Black C5 which wax?

[BEACHBUM]

The new C5 black convertible is now in the garage.
I am trying to determine how to make the finish look great and last. What experience have you had with wax , polish , clay bar etc.? I am really concerned with keeping swirl marks out of the black paint.
No sense reinventing the wheel when I am sure lots of you have gone through this. Thanks Beachbum

 

[MAC5]

Meguiar's NXT works great. Its relatively new on the market, comes in a liquid. They also carry a NXT spray touch up, make sure you start out with the wax. Real easy to work with, and leaves no residue. Most of the auto supply shops carry it, Autozone, Pepboys, Advance, have seen it in some Wal-Marts

MAC

 

[atmmac]

Try the black turtle wax. Its real good stuff.

-Andy

 

[FmrMarauder]

The new C5 black convertible is now in the garage.
I am trying to determine how to make the finish look great and last. What experience have you had with wax , polish , clay bar etc.? I am really concerned with keeping swirl marks out of the black paint.
No sense reinventing the wheel when I am sure lots of you have gone through this. Thanks Beachbum

Check out the threads at www.mercurymarauder.net. You could have any color of Marauder you wanted, as long as it was black - at least in the original 300a edition.

Zaino got great recommendations by the Marauder owners. (Me? I used Meguiars - Zaino takes a LOT of work the first time 'round. I'm into driving, waxing not so much ). But those that had the patience and the energy to use Zaino swore by the stuff.

When I traded in the Marauder on my new 'vette...I went with red ).

HTH

Jim

 

[teekilya]

I just waxed my black 04 for the first time. took it on a long cruise, (3,000 miles) and it was very buggy. I started with plain car wash, dried it off, then applied Meguiar's cleaner, then Mequiar's polish, and then finished it off with Meguiar's Mirror Glaze, Show car glaze. It has carnauba yellow wax. It took me about 8 hours to complete it all, but it was well worth it. It has such an awesome shine, I can see myself in it!

Just my 2 cents!

 

[MYvert]

I just waxed my black 04 for the first time. took it on a long cruise, (3,000 miles) and it was very buggy. I started with plain car wash, dried it off, then applied Meguiar's cleaner, then Mequiar's polish, and then finished it off with Meguiar's Mirror Glaze, Show car glaze. It has carnauba yellow wax. It took me about 8 hours to complete it all, but it was well worth it. It has such an awesome shine, I can see myself in it!

Just my 2 cents!

I tried Meguiar's NXT last weekend. Have to a tell you, it was the easiest stuff I've ever worked with. In fact, thinking about doing the wife's van this weekend.

 

[Tom]

Any of the Meguires products, will do a good job without much work.

 

[Tomrw]

I use the Black Turtle Wax ab\nd have gotten great results.

 

[CHEWCH87]

I just posted a rant and rave about "SCRATCHCOVER" which is made by KIT.
It is really great stuff made especially for black cars with swirl marks.

The new C5 black convertible is now in the garage.
I am trying to determine how to make the finish look great and last. What experience have you had with wax , polish , clay bar etc.? I am really concerned with keeping swirl marks out of the black paint.
No sense reinventing the wheel when I am sure lots of you have gone through this. Thanks Beachbum

 

[ImpalaPete]

Zaino Z-2 along with a bottle of ZFX Cure Accelerator. Proven time and again to be the best.

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Zaino

 

[Blade]

Zaino my fellow Tar Heels!


Hey MAC5: I had a 98 Pewter Coupe too, beautiful car! :cool

 

[SmokeyTirez]

http://www.zainostore.com/http://www.zainobros.com/

Don't hesitate about it. This stuff is hands down the best polish/wax process you can use, especially for black. I promise you that you won't be disappointed. The first application takes a few hours because you need to go through the entire process (Dawn wash to remove old cleaners, etc., then a thorough clay bar and then follow the process). But after that it's fast and easy (about an hour or so) and every coat you apply makes it look better and better.

-Smokey

 

[01TriBlack]

I've tried them all, more than once. Right now I'm using Meguiar's NXT - and their spray Tech Wax between waxes. I like it. Hehehehehe....not reading the instructions very well, I didn't realize with the spray tech wax you had to let it cloud up after very lightly rubbing in after spraying on - I thought it was more like Meguiar's detailing spray (that I use for fingerprints, watermarks, etc.). Use a very light hand - I noticed it clouds if you buff it with a strong hand.

My husband isn't real impressed with the Meguiar's NXT, though....he thinks it's very easy to use but it doesn't last more than a couple of weeks. He doesn't like Zaino, either.

 

[Tom]

01TriBlack
Your husband may want to try Meguires Cleaner Wax (Red Bottle). It is very easy to use, it will last a long time, and it is inexpensive. That is the first Meguires product that I ever used. In the early 1970's, I read a Hot Rod Magazine write up about it. They waxed a Black car in the direct sun with excellent results. It is clear coat safe, I still use it. The picture below is my 1985 Oldsmobile that sat outside for 5 years, has 136,000 miles and the origional paint. I have used nothing but the Meguires Cleaner wax on it.

 

[Dale Hess]

I detail cars on the side for friends and relatives. Most waxes are good but when I have time and I'm working on my black Z06 I use Liquid Glass. Its not cheap and you have to follow the directions (uses a pre-cleaner then the wax) but when your done the reflection is so deep you can't see the paint. Unlike carnauba wax the more coats of Liquid Glass you apply the deeper your paint looks. I find it last a little longer and re-aplying is a snap. Just my two cents.

 

[Larry's Yellow Rdstr]

Liquid Glass for me too!

Dale,
I agree with you completely. I have used this product on all my Porsches in the past 10 years and nothing else comes close.
Lar
2004 Blk/Blk

 

[Dale Hess]

Larry, what do you use between coats? I've been using Mothers Showtime to spot clean I've also used Eagle One's Wax As You Dry. What I'm wondering is how do these wax based cleaners affect my coat of Liquid Galss? Any thoughts?

 

[cruzer99]

I also liked Meguiar's NXT but it does have one small problem, the spray will get into places that you cannot get it out of and don't use it on a warm surface, but I did like the shine.

 

[Larry's Yellow Rdstr]

Dale,
I use the California duster daily after blowing off the large chunks of dust with my air compressor (40 psi at an angle). I use the Meguiar's Instant Detailer (purple spray bottle). I have come to believe you Cannot keep a black car perfect, but I try.
Keep the wave.
Lar

PS
I cannot see where the wax based quick detailer has ever affected my paint negatively.

 

['04 Torch Red]

Isn't there a problem with any "wax"...the sun desentegrates any wax in 30 days...I think that is why so many people use Zaino...it is not a wax..and I also think that LiquidGlass, which has been around for 25 years has no waxes in it or abrasives and that is why it lasts so long...I have heard wonderful things about NXT and how easy it is to use and how good it looks but it also is a wax and does not last long...geeze..what to use...:L...btw..I am going to put like 5 coats of LiquidGlass on my '95 as soon as I get a chance...its the metal can with the pic of a Vette on the front... and its really not that expensive...one can lasts forever...