Waxing

[toma nova]

As the weather is getting nicer and the evenings longer, I have narrowed my exterior care products down to two brands.  The major difference is one is carnauba wax and the other is a polymer sealant.  There are no marked differences between shampoos, clays, polishes, etc. of the two offerings and I think the price is comparable.  This will go on the XC and a forest green pickup truck.

Any experience with depth on dark colors, ease of application (machine vs. hand), and longevity between waxing?  Any specific feedback on brands?

Thanks, Tom

[littlewaywelt]

it's really less about brands and more about the specific products.  I use a large variety of products from different manufacturers.  I have found success (personally and formerly on clients cars) with Production, Zymol, Mothers, Autoglym, & meguires.
For sealing, go with the carnuba or a blend (assuming it's between 8-20 % carnuba).  It should last two-three weeks depending on conditions. My favorite is Meguires yellow #26 paste.
You should still use a cleaner (non-cutting) wax first.  Machine is ok so long as its a cheapo orbital.  If you use a professional high speed tool, you run the risk of burn marks.  I do everything by hand.

All of my recent cars have been dark.
2 dark blues, a dark green before that a red and a dark gray.

[pico de luuks]

Just did my 02 ash gold this weekend with turtle wax. cheap, but a really nice shine. I'd used it on my previous silver V70 with good results as well.

http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/pico.gif

[sendwongy1]

go with zymol waxing kit. i also use merguires for the plastic cladding n tires.

[littlewaywelt]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (pico de luuks @ May 06 2003,17:56)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Just did my 02 ash gold this weekend with turtle wax. cheap, but a really nice shine. I&#39;d used it on my previous silver V70 with good results as well.

http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/pico.gif[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Pico,
Ugghh&#33; Turtle Wax? http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/nervous.gif If you want to keep it simple with a 1 coat cleaner and carnuba sealant try Mothers Original California Gold. &nbsp;It&#39;s probably &#036;10 for a can that&#39;ll last several years. &nbsp;You&#39;ll end up with a much better shine and it&#39;s easier to get on and off than turtle and it will last much longer. &nbsp;You can find it in almost any autoparts store.

[pico de luuks]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (littlewaywelt @ May 07 2003,10:20)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Pico,
Ugghh&#33; Turtle Wax? http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/nervous.gif If you want to keep it simple with a 1 coat cleaner and carnuba sealant try Mothers Original California Gold. It&#39;s probably &#036;10 for a can that&#39;ll last several years. You&#39;ll end up with a much better shine and it&#39;s easier to get on and off than turtle and it will last much longer. You can find it in almost any autoparts store.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Thanks for the advice. Next fall I&#39;ll check it out.
http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif and I felt so good......


http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/pico.gif

[Low Tide]

LWWelt,

Why don&#39;t you do us a favor and post a &quot;list&quot; of products from LWW personal shopper service? &nbsp;Maybe a couple categories:

1)Econo-miser: &quot;Free coffee AND carwash w/ fill-up&#33;&quot;
2)Wow, so that&#39;s what a savings account if for&#33;
3)Social Security? &nbsp;My interest dividend is more than that&#33;
4)Products for the &quot;Smart-ones&quot;

Is there really a difference in quality between categories? &nbsp;REALLY? &nbsp;Category 4 is for &quot;value-based products that really work&quot;

[littlewaywelt]

LT &amp; Pico,
sorry. &nbsp; http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/unhappy.gif &nbsp; I meant no offense. &nbsp;Everyone here is always sharing advice. &nbsp;eg- best oil etc, bad oils, so I didn&#39;t think making a comment about a car wax was a bad thing. &nbsp;Just trying to share some info about optimal uses and better products. &nbsp;
Again mucho apologies. &nbsp;http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/unhappy.gif

[Low Tide]

LWW- I was serious, help us out.... share &#33;&#33;&#33; &nbsp;This is a very valid forum- share your expertise&#33;

Everything looks the same on the shelf. &nbsp;And I never take a products marketing to heart..... especially one sold in an auto store. &nbsp;V.agra for your engine? &nbsp;Uh huh... and bacon fat is &quot;good&quot; for you too&#33; &nbsp; http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/huh2.gif

[littlewaywelt]

Bacon Fat ISN&#39;T good for you? &nbsp;DANG&#33;
I&#39;ll put together a list of tips &amp; stuff that&#39;s easy to get a hold of. &nbsp;A lot of the products that I use are only available through/to professional detailing companies. &nbsp;I loaded up a personal supply about 8 years ago, when I quit doing it professionally with a friend of mine. &nbsp;BUT I still use a lot of readilly available stuff.

[pico de luuks]

No offense taken here LWW&#33;
Like LT I&#39;m always open for advice&#33;&#33;
Still the http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif describes my mood best after wasting 20 mins in the autostore deciding what to buy and finally ending up using some left over TW (that provided IMO a decent result after two and a half hours of labour) and then hearing about some product that might have given me a better result with even less effort. Should have checked the board before going to the autostore http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif there are actually a lot of treads dealing with this issue (and nobody ever recommended TW)

http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/pico.gif &nbsp;http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[littlewaywelt]

Materials
A-high end very pricey and hard to find
B-Medium end not impossible to find, use the internet
C-Lower end easy to find
With the exception of leather care, I use mostly either autoglym, mothers, meguares or production all b-c category stuff.


2-3 wax pads- one per wax, I only clean the two which used for cutting and cleaner wax, the carnuba pad doesn’t get cleaned
synthetic shammy – with a plastic case (they last forever if you store them damp).
wash mit- dedicated to painted surfaces only. I only wash it if it falls on the ground. Sponges generally trap small particulates that can scratch the car, and I don’t recommend them.
Tire &amp; wheel rag- I use an old wash mit that’s now dedicated to brake dust and wheel cleaner. I don’t bother washing it as I don’t want the junk in it to get stuck in the good wash mit.
wax removal rags- have some bite to them, like terry cloth or old towels.
polish rags (like the kind available for silver storage &amp; polishing usually available at home depot, hardware stores, Costco). Used for removing the final carnuba coat.
Q-Tips for dash cracks &amp; vents


Interior
Dash- diluted windex 2:1, enough bite to cut dirt &amp; oil, leaves no residue or bright reflection on the windshield. ©
Plastic- 409 orange cleaner ©
Leather- Autoglyme (B), Hermes saddle soap (A), Connonly Hyde Food (A) Lexol ©
Vinyl- 409 orange cleaner to clean © or 3M leather &amp; vinyl cleaner (B)
Carpets- If someone finds something that’s good at removing dog hair please let me know. I think I’ve tried anything &amp; everything that is supposed to work. If you need to shampoo the carpets, household carpet shampoo &amp; water works fine with a nylon scrub brush. Use the shop vac to get it all out and dry. Generally, I find that if I stay on top of vacuuming I don’t have to shampoo. For stains, I use spot shot spray © or soda water &amp; oxy clean ©
Odors- leave an open can of coffee grounds and orange peels in the car over night ©. The smell of coffee &amp; oranges goes away in a few days. J Volcanic Rock bags (B) will work too, but need to stay in the car longer. The upside is that they won’t leave your car smelling like oranges and coffee.



Exterior
Washing
I wash in the spring with Dawn © as it cuts a lot of crud off and strips wax pretty well.
The rest of the spring summer fall I wash with Autoglym (B) and whatever soap is currently available at the autoparts store including armor all and other stuff, whatever is cheap. © With the cheaper stuff I just end up using more to make sure I’m getting a lot of sudsing. Is that a word?
I wet the whole car down. I then wash one surface at a time and rinse. Then I move to the next ¼ panel wash and rinse the one I just did plus what ever else I have already cleaned or am about to wash. The key here is to keep rinsing, so that you don’t get water droplet marks and keep the soap from drying on the car.
Once the whole car is washed I then do the wheels. Volvo brake dust was the bain of my existence as a detailer, especially those older wheels on the 240’s with about 800 wholes to clean out. I try to use soap, but it never seems to get it all, then I use a product from Production. You can use anything that you find at the shop so long as its non-acidic. Acidic stuff will etch Volvo wheels. Ask the guy or look at the labels to make sure that you get a non-acidic wheel cleaner. Do one wheel at a time and rinse it really well. &nbsp;And NEVER EVER use wheel cleaner on hot wheels.

Bug &amp; Tar removal.
If you wax regularly and the car regularly has a glassy feel, bugs &amp; tar come off when washing or with a light cleaner waxing. If you need to use a chemical remover use whatever is available at the autoparts store. I always rewash any area that I’ve used bug &amp; tar on as most of them aren’t good for paint. Nail polish remover on a cotton ball works, but again make sure you wash it thoroughly after.

Wax
If you have a shop-vac/wet vac, use the hose to suck out the water from trim pieces that will foul up your wax removal. Be careful not to let the hose nozzle make direct contact with the car. Use your fingers as a buffer. I don’t have a shop vac, so I just carry an extra couple of rags in my back pocket to soak up any remaining water as I am applying wax. I use a new quarter of rag on every section of car. I go through 3 or 4 folded in 1/4s rags per wax removal for the wagon.
In a general proportion, I use cutter 1-2 times per year, cleaner, monthly, and sealant weekly/biweekly. Any time you use cutter or cleaner you need to go all the way up the chain,. Eg if you use cutter, you need to use cleaner/filler, and then a sealant. If you use cleaner/filler you need to seal. There are plenty of good products out there from companies, like meguirs, mothers, production, autoglym, zymol.

Cutter wax &amp; Compound is abrasive and good for stripping tree sap, leave stain/imprints and fine scratches. Only use these on the areas that need them. A clay bar is always my first choice here. Mothers sells one, but I can’t remember the name. © As for a cutting wax Mothers Phase I Pre-Wax cleaner works well. © Another option is to use Autoglym’s Paint Renovator or Resin Polish (B). The key with cutting waxes and is to always use the mildest wax first to see if it removes the problem. Once the problem has been fixed then move on to a cleaner wax.
Cleaner wax- Meguiars #6 © Meguiars #5 New Car Glaze ©
Sealant waxes- Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection (B) or Meguiars yellow #26 Paste/Can ©
As for waxes for light colored vehicles or dark colored vehicles. I’ve tried a couple, but never really noticed that big of difference. It could have easily been a placebo effect.
The key in waxing is to use very little wax and light circular overlapping strokes. Streaks and swirls usually happen for three or four reasons. The removal rag has gotten wet; the wax didn’t dry long enough; the wax is of really poor quality; the paint is not sufficiently clean.
A can of wax should literally last a 2-3 years, even with regular applications.
Store the waxing pad in the container with the wax, once there’s enough room.
If you are working on the car and the sun is on it, wax in sections. (roof &amp; hood, side1, rear, side) Ex) put wax on the hood and roof. By the time you finish applying the place you started should be dry and ready to remove.

Tires,
cut out a piece of cardboard the size of the wheel to prevent overspray from getting all over the wheels.
Dry the tires thoroughly before applying tire sealant/tire black to get good penetration and prevent the tires from kicking up sealant on the side of the vehicle. I have just been using some tire foam that I bought at Costco and it has worked fine.

Plastic Trim,
Black Again (B), Black Magic © diluted windex 2:1 © wax removal from trim (peanut oil &amp; a toothbrush, elbow grease &amp; patience), Kerosene (haven’t tried this myself), for old black rubber trim, a heat gun or hair drier will help even it out and turn it completely black again and it will take the same amount of time to fade. –works beautifully on jeep wheel well fenders, but make sure you keep it off the paint&#33;

[AutoMonkey]

Anyone use a product called Nu-finish? Very easy to apply, but I&#39;m not sure how it compares to &quot;real&quot; car wax.

AM

[littlewaywelt]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (AutoMonkey @ May 07 2003,15:46)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Anyone use a product called Nu-finish? Very easy to apply, but I&#39;m not sure how it compares to &quot;real&quot; car wax.

AM[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I tested it on my wife&#39;s old vw which was washed about 4 times in its life. &nbsp;It initially worked like the tv commercial in the scrap yard (dull to high gloss), but 2 days later the paint was back to completely faded. &nbsp;it&#39;s a rip-off imo.
I don&#39;t know how it would work on a car with a decent finish.

[Hiro's XC]

I don&#39;t have the time to wax often so I use the Nu-Finish, 2 coats and I&#39;m good for at least 6 months. Carnuba should be applied at least 3-4 times a year. Yep, carnuba is the best, just don&#39;t have time for it&#33;

Jason

[Filibuster]

Jesus you guys are really commited. &nbsp;I just go to the autowash now and then and get a complete program. Volvos paint is very good that i dont notice any scratches. &nbsp;A car paint ages and that is something we have to live with. &nbsp;And waxing will not stop that. &nbsp;I will never wax a car again.

[warena]

Hey,

Good afternoon. &nbsp;I&#39;m new to this forum. &nbsp;I belong to a similar forum for my other vehicle. &nbsp;Priceless information. &nbsp;Anyway, regarding waxing....Have any of you ever heard of a product called Zaino? &nbsp;I started using it a while ago when entering a show car I once owned in shows. &nbsp;It&#39;s a polymer that lasts an incredibly long time and gives an absolute wet finish. &nbsp;I&#39;ve recently used it on my wife&#39;s XC and my truck (Avalanche). &nbsp;The Zaino web site has all the information you need. &nbsp;In fact, I used their plastic and tire treatment on all of the cladding around the XC. &nbsp;It lasts through many washings....more than any other product I&#39;ve used, without running.

Good luck

warena

[clodel]

So my car ended up going through a flock of pigeons, and some of those pigeons just weren&#39;t fast enough in getting out the way. Aside from having to hose down the feathers stuck in the radiator, I ended up with some subtle whitish stains on the plastic clad bumping. Any ideas on how to remove these stains? I&#39;ve only tried Dawn on it so far.

[dmarcus48]

I&#39;m using Klasse All-in-one and Klasse Super Glaze topped off with a coat or two of P21S Wax. &nbsp;Check out Autopia (http://www.autopia.org) for alot of information.

Here&#39;s a couple of links to pics of my black S80:
My Hood:

Hood (http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/dmarcus48/vwp?.dir=/Volvo&.dnm=Hood.jpg&.src=ph&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/dmarcus48/vwp%3f.dir=/Volvo%26.dnm=Trunk.jpg%26.src=ph)

My trunk:

Trunk (http://photos.yahoo.com/bc.....src=ph)

and the whole car:

Car (http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/dmarcus48/vwp?.dir=/Volvo&.dnm=Volvo+S80.jpg&.src=ph&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/dmarcus48/vwp%3f.dir=/Volvo%26.dnm=Trunk.jpg%26.src=ph)

I hope these come out right.

Dave

and yes I know I&#39;m crazy.

[wiz]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (clodel @ May 19 2003,10:21)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">So my car ended up going through a flock of pigeons, and some of those pigeons just weren&#39;t fast enough in getting out the way. Aside from having to hose down the feathers stuck in the radiator, I ended up with some subtle whitish stains on the plastic clad bumping. Any ideas on how to remove these stains? I&#39;ve only tried Dawn on it so far.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Black Again. &nbsp;The best&#33; http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[peter24a]

Littlewaywelt Et. Al.

I am a little confused. &nbsp;Is the following correct: &nbsp;Cutter=rubbing compound and sealer=wax? &nbsp;What is the &nbsp;difference between a &quot;cleaner wax&quot; and a rubbing compound? &nbsp;Dont they both remove oxidization (and therefore some paint)? On a brand new car is it necessary or even appropriate to use a cleaner wax? &nbsp;I have read other forums where people describe all kinds of required rituals to get their car to shine. &nbsp;I have always assumed that this was to restore a paint that was old and far from perfect. &nbsp;What is required to keep a new car looking new?

Peter

[fournisj]

Watch out for some products&#33; They contain silicone derrivatives in their waxes. Silicone will add a great shine and bead water like a dream. However, it also is like wet sanding your cars paint every time you apply it. Silicone is a micro-abrasive.

My expeerience with Zymol has been great. Buy it from the website though Zymol.com (http://www.zymol.com)
If you get it from major auto part stores it is often made by turtle wax and not the real deal. Better to pay a bit more and get the real deal. Zymol uses natural ingredients that are very inert to your paint and clear coat.

Quick question for AutoMonkey. AutoMonkey what dealership do you use in the Bay Area. I am moving out there in June and want to avoid that dealership that gave you less than respectable service. Thanks&#33;

[littlewaywelt]

Peter,
Cutter &amp; Cleaner waxes remove some paint. There are tons of different types and degrees of each.
The difference is in degrees.
Cutter is a more abrasive compound-type. &nbsp;You shouldn&#39;t need to use cutter unless the car hasn&#39;t been waxed or washed in ages or unless the paint is faded.

Cleaner wax is more mild. This removes dirt from the paint and is neccessary on a semi-regular basis if you want the car to look glossy long term. Again it comes down to products and technique. If you don&#39;t use a lot of wax &amp; pressure you will barely remove paint. In fact I haven&#39;t had a cleaner wax pad show any signs of paint on it. If you read the labels/ideal uses you can get an idea of how much something &quot;cuts&quot;
Real sealant contains no or absolutely minimal cleaner.

As far as silicone in waxes, I&#39;ve never believed this to be a huge issue. My last saab was 11 years old when I sold it and I can really say that the paint was &quot;showroom&quot; after 11 years. It had plenty of waxes with silicone over the years. If you were talking about a Ferrari/Porshe, antique or exotic car then I would make a point to use high quality carnuba wax. These cars aren&#39;t exotic and will work/show just fine long term with cleaner wax with silicates.

[fournisj]

It may or may not be an issue for people, but better people are aware right? &nbsp;At work here we are auto enthusiast and pay special attention to little details like that. &nbsp;Basically my department makes all the sensors for Volvo&#39;s DSTC and many others. &nbsp;So, we really hate silicone, causes us headaches up the ying-yang. &nbsp;We are not really sure if Porsche paint is fragile because of being exotic or all the crap in the air floating around Stuttgart, Germany &nbsp;http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

You are right, most people will probably not notice, especially if they have a lighter color paint. &nbsp;But silicone is abrasive, so I thought I should make people aware. &nbsp;

Zymol does make some Volvo formulated wax and even the evil GM corporation&#39;s SAAB has their own too.

[mrb]

Fournisj, &nbsp;I live south of SF by 26 mi or so and have been extremely happy with Putnam Volvo in Burlingame. &nbsp;Mike Musto is the Sales Manager and Eric is the Service Manager. &nbsp;Unlike horror stories and bad press I&#39;ve seen on salepeople (not our William), I have complete trust in this operation. &nbsp;Service Dept to me has been outstanding for the 15+ years I&#39;ve been dealing with them. &nbsp; &nbsp; merv

[Low Tide]

DEALER REC- skip if your reading about WAX...


Just a dealer recommendation north of the bridge.... and north of Automonkey&#39;s dealer... 50 miles from SF, but worth the drive.

Smother&#39;s Volvo is a superb dealer- 20 years of experience with Volvos in my family. You&#39;ll quickly be on a first name basis with the staff. They will treat you right with labor, offer a 20% VCOA discount, and listen to what you have to say when you have a problem. Most likely they&#39;ll have a loaner if you ask ahead.

I recommend both the Sales staff and the shop without reservation.

[Low Tide]

Any negative feedback (or more positive) for Klasse Products?

It&#39;s acrylic correct? &nbsp;I have heard a lot of good things. &nbsp;When I was living in Austria, a lot of people swore by it.

By the way, how do you tell the difference between Zymol products these days? Not necessarily the ones in the traditional white bottles, but the ones in clear bottles that look otherwise like the Tutle Wax distributed stuff?