Cleaner Wax

[turbomangt]

I have seen many people quickly grab a bottle of cleaner wax to detail their vehicle, and in some cases that is better than doing nothing at all. Some cars (like that 92 Sonada) its just what the doctor ordered. Lets take a look at what clenaer wax is all about, what's in it, and if its ok for you. The first word "Cleaner" represents the #1 ingredient in the product. Cleaner and abrasive are similar terms. When you are using an abrasive product, you are removing a certain amount of the clear coat in the process. Although it be a small amount, this is one reason why many enthusists don't ever let an abrasive product touch their car. Solvents, or petroleum distillates do the cleaning, while the wax represents a small amount of what's is in the bottle. Probably less than 2-3%.
So the protection aspect of a cleaner wax is almost insignificant. With that said, I have seen many older cars that have almost never been detailed, or kept up. Oxidation, surface scratches, and other blemishes have taken toll on the car. Although the ideal solution would be a 5-6 step process (wash/clay/deep clean/polish/seal)a cleaner wax would improve the car somewhat. The solvent properties would remove a large portion of the surface defects, and it would leave behind a small amount of protection. However would you want to put this on your PT or GT Cruiser? NOT MINE THANK YOU. Lets say you just attended my detail clinic and your all excited about spending 4-5 hours on your car after learning some tips, the car looks fantastic. Now, in a couple of weeks, you want to spruce up your car thinking a cleaner wax would do the trick. WRONG! It will remove all the hard work you put into the car, taking off the polish, even a synthetic sealer won't stand up to it. The only place in my shop I use a cleaner wax is under the hood, around the painted section. Oh, and my wifes car.

[Jimbo]

Gary how do you deep clean?

[turbomangt]

Deep cleaning is either done by hand or machine. When you clay a car, you are removing contaminants "On the surface" (which the car wash did not remove) deep cleaning removes blemishes, minor scratches, and other imperfections "In the finish" . Most people don't understand this concept. Once you do , it is easy to follow and work within those guidelines. Following my theory of "less is best" approach. Start with a mild cleaner (mine is on the lower abrasive scale) work in small sections with a terri pad, remove with MF towel. This will deep clean along with that it will restore shine do to the polishing oils it also has. For more serious blemishes, go to something like Meguiars Medallion paint cleaner, it has more abrasives and less polishing propteries. These two products can be used by hand. You can go up one more step by hand if you like, with something like a swirl remover type of cleaner polish. From that point most products which are stronger should be used with machine. The composition of "compounds" which are heavily abrasive need the heat of the rotary buffer to break them down in order for them to interact/ clean with the surface. Depending on the condition of the vehicle will determine which stage you should use. A car a couple of years old, taken good care of, you can clean wash/clay/clean and seal. A car a few years old, with scatches, and was not care for as well, You might need to wash/clay/machine compound/polish/ seal. Hope that helps, Gary

[matt87951]

Gary,

I use the Miguires 3 step method on my cars. Everytime I use the cleaner wax, I use at least 1 coat of the other 2 waxes in that system right after. Are you saying that is a bad idea? I tried a clay bar once on another car, but I didnt really see, or feel any improvement. I could have done it wrong too?

Is my way of waxing my cars a bad idea? I REALLY want to try out Zaino Bros' wax. ( http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc ) If you have ever seen their wax, it is absolutely amazing. It is by far the best wax I have ever seen before, however I havent used it myself, so I can only talk about it from SEEING it, never used it myself.

Do you have any advice on that? Have you used Zaino Bros' wax before? or maybe something more like the Zimol waxes?

Thanks,
Matt

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[Mike-in-Orange]

Hey Matt, I used to use the Maguiar's 3 step also, but found removal of the wax to be a real bugger. I bought some Zaino when I bought my PT a couple months ago and I've never made a car shine like this before. It is super simple to apply and remove, and it was through their website that I learned about the benefits of clay bar.

Having said that, let me forewarn you about asking Gary for advice on Zaino[)] I've talked to him on the phone, super nice guy, he doesn't bash anyone but lays everything out in plain and simple English. Since I've heard nothing but rave reviews about his products I'm going to give it a shot. I mean, for the cost of a full Zaino product group I think you can set yourself up with Gary's products for a few years! Like I said, I'm going to try it and if I feel it does what Gary claims....If I'm satisfied with the look.....If I decide it's a better option for ME......I'll switch.

I'll keep you posted.

[turbomangt]

Matt, I like the way Mike put that in words. Let me say this which is based on facts. Zymol makes wax from $9.00 - $1,325.00 for an 8 oz jar. The melting point of wax is around 180 degrees. Whether you pay $5.00-$59.00 or $1,000 for it, it won't hold up like a synthetic. When wax breaks down, it is sticky, which means it attracks and holds contaminants do it. More research is going on with synthetics now than ever before. Some products are better than others. Secondly, Zymol allows other companies (Turtle wax for example) to use their label for private labeling and promotions. This is bad business for the end user. He doesn't know what he is getting. The good thing about what I sell, I keep on searching for the best around in the PROFESSIONAL industry, then turn around and make it available to my customers. For those that remember and bought my sealant when I first introduced it, it was white. To date, I have upgraded the formula based in improvements made to the product. You can see the reviews people say about it. Yes thier are other great products out there. I never said Zaino was a bad product, I did say it was expensive and comlicated to use. I just want to give simple alternatives to Cruiser owners that are high quality, priced as a value, and work well. Plain and simple. Gary

[Mike-in-Orange]

Hey Gary, I hope you didn't take anything I said as inferring that you had anything negative to say about Zaino other than it's admittedly high price, although I didn't find it difficult to use (once I managed to decode their "Z" factor!)

[IRPT]

waynestowels, welcome to the forum!

[waynest]

IRPT,
Thank you again for the warm welcome