snakey51389 said:
Should i bother with a real wax or is the xmt finishing glaze that i used good enough? What would you guys recommend as a liquid wax for a decent price??
on another note: im amazed at the amount of people in this topic but slow responses. Maybe people just researching?
Snakey - the answer is yes, you should put a real wax or sealant (collectively, "LSP" for Last-Step Product) on it to protect the finish for much longer than a glaze alone can.
As far as product recommendations - you said you were looking for something liquid, and cheap. That said, I believe the LSP you are looking for Collinite 845 Insulator Wax - it runs $15 at Harbor Freight (
Store Locator) or online retailers (
Link), and durability is top-notch (many users report 3-6 months per application). This is, IMHO, the best value for your money as far as liquid LSP's go. If you weren't so picky about it being liquid, Collinite 476s is a paste wax (still very easy to use) and supposedly has even more durability.
If you wanted something that sacrifices some durability for (supposedly) better looks, try picking up some S100 from a local motorcycle store (Harley Davidson stores, Suzuki dealers, etc) for around $15 a bottle. S100 is considered more of a "looks" wax, while Collinite waxes are considered more for their durability. Then again, many people claim that they can't see much of a difference between waxes.
I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to sealants, particularly cheap ones, although Meguiar's NXT 2.0 comes to mind as having good reviews, being locally available, and around $15. Zaino and Klasse are commonly-discussed sealants, but they aren't cheap, and are generally not locally available. I defer to others to give sealant recommendations.
Be aware that sealants are said to make the paint look "plastic-y" and really boost reflections, whereas waxes are said to give a look of depth and wetness to the paint. Many recommend waxes over sealants for flat (non-metallic/pearl) paints, particularly on dark-colored cars. However, since it is ultimately a personal preference, perhaps you should give both a shot and see which you like best.
Regarding there being so many views yet so few replies - many people lurk on these forums without posting. This is probably because the detailing world is chock full of different product choices, and it's tough to know what to recommend. Also, a lot of people (myself included) consider themselves newbs, and don't really feel qualified to give advice. Then again, it could be because people just can't be bothered. Anyways, don't get discouraged - you're in the right place.
