world test, but it is evidence of just what serious chemistry R&D can develop.

I'm in two worlds right now as far as LSPs go - but its certainly fun, and an entertaining thought to see just how these two LSP styles develop and whether wax can one day blast through its apparent glass ceiling that I myself feel I have stumbled on.

 

The durability of a sealant or wax is well documented. The asthetics of either product is to say the least very subjective.

See also - Is Carnauba Paste Wax a Dinosaur? Author: David Bynon
Added: 03/21/2005, Viewed: 21714 time(s) - Guide to Detailing :: http://guidetodetailing.com

 

I am glad that you brought this up Dave. Personally, I have made a complete 360 over the last two years. I had been using Zaino since it first came out. When I got into detailing, waxes were being bought left and right. Now I am right where I started again: with Zaino. I simply don't have the time to apply waxes often, and with Zaino, I can have the looks and the durability. And let's face it, it's cheap.

But on the other hand, I enjoy using waxes a lot more than I enjoy using sealants. I enjoy having a pot of something solid, applying it, watching it sit for a few minutes, then buffing it off. Zaino on the other hand, needs to sit for a while, it's a not the easiest product to applya and remove and I often get dusting.

So I made it easy on myself: since my Dodge truck is so big, I have Zaino on it. My wife's Explorer is more fun to work on, and not as big, so it's pleasant to be able to apply a layer of wax every three weeks...

 

While I can see all of your points, for some reason I really like working with wax, plus to me it gives an added look over just a sealant, plus my mustang is small enough its not really an issue with time. I do like sealants as well, i perticularly like poorboys EX with Cananuba, gives that added depth and durability. So all and all it just depends on what kind of mood i'm in and how tired i am.

 

I'm torn. I've considered trying Zaino on my dark silver S2000. My problems with doing this are:

- The initial process to do it looks daunting
- The product line, in my opinion, is a bit confusing
- I'm a bit set in my ways
- It looks like a bit of a pain in the arse
- Using quallity Carnauba waxes once a month, I have to say...the car looks amazing

I've got a can of Rubbish Boy's Original Edition out in the fridge. This, and my former zymol Carbon, both give the S2000 a shine that made a friend of mine comment that the metallic "looks three dimensional." And I agree with him.

I've got a lot of friends who are Zaino bigots and for sure, their cars look great. But mine does too - and sometimes I think if it ain't broke, don't fix it...

 

As a Zaino user, I agree with you! But when you have your ways down and stick to it, it's an easy process. You will never seen me use the ZFX stuff though. F*ck that. Grab a small bottle, pour one drop here, another drop there, mix it up. What is this, HOGWARTS? Am I going to be a wizard now? Just plain stupid. That's the only thing that pisses me off about Zaino. I'm glad I have a bottle of Z1 left, and when that's done, I'll buy a bottle of AIO and keep using it the way I was before!

You're completely spot on though, waxes are much more fun to play with.

 

For years I used nothing more than SRP followed with EGP and got very good results. I started playing with carnaubas a while ago and although I too find them a pleasure to apply, and layered they look fantastic, unless a client is willing to have their car redone every 30 -90 days depending on the product, carnaubas just aren't realistic. I have found that Werkstat Acrylic Prime followed by Menz FMJ gives a fantastic finish, its dead easy and it lasts. Just my two cents.

 

On a "properly prepped surface" I find Zaino to be no more work than any other LSP. I think people confuse the proper prep work that Zaino preaches about such as claying as extra steps when in reality it should be done no matter what product you use.

The extra few seconds to mix ZFX does not bother me but even if it does you could always use Z-AIO which is comparable to using HD-C or any paint cleanser that most nuba guys do first. After that youy just apply a coat of Z2p or Z5p just like you would a wax or other sealant. You also have QD which you can or cannot use if you like similarly to other products. The bonus is you can apply additional coats or us CS if you like to go above and beyond other products.

 

How come nobody gripes about having to use polycharger in the same manner?

I don't get what the big deal is? Fill your Zaino dispenser bottle and add a few drops of ZFX and shake. It takes less time to do this than apply a layer of ZAIO.

 

Wax/Wax on sealant for my own cars, sealants for everyone else's.

Dodo Juice...hmmmm, a bit of foreshadowing there? I think not. :meditation:

 

I find it ridiculous, just like I wouldn't use polycharger. Zaino has to be able to find a way so that we don't have to mess with mixing stuff and just offer a product that is ready to go out of the bottle.

 

I dunno piet, for accelerated cure time, don't you think taking the time to add a few drops to a small bottle is worth it? I still refuse to use Zaino myself.

 

It is ready to go out of the bottle. You could lay down Z2 all by itself if you wanted. You just aren't going to get the longevity you would if you added ZFX or Z2/ZAIO.

ZFX is all about layering and accelerating cure times.

FWIW You could even use Z-CS as your base coat if you wanted, then lay down Z2.

 

I think both will co-exist for a long while.
I remember in the old days when people predict the death of LP (yes they are dead for mass market) but even today, there are so many re-release of LP (Blue note, RCA living stereo etc) in Britain and Japan when CD is about to be replaced by MP3.

For me, it's OK for wax to last 8 weeks (even 4 weeks) I like the look of it. It's probably I like to go out on Saturday and just clean and wax my car as a way of relaxing. A prelude to listening to Dave Brubeck "time out" (of-course on my AR turntable and LP)

 

I actually leave the Z2 and the Z5 on for about 30-45 minutes and I've seen fantastic durability. Maybe I'm just being hard headed. Or refuse to pay that much money for the ZFX.

 

I love the Ultima Paint Guard Plus and I like Zaino as well, but even when either one is topped with Z8, IMO it still does not beat the look of a nice nuba. I always keep a sealant on my car for added protection and durability, but still top it with a nuba. If not for the look, there is something about applying a paste wax by hand and trying different ones.

 

In my case permagard, glare, driven and Toughseal, all are easy to use, give world class durability and look

Zaino is another, I think if your doing a black car, waxing it would be beneficial
Any dark car will benefit from it

Perhaps some light colours too

 

i think that swissvax holds up very nicely to rain and heat here in SC...haven't seen any water spots, and the water still beads like crazy after 3 months...I'll probably apply a new layer soon even though it seems fine I'm just anal like that. btw I'm using Mystery

 

Carnauba wax has had its day- so that's why Zymol / Swissvax keep producing new wax formulations that retail at $ 10,000+

 

But let us be realistic - are they worth that??