I recently bought a can of Meguiars cleaner wax. I've used the product for years. After using the new can, the beading on two different cars was terrible. I contacted Meguiars, and the response I got was basically that beading doesn't equal protection. They did offer to send me a can of their Ultimate wax. I'm very pleased with the results of that wax, and the beading is great. Does water beading equal protection? Are there waxes that don't bead when applied? Was I wrong to not be happy with the results?
Meguiars wax
- Thread starter whip
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Unless you are trying to remove some very minor imperfections or oxidation, you should not be using a cleaner wax anyways.Those formulas always try to do several things and they end up doing both only so well versus dedicated products. Use a dedicated wax like Gold Class if you want a natural product or the ultimate for a synthetic sealant. Water beading is a quick and dirty way to tell how much protection remains.
The only "cleaning" wax I have ever seen last a long while was Duragloss Total Performance Polish. Had nearly a year of water beading with that on a red Blazer.
The only "cleaning" wax I have ever seen last a long while was Duragloss Total Performance Polish. Had nearly a year of water beading with that on a red Blazer.
I've used nothing but MG's cleaner/wax for thirty years and it's never let me down. The last car I had was an 89 Accord that I drive for 23 years and the paint was still clean and shiny. I used to wax four times a year when it was parked outside at work and twice a year once I had a parking garage to use.
Correct, beading is not necessarily a sign of protection. In my case, I would actually prefer water to sheet off since beading can lead to water spots if left to dry in the summer. This has been a problem in the past when it rains briefly on a summer day or if you park near some lawn sprinklers.
Nothing wrong with using a cleaner wax if you aren't doing the full blown paint polishing procedure. I'd rather everyone used cleaner wax once a month than only a select few use the 10 step process once a year.
I believe Meguiars NXT is designed to sheet water as well as "self clean" when rinsed. Can't think of too many other waxes that sheet instead of bead.
If you want to try something new, Sonax Polymer Net Shield is a synthetic spray on sealant that beads like crazy but at the same time does not feel slick like a carnauba. It literally coats the surface with a film that has decent protection.
Nothing wrong with using a cleaner wax if you aren't doing the full blown paint polishing procedure. I'd rather everyone used cleaner wax once a month than only a select few use the 10 step process once a year.
I believe Meguiars NXT is designed to sheet water as well as "self clean" when rinsed. Can't think of too many other waxes that sheet instead of bead.
If you want to try something new, Sonax Polymer Net Shield is a synthetic spray on sealant that beads like crazy but at the same time does not feel slick like a carnauba. It literally coats the surface with a film that has decent protection.
I wouldn't recommend a cleaner wax unless you have some mild correcting/filling in of scratches you want to do. A good quality wax like the ultimate wax or even step up to the Meguiars M26 are both nice waxes for protection. Cleaner waxes don't clean well nor protect well. They do OK at both.
Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
I wouldn't recommend a cleaner wax unless you have some mild correcting/filling in of scratches you want to do. A good quality wax like the ultimate wax or even step up to the Meguiars M26 are both nice waxes for protection. Cleaner waxes don't clean well nor protect well. They do OK at both.
I agree. I avoid cleaner waxes until they are absolutely necessary.
I wouldn't recommend a cleaner wax unless you have some mild correcting/filling in of scratches you want to do. A good quality wax like the ultimate wax or even step up to the Meguiars M26 are both nice waxes for protection. Cleaner waxes don't clean well nor protect well. They do OK at both.
I agree. I avoid cleaner waxes until they are absolutely necessary.
I've used Megs cleaner wax as well as the (more aggressive) commercial verion. Both are easy to use, leave a nice luster and bead "ok." Neither lasts very long at all. I typically end up rewaxing with a sythentic wax/sealant. This year, though I've been using a cleaner wax from Griots called One Step Sealant. Looks great, beads well and so far has lasted a few months.
Yes, Duragloss is excellent and not expensive. Their best cleaning product is for marine/rv use and professionals use it. One of them on here:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...501#Post3118894
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...501#Post3118894
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Originally Posted By: whip
Thanks, I'll check out the duragloss next time.
Another question, is there anything I can do with the can of cleaner wax that wasn't very good? I'd hate to just throw it away.
It works pretty well for wheels.
Thanks, I'll check out the duragloss next time.
Another question, is there anything I can do with the can of cleaner wax that wasn't very good? I'd hate to just throw it away.
It works pretty well for wheels.
Originally Posted By: whip
Thanks, I'll check out the duragloss next time.
Another question, is there anything I can do with the can of cleaner wax that wasn't very good? I'd hate to just throw it away.
Send it to me, Meguiars cleaner wax is very good, works best with the 5" random orbital
Thanks, I'll check out the duragloss next time.
Another question, is there anything I can do with the can of cleaner wax that wasn't very good? I'd hate to just throw it away.
Send it to me, Meguiars cleaner wax is very good, works best with the 5" random orbital
Originally Posted By: grampi
I've never cared for Meguiar's finishing waxes, they just don't last or look that great...I love their polishes such as their 105, 205, Ultimate Compound, etc., but there are better finishing products...
What's your best bang for the buck wax?
I've never cared for Meguiar's finishing waxes, they just don't last or look that great...I love their polishes such as their 105, 205, Ultimate Compound, etc., but there are better finishing products...
What's your best bang for the buck wax?
Originally Posted By: whip
Originally Posted By: grampi
I've never cared for Meguiar's finishing waxes, they just don't last or look that great...I love their polishes such as their 105, 205, Ultimate Compound, etc., but there are better finishing products...
What's your best bang for the buck wax?
Bang-for-the-buck wise, it's REALLY hard to beat Collinite 845
Originally Posted By: grampi
I've never cared for Meguiar's finishing waxes, they just don't last or look that great...I love their polishes such as their 105, 205, Ultimate Compound, etc., but there are better finishing products...
What's your best bang for the buck wax?
Bang-for-the-buck wise, it's REALLY hard to beat Collinite 845
The best wax to me is the one that has the paintjob looking swell and in healthy shape in 20-30 years.
So, not necessarily the easiest to apply, nor the longest lasting, and not even the shiniest/brightest.
So, not necessarily the easiest to apply, nor the longest lasting, and not even the shiniest/brightest.
Originally Posted By: whip
Thanks, I'll check out the duragloss next time.
Another question, is there anything I can do with the can of cleaner wax that wasn't very good? I'd hate to just throw it away.
I am the same way. I have lots of different car care products which I tried at some point but no longer use for whatever reason, and now they just sit on the shelf and collect dust mostly. There is a bottle of Meg's Cleaner Wax up there too.
If I paid money for it, and it does what it is supposed to do, I won't just throw it away. So for me, the best use of such products is to save them for the next time a friend or family member asks you for a can or this or a bottle of that...or worse, asks you to wash/wax their vehicle yourself in the hopes you can perform a miracle on their POS and make it look like yours somehow.
In those instances, I will go to the "no longer used" shelf and give the person whatever they asked for from that shelf and tell them "this is some good stuff, it'll work for what you are looking for." Which isn't a lie, whatever it is will work for them, just maybe not as well as the other products I do use but which I will not give away.
And with respects to the Meg's Cleaner Wax, I have found it to be a good option in varying different scenarios for which I wouldn't otherwise want to use some of my "good stuff" due to limited amount or prep work required:
1) as someone else already mentioned, protecting a set of wheels on a vehicle which has not previously had its wheels waxed for protection, e.g. a used car is added to the family, and its previous owner barely kept the car washed, much less wax on the wheels.
2) lowest portions of vertical body panels on daily drivers.
Let's face it, no one is going to be spending any time up close and personal with the bottom half of my car's fenders and doors, not even me. So those are the areas of paint which are most likely to have the least quality paint prep applied before any yearly/semi-annual polish and wax session. So if it is really hot and I am really tired and my back really hurts, I might just stop polishing out the CC swirls about half-way down the vertical body panels and use Meg's Cleaner Wax for the remaining paint surfaces.
3) temporarily protecting any areas which have had their normal protection removed for whatever reason and will have to wait a while before I can devote the time/energy to doing things right to get them back into the fold.
For example, if I had to use some bug & tar cleaner on an area of the hood to remove the remnants of a failed plasti-diped stripe attempt, that area would be sans wax protection as a result. But if I introduced any new swirls into the CC while removing the plasti-dip, I would want to polish those out before applying my normal wax of choice.
However, if it's one of the summer months here in Texas, I might be unwilling to break out the polisher and spend time in my garage removing CC swirls, preferring to wait until cooler weather sets in. So in that scenario, I would just hit the area with some Meg's Cleaner Wax to get something in place and protecting it while I waited for October or November to draw near.
Thanks, I'll check out the duragloss next time.
Another question, is there anything I can do with the can of cleaner wax that wasn't very good? I'd hate to just throw it away.
I am the same way. I have lots of different car care products which I tried at some point but no longer use for whatever reason, and now they just sit on the shelf and collect dust mostly. There is a bottle of Meg's Cleaner Wax up there too.
If I paid money for it, and it does what it is supposed to do, I won't just throw it away. So for me, the best use of such products is to save them for the next time a friend or family member asks you for a can or this or a bottle of that...or worse, asks you to wash/wax their vehicle yourself in the hopes you can perform a miracle on their POS and make it look like yours somehow.
In those instances, I will go to the "no longer used" shelf and give the person whatever they asked for from that shelf and tell them "this is some good stuff, it'll work for what you are looking for." Which isn't a lie, whatever it is will work for them, just maybe not as well as the other products I do use but which I will not give away.
And with respects to the Meg's Cleaner Wax, I have found it to be a good option in varying different scenarios for which I wouldn't otherwise want to use some of my "good stuff" due to limited amount or prep work required:
1) as someone else already mentioned, protecting a set of wheels on a vehicle which has not previously had its wheels waxed for protection, e.g. a used car is added to the family, and its previous owner barely kept the car washed, much less wax on the wheels.
2) lowest portions of vertical body panels on daily drivers.
Let's face it, no one is going to be spending any time up close and personal with the bottom half of my car's fenders and doors, not even me. So those are the areas of paint which are most likely to have the least quality paint prep applied before any yearly/semi-annual polish and wax session. So if it is really hot and I am really tired and my back really hurts, I might just stop polishing out the CC swirls about half-way down the vertical body panels and use Meg's Cleaner Wax for the remaining paint surfaces.
3) temporarily protecting any areas which have had their normal protection removed for whatever reason and will have to wait a while before I can devote the time/energy to doing things right to get them back into the fold.
For example, if I had to use some bug & tar cleaner on an area of the hood to remove the remnants of a failed plasti-diped stripe attempt, that area would be sans wax protection as a result. But if I introduced any new swirls into the CC while removing the plasti-dip, I would want to polish those out before applying my normal wax of choice.
However, if it's one of the summer months here in Texas, I might be unwilling to break out the polisher and spend time in my garage removing CC swirls, preferring to wait until cooler weather sets in. So in that scenario, I would just hit the area with some Meg's Cleaner Wax to get something in place and protecting it while I waited for October or November to draw near.
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