I've just started using NXT about 2 weeks ago and I like it. I've washed the car by hand twice since the last application and it seems 50% gone. I dont like that.

Tonight I applied 5 different "waxes" to different sections of the hood.

1. NXT
2. Nu Finish
3. Rain-X Ultra
4. Collinite #476
5. Mothers Caranuba

1. NXT- $14- Looks wet goes on/off easiest. Feels wet, looks VERY Good.

2. Nu Finish $5- "Once a Year wax/polish" orange bottle. Went on/off second easiest. Looks Good, feels slick.

3. Rain-X- $7- Goes on/off easy. One of my past favorites. Lasts fairly long. Looks Good.

4. Collinite -$20- Goes on easy, off not so easy. Purchased online only (maybe at marinas). In the past has lasted the longest, beads the best for months. Looks OK, not the most reflective. Feels like you cant buff it all off. Slighly tacky.

5. Mothers-?- Hardest to apply. Feels slickest. Looks Very Good.

I'm looking at the results under flouresent lights. I re-evaluate them in the sunlight soon.

We'll see...

Wow, I'm glad somebody is doing a side by side to see which is best.

I'm sick of waxes lasting only a week or two I'd like to know which lasts the longest.

What kind of car wah are you using? I find it interesting that 50% of the wax is gone after 2 washes. I use Meguiar's wax and it lasts for at least 6 months.

I'm using Meguiar's own car wash in the clear purple bottle.

I've never really liked meguiars waxes because they dont last more than 4 weeks, but they look pretty good at first. I got the NXT just to see if they've improved their resiliency. Looks like the anwer is "no".

I just threw away some Zymol and Liquid Glass wax I wish I could have added to the test.

Here are the sections. Sorry about the file sizes, I didnt want to compress them.



I turned the sprayer on fine mist and sprayed the water in the air as to evenly wet the hood. The Collinite was the first to have the water beads start to roll off. The NXT was the next. Seems like RainX and Mothers were about even. NuFinish was least beady.

2 weeks, 2 washes:

Best beading and water runoff.

1. Collinite (by far, water doesn't even stay on it)
2. NXT
3. Mothers
4. Rain X
5. Nu-finish.

I've always liked the results I get from the Meguires 3 step routine. Wish you had some of that for your test.

I'm curious, other than look what is best, water run off or beading? Heck, when my wax gets old the water runs right off, why would I want to wax if water run off is the objective?

Prior to the "wax" application, I used meguiars steps 1 & 2 to prep the paint.

The height and symmetry of the beads is an indication of how slick the surface is. Taller the bead, slicker the surface.

I have had the best results from Zainos honestly. They are expensive but Zainos seems to last for about a month and a half. I will do a wax job on my boyfriend's truck since it is a dark color and you will be able to see a difference easier. It is hard to tell with my X with it being white.

Zaino is very good, I just dont think its worth the time and expense.

My X is also white and a couple of weeks ago I used a clay bar over the entire truck, then Mother's Carnauba Cleaning Wax. Looks awesome, literally better than new. Usually with white paint, you don't really get that 'wet look' shine but this did the trick.

Which reminds me...some time ago, someone said that using the clay bar treatment on new paint is a waste, but if your X sat for any time at all on a dealer lot - as mine did - I disagree. It's amazing how quickly contaminants build up on the paint, especially in urban areas. This was the first time I ever tried the clay bar routine, and I'm a believer. It took all kinds of stuff off the paint. It takes some time but it's easy to do and the results are well worth the effort and expense.

Seamonkey - Zainos is expensive and it was a royal pain in the butt going through their process to "setup" the paint for the wax. At the same time I look at how much money I have spent on waxes and wound up throwing them away because a)did not last b) or didn't do the job..Zaino's just about comes out cheaper. Don't get me wrong I love meguiars products I used only use meguairs until I stumbled about Zainos.

Bluesky42 - I agree with you. I washed and waxed my X the same day I brought it home. I refused the whole "free car wash" before I brought it home I did not want someone washing my new truck with a pressure washer..what can I say I am picky! The clay bar is an awesome product too.

A taller bead means that it's holding more water together in one spot than a smaller one, right? That also means that a taller/larger bead holds more water in one spot weighing more than a smaller bead. If a taller/larger/heavier bead can stay on one spot, doesn't that mean the surface has more friction...indicating less slick?

I guess a bead gets taller/bigger on the level, and more slick surface. If it's not level, and if a smaller bead can run off, then the surface is more slick?

Or, am I just completely repeating what you said with different words?

4 weeks, 4 washes in order:

1. Collinite- Still almost like new
2. Mothers- Almost equal to Collinite
3. RainX- Still there, not too bad
4. NXT- beads no longer round, look like amoebas.
5. Nu-Finish.- all but gone

Funny, the Nu-finish advetises "Once a year wax".
No pics this time.

Yes the slicker the surface, the more the water surface tension can pull the water bead into a ball.

A note about Meguiars. The #26 Paste lasts significantly longer than the liquid does. It's more work to put on, but it's worth it in the end. I also like it because it smells good and doesn't stain the plastic parts if I get carried away!

Has anyone ever used just "Polish"? Not the stuff you use to remove oxidation and such. A friend of mine is really anal aboot his big Dodge Ram and has never used wax, only polish. He gave me a large enough sample to do my whole truck and it gave a superior shine to wax. It is also a whole lot easier to do then waxing. FWIW I clay barred the whole truck before I "polished" it.

A polish is a paint conditioner used to add special oils to the paint and eliminate super fine scratches. It is not a wax and should be covered with a wax to protect the shine and make it last longer. So, it is not intended as a replacement for wax, but rather another step before you wax!

I used to use Meguiars Show Car Glaze (polish) on my Audi and it was pretty neat stuff. Added a deeper more wet look to the paint, but that car had metallic paint. I don't see it being as useful on the Xterra since it's not metallic and it shines up exceptionally well without it. Well, mine does anyway! That and it's just another step and since the Xterra is a PITA to wax as it is I don't want to add a 4th step. The Audi was easy because I didn't have hand cutting roofrack attachments and I could wax the roof without using a step!

I quit. I cant stand having the wax disappearing. My wife says I have a problem.

My conclusions:

Collinite- expesive but longest lasting. The beading is still very good. Good for vehicles that spend a lot of time out in the weather.

NXT- Best looking, easy to apply, doesnt last long, excellent scratch hiding. Good for vehicles that that are garaged and are easy to wax often.

Mothers- It all of the sudden disappeared. Too hard to apply, looked good for a while.

RainX- Decent wax, nothing good or bad. Still beads well. Blocks UV rays; maybe good for outside cars.

Nu-finish- May have been good 10 years ago.

Last night I re-waxed the hood with Collinite then topped it with the NXT. I'll see how that works.

Seamonkey,
You do not have a problem, I wash, wax and detail my X just about every Saturday morning! It is my time for me and my X, plus I can't stand driving a dirty vehicle! Being that mine is white, it is high maintenance and lots of TLC!

they look pretty good, ill have to get some, i use turtle wax

take some pics!

i klasse-d mine a week ago....i might wash and put a coat of s100 carnuba over it today (gotta love silver...never really looks shiny or all that dirty). that is, if it stops raining....

Just a follow up.

I've decided to quit using NXT on anything that ever sits outside. Under normal conditions it only lasts, for all intensive purposes, 3 weeks. I'll still use it on my convertible 5.0 because it sits in the garage and it only takes 15-20min. to wax. Also I think that NXT actually sticky AND creates a static charge. I've never seen a wax attract dust like this.

I've gone back to the cheap ($12) version of Zymol you can get a walmart for looks + durability and still use Collinite for sheer durability.

The Zymol smells so good I'd bathe in it.

I think you meant to say for all intents and purposes.

An intensive purpose? :p