Wax?

[Wintermute]

What brand/type of wax do people use on their Boxsters? I'm looking for something that's easy (like a spray wax), but will give me a great shine and good protection from sun and dirt (I live in Arizona and the summer sun is brutal). I was thinking of trying Mequiar's Tech Wax as I've used their Gold Class wax on other cars and it looks great. Any recommendations? Basically the easier and quicker it can put it on the more often I'll use it, especially when it's 110 degrees

[KRZTACO]

Mmmm.....you ask a good question grasshopper.

The quick-easy way is to use the following products after your car is washed:

Finish Kare Products: www.fk1usa.com


Apply FX-100 Wax sealant

then apply product #425 (I'm addicted to it)

These two products are the easiest way to get a "quick" wax however I would strongly suggest at least a solid wax job as a base, described in the 2 links below :

Just Waxed


FK1 Waxing Guide


KRZ

[Perfectlap]

I just used FK's pink wax. Nice large tin and gave a great result.

You should clean your paint with a polish like Klasse All in One (mail order only).
And then seal the paint from the elements. I like Poorboys EXP or Acrylic Jett Trigger. Do this one two with each change of season if the car is outside allot.


For weekly use I do the same as KRATZCO. Finish Kare is TOO easy to use.
I'll reapply the pink wax monthly. That's the beauty of FX100 and 425 it can actually be layered without having to strip it.

p.s.
CLAY BAR is A MUST do before you use any wax!!!

[deliriousga]

Rejex. Not a wax as it bonds with the paint. Shines like the dickens, lasts up to 2 years, bugs slide right off.

[Perfectlap]

Zaino is an excellent product but when you committ to it you really need to only use that product. That line is a bit fussy about what you put over it.

That's a deal breaker for me because Klasse All in One (AIO) is the absolute best polish on the market. Zaino customers who've used AIO have complained about not having a similar product available to them.

I'm 99% certain that if I put four cars in front of you with either Zaino, Poorboys, and Finish Kare or Klasse (AIO & SG) you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Which is a big reason why I use Finish Kare nowadays its truly minimal effort, works with EVERY polish and the price is excellent since most of their customer base is not the individual consumers. Their shipping prices and quantities are VERY generous. Spend your money on 1st rate towels instead, it'll make a bigger difference in the longevity of you paint then brand of polish/seal/wax.

[Wintermute]

Ok, so what would you consider a "1st rate" towel? Are we talking a high-quality terrycloth or something more exotic like microfiber?

--Edit--
Nevermind, I just read the FAQ section on the Zaino site that says to use 100% cotton towels from a department store, so that answers that question.

Thanks for the links BTW. There's a lot of good info in there. Just to make sure I've got the process right, this is basically the steps I would take to detail my paint:

1) Wash with dish detergent like Dawn to remove grease and old wax.
2) Use clay bar to remove any surface contaminants.
3) Wash with a commercial car wash such as the Z-7 or Meguiar's Gold Class.
4) Polish using Z-5 with the ZFX additive (or something similar).

[Perfectlap]

what year and color is your paint?

if its dark I would toss in a good rubbing compound like 3m (over the counter product) or swirl remover like Poorboy's SSR 2.5.
It will be a bit of work by hand but the car will look like new and you'll have a much better effect once you apply your waxes.

this is the towel I use (mega towel 12 for $48)
http://poorboysworld.com/microfiber.htm
I also use their waffle weave to dry the paint and an Absorber form pep boys to dry the canvas and glass.

[slogans7]

I think wax is actually not nearly as important as swirl remover and polish. When the car is truly clean, the wax will provide good protection. The real shine comes from below, IMHO.

Being the lazy bastard that I am, I've also pretty much stopped drying with towels in favor of my wife's Metro Air Force dog dryer. Don't laugh, or at least not too long. This puppy (sorry) has enough power to blow water off my car as well as its seams and gulleys. It's very light so I strap it over my shoulder. The air is clean, unlike a leaf blower. So you may want to pick one up so you're not cursed with drips and drops. You don't even really need a dog.

[Wintermute]

2002, Lapis Blue metallic (dark blue). I was thinking a good scratch/swirl remover would probably help. The Z-5 polish says it will remove minor scratches and spiderwebbing, so I might try that first. If some parts still need work I'll try something a big more abbrasive.

[Perfectlap]

Yeah dead on, a first rate swirl remover like Poorboy's SSR 2.5 is definitely a must on dark paint like Lapis. The waxes will just cover up flawes in your clear coat, the swirl remover will correct them and leave the base layer looking brand new.

If you can swing it a porter cable polisher is a solid investment in your paint.

Most waxes do a similar job but I've noticed there is a big difference in swirl removers and polishes. I've been disappointed with the Meguiar's, Mother's and Sonus brands but 3m and Poorboys were a definite step up.

check this out its in Spanish but the pictures speak for themselves.
Some people think they have to paint a car when the swrils get too bad. NOPE.
http://www.forodetalles.com/showthread.php?t=756

[Wintermute]

Whoa! That looks great! I think a swirl remover would be just the ticket. Does the Klasse All-in-One polish work well as a swirl remover, or should I use something like the Poorboys product first? I was looking at a couple of kits like this one

[Perfectlap]

I'm finding out what swirl remover was used on that black 993 Turbo. Pretty awesome result.

I wouldn't buy the Klasse kit, well not anymore. There are much easier sealants to work with now that I've tried the competition. Klasse's sealant is a bit of extra work and not really any better. Its going the way of the dino fast.

But Klasse's All in One Polish is superb and you don't need allot of it. The small bottle will be enough for more than year. It's a Polish so its primary function is cleanse the paint and doesn't have any swirl removing ingredients.

For swrils, I think Poorboy's does an excellent job with the electric Porter Cable. By hand I've had good albeit very time consuming and back breaking results with the 3M rubbing compound and Swirl Remover (two products). Lots of Bite in dem 3m.
1Z makes a popular swirl remover used allot in Europe.

if you want my advice this is a good product round up.

1-Poorboys SSR 2.5 or 1Z (get some of their Mega towels while your at it, 1st rate)
2-Klasse AIO
3-Poorboys EX with Carnauba (nice easy to work with sealant on dark paint) or http://www.jeffswerkstatt.com/acrylic-jett-trigger.php (but I think its sold out at the momment its become very popular) both of these are WAY easier to use than Klasse SG.

After you have sealed pick whatever monthly wax you desire. This Natty's Blue is VERY popular on dark cars.
and after your regular wash use a good gloss spray like Zaino, FK1 425 (very hot right now), or the Poorboys gloss spray.

These guys have allot of the product I use on one site (Plexus, Raggtopp,Poorboys,Leatherique Prestine softener, ClayMagic Clay bars(cheap), Klasse, P21 gel wheel cleaner, OXO car wash brush for your canvas, etc.
I might have to give them a shot. They'll give you a 10% discount if you sign up for their news letter. That'll take care of the shipping
http://www.detailcity.com/

[slogans7]

Man, that's a great job on that 911 Turbo. I believe it's Portuguese, not Spanish. Here's a loose translation (not sure of his abbreviations although IP may be Menzerna Intensive Polish):

I present here a complete detail of the exterior and interior of my dream car since I was an adolescent. Porsche 911 Turbo 993, only 32,000 cars made in 1996. But the paint – my god... Swirl City. It is a car that now belongs to a person with a passion for automobiles, and with very good taste. I had the pleasure to detail it, it was an honor, after all it was my first super detailed car. Since swirls, holograms, plastics without life, at last are almost 10 years of bad washings. It was the longest and hardest work that I had, total 16 hours distributed over 2 days.

The following was made: - Washing with Sonax. Clean with 1Z wheel cleaner, sonax, 1z PP, Grojet and ws of pb - general Decontamination –

- Yellow with PG x 3 times
- Orange with IP x 1 (it was for using the blue one, but I dialed in the maximum force with Porter Cable
- White with FF x 1
- Grojet
- Nattys

[slogans7]

Grojet is a German sealant:

http://www.grojet.de/engl/index.html

[Perfectlap]

cool I thought it was Gallego, y'know that Spanish dialect that's more like Portuguese than Spanish.

black paint in the sun is like the proof in the puding.