What makes a wax great?

H

Hyperion

New member
I have been looking into waxes for a long time. However, I get quite confused by everyone’s different opinion on what makes a wax good or bad?



A lot of the time everyone says that gloss of shine is the best quality of a good wax. Unfortunately I have seen some waxes that are so glossy it detracts from the color of the car! Shouldn’t the best wax make the car look smooth and colorful, not necessarily shiny and so glossy that it looks like a mirror? My question is what makes a good wax, and should the car have a mirror finish, or deep rich color?
 
Wax alone does not add the mirror quality to the paint. It depends a lot on the cars paintjob as well as the way it was polished. If you are judging the shine of cars (saying they look like mirros) by pictures then you really shouldn't. Pictures don't show everything. I mean, I can take pictures of a white car with no wax and get a good reflection off it. You really have to see cars in real to find out how good the paint really is.



I think a good wax makes the paint look deep like it is wet.
 
Ok, I have seen many cars at car shows and many of them were using Zaino, a popular product I am sure a lot of you are familiar with. However, most of the cars looked more like the car next to them because they were so shiny that they had a mirror like finish. I saw a black car that looked blue because it was reflecting so much that it looked like the sky. It was just obsurd to be so reflective. A black car should be black, a red car should be red, not shiny not overly reflective.



Or am I wrong.
 
Different people like different looks. As long is my car is protected against the elements and it will last and look good for years, the rest is left up to preference. If you don't like the mirror look, then you probably would want to use Klasse and then some carnauba wax to give it a wet, liquid look. If you want to be able to locate and pop your zits, you'll probably want Zaino.
 
I agree with most that different people like different looks. Also different colors of cars look better with different qualities.



First off wax is for protection, and despite the claims it really does protect your car. Heck spread any sort of oil and it will protect your car (maybe not for long, not very well) but it will be some sort of barrier that needs to be sacrificed before reaching your paint.



now there's the rest after protection (where the main quality is durability)

-shine

-reflectivity

-depth

-wetness

-brightness

-gloss



but there are physical properties the people like about wax too

-slickness and slipperyness

-beading and/or sheeting

-smell and taste ;)



I guess you can come up with a lot of words to describe it.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by YoSteve [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>
-smell and taste ;)
[/b]</blockquote>
Mmmmm... Klasse
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Hyperion [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Ok, I have seen many cars at car shows and many of them were using Zaino, a popular product I am sure a lot of you are familiar with. However, most of the cars looked more like the car next to them because they were so shiny that they had a mirror like finish. I saw a black car that looked blue because it was reflecting so much that it looked like the sky. It was just obsurd to be so reflective. A black car should be black, a red car should be red, not shiny not overly reflective.

Or am I wrong. [/b]</blockquote>
Well, thats what fresh paint really looks like...........

<img src=http://www.01pewterz28.cz28.com/done2.jpg>

<img src=http://www.01pewterz28.cz28.com/done3.jpg>
 
But even that pic of the new hood is not as reflective as some of the cars out there after being waxed. Shine is good, but it is just confusing when some people only care about shine, and lose sight of color or depth.

I just ordered some Klasse about a day ago, so I think I made the right decision not to go with an overly bright shine since as you guys said beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


<em class='bbc'>Thank you for moving this thread, I could not figure out where to put it.[/i]
 
that shine is one quality about detailing that is purely subjective. What one person sees as a great shine, another may think it's too much. I prefer the reflective and deep Zaino shine. If any product on the market shows a paint's true color, it's Zaino! Most other products (all carnaubas and some sealants) tend to darken, tint, or even yellow a finish. Not that that's BAD, but it's your preference if you want your paint to change hues or shades. But, Zaino is unique in that it let's your paint's true color shine through and enhances metallic flakes much more than anything I have used in the past. Shine is purely a personal taste, but my perception of the perfect shine is a clear, deep, show car like finish.



:wavey
 
But how can these overly glossy waxes show the true color? Wouldn't the be showing false color since they are acting like a mirror?
 
While I understand hyperion's concern, I think this whole thing about Zaino being overly reflective and too shiney to properly display a car's deep color is bit overplayed. I recently switched my black car from ten coats of Zaino to glaze + carnauba. Although it's obvious that the car now looks different, I wouldn't characterize the Zaino shine as being too shiney and glossy to fully display my car's true full colors. Why? Because I believe the shine I had on the car with Zaino was every bit as deep and black as the shine it currently has. I do see differences in a few things with my car's new shine like 'jetting', warmth & to a lesser extent wetness, but I do not believe that a Zaino'd car lacks depth or color or wetness. Plus, I was surprised at just how glossy my car remained with the glaze + carnauba combo.



Also, I noticed you are going to go with Klasse. If displaying a car's true color is what you are worried about, multiple coats of Klasse SG has the effect of tinting the car's original color....much more so than Zaino.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Hyperion [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I saw a black car that looked blue because it was reflecting so much that it looked like the sky. It was just obsurd to be so reflective. [/b]</blockquote>
This is carguy's freshly waxed porsche. One heck of a shine!!

0979690873-000150.jpg
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Hyperion [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I saw a black car that looked blue because it was reflecting so much that it looked like the sky. It was just obsurd to be so reflective[/b]</blockquote>
You mean like this? LOL This is the pic that started them all................compliments of the corvette forum......

<img src=http://www.fototime.com/C4049795FF9CE40/orig.jpg>
 
I just feel that a nice shine like this is better than an overly reflective too glossy shine. It is a slight difference, but it makes a big change in the overall look of a car, and I in no way feel that the topic is overplayed.
 
Hyperion, well, it looks like you've already made up your mind. Not even sure why you even posed the question in the first place.



BTW, carguy's pic is that of a waxed car...not Zaino.
 
Ummm... Ok, not quite sure how to take that...





I was just trying to gain some information on why people like the heavely glossed look. I have nothing against Zaino, but it does come up as on of the main players of the glossest waxes along with Black Fire. I just don't see why people like that look. I can agree that it is personal opinion, but to me it just looks silly.



I just want to know what you define a good wax as. So far the ONLY person to do that was YoSteve.
 
Why do some like the ultra-glossy, reflective, and deep look?



Well, have you seen a custom painted show car? High quality custom paint comes out very glossy and reflective with no wax, polish, or anything on top, just the paint itself. The very glossy sealants, like Zaino, are intended to imitate the custom painted show car look on any car. It's not silly if you want your car to look like show car.... Again, it's all about preference....
 
Judging products with pictures. This is good and bad, I suppose. With zaino, it really captures reflections so people like to take pictures at angles to capture them on film. Here is a picture of my bmw, ZFX'ed, one shows reflections, one shows depth....

<img src=http://www.fototime.com/324105BC20A7905/standard.jpg>



<img src=http://www.fototime.com/13CD77BF4138434/standard.jpg>
 
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