I don't think clay has anything abrasive in it, does it? If it did wouldn't it scratch the hell out of your car?

 

That's why you saturate it so much with the detailer spray before you go over the paint.

 

Ever wonder then why you have to clay your car in the same motion you'd use if you were sanding it? If it were this wonder material that "pulled contaminants out" of your paint then you should be able to drag the material across the paint just once to get the contaminants out, right?

Just because it's got abrasives in doesn't meant it will scratch the hell out of your paint, polish has abrasives in it as well and it doesn't scratch up your paint. Just think of it as super ultra fine wet sanding cause that's pretty much what it is, except the clay lifts and suspends the contaminants off the surface of the paint and sandpaper doesn't.

 

Never had to wax a black car but... I used to use Super Glaze by The Wax Shop. Not really sure if you can get that in stores, a fellow I used to play softball with was a distributor. The only real problem I had with it was that it seemed like the longevity just wasn't there. It's a liquid wax, but not the traditional liquid, more like the consistency of skim milk.

Since I've moved 700+ miles away I switched waxes, had used Gold Class for awhile but that won't help you. What I found that I really like but again can't get in stores is a German product called Klasse. It comes in two parts. All-In-One, a cleaner/polish and Sealant Glaze. I used to frequent a Camaro forum, and after awhile there was a comparison between Zaino and Klasse. Those that tried or saw both agreed that they were pretty equal. Klasse like Super Glaze is a thin liquid, perhaps a little thicker then SG... more like whole milk :p. The polish is an egg nog color and the glaze is more, again skim milk like in color (is anyone else getting thirsty?) Anyhow, I've been VERY pleased with the results that I've recieved from Klasse. While it may appear to be expensive you use VERY little product. Just like Zaino you can layer the Glaze and it gets better the more layers you have. IHMO you won't be disappointed in Klasse.

Not sure how the mods feel about giving out web-sites that sell products that don't pay for advertising so I won't put the addy here for now, but if a mod says OK I'll post where I got mine... Or you can just Google Klasse yourself.

Hope it helps. And here are a couple of old photos to see the results.

 

I used to use Super Glaze too, back in the day, like the early 90's. Used to get my Civic shiny as hell for those Friday and Saturday night cruises in East San Jose.

Klasse isn't a wax, it's a sealant. Huge difference.

 

Yes OK so if we're going to split hairs that fine it is a sealant but IMO does the same job as a wax, protects the surface and makes the paint shine. Didn't realize that the difference was such a big deal. Sorry

 

We'd be splitting hairs if we were comparing liquid "wax" to paste wax, but we're not, we're comparing wax (which contains carnauba) to a fully synthetic, acrylic based product that actually bonds to your paint. With wax, it's necessary to reapply every 2-3 months, with Klasse you only need to do so once or twice a year.

Sealants give a glassy, hard shell shine, while waxes give a warm, deep, glossy shine. These are all huge differences! The only similarity between the two is that they are both LSP's or last step products, and they both come in liquid form, but that's where the similarities end.

I'm not trying to make a big deal about it (so don't make a big deal about it) but it needs to be known that there are major difference between waxes (the topic of this thread) and sealants. So put your guard down and relax, consider yourself educated now on the topic of waxes/sealants.

 

For clarification guys, I threw out "wax" in a general term, meaning polish, sealant, carnuba wax, baby oil, or anything and everything that might be used to described the protecting and final polish of the paint or clear coat on your car or truck. Let's not split hairs here, that's not the intent. WHAT WORKS THE BEST? PERIOD!
I've been using a Mothers touch up polish lately, for shows, and it seems to work good. Not the deep polish like we're actually after, but for touch up, it works good. I'll edit and put in the name when I get home.

 

Here we go with the splitting hairs comment again

You asked what the best wax is, he suggested a sealant, I just clarified that one is not the other, not to be a jerk (and not aware of your intended generalization) but for information's sake. If you wanted to know what the best paint protection product is then you should have said as much instead of generalizing and expecting me to know that. Wax is Wax, Sealant is Sealant, Polish is Polish. No need for anyone to get their panties in a bunch, did you not read the part where I said "i'm not trying to make a big deal out of it (so don't make a big deal out of it)?"

You could have simply clarified your generalization and left it at that but instead you chose to promote negativity by your condescending reply. Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Most of you guys are casual users of car care products and therefore speak in casual terms, using these products helps put food on the table for me and my family so I have a passion for it and all that's related to it, including educating people on things like the differences between products. When i'm speaking to a client and am made aware that a "detailer" gave him bad info or did a bad job on his vehicle, it bothers me because I'm a detailer and it makes me look bad. Perfect example; How many times have you (or someone you know) had a bad experience at a place of business and because of that, vow to never give them your business again? So because one person's actions (or inaction) at that company, the whole company gets written off? That's how it is for detailers too, when people are given bad info (or a bad job) by a "detailer" then they are much more cautious and that makes me have to sell harder and prove that i'm not just blowing smoke like the last guy.

So that's where i'm coming from, can we get past this now?

 

hey look

A BUTTERFLY!!!!!