Opinopns on SOAP /WAX

[Drift Monkey]

I'm using the NXT wash and wax as of yet with pretty good results, although Kevin makes me want to try the Griot's stuff.... I guess when I run out I know where I'm headed! :D

[arcsine]

[quote name='!S4']Just a tip, when resizing an image, don't do it in one large step. Instead, make the image 75% of it's image size, and repeat until you get to the size you want. You'll have less loss that way.[/quote] If you do that, you're recombining pixels that have already been dithered over and over again. The best way to preserve the initial image is to do all your touch-up at full res and then resample and compress once. I have a degree in graphic design. but then again I haven't used it in the last 5 years, so this is just what I think.

[Trent Bates]

[quote name='STG']The only reason for two coats was to insure coverage. For crying out loud! Ther original images are 3008 x 2000 NEF (raw) 10 mb. What you see here has been reduced to 40 -60k 700 x 466. I guess I lost some pixels somewhere. Get a botytle of NXT and try it yourself. Yes, the trained monkey drilled the bumper incorrectly. He also scratched the left rear window with a razor blade. A new window is on order and the bumper will be swapped out with aone frtom the next Garnet Red Legacy (UNDRILLED) that comes in at my dealer.[/quote] I'm sorry STG. I didn't mean to come across as complaining about the pixelization. I was suggesting that it might be responsible for my not seeing what I was hoping to see in the car's finish. I'd actually like to do a comparison on another car with Zaino on one side and NXT on the other and leave the panel outside for a couple of months. I've seen others do that kind of comparison and document it. It was one of those that sold me on Zaino in the first place. I think I read that you were going to get your bumper swapped in another thread. My Wife's '03 Legacy has the holes drilled slightly off horizontally but it's really something only I notice. I wish they'd stop drilling those holes for us! I've read that there are "dimples" or "marks" from the factory that show where the holes should be drilled. Do you see any indication of that since they obviously didn't drill yours at those marks?

[Trent Bates]

[quote name='RoundBoy'] The dealer put on a wax that I can't remember the name of... supossedly only avaialble to dealers? and contains teflon?[/quote] It wasn't this [i]First Place Finish[/i] stuff was it? It has Teflon in it and it was offered at my dealership as an extra product. I've found that the same stuff is being offered by some dealerships as their own in house product.

[STG]

Trent, Normally I would have waited until an hour or less before sunset to take the photos. If I had, the paint would have looked warmer and wetter. I didn't take any close ups of the paint. Next time.

[STG]

I started out with Nikon NEF or raw file and used Nikon Caputure 4.1 to adjust and sharpen it. After making all adjustments, I used Capture to convert it to an 8 bit image and used Photoshop's "save to web" option to resize it. No matter what I do to an image, you're still looking at it at 72dpi on your monitor. My photos are not paint close ups, where you can see individual metal flakes and spider webbing.

[Trent Bates]

[quote name='STG']Trent, Normally I would have waited until an hour or less before sunset to take the photos. If I had, the paint would have looked warmer and wetter. I didn't take any close ups of the paint. Next time.[/quote] No problem. It's not just your photos that I'm drawing my conclusions from anyway. I'm noticing the same trend on other people's photos of NXT'd cars where it's missing the depth that I'm expecting to see. Still, I think the only real way to compare the two is to try both according to their directions side by side. I've got the hood of my GTP off already while I'm rebuilding the Engine and Tranny. I might use both on that even though it's a metallic Gold color. One of the things that I remember enjoying about a Zaino'd car is that there appears to be a slight "spectrum" effect which may have given the paint more of a luster than it really had. Maybe that's what I'm not seeing. :)

[STG]

Trent,

 

Now I'm curious. What product do you think was used on on my Mach1 when this photo was taken?

 

Stan

[Trent Bates]

Hmmm. That's a tough one! I'm going on the assumption that we are not talking about a third product here so it's between NXT Tech and Zaino. I'm leaning towards saying it's NXT because of the "uniformity" of color in a given section and the fuzziness of the reflected edges. (Neither is a bad thing!) If it's Zaino, I'd say it's a single coat of Z1 with one or maybe 2 coats of Z5. In either case, I'll guess that it was done by a machine as opposed to being done by hand. So, what is it? I've decided to do the test I spoke of earlier on my Wife's Regal Blue Metallic (I hope that's the right name for it) '03 Legacy. I'll do half of the roof with Zaino and half with NXT per the directions for each. (I might even leave a line of untreated paint between the two. I'll "dawn-wash" and clay in preparation. She drives her car 50 miles a day and rarely takes time to clean it so it will get a good beating! Anyone have an suggestions on the number of coats I should use of each product? I guess I could do a few test areas with additional coats of each. I'm looking forward to trying this out!

[STG]

Sorry, it is a third unkown product. This is how my dealer prepped it. I wiped it down Meguiar's detail spray. Mustangs are not known for great paint! I posted the picture to show the difference lighting can make. Here's the car with NXT in direct sunlight:

 

When applying NXT, give it 10-20 minutes to haze (depending on temp & huimidity). Two coats ensures coverage - no missed spots. Use masking tape for a clear line between the two products.

 

It's nice to see someone willing to do their own test! Looking forward to the results!

[Throttlejockey]

You can't judge the 2 waxes with pics. You need to do it in person like you're planning to do. NXT all the way. The car stays clean longer for some reason, even after it rains. I noticed that on my black truck too.

[Trent Bates]

[quote name='Throttlejockey']You can't judge the 2 waxes with pics. You need to do it in person like you're planning to do. NXT all the way. The car stays clean longer for some reason, even after it rains. I noticed that on my black truck too.[/quote] I agree to an extent which is why I want to do a side by side comparison. I don't agree entirely as I've seen too many pictures where the difference was obvious. You said, "The car stays clean longer for some reason" to which I ask, longer than what? Elaborate if you would, please. I'd love to hear from someone who has actually used both Zaino and NXT. If you have, speak up and tell us what you think!

[Throttlejockey]

[quote]"The car stays clean longer for some reason" to which I ask, longer than what? Elaborate if you would, please. [/quote] Much longer than it did before I started using NXT. I used to used the Meguire's Gold Class before and noticed right away when the car was dirty. It's a drastic difference with black.

[Trent Bates]

[quote name='Throttlejockey']Much longer than it did before I started using NXT. I used to used the Meguire's Gold Class before and noticed right away when the car was dirty. It's a drastic difference with black.[/quote] Yeah, that's pretty much what I noticed when I stopped using Gold Class 5-6 years ago. I tell ya, I was getting really tired of trying to keep the car looking shiny and clean back in those days!

[Trent Bates]

Okay all, I've got the Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax in the 18 fl. oz. purple bottle with the purple/green applicator sponge. I've also got the Meguiar's NXT Spray Wax (Booster Wax) in the 24 fl. oz. purple spray bottle with the green sprayer top. The two cost in the neighborhood of $23 at my local Target. In the other corner I've got Zaino Bros. Z1 Show Car Polish Lok in an 8 oz. bottle and Zaino Bros. Z2 Show Car Polish in another 8 oz. bottle. I've got a few applicator pads to apply it all with. I don't remember the cost for these two bottles. I'm sure it's on the website if someone cares to look. Here's how I plan on testing: I will wash the roof of an '03 Subaru Legacy L SE with a sunroof installed with Dawn dishwashing liquid. I will repeat this step because it's easy to do and should really eliminate any current wax/polish products present. (Honestly, my Wife has never waxed the car so I don't expect to really need this step.) I will use a Meguiar's Clay Bar on the test area just to make sure that the surface is as flawless as possible. I'll wash again with Meguiar's NXT Car Wash and dry. [color=green]Correction: I will wash with Dawn once, Clay, then wash with Dawn again, Rinse. It's still going to be as clean as possible and I don't have to worrk about any additives in the NXT Car Wash.[/color] I will make a line to divide the test areas with blue painting/masking tape. The Zaino side: (Can be applied in direct sunlight) I will apply Z1 in a light coat with a cotton applicator to half of the test area in a front to back motion. (since it's a top surface) I will allow it to "haze" as instructed. I will not wipe it off. I will apply Z2 in the same manner over the top of the Z1 as instructed. After 10 minutes, I will wipe off the excess with a 100% cotton towel. The NXT side: (Recommends shade or surface being cool to the touch in direct sun) I will apply a thin, even coat to the test area and let it dry to a haze. I will remove with a 100% cotton towel and use a clean portion for the final wipe. There will be two "sub-areas" where I will apply a second coat of Z2 and NXT on their respective sides. I won't apply tape to these areas to keep from interfering with the 1st coat of products. After all areas have dried and been wiped off. I will remove the dividing tape and spray water on the test areas. I'll look for nicely formed beads of water, etc. I will park the car so that the back slopes off the driveway to determine how each side sheds water when assisted by gravity. At this point I will go inside and do something else. :) The rest of the test involves letting the car be driven and exposed to the elements. Anyone else have anything to add to my proposed plan? Keep in mind that I also have the NXT Booster Wax. (In retrospect, I'm not sure when I'd use this.) And I still have a couple of bottles of Meguair's Quik Detailer and a bottle of Zaino Z6 Gloss Enhancer in spray bottles for in-between cleaning!

[malachii]

I'm looking for a long lasting, "easy"-to-apply wax... Living in Canada I'm hoping to apply a coat of long-lasting wax in October - I'm not waxing my car in the winter! (sorry guys - I love the legacy, but....). This has to last until the spring (about 6 months). What's your recommendation? By the way, what's the difference between a synthetic wax, and a sealant (nothing perhaps?). I'm leaning towards NXT because I believe it's synthetic, and those supposedly last longer than natural waxes. Thanks, Mal.

[Christopher W]

Is NXT even available in Canada yet? I thought it was delayed 'til next year (the reasons for this remain obscure at best). I do know I couldn't find it in Crappy Tire this past spring. -CW

[Ken S]

[quote name='Trent Bates']At this point I will go inside and do something else. :) The rest of the test involves letting the car be driven and exposed to the elements. [/quote] How long do you plan to leave it "exposed to the elements"? I think most waxes and finishes will look decent after initial application. It's months after the initial application that the differences start to emerge. The ultimate verdict would only be told if you kept using two different types on each side of your car and then compare after years of driving -- but I don't think you want to do that! One piece of information that would be important to know is ease of application between the two. You know, you might be able to get either Meguiar's or Zaino to sponsor this test. Ken

[Trent Bates]

Hidden somewhere in all of the stuff I've posted above was the fact that my Wife drives this car 50 miles a day AND never washes, waxes, etc. (She does dishes, laundry, etc. and I wash cars, paint, fix things, and so on.) This is the reason that I decided to do the test on her car. I won't do anything but wash the test areas periodically with some mild car soap and rinse. I'm anxious to see which product lasts longer and maintains a better appearance without maintenance. I'm used to spending a few hours polishing/waxing my car on one weekend every 6 months or so and just washing it the rest of the time. The product that holds up best through this test is the one I'll personally use. Hopefully the info from this will help others decide what is best for them. I'll be sure to note the ease of application and the time it took as well! (Thanks for reminding me!) I wonder if either company would be interested in this test? I could make millions! :D (Or not. :) )

[Trent Bates]

Just finished applying and reporting with my initial impressions! [b]The setup:[/b] Last night I washed and clayed and washed and washed and washed. I wanted to make sure that there was nothing but paint on this roof! This morning I rinsed and dryed just to be sure that there wasn't a layer of dust or anything else on the roof. I layed out 3 strips of blue painter's tape. Two from the sunroof to the back window in the center but 5 inches apart. A third from the driver's side to the passenger side 12" back from the sunroof. This gave me 6 sections to work with. I did the small center section because I wanted to test the [i]First Place Finish[/i] stuff that the dealer left in my glove box. I started with the Zaino Z1 because it's a two step process. I applied the Z1 to the driver's side front and back sections. I next applied the First Place Finish stuff to the center two sections. Then I applied Meguair's NXT Tech Wax to the passenger side sections. I finished by applying Zaino Z2 over the top of the Z1 on the driver's two sections. None of the products were difficult to apply. I didn't have any issues with any of them. The Zaino was twice the work of course. I waited the same amount of time to remove the excess from the three. I waited probably 10 minutes or so and carefully used different sections of the same towel. This isn't like waiting too long to remove Carnuba wax and having to scrub off the excess though. All three came off easily with light pressure. This is where I noticed the first difference. Unlike the other two, Meguiar's seemed to leave an oily residue on the first try. The others came right off and would have looked fine if I had stopped there. I had to wipe the NXT off about twice as long to get the residue and streaks off. I then applied a second coat of each product to one section of it's corresponding area. I applied Z2 to the driver's side near the sunroof, I applied First Place Finish to the center near the sunroof, and I applied NXT to the passenger's side near the sunroof. I left the other three sections untouched. So what I have at this point is three different products on six sections. Three of those sections contain a second coat. I waited for them to dry again and wiped them off. Then I removed the tape. [b]Visual inspection when dry:[/b] I stood on a step ladder to get in a good position and looked at the sun's image on the car. I found that the sun looked sort of fuzzy with NXT, a little better with First Place Finish, and noticeably more defined with Zaino. In the two coat sections, I saw only a slight improvement in Zaino and no change in the other two. (To be honest, I wasn't too surprised at this result. I've seen plenty of these comparisons in the past with Zaino and a few competitors.) I then arranged myself so that I could see the reflection of leaves on a tree across the street. The NXT and First Place Finish looked nearly the same while the Zaino side looked a little deeper and clearer. The score after this test: Zaino was 1st, there is a close tie for Meguiar's NXT and First Place Finish. Zaino was clearer and shinier. Despite having a layer of Z1 that is not removed before applying Z2, it was the product that made the car look cleanest and as if it had nothing on it but new paint. Both NXT and First Place Finish seem to have introduced a color dulling "grayness" to the paint. I might not have been discernable if it wasn't for the side-by-side comparison with Zaino. Keep in mind that the sections where no product was applied under the taped lines still looked much worse! All three helped the car look newer than bare paint with clearcoat on this 2.5 year old car. My thoughts at this point are that Zaino is still the product to use if you want your car to be really shiny and clean looking. The name "Show Car Polish" is really appropriate here. Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax is easier to use, but it just didn't look as good to me. First Place Finish surprises me because it's a little clearer than NXT as well as being less work clean off the excess! (I just included it in the test because I had this unopened bottle and wondered what it would do!) [b]Visual inspection when wet:[/b] This was a very interesting test and it brought up a question that we should possibly discuss. I started with the car on level ground and sprayed a light mist of water on the roof and looked for water beads. I sprayed lots of different ways to determine what was happening to the water as it hit the surface. I flooded the area with a sheet of water as well. All three products beaded up to varying degrees. I understand that it's desireable to have the water beads be well formed. I found that I could disrupt the desireable beading by spraying water from the side on two of the products quite easily. The remaining product was difficult to even finish spraying before beads were forming again. That product was Zaino. I parked the car so that it was on an incline and sprayed it all sorts of ways. Here's where the thought hit me which I'll get to in a moment. The water had a much greater tendency to run off the roof this time. I could spray and watch the water run off in sheets on two of the three products and again Zaino was just beading up after shedding the excess water. Here's the new thought: Do I really want these beads to just sit there? Eventually they will become water spots because of the hardness of the water we have here. I wonder if it would be better to have almost all of the water run off the surface instead? My conclusions after this test: Zaino is again 1st in beading and it's by a wide margin. But I'm not sure that I want the beading to be so stubborn! I have to consider that the behavior of NXT and First Place Finish might have it's benefits in actual use of the car! [b]This concludes this part of the test:[/b] Now we wait. We were expecting a little snow here this weekend but it's too warm for that. We still might get more rain in the next couple of days. I will be washing the car infrequently (After all, I have my '05 GT to play with) but I will not be using any polishing/waxing products on the car until the test is complete. Zaino is still the top product for making a car look great! I imagine that the initial application of Z1 covered by Z2 has a lot to do with this. I have been using Zaino for 5 or so years now and I know that I can go 7-8 months between applications without it's abilities decreasing noticeably. I don't need to be convinced that Zaino is worth the cost or extra time of applying a two part system instead of one. I've only ordered Zaino 2 or 3 times in the last 5 years. The bottle of Z1 that I used for this test was actually drying out and was still half full. I've been using this bottle for at least 3 years. Z2 goes faster because each coat of Z2 adds depth and luster to the paint. I've never applied more than 3 coats to my cars but I've seen cars with 5-6 coats on them and they look wonderful! There is also a Zaino gloss enhancer spray that can be used. It's like Meguiar's Quik Detailer. I often use it for my glasses, mirrors, etc. to keep them lint free. I've run out of the Zaino car wash and haven't yet ordered more. I love the Zaino Tire treatment. It's a soft black instead of a shiny, artificial black. Just to be sure that it's clear, with all of these accolades for Zaino, I'm simply a consumer. I have no ties to Zaino. I have no friends that work for Zaino. I don't get any special consideration from Zaino at all. I bought it, tried it, loved it. Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax is easier to use than previous wax products from them that I've tried. As mentioned above, I had been a Meguiar's fan for a long time. It's always been the manufacturer of choice for me until I found Zaino. I still use Meguiar's clay bar, Quick Detailer, Car wash soaps, fine cut cleaners, and assorted polishes whenever I need something that I don't have. I am a little disappointed to see that NXT isn't as good as I was hoping it would be. It's easier to get, and less work to apply. I don't think it's necessarily cheaper than Zaino after all is said and done though. Still I would have liked to have been happier with it's appearance for convenience sake. First Place Finish was really a surprise! This stuff isn't too bad at all! It's a little bit clearer than NXT though not quite as close to Zaino's clarity as I would have liked. It's easier to wipe off than NXT. It's a one step product instead of two steps for Zaino. It beads as well as NXT and sheds water similarly as well. I have no idea what it costs, but I imagine that it's not too bad if dealers are using it and leaving bottles of it in the glove box. Now the question is whether a product that lets the beads roll off or a product that refuses to stop beading is desireable in real world use. I'd like to hear other people's opinions on this as I watch our test progress the next few days and weeks and maybe months. I'm going to start looking for the first product to fail now. I assumed that First Place Finish would wear away first but the bottle says it should be applied every 6 months so I'm not so sure after seeing it's performance against NXT. We will see! BTW, I took some pictures of the reflections and water beading but I haven't downloaded them from the camera yet. I'll post them later! I hope they are good enough that you will be able to see the differences!

[Legacy05GT]

Kick-ass test. That information is all really helpful. Can't wait to see the pics.

[Trent Bates]

Further information for you guys: I rinsed with tap water on level ground yesterday, let the car sit out overnight, found a layer of dew on it this morning which later burned off, and just inspected it a moment ago. My Wife drove it once earlier today. The test surface has been untouched by humans hands since yesterday. The dust and hard water spots are evident now. There's a definite difference between the products. The Zaino side has lots of little tiny spots all over where the water beads must have been. Each is roughly the size of a pea or smaller. There's a tiny bit of dirt in each. First Place Finish and NXT both have larger irregular spots that are between dime and quarter size with dirt residue that has formed various shapes as it dried on the finish. (Squiggles, Arcs, Half circles, etc.) One huge spot on the NXT side is the size and rough shape of a quarter and a dime next to each other. We'll see what it looks like later in the week!

[STG]

:needpics: :laugh: :needpics:

[Trent Bates]

I'm going to have to get a better camera! These are pretty bad pics. I left them mostly uncompressed because I wanted to make sure you could see what details I was able to capture.

 

In the first set, the products are sitting in their "zones" with the tape still applied. I tried to capture the differences between the products' reflectivity but these pictures don't do justice.

What you can see is that there is a almost "chalky" appearance to the paint on the passenger and center sections. The driver's side is free of that "chalky" appearance which may be construed as being an effect of the angle that I was at, but it really was more dramatic than the picture shows.

Perhaps the right side is clear enough for you to see the reflections of the bottles on the surface. Note the difference in clarity of the First Place Finish bottle in the middle as it's reflection overlaps the Zaino section.

 

The seconds set of pics is much easier to see differences in.

The left pic is after a light misting of water. Note the sharp change in coloration as the products meet. (I'm not entirely sure what that indicates. Could be bead size, could be degrees of chalkiness, I don't know.)

The right pic is taken just moments after disturbing the surface tension of the beads by flooding the surface with water.

 

Looking at these pics, I believe that a short video might be a better way to go. Is everyone fine with .MPG?

[RoundBoy]

So.. what is the 'full' zaino system ? z-1,z-2 /z-5 , z-6 ?? How long does it take to do the whole car this way?