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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > Why Wax?



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      06-22-2013, 06:12 PM   #1
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Why Wax?

I will not put wax on a car anymore. 20 years ago, sure.. These days there are so many modern products that last much longer than wax, dry hard, and resist dirt.

I use ZAINO products - but there are a ton of other brands that people like.

This is a poll - do you WAX your BMW, or use synthetics?

Me? SYNTHETICS!
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      06-22-2013, 08:04 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RD335 View Post
I will not put wax on a car anymore. 20 years ago, sure.. These days there are so many modern products that last much longer than wax, dry hard, and resist dirt.

I use ZAINO products - but there are a ton of other brands that people like.

This is a poll - do you WAX your BMW, or use synthetics?

Me? SYNTHETICS!
I think just about everyone started with a wax product. Waxing a car on a Saturday afternoon is a very iconic image in our culture and many find the act of waxing the car relaxing. It is also a great bonding moment with your kids. I am sure everyone has memories of waxing the car with your parents (mostly dad) as a child.

Sealants do last much longer and IMO shines just as well as waxes (Good quality Sealant vs Good quality Wax). The "WAX Guys" will tell you that a wax will always have more depth. In trying to get the best of both worlds, topping off a sealant with a wax has been a common practice for the "die hard".

The technology has advance so much that your question should be "Why use synthetics (sealants) at all when we have nano-coatings". The life span of most coatings is not measure in months but in years and then there is Opti-coat....last as long as your paint.

I am a sealant/coating guy.
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      06-22-2013, 11:46 PM   #3
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Because you can't get the look of nuba wax from a synthetic. You can get gloss from a synthetic, but its a hard gloss. It looks like the surface is shelled in with candy. There are a lot of high quality waxes out there right now that last anywhere from 3-12 months. Take a look at Swissvax Shield. A quality wax has a little more depth, more metallic pop depending if its a white or yellow nuba, and a warmer look. It Sometimes I use synthetics on my wheels, headlights, taillights, skirts, and lower portion of rear bumper. For the rest of the car, its almost always a high quality nuba.
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      06-22-2013, 11:47 PM   #4
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I use Zaino's system of products. I'm happy with everything about it except how long it takes to do the shebang.
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      06-23-2013, 08:29 AM   #5
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I have coated my car with CARPRO CQUARTZ, no more wax
I just wash it and spray some Reload sealant spray and that's it
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      06-23-2013, 11:21 AM   #6
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I have problems with sprays as they seem to go everywhere and prefer to use collinite wax in a pot. It gives my car that little extra shine but the reason why I do it is to give me a few more extra hours of bird dropping protection. apart from that waxing my car attracts dust like there is no tomorrow.
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      06-23-2013, 11:37 AM   #7
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I wax about 2 times a year, old school style. Although I haven't tried the alternate methods. It is relaxing to do.
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      06-26-2013, 12:42 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittsburger View Post
I wax about 2 times a year, old school style. Although I haven't tried the alternate methods. It is relaxing to do.
Quality synthetic products will give you the same amount of relaxation and effort that we all like to put in our cars' finishes. IMO synthetics are more durable and last longer than waxes. To apply a car finish system like zaino will take several products and a lot of elbow grease.
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      06-26-2013, 06:00 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RD335 View Post
Quality synthetic products will give you the same amount of relaxation and effort that we all like to put in our cars' finishes. IMO synthetics are more durable and last longer than waxes. To apply a car finish system like zaino will take several products and a lot of elbow grease.
Sounds like the only thing you dislike about wax is there length or protection?
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      06-26-2013, 06:22 PM   #10
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seal with a synthentic. Wax the next day with a carnuba based product. Best of both worlds

/thread
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      06-26-2013, 08:44 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mmahany View Post
seal with a synthentic. Wax the next day with a carnuba based product. Best of both worlds

/thread
+1

Well you don't need to wait until the next day to put on the carnauba wax, but it is nicer to let the sealant bond longer to the paint.
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      07-01-2013, 10:29 AM   #12
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I didn't know people still used Zaino. That was the first product I ever bought when I got into detailing. Now it's collecting dust. What a hassle that product is when looking back.

For me it's either sealing it with Menzerna Power Lock or/and a nice layer of Swissvax wax.
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      07-01-2013, 11:59 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by P1et View Post
I didn't know people still used Zaino. That was the first product I ever bought when I got into detailing. Now it's collecting dust. What a hassle that product is when looking back.

For me it's either sealing it with Menzerna Power Lock or/and a nice layer of Swissvax wax.
After many reviews I was actually looking into getting Zaino Z2-Pro as my sealant and topping it off with P21S 100% for my 'new to me' E90. But now I curious and am looking into all the Nano-coatings that are being talked about, like the Opti-Coat 2.0, AQuartz, CQuartz, etc.

Since my ride is a DD, I'm more concerned about protection...but of course want it to look good as well..., so many options.
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      07-01-2013, 12:20 PM   #14
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some clearcoat chemists recommend not waxing or sealing at all
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      07-01-2013, 12:29 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbnery6465 View Post
After many reviews I was actually looking into getting Zaino Z2-Pro as my sealant and topping it off with P21S 100% for my 'new to me' E90. But now I curious and am looking into all the Nano-coatings that are being talked about, like the Opti-Coat 2.0, AQuartz, CQuartz, etc.

Since my ride is a DD, I'm more concerned about protection...but of course want it to look good as well..., so many options.
We tend to overthink these things. Compared to what our paint is built to withstand, even applying a sealant once or twice a year is probably overkill. For me, these coatings aren't for me as I enjoy spending some time with cars on the weekend and putting on a nice layer of wax. It'll give me a few months or protection, but I never let it get that far. I wax or seal all my cars at least once a month. MORE than plenty of protection.
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      07-01-2013, 01:06 PM   #16
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doesn't matter what i put on my car... paint always gets rough after about a month. one of the burdens of being street parked i suppose. can't just run an autoscrub across jet black paint either. no matter how careful you are, any kind of clay or clay substitute will visibly mar it.

i've been meaning to try one of those coatings like 22ple
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      07-01-2013, 05:16 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by P1et View Post
We tend to overthink these things. Compared to what our paint is built to withstand, even applying a sealant once or twice a year is probably overkill. For me, these coatings aren't for me as I enjoy spending some time with cars on the weekend and putting on a nice layer of wax. It'll give me a few months or protection, but I never let it get that far. I wax or seal all my cars at least once a month. MORE than plenty of protection.
Just curious what your are your procedures for stripping wax and putting on new wax when you wax once a month?
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      07-01-2013, 05:17 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by P1et View Post
We tend to overthink these things. Compared to what our paint is built to withstand, even applying a sealant once or twice a year is probably overkill. For me, these coatings aren't for me as I enjoy spending some time with cars on the weekend and putting on a nice layer of wax. It'll give me a few months or protection, but I never let it get that far. I wax or seal all my cars at least once a month. MORE than plenty of protection.
Sealing a car at least once a month is probably a little more overkill than twice a year

I definitely like spending time with the car as well...but have more fun spending time with my 2-year old. I've heard that some people put wax on top of their "nano" coatings just for looks and self-pleasure. I could see my self doing a nano-coat (to protect paint and keep the shine longer) and applying some carnauba every 2 months for the depth and slickness factor...and I just love the smell of wax!
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      07-01-2013, 06:26 PM   #19
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just rejex 2 or 3 times a year on all our cars.
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      07-01-2013, 10:56 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zero_09 View Post
Just curious what your are your procedures for stripping wax and putting on new wax when you wax once a month?
I do not strip my wax since Insignis is pretty expensive. Unless I completely switch waxes (or go from a wax to a sealant) would I strip it first. So for now, I just add a new layer of Insignis every time I want to refresh the paint.
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      07-04-2013, 11:37 AM   #21
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During the spring, summer and early fall months I use DoDo Juice Purple Haze Pro.
For the winter I use DoDo Juice Supernatural Hybrid Paste Sealant. This gets me about 4 months of great winter protection for snow, and salt.
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      07-04-2013, 11:58 AM   #22
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My LSP is still P21S/S100 Concours Carnuba wax for many years. I'm thinking of trying BFWD, but I'm more than happy with the look of the wax and happy enough with the length of protection.

I detail once per year with machine, usually in the spring, and then try to wax monthly or so for as long as the good weather lasts. I'll put on 2-3 coats when I think my last "fall" wax is, and hope that I can do a quick wax on an unexpected nice day around February to make it through the winter.
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