Aurora40 said:
Just wanted to toss out another 2 cents. I have read about NXT with great interest, and I don't recall Mike ever making big claims about the durability of this product. He's made it sound like it should have good durability, as one would expect from a polymer.
Mainly it seems the product was focused on being deep, dark, and glossy, and hiding swirls. He has also mentioned it is slick and beads water well. IMO, doing these things well and lasting longer than a carnauba would make it a pretty impressive product. I don't think it was ever said it would set the standard for durability or anything, or would replace all your other products. I think Mike has specifically said it would not do that.
Thanks for pointing that out Aurora40,
The problem with making claims for durability is that the wax manufacture doesn't have any control over all of the factors that determine how long the last will last.
Also, there is a difference between durability, (how long the product is present on the surface), and protection, (how well a product protects the surface from attack or degradation).
The ASTM, (American Standards for Testing and Measurement), have no, none, zilch, standards for car wax durability, and not methods of testing for such.
So claims are just that.
As far as experience goes, I was surprised when after washing the deck lid of the Honda Acura I tested 6 waxes on, after one wash, using Zaino Z7, there was no visible difference in water beading.
In fact, there was no visible difference in appearance.
That taught me that for the most part, one car wash, (at least using Z7), pretty much greatly diminishes both beading and the results achieved by your choice of car wax.
Here's the thread,
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29022&perpage=18&pagenumber=13
Now perhaps things will be different using different car wash soaps. Also, some people don't wash there cars because they don't get that dirty, for these people, the beauty appearance of anybody's wax will last a long time.
I would also point out, the I notice some people talk about how great the wax of their choice is, but they're not testing like I did, instead they're,
Layering, i.e. adding another coating after the wash, or after time and
then evaluating.
So people can take from wax comparisons and personal testimonies what they will, but at the end of the day, it will always come down to you and your eyes.
Oh yeah... ease of use, availability, cost, and things like that are important too. I really like the results I'm getting from Tech Wax. I also like the fact that it doesn't need long drying or curing times, it doesn't need any additives, and it doesn't need multiple layers to achieve it's effect. I have been applying two thin coats to just about everything I polish out just for good measure. But, I don't ever really notice any more improvement over one coat.
I also haven't tested layering with this wax, outside of three coats in one session.
I would like to see the results Autopians get when they start to play around and layer this products. Especially those of you with garage queens and such.
Back to work...
Mike