OK, I know this has been covered briefly before. I searched for Meguirs (sorry if I misspell it) and the topic that I read said that zaino was better. Has anyone actually compared the two?

I'm looking at the three step stuff for when I actually get around to detailing (and learning how to do it properly) the X (as I think a properly detailed and polished Silver Ice X would kick ass) and I want to make sure I'm using the right product.

Yea, I have seen the detailing guide (well, the free half) on that website....

My own experience with Zaino was a distaster. It would not dry and a call to Zaino resulted in them telling me, "Yah, uh, that happens sometimes. Put a fan on it overnight." WTF??? I've seen cars that are shiny from Zaino, but I'm not sure how well it protects (i.e. UV protectant). You will get all kinds of opinions about Zaino. I put it in the same category as Orange-Glo, Oxi-Clean, and other infomercial products. A big "results may vary" needs to go on all of their bottles. My Zaino bottles now sit in my garage gathering dust. Just my own experience with it...

Ya, I had read that in the aforementioned post. It seemed like the only person who liked zanio was the one guy who recommended it....

I have had great experiences with Zaino. It is awesome. However, it is expensive. Now that my rig is all scratched up from the trails, I am not as concerned about what wax I put on it. I purchased it after seeing the results on a friends car, and after using it myself.

It states clearly on their website that if it is very humid, it might take a long time to dry. Here is a pretty decent test I found, and I concurr with the results. Zaino is the best, but might not be a good pick from a cost/benefit perspective.

http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html

Stick with MEGUIAR'S... Nuff said...

- Air B

THIS GUY compared the two.

You should try visiting a discussion board of car enthusiasts. No offense to other Xterra owners, but the knowledge pool on subjects regarding car care are far shallower than they are on car discussion boards. Visit a Mustang, Camaro, Vette, Ferarri, Porsche, BMW, etc. discussion board and you'll find a much greater sampling of people who have actually tried both.

This subject has already been beaten to death on this board. If I do a search for Zaino on this board, I can find a handful of people who have actually tried it. Of those people, it seems only one person had such, well, um, problems. Everyone else highly reccomends it.

Looks like Meguir's it is!

Cool....

I use Zaino on my I30 and plan to use it on my Xterra, just purchased today, as well. I previously used Mother's and Meguiar's products which are excellent and readily available. After trying all of the Zaino products, I found each one to be the best of it's type of anything I'd used, and gave away the previous stuff to a friend. The thing that I love about the Zaino products is the cross compatibility. The wax and protectants can be used with each other with no problem. The Zaino does not chalk on plastic or rubbers parts, or leave a residue in cracks. I actually have used the wax on the rubber trim around the windows on the I30. Not having to worry about getting wax on the plastic/rubber trim drastically cuts the time to maintain the vehicle. The tire and rubber dressing works really well on plastic and weatherstrip and tires. It dries and actually repels water for several washes. Also, Zaino now sells a catalyst agent to speed drying times, eliminating the problem previously referred to. The only non-Zaino product I now use is 303 Protectant for the interior vinyl, as it has a UV protectant and leaves a soft matte finish with no greasy residue. 303 also make a very good carpet and upholstery cleaner, and fabric/carpet protectant similar to Scotchguard. Hope this helps.

Any one heard of or tried Zymol? I used to use that on my black mustang and it shined it up like you wouldn't believe. Just got my X so I'm trying to find on here what's the best to use myself. I'll keep reading.
Mich

I've heard of it and I think I tried it once. Can't remember much about it except (if I'm thinking of the right stuff) it was kind of on the expensive side. Is it kind of a blueish color?

I have to disagree with the "it doesn't last to long" statement...I painted AND maintained car finished while in college (it's what funded my education)...ANYWAY...you have to know how to take care of the wax after it's applied.

To answer the original question I use Meguires, this is all I will ever use! I've been able to maintain the same wax job for 3 months, with minimal effort/cost...mostly due:

1. Meguires products
a. They are redily available anywhere
b. Quality of product

2. I stay on top of my vehicles staying nice (not showroom/anal) just proficient.

As an example, I bought my truck with 117K miles while in college. Since that day, I have used nothing but Meguires products on my truck (since its a single stage paint, it requires a little more "keeping up"). When a clown on a cell phone ran a red light and hit me (at 170K miles) the claims adjuster thought I had "70K" due to the paint job and interior condition (at the time the truck was 10 years old).

Again, you have to know how to take care of the paint (preventive maintenance) just like any other system/sub-system in a car....it will make or break a sale in the long run.

IceChickenX

What more is there to do????

There are two things (three to be funny)

1) Only drive your X on sunny days (Ha, ha)

But more seriously,

2) Use a Maguires product called, "Quick Detailer"
Explanation: This product is used for a lot of reasons
A) To be applied after driving through rain. This product used with a clean cotton towel (rotated frequently) will remove all the dirt on your X after driving throught he rain. All you do is "mist" then wipe.

B) Used to remove the Bugs plastered to the front of your X during the spring, summer, (and sometimes fall) months. Again, "mist" and wipe. Some bugs are a little more stubburn, so you just add a little more muscle.

C) Used to remove industrial fallout (those little yellow spots you scrape off with your fingernail), bird poop, and anything else that's alomost water soluable (of course, tree sap is a different ball game, if you get it on your car, GET IT OFF ASAP...the chemicals in the sap react with the solvent in your paint, resulting in damage if not removed in time).

3) When the "Quick Detailer" can't/shouldn't be used to remove excessive dirt/mud (which is quite frequent for our X's), then use Maguires soap. Their soap doesn't contain the harsh stripping agents commonly used to "cut grease". Any dishwashing soap should not be used except for those times, when you know your going to wax after you wash. The Maguires soap allows you to wash the dirt/mud away, while still preseving your wax job.

Sorry for the lengthy note, hope this clears things up.

IceChickenX

Goobie69, I used Zymol a year ago and rain still beads nicely. Good stuff.

I am not one of the people who enjoys massaging their vehicle with five different products for 48 hours nonstop. I found that neither Meguiars nor Mother's lasted anywhere near as long as Zymol.

Cygnus-XI...Yes, Zymol is a blueish color and it smells a bit like coconut. It is about $11 a bottle where I get it. SilverXglider...yeah, I'm going through that 3 step process on my 88 Mazda because the paint is so gone I'm trying to do something to make it look better, but it takes forever! The Meguire's Detailing spray definitely sounds like something I'll have to pick up next time I'm out.
Mich

An old friend of mine who used to restore old VW's and Porsche's turned me onto this stuff called "Der Shiney Stuff." It works great on vehicles with dark paint jobs. I used it on my black 1985 Mustang GT and you could really see DEEP into the paint, also it wouldn't "spider web" from application like some polishes. Whenever I drive my old Mustang people always comment on the paint job and how well it's held up. The only problem is that it's hard to find anyplace that stocks it.

Um, no, it doesn't What you mentioned has zero effect on how long the wax lasts. I love Meguiars products , but let's face it....they don't last that long. That's the only problem with them. Quick detailer is nothing but a spray on wax mist and dissolves in a day or so. That's why ist's usually free when you buy Gold Class or the 3 step package.

I might have miscommunicated...the Quick detailer is not a "spray on wax mist"...it's a not a wax at all. (It would seem illogical to "spray on" additional wax, when you just spent all that time rubbing it in). It's what you use to remove light dirt (after rain showers) bird crap, bugs and the like AFTER you have waxed your X. It's basically the insurance policy everyone wants b/c you know how "it always rains after I wax my vehicle".

Plus, washing your X with the soft soap doesn't cut the wax job you just put on, so in essence, your wax job does last a long time. All you wash off is the dirt/crud, and not the wax job.

I'm still in love with Mother's California Gold wax. I used Meguiars all the time before, and I got used to it only lasting a month or two.

Now I can neglect my paint for several months at a time and it's still shiney like hell, beads any water that hits it, and lets any crap just wipe off effortlessly.

Not to beat this to a pulp... But my co-worker's husband owns a vehicle restoring shop....
He's contracted with Christie's Auction & Sotherby's Auction on restoring vintage vehicles
(ie. 1900's-1930's model years) for their clients... And they use Meguiar's products to clean
and return these vintage vehicle's to their showroom shine!!! ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL
RESULTS!!! So after finding out that they use Meguiar's, and that it's also recommended
by several XOC members, I decided to use it on my X... And will continue using it until its
long gone days... Kudos to Meguiar products...

- Air B

Yeah Meguiars is great for showroom cars, no question there. But it just doesn't last!

I don't have time to wax it every month. If my truck sat under wraps in the garage all the time, no problem, Meguiars would be my choice. It's a beautiful shine. But for real life situations where I get it branch-rubbed on the trails, bird-shitted when I'm parked, and rained on the rest of the time, I need a wax that can hold up.

It is the same stuff that car washes spray on your car when you pay $4.50 for the extra premium wash. It's a spray on wax that lasts about a day or two. It is fine for it's purpose, but it has no effect on the duration of the original wax application as you suggested.

Your wrong my friend...that's not the designed purpose. As explained before it's inefficient to "spray on a wax" when you already spent the time waxing your X.

The wax is a layer of protection against industrial fallout, bird crap, dirt, UV rays and bugs. The Quick Detailer (if you would bother to carefully read my previous explanation and read the directions on the bottle) is not a spray on wax, Meguires doesn't advertise it as such! It carefully removes the dirt/crud off of the wax (already on the vehicle). It doesn't add to it by piling (in your words spray on) more wax.

How your confusing the exact words of "removing dirt from the original wax application" AND "spray-on" wax (which is a big hoax anyway, Meguires doesn't endorse, nor sell such a product) is beyond me. But your replies to my posts demonstates to me your lack of knowledge on the following:

Vehicle Paint
Purpose of Vehicle Paint
How it's applied...and most of all
How to maintain it

If there is a better wax (like superjens suggestion of Mothers Brand...this is a very good wax also!!) I am all for this.