Is carnauba obsolete?

[Mikeyc]

I'm of the leaning that carnauba is obsolete for any type of daily driver. Waxes absorb dirt more than good sealants. If I had a trailer queen I might use a show carnauba but I think better results could be obtained with a sealant topped with an oily glaze like Megs #5. Maybe I'm wrong tho.

I keep hearing sealant users saying that waxes absorb dirt. What exactly do you mean by this? I've been using carnauba waxes for almost 15 years now and I've never seen anything that looked like absorbed dirt.

 

[pogo123]

It's been my experience that carnauba wax protects far better against bird bombs then the sealants that I've tried. The "wax absorbs dirt" thing is something I've not experienced.

 

[blkyukon]

It's been my experience that carnauba wax protects far better against bird bombs then the sealants that I've tried. The "wax absorbs dirt" thing is something I've not experienced.

Not only bird bombs, but water spots and etching from tree sap too. Sealant's do last longer, but in my experience, carnauba waxes definitely protects better. I don't mind spending an extra 10 mins every few weeks to apply a coat of wax after washing for better protection.

I only use Carnauba wax on my Yukon and have never had a bird bomb or water spots etch into my paint. I used Zaino on my wife's car and below you can see the before and after:


Before - Menzera IP, Zaino ZPC and 3 coats of Z5pro - ZFX:

After - One week after applying Zaino, picture is after washing, vinegar and alcohol - etched water spots and tree sap in the paint:

For me, far from being obsolete.

 

[killr@autogeek]

Re: Is carnuba obsolete?

For me it is dead.
carnuba is what I used on my show car until this summer when I tried Duragloss never got so many comments about the look of my car when i was using Souveran. NO more carnuba for me.
I have finally found my way into the 21 century. :smile
When I found something that looks better lasts longer and cost less then I use it.

Hey Bart .... by the same token isnt it time to put that old C4 to sleep, and move into a C6. You are certainly missing lots of extras like more horsepower, quieter interior, and better protection (Stabilitrak, Traction Control, Active Handling) ??? You might miss the warmness and depth of Souveran , that fond friend, once you venture back after using sealants for several months. I see alot that do, or add toppers.

And too keep this detailing related ... several products are on the cuff with chemists that can add durability to sealants and just maybe carnaubas. Not to far off , thats what makes the business so fun. But I have to ask, why is durability so often offered up on sealants when we all wax/seal every other month anyways ?? The ones who need durability (your neighbor with the dirty truck) dont know the difference and would never use a specialized product, its simply off to the market for a sale item or pretty bottle.

 

[CalgaryDetail]

Re: Is carnuba obsolete?

And too keep this detailing related ... several products are on the cuff with chemists that can add durability to sealants and just maybe carnaubas. Not to far off , thats what makes the business so fun. But I have to ask, why is durability so often offered up on sealants when we all wax/seal every other month anyways ?? The ones who need durability (your neighbor with the dirty truck) dont know the difference and would never use a specialized product, its simply off to the market for a sale item or pretty bottle.

well said. I agree we are all a little to OCD for own own good.(but not our cars) and none of us really need durability. I know my car right now has like 10 lyers of wax on it, some spit shine some not but i dont care how long a product lasts.. heck if it dosent last long it just means i get to go out and wax my baby again

 

[black bart]

Re: Is carnuba obsolete?

Hey Bart .... by the same token isnt it time to put that old C4 to sleep, and move into a C6. You are certainly missing lots of extras like more horsepower, quieter interior, and better protection (Stabilitrak, Traction Control, Active Handling) ?
.

With the locker and modifications to the suspension and wider tires mine will hookup much harder than your new C6.
As to quiet I have true duals three inches all the way to the rear bumper so NOT interested in a quiet interior. The whine from my Supercharger probably is louder than your exhaust.
AT 1178 flywheel horse power I will be willing to put my old obsolete C4 up against your C6 anytime. As to going back to carnuba thats not likely to happen either.
Now back to the wax debate.

 

[killr@autogeek]

Re: Is carnuba obsolete?

With the locker and modifications to the suspension and wider tires mine will hookup much harder than your new C6.
As to quiet I have true duals three inches all the way to the rear bumper so NOT interested in a quiet interior. The whine from my Supercharger probably is louder than your exhaust.
AT 1178 flywheel horse power I will be willing to put my old obsolete C4 up against your C6 anytime. As to going back to carnuba thats not likely to happen either.
Now back to the wax debate.

And thats exactly what I expected in reply ... so your older more powerful ride (like the original carnauba) has an appearance/performance that more resembles what you want currently, but the newer more stable C6 (sealant) might not be the best choice as a strip runner ?? Now lets consider a daily driver ?? Weekend warrior ?? Show queen ?? Cruiser ?? Grocery Getter ??

And thus why carnaubas will never be obsolete. It becomes a users choice to settle on looks (attributes) , durability, as well as time used/needed to detail. You make the choice, you live with the results, but it is fair to say that anyone can come back or revisit products when and if the mood strikes. Sometimes thats the true guage of how good a product is .. do you reconsider it from time to time, or use it as the benchmark for appearance/performance of others ...... and thats where most consider carnauba the benchmark a sealant needs to surpass.

 

[wannafbody]

It's been my experience that carnauba wax protects far better against bird bombs then the sealants that I've tried. The "wax absorbs dirt" thing is something I've not experienced.

on vehicles frquently washed it may be less apparant. Wash and claybar-I'd suspect that the clay would be dirtier on the wax side than sealant side. Collinite 845(even tho very good) doesn't wash as clean in a coin op as Duragloss.

 

[black bart]

Last summer I took my car to a show with Pinnacle Souveran on part of it and Duragloss on part of it and I ask people to tell me where one started and the other Begin or if they could pick out what panel was wax and what was sealant and they could not tell one from the other.
After I put AW over the part with DG then you could see a difference the DG & AW had the depth of the PS but had more gloss than PS.

 

[wannafbody]

I've found that the sealants have very sharp reflections and carnaubas have soft edges around reflections. Personally I like the crisp sealant look vs the distorted carnauba look.

 

[ashsarna]

Re: Is carnuba obsolete?

Hey Bart .... by the same token isnt it time to put that old C4 to sleep, and move into a C6. You are certainly missing lots of extras like more horsepower, quieter interior, and better protection (Stabilitrak, Traction Control, Active Handling) ??? You might miss the warmness and depth of Souveran , that fond friend, once you venture back after using sealants for several months. I see alot that do, or add toppers.

And too keep this detailing related ... several products are on the cuff with chemists that can add durability to sealants and just maybe carnaubas. Not to far off , thats what makes the business so fun. But I have to ask, why is durability so often offered up on sealants when we all wax/seal every other month anyways ?? The ones who need durability (your neighbor with the dirty truck) dont know the difference and would never use a specialized product, its simply off to the market for a sale item or pretty bottle.

Great point Killr, I always hear about durability, yet (myself included) re-layer my sealant or wax on a monthly basis. Even every two months and also during the winter. Looks are most important to me. Thats personally carnaubas for me. You dont hear carnaubas being formulated to look like sealants but you do the other way around.
Secondly, as an avid sealant user too, carnaubas give better protection against bird bombs ect and dont hold dirt imo. To each their own. This debate only proves that carnaubas are not obsolete. Only that we prefer different things. Respect others' choices and enjoy.

 

[GearHead_1]

Last summer I took my car to a show with Pinnacle Souveran on part of it and Duragloss on part of it and I ask people to tell me where one started and the other Begin or if they could pick out what panel was wax and what was sealant and they could not tell one from the other.
After I put AW over the part with DG then you could see a difference the DG & AW had the depth of the PS but had more gloss than PS.

Your results may vary. Mine sure did. I've tried the same comparison with the same products. Of course I didn't have the car show crowd approval so my results were using my eyes only (and those of a few enthusiast friends). It ain't happening. DG has a great glossy shine (as in Zaino type) but it isn't as deep as Souveran. In fact it isn't as deep as Souveran over DP (a similar comparison I've done, my truck is wearing this one presently). It's a good thing that I'm the only one I need to satisfy, I would go/have gone crazy trying to keep up with the car show crowd. I don't miss those days at all.

 

[ashsarna]

This is hard, but I believe GearHead_1, may have said partly what I was trying. These are very personal and the outcomes will vary person to person. I love carnaubas. They are more enjoyable to use and ussually I feel they give a deeper, wetter look. I also really enjoy sealants and understand black barts excitment with DG: its one of my goto sealants that really have put other sealants on notice imo (with the combo of looks, durability AND cost). I let the mood decide .