cleaner wax vs other wax after clay bar

i am going to claybar my car this week. i have some meguiars cleaner wax and was wondering if that is ok to use by itself after i have claybared or if i need to get some carnuba or clear coat wax or something else.
thanks

-matt

[RubyDropTop]

A few things to keep in mind in regard to cleaner waxes is that they contain abrasives and they cannot be layered. That said, you need to determine how much time you want to spend on the car and the "look" that you are after.

Do you want to work on the finish on a minimal basis, or do you enjoy spending a larger portion of time on the car. Are you after an "okay" shine, or are you looking for great depth and shine?

Cleaner waxes are a combination product - both a polish and wax in one. If you don't want to spend alot of time on the car, and are not that focused on the degree of shine, then a cleaner wax may serve you well.

If you want to spend more time working on a better finish, then I'd recommend a quality "pure" wax. A "pure" wax can be layered and will increase in depth and shine. You are limited with a cleaner wax.

Cleaner waxes are also not known for their durability; I have used them in door jambs and such, but don't care for them on the exterior. Hope that is helpful.

i am definatly going for the great depth and shine. so i guess i need to pick up some "pure" wax. is that what it will be called on the container? any suggestions on brands?

-matt

[corvettecrazy]

since you a claying the car and you have to put a coat of wax on it anyways why not polish it before the wax. it will ad to the depth that you said you wanted.

ok so steps for this project so far are:

1. wash
2. clay bar
3. polish
4. wax
5. wax
6. wax...etc

correct or is there an extra wash between claybar and polish?

-matt

[corvettecrazy]

here's what my dad and I did exactly:
1 wash(meguiars wash)
2 clay (meguiars quick clay)
3 scratch remover (meguairs scratch x) REALLY WORKED
4 polish (ditto deep crystal)
5 wax (ditto gold class car wax)

it took a total of 20 hours of this outside work

this thing looks AMAZING, except it was driven 2 days later and rained.

i spent 4 more hours doing interior(meguiars leather) wheels(2 meguiar products) and touch up around the car(under hood)

total 24 man hours for a show perfect better than rolling off the show room floor looks.

BTW no extra wash is needed after the clay bar

multiple coats of wax would have been applied if we had had a wax capible of layering.

Has anyone here used Zaino products? Looks like great stuff but the price is a little hard to swallow, especially once the shipping is tacked on.

http://www.zainobros.com/

[RubyDropTop]

No, it will not be called a "pure" wax on the container, but it will not state any terminology such as "cleaner wax" or "polish & wax" on the container.

My "pure" waxes do not typically come from AutoZone/PepBoys/Advanced Auto type stores, but that is just my preference. I like waxes such as Pinnacle Souveran, Pinnacle Paste Glaz and S100. These waxes (and other great items) can be found at www.properautocare.com There are other web sites that carry this type of product.

That said, I have heard/read of very nice results with Meguiar's #26 Yellow Wax and Mother's Carnauba Wax. Those are 2 items that you should be able to find locally and both can be layered. And just an FYI, I have read that the Meguiar's Gold Class wax contains some abrasives, so you'll want the #26 Yellow Wax if you want to layer it.

Polishing the car following the clay bar treatment is a good idea. You will increase the shine with this step. It is typically felt that a "true" polish (don't want to confuse this term with Zaino, which is not a polish at all) will produce shine and a "pure" wax will produce depth. A combination of the 2 yields very nice results.

Another option is the use of a sealant under the wax. Again, this will add gloss prior to the depth of the wax.

traveler - I have a few of the Zaino products on my shelves (the Tire Gloss and the Glass Polish) and both work well. I do not have any products that are intended for the finish, though. Zaino is a sealant, along the same lines as Klasse Sealant Glaze. It is not a wax nor is it a polish. There are many owner's that use it and really like it; personally, I do not want to be locked into one product line.

[RubyDropTop]

PS - If you are considering the use of both a sealant and wax or a polish and wax in conjunction with each other, always remember that "wax must be last".

The use of a polish over wax will remove the wax (defeats the purpose of waxing), and a sealant will not bond to wax - it must always be applied beneath the wax.