Exterior car care products. (1 Viewer)

[Stephen L]

Wow looks like Zaino's has a lot of fans. I've used Zymol wax and car wash.The Zymol does a good job but is a real pain to use the wax and I heard recently the wash was made by Turtle Wax , smells nice though. Most people at work swear by Meguiars products except for one who uses nothing but Mothers-California Gold . The Absorber gets a .Now if only there was a terrific product to clean the brake dust easily and actually do a good job.

 

[Daniel Swartz]

Zaino isn't a miracle product. It has just received a lot of vocal online support from numerous car forums. Most people find it to be a valuable and effective product. Others, are happy with what they currently use (e.g., waxes instead of polish).

I would suggest maybe try a little of both and see what works best for ya!

 

[BrianW]

If your car is new, use a wax, either silicone or carnuba. If your paint job has swirl marks, use multiple coats of a carnuba wax to fill in the swirl marks. If your car has deeper scratches that don’t quite go through to the primer (deeper than swirl marks, but not deep enough to remove the color), then use a polish once to diminish the presence of the scratches, and then use multiple coats of a carnuba wax.
Brands differ as much in application ease as in quality. I consider life to be too short to go over every inch of my car’s panel joints and weather stripping with a toothpick, so I’ll never use another paste wax again. I think the go-anywhere, liquid waxes like Buffalo Milke, or the Wax Shoppe product Ted mentioned are the way to go. I don’t know about the Zaino’s products, but the pictures on their site are no more impressive than the mirror finish I get on my 14-year-old Honda using Buffalo Milke.

 

[Daniel Swartz]

Ok, while we're on the subject, what does everyone use on their rims, leather, and dashboard (vinyl)? Thanks!

 

[Steve Russell]

meguiar's professional products are awesome.

 

[DonnyD]

All these posts about car care had me outside cleaning my truck yesterday! It is time for that once a year thing that includes a Mequiars Body Scrub, then the Mequiars step 2 Deep Crystal Polish and lastly the Mequiars Gold Class Wax. Then in the fall I usually do just the polish and wax for winter protection.

I keep my truck clean and always wash it with Mequiars car wash and chamios till dry. Rain-x on the windows and Mequiars Endurance for the tires and black accent trim. Eagle One Plastic Cleaner for the tints. 2001 for the inside plastic.

I have to thank my dad for the way I like to keep my truck.... When my two brothers and I were young, he would put us outside cleaning his car and it had to be done to perfection. We all are still that way 50 years later.

I have switched around with the products I use and there are certainly some good ones out there. Some that I favor have been the Eagle One Wet Look Polish, Nu-finish, Zymol but I keep going back to the Mequiars system. I always use an orbital buffer and I get some striking results.

I have a 6 year old F150, red, and gets a lot of comments on its shine. I have certainly found that clear coats are much easier to maintain. My last vehicle was a regular paint, black and was a bear to keep out the swirls.

That all being said..... it is about time for me to head back outside and finish what I started yesterday!

 

[DennisZ]

here is Zaino's web site
www.zainobros.com
the best car products
Denny

 

[Mary M S]

Thanks Stephen, I appreciated the timeliness of this thread for myself.
We have a lengthy project car winding up these next 2 months. It was stripped to bare metal, and has been left with one final sand/buff till everything else has been installed back onto/into the car.
Just sent off for one of everything from 'ZANIO' today.
Looking forward to trying the products. Thanks to those who posted the links and opinions!

 

[Derrick Lee]

I'm a little late to the party, but I use Finish First Polish. The stuff works great, and lasts longer than a wax would.

 

[Bob-Smith]

I have used DryWash-n-Guard exclusively on my '99 Corvette. It has 13,000 miles and has never been washed with water! Once the car has a few coats of Dry Wash, typical road grime, bugs, dust, etc., simply wipe off with a rag that is wetted with Dry Wash (or water) and buff with a towel to restore shine. I generally carry a wet terry cloth polish rag in a plastic bag in my car for quick clean-ups when on the road. The stuff creates amazing deep shine, is easy to use on paint, glass, chrome wheels, weatherstrip - virtually everything except the convertible top, but is not good for daily drivers or cars that sit outdoors overnight, because it will not stand up to dew or rain. For my daily driver I use Armor All Spray Polish or Turtle Wax Spray Polish. Both can be used on all surfaces, and are very fast to use. I am not a dealer for Dry Wash, but you can find itn on the internet.

 

[Bill_Weinreich]

After detailing cars on the side for many years, my vote would have to go to Mothers California Gold. Simply the best REAL wax on the market(IMHO). Sure its work to use but its worth it.

P.S. a quick scratch tip: Get your kids(or yours) box of crayons. Find a close color match and rub it in. Scratches are well hidden and well protected (they're wax)

Bill

 

[Jeff_Krueger]

On my 98 Bonneville it seems like dirt always sticks to it no matter what. It is white with clear coat (I think) and is always a pain to get bugs/tar off even with some of the tar/bug removers. I want to get it in good shape before fishfly season hits and have a thousand dead critters stuck to the front of my car. Also I've noticed swirl marks in the finish and would like to take car of that also.

I think I might need to strip the wax, clean the paint and then wax it up good so crap doesn't stick to it. Any recomendations anybody can make?

 

[Garrett Lundy]

Exterior: Turtle Wax car zip-wash soap. and liquid wax (works for me!). Wash daily if used, wax every six weeks or so.

Glass: Inside and out, Parts Master glass cleaner. Buy the BIG spray bottles.

Interior: Meguiar's EXTRA. Cleans the vynil great but smells like sh*t. Then coat vynil in coats of Armor All Grease-free interior cleaner. Carpets and fabric on seats get the $.50 car-wash vacuum.

Accesories: California Water-Blade. Good bucket and wash-mit. Dash-Duster also helpful. Pine-Tree air freshener (Covers up the EXTRA).

And always get a few friends to help wax. JVC Ka-Boom! Box helps here.

 

[Sheldon]

I have a 1965 Mustang Fastback and this is what I use.

Exterior:Warm water and Palmolive Dish Soap,Chamois Dry

Mothers 3-Step (Cleaner,Polisher,Canuba Wax.I think that they are in the right order.Always Buffed to perfection.

Tires:Armourall Foam Tire Cleaner.It's one of the best that I have ever used.

Windows:Simple Vinegar and Water with Newspaper.

Inside:damp Cloth nothing else.You can see the results just by clicking on my webpage.

 

[Ted Lee]

hey sheldon -

how streak-free would you say the vinegar/water mix is? i've always wondered about that. what percentage is the mix?

i have yet to find a streak-free commercial glass-cleaner product. although, the armor-all glass cleaner comes pretty close...

ted

 

[Sheldon]

Ted:I never measure the amount of vinegar to water ratio but basically I take a wash bucket of water and put maybe 2/3 of a cup and mix well.You can just barely smell the vinegar in the water.Put some in a spray bottle and spray the windows.Dry off with newspaper.I've used the Armour All before and like that as well but when I was 16 I worked at a car detail place and this is what they always used...vinegar and water.

 

[Ted Lee]

thanks sheldon!
btw - i'm assuming you're talking about regular, generic white vinegar?

 

[Sheldon]

Yup !

 

[Stephen L]

Dry off with newspaper

Sheldon I've heard people mention using newspaper to clean windows ,does it work well for you as opposed to a micro fiber towel?

 

[Sheldon]

Never used that...its probably works well but for me,newspaper works great.