Are "premium" car waxes worth it?

[jeanboy]

I have always owned dark colored vehicles and it always pissed me off when I finished waxing only to find a pound of residue still on the body. I have been using Turtle Wax "ICE" polish on a "graphite grey" 2011 OB and
the look is great. No streaks, swirls and most of all no residue/dust to deal with. This product can also be used on trim and glass.

[subiesailor]

Any wax will help make it easier to remove bug and road grime. The Nu brand stuff is actually pretty good stuff. The sailboat crowd has been using it to buff and make their boat bottoms faster for years and years. The teflon stuff which we use on the boats when we only want to do it once a year is by far the most superior of the waxes but not cheap. The once a year major head to toe teflon job on my boat would cost me around $80 in wax alone not counting buffing pads and time. A bottle of the basic teflon stuff just used on the bumper would probably last you years and years for the road grime aspect.

[nwbackpacker]

Just wanted to chime in and add a vote for Nu Finish. Just finished 'polishing' a 2011 Outback and worked fantastic as far as I'm concerned. It even removed/hid some scratches we had from an overgrown forest road Was a little worried since I've only used it previously on an older Corolla we've had for 7 years but it has served us well on that car...

LIKES:

• great water bead, water repellancy
• hides/removes light scraches (didn't expect it to)
• price: <$10
• relatively easy to apply: wipe on a section, wipe off dry haze
• protects for ~1 year
• looks great, restores lustor of paint, especially on old/neglected cars that get dirty on mountain roads
• results in a smooth finish, makes you want to pet your car

DISLIKES:

• will stain black trim if you leave some on accidentally (but I've found WD40 will remove it)
• as stated above, it will make chips stand out a bit more
• reacts poorly to oxidation so you need to be sure to remove any before polishing

[FLHRSI]

Originally Posted by jeanboy

I have always owned dark colored vehicles and it always pissed me off when I finished waxing only to find a pound of residue still on the body. I have been using Turtle Wax "ICE" polish on a "graphite grey" 2011 OB and
the look is great. No streaks, swirls and most of all no residue/dust to deal with. This product can also be used on trim and glass.

+1 on the Turtle Ice although I use it for two things- 1) to clean and protect my paint protection film (it was recommended to me for this purpose by the installer and works great), and 2) to get the white wax residue off the trim.

I detailed my car this weekend and used Meguires Clar Bar Kit and Meguires's Ultimate Liquid Wax (Pure Synthetic Polymer) both for the first time and the results were phenomenal. I don't mind paying a few bucks more for the higher end detail products at the store, but I don't see the need to puchase the very expensive specialty brands only available online or through other special distribution channels (just my 2 cents).

[fatabbot]

Turtle Wax Ice is really just a filler to use between actual waxing/polishing. Easy to use and provides a good shine for a week or so, but doesn't exactly provide any additional protection.

I use it in the summer time as even at 6 a.m. around here, it's warmer than the recommended high temp for application of conventional waxes. The TW Ice can be applied in 100 degree heat in direct sunlight. In fact, I'd only recommend doing it direct sunlight or else it's impossible to make sure you've buffed it all off because it doesn't haze much.

[sixfifty]

i've been very satisfied with both mother's and meguiar's products over the last several years. the 3m line of products has also moved up my list.

my last subaru was silver, and it seemed like the mother's synwax and cleaner wax combo gave better appearance and longevity, while my current outback is dark blue and the meguiar's seems superior.

when i go for the all-out wax job the car gets a good wash, clay bar, then the meg nxt 2.0, then a coat of meg gold class. a random orbital buffer works well to clean things up with minimal hand polishing afterward.

i've had some high-end waxes given to me, but for me i've been unable to tell enough difference that i'd be willing to pay for it.

the 3m products have been easy-on, easy-off, give good depth, shine and longevity, but they don't seem to be always available locally.

[AA9ZZ]

I like the look and protection of the Klasse All-in-One with a follow up of Klasse Acrylic glaze. It lasts from November through April, giving protection all winter for me.

While Indiana winters are not as bad as other areas, I don't have the place to wax December through April. The acrylic glaze works very well and keeps me through winter. I wax May and late October or early November, depending on the weather here.

Length does matter.

Hey! Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm talking about time.

[AA9ZZ]

I don't have a show car and probably never will. I just look for the product that will last the longest. Or, at least protect the finish through the winter.