After almost six months I finally made time late today to wash and wax my truck. It was way overdue. Anyway, after a good wash, some paint correction, and a good sealant coat, I stepped back and thought "I've got some more time and I can do even better". So I rummaged through my detailer's cabinet and finally found an old can of P21S pure carnuba wax. So on went a coat of carnuba over the Wolfgang sealant I always use. Once it set up and was buffed off, all I can say is WOW! Carnuba offers very little protection, but man did I forget just how much pop it adds to the finish. It will likely be gone in a week or two, but for the time being, the shine is incredible. And the pic below is of the hood of my 2001 Ford F150 daily driver with right at 150k miles on the odometer.

Nice. I washed my Sig Forum Sienna today with a wash made by Armor All which has carnuba wax in it. It came out way nicer than the local Automatic car wash. I havn't hand washed a vehicle in years so it was both work and fun.

I've been using the new Meguiars ceramic wax. Super easy and works and looks great.

Is that a hood or a reflection pool?

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Originally posted by Bassamatic:
I've been using the new Meguiars ceramic wax. Super easy and works and looks great.

You can even layer carnuba over fully cured ceramic and it will up the wow factor big time, at least for a while. Because I really don't use it much anymore, I had all but forgotten just how much 'pop' carnuba adds to the surface.

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And the pic below is of the hood of my 2001 Ford F150 daily driver with right at 150k miles on the odometer.

awesome

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Originally posted by bigdeal:
You can even layer carnuba over fully cured ceramic and it will up the wow factor big time, at least for a while. Because I really don't use it much anymore, I had all but forgotten just how much 'pop' carnuba adds to the surface.

Had not thought about that. I'll give it a try.

Looks awesome! Buffing off carnauba is really gratifying.

I bought some of the Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax. It's easy to apply and buff but I can't tell if it does anything special for the paint. And it's a good deal of work to have to do every couple of weeks.

Looks great, bigdeal.

So... a question for you:
I've got a 2008 4Runner (turned on to them by the Forum, of course) with 133,000 miles. It's a former wreck I bought from the auction. But it has a new door and a few other things and it's been repainted on the driver's side. It's just been washed once or twice with Meguires Gold since it's been repainted. Is there anything I should put on the paint? Maybe that Wolfgang sealant you mention?

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Originally posted by chellim1:
Looks great, bigdeal.

So... a question for you:
I've got a 2008 4Runner (turned on to them by the Forum, of course) with 133,000 miles. It's a former wreck I bought from the auction. But it has a new door and a few other things and it's been repainted on the driver's side. It's just been washed once or twice with Meguires Gold since it's been repainted. Is there anything I should put on the paint? Maybe that Wolfgang sealant you mention?

How long ago was it repainted?

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Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:
I bought some of the Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax. It's easy to apply and buff but I can't tell if it does anything special for the paint. And it's a good deal of work to have to do every couple of weeks.

That's why I use a spray wax, like Lucas Slick Mist or Mother's California Gold. Spray it on a still-wet car, then wipe it off while you dry at the same time.

Lasts nearly as long as most traditional cream/paste waxes where you have to dry the car, then apply the wax, then buff it off. And looks nearly as good.

So it's less effort to apply, for similar results in durability and appearance.

But I'm not an obsessive car detailer. I'm happy with decent results from minor to moderate effort. Everything past a good hand wash and spray wax/dry seems like it is incrementally better appearance for exponentially more work.

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How long ago was it repainted?

About 3 months ago.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Looks great, bigdeal.

So... a question for you:
I've got a 2008 4Runner (turned on to them by the Forum, of course) with 133,000 miles. It's a former wreck I bought from the auction. But it has a new door and a few other things and it's been repainted on the driver's side. It's just been washed once or twice with Meguires Gold since it's been repainted. Is there anything I should put on the paint? Maybe that Wolfgang sealant you mention?

Probably be a good idea to just try and keep the paint clean for a while longer to allow the paint to fully harden. At five or six months, wash, paint correct the entire vehicle, and then cover it in a coat of Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant. You should get about six plus months of protection out of the sealant during the summer.

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Originally posted by RogueJSK:

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Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:
I bought some of the Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax. It's easy to apply and buff but I can't tell if it does anything special for the paint. And it's a good deal of work to have to do every couple of weeks.

That's why I use a spray wax, like Lucas Slick Mist or Mother's California Gold. Spray it on a still-wet car, then wipe it off while you dry at the same time.

Lasts nearly as long as most traditional cream/paste waxes where you have to dry the car, then apply the wax, then buff it off. And looks nearly as good.

So it's less effort to apply, for similar results in durability and appearance.

But I'm not an obsessive car detailer. I'm happy with decent results from minor to moderate effort. Everything past a good hand wash and spray wax/dry seems like it is incrementally better appearance for exponentially more work.

Since you prefer an 'easy' option, try this product sometime. Works great and is super easy. And the price is right.

https://www.autogeek.net/wg5500.html

Carnuba has a look that poly waxes don't have. I wouldn't even say it is "pop," but it is a softer yet deeper shine.

I kind of like the glassy shine that poly has, but carnuba does look good. It just doesn't last long enough to be worth the effort for me.

I've used nothing but Zymol Concours for about 15 years now.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
found an old can of P21S pure carnuba wax. So on went a coat of carnuba over the Wolfgang sealant I always use. Once it set up and was buffed off, all I can say is WOW! Carnuba offers very little protection, but man did I forget just how much pop it adds to the finish.

I'm a fan of P21S / S100 (same things) as well. Here's my inventory:
-- P21S Concours Caranuba Wax; Paintwork Cleanser
-- S100 Concours Caranuba Wax; Paintwork Cleanser; Gel Wheel Cleaner
-- Klasse All-In-One; Sealant Glaze
-- Meguiars #34 Final Inspection; Gold Class wheel cleaner
-- 303 Aerospace Protectant; Wiper Treatment
-- Lexol Cleaner; Conditioner; foam application pads
-- Protect-All Quick n Easy Wash
-- Mothers Mag/Aluminum Polish
-- Turtle Wax Bug & Tar Remover
-- Stoner Invisible Glass
-- Rain-X
-- Clay Magic 100gm claybar; ClayLube

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Originally posted by jhe888:
It just doesn't last long enough to be worth the effort for me.

Luckily, when you have a good cured sealant on the surface first, the carnuba sets up quickly and buffs off pretty easy. Carnuba on the actual paint/clear coat surface can be a bit tedious to remove.