Best wax/polish for Winter Grey?

If it works for you great. No need to be nasty. Its just wax...no need to get your panties in a bunch.

This is something that I know a lot about and I too am just here to help. Not interested in anybody's opinions but your own?...write them in a blog...not on a discussion forum

Anyways...lookin good Ros...I have never tried Zaino's CS...I'll have to give it a whirl.

 

On my wife's winter gray metallic Lexus, the Z-CS definitely made an improvement in the shine....

 

Really and truly, you won't see a huge improvement in gloss when applying any LSP. Detailing is 95% prepwork and 5% product, you have to put the time into really prepping the paint well to make it stand out.

Honestly? I think you'd be happier with the look of a nice carnuaba on that color. Assuming the CS shows like the other products in the Zaino line I bet its not maximizing the depth of that color. Get a good carnuaba paste...I'm so oldschool I don't even know whats new and affordable out there right now...I use Pinnacle Souveran on the Lexus which would look awesome on that...but its $90 a can. Maybe try some P21S...or CG5050. I bet that has the oomph you're missing with the Zaino.

Just a small point, but your wife's Lexus isn't Winter Grey like the Prius. Its a different color called Smoky Granite Mica.

 

PriusRos,
A really good carnauba wax is S100. It is sold at most Harley and bike shops. It is basically a repackaged P21S car wax. It is very easy to apply and remove (you wipe it on and remove it before the wax completely hardens), does not stain black trim and is very durable for a paste wax, lasting several weeks (I find carnauba waxes degrade very quickly, most do not last longer than two-three weeks). Heat is a wax's worst enemy. So it makes sense that on dark colored cars, the waxes durability suffer more than on lighter colored cars. Unlike Meguiar's, it does not leave streaks.

Several years ago, there was a publication called Guru Reports which compared 40+ waxes and sealants. The S100/P21S came out on top as the best carnauba wax and Zaino came out on top as the best sealant. I have tried about every wax that can be bought at a local Wally World and have not found one that can beat S100.

 

Yeah plenty of paste waxes out there that are really easy to apply and remove and won't cost you $90. I also recommend the S100/P21S that Jon linked to above.

Give it a shot...I bet its what you're missing. I know I am always deeply unsatisfied with how Zaino looks on a car that is even remotely dark...

 

So I bought Zaino Accelerator so I could lay down multi-layers of the protectant without having to wait. The other time I used Zaino, I applied one coat of the Z5, but I decided to use the Z2 solely this time around and then hit it with a spray of the Z8. The finish was quite spectacular. Even my bro-in-law commented on how shiny it was, and my wife (who thinks I'm crazy for compulsively cleaning my car) gave the thumbs up.
The WGM color doesn't exactly look that flattering in direct sunlight, but once you get the right lighting on it, the color does look a lot better. I've attached some pictures.

 

Here's the thing about Zaino. IMHO a lot of the "pickiness" of the product is just marketing hype that is designed to keep you inside the Zaino system, and to foster this idea that Zaino is some magic elixer that is so special nothing can be used around it. Thats one big reason I don't like Zaino, not so much to do with the product but the arrogance that often surrounds it. Its just a polymer sealant...its not as "special" as some would have you believe.

The issue is one of crosslinking, supposedly the Zaino is supposed to crosslink and bond to the paint which creates its durability. Anything on the paint underneath it, such as an oily glaze or polish, or a layer of carnuaba wax, would impede this bonding and crosslinking.

The question is...why would you want to put on more layers of Zaino? The whole point of using something like Zaino is the durability, if you are always adding more Zaino...you could use almost any product and get the same or better results. I know people put "35 coats" of Zaino on, but thats craziness. two coats and its probably about as good as its going to get. If you are topping Zaino with a carnuaba, really you are looking at Zaino for its durability not its look, the carnuaba provides the look.

So, if you wanted to be certain that Zaino was "crosslinking" you would want to strip the paste wax off before applying more. However, I have a sneaking suspicion if you applied Zaino over a glaze or polish or even over a coat of wax your results would be pretty similar to applying Zaino over a clean surface.

As to whether the Dawn wash will remove Zaino, I'm sure it degrades it...but it won't just wash it away like it would a carnuaba.

 

+1 on the NuFinish, yadax3.

I've been using it on my vehicles for something around 10 years and it's good stuff; though it does take a bit more rubbing than some of the newer synthetic compounds. We have also proven the "once a year polish" claim, but that may be because we garage our vehicles.

 

You may think its still on there after a year, but unless you live in an environment with no precipitation and no heat...and you never wash the vehicle with any detergents...its gone well before a year. A lot of people think because they see water beading on the paint the protectant is still there...but bare fresh paint beads too.

In NC...I bet the NuFinish is gone after 6 months tops.

The one positive for NuFinish is that its pretty long lasting, I'd say NuFinish and Zaino are probably the two longest lasting I've used...but both are going to be done after 6 months.