No more wax residues--a good wax, from MINI themselves

[Shep]

After being frustrated with the infernal white-wax-residue problem, and messing about with peanut butter and heavens knows what else to get it off (I agree with others that Mother's Back to Black is good), I have found a better solution.

Use the "Mini Original Care Products' Car wax" (German-made by BMW) from your very own MINI dealer. It uses a citrus solvent instead of water, so is applied dry, not on a wet cloth. It dries quickly and is easy to polish to what I consider a pretty high gloss. And, best of all, no white wax residue and no white dust from the polishing cloth either. Perhaps a solvent base instead of water helps.

I've no idea how durable it is. (the water-based Rally wax and Nu Finish waxes I used to use were highly rated for durability by Consumer Reports, but had v. bad residue on the black plastic).

Anyone else try this?

[Pamlico]

I hesitate to get involved in another wax discussion, but check out Zaino products. No residue on cladding, very durable, easy to apply, and a great finish.

[Casey]

The main reason for the white residue is from the carnuba in a wax...thus why zaino doesn't stain since it doesn't have any carnuba.

[Jimbo_Mini]

Zaino....Mini?

Absolutely!

Yes, there's no residue when you use Zaino because it's a synthetic polymer polish.

I've been using it for years now and it's really great.

Unmatched protection, great shine and easy to apply and remove. And no residue.

www.zainobros.com

And no, I don't work for Zaino.

-Jim

PS: Zaino is the ONLY reason I considered buying an ALL BLACK MINI. Black can be SO tough to keep clean, but with Zaino, you actually have a shot at maintaining a nice looking black car.

[Casey]

one other comment - NEVER trust consumer reports when it comes to automotive items...they usually have their heads up their ***.

[Shep]

Quote:

Originally posted by Casey
NEVER trust consumer reports when it comes to automotive items...they usually have their heads up their ***.

The main reason for the white residue is from the carnuba in a wax...thus why zaino doesn't stain since it doesn't have any carnuba.

Sorry to say so, but as a scientist I find the results of objective testing by a skilled group such as Consumer Reports to be superior to word-of-mouth testimonials. One does have to understand what criteria they (or anyone else) are using, though--that is often the cause of misunderstandings. CU did not consider white residues, for example. But their data on wax longevity are excellent.

Oh, and by the way…the Mini wax does have Carnauba (not Carnuba) wax in it.

[Casey]

Well you can have your opinion...but when it comes to automotive reviews I don't give a crap what consumer reports has to say...they are great for other things though.

The MINI wax I will guarantee has a very low carnauba percentage I never said it didn't have any and not saying that the MINI wax is bad, just making a comment on why you there was no residue. The higher the percentage of carnuaba the more noticable the white residue will be.

And typically the higher the carnuaba percentage the more oils that have to be used so you can actually apply it as carnuaba by itself is very hard.

I've tried a billion different products for detailing cars, and my personal favorites are zaino for sythetics and p21s for carnuabas. Which if anyone hasn't tried either, you really should...they are wonderful. And even better yet use zaino and top with p21s - WOW it is great, and the carnuaba won't hurt the zaino and you can apply more over it when ever you need to get more depth always knowing that the zaino is under it protecting the paint when the carnuaba wears off as it doesn't last on a car long.

[Jimbo_Mini]

Actually...

http://www.gurureports.org/

They did an independent, exhaustive, scientific test of many, many waxes and polishes. Only one product deserved a A+ rating...

Zaino.

-Jim

[Casey]

yes, gurureports was a great publication done by a few people that have done car detailing for years....much better then CR!

[GPH]

Zaino is amazing, but I find time consuming... if you do it right. And time is precious for me. So I agree with Casey on P21s. Also amazing (though not at Zaino level) but less of a time commitment.

[Casey]

well i would disagree with the time comminment part. as with all waxes etc it is 90% prep and 10% product. The directions for zaino just include the correct steps...where most waxes just say put on the wax after washing. When I use P21S i first was the car, claybar, dawn, smr, cleaner polish, and then wax. Same steps I do with zaino and about the same time frame, but with zaino it lasts longer so over the long run you would save time.

Additionally I think P21S is far better then zaino on certain colors for appearance and depth...for instance black and red.(essentially dark colors as zaino gives a great shine but lacks in depth on dark colors where carnuaba kicks butt...but zaino will always outlast it. A good compromise on dark colored cars is to do the zaino process and top with p21s.

For lighter colored cars I prefer the look of zaino though. The big thing to remember is there is no one right product...it depends on what you want out of it...for show car I wouldn't use zaino, but the stuff I would use for a show I would never use for street use as they last maybe a day or two tops. Is depth more important to you? then go with something like p21s...if shine and durablity and longivity is more important then use zaino. No mater what color car you have if you live in areas where it snows or gets ice in the winter I would always suggest using zaino for the winter as it lasts much longer through ice then carnuabas will where as they will only last a week or two.

But no matter what wax you use..do not underestimate the prep work as that is what gives a finish a great look....most people just assume zaino looks good cuz they do the clay and other prep as they recommend but then with p21s, zymol(not a fan of personally) they don't and they don't like the results....do the prep and you will get a great look from a carnuaba as well.

Sorry for the long post and rambling

[friedduck]

Quote:

Originally posted by Shep
Sorry to say so, but as a scientist I find the results of objective testing by a skilled group such as Consumer Reports to be superior to word-of-mouth testimonials.

I dropped my subscription to them because they were never testing w/criteria that was meaningful to me (they tested coffee makers but never tasted the coffee!)

But back to the topic, Zaino has the consensus vote, and if you want semi-scientific testing, here's a fun read on wax testing.

My car currently is disreputable looking. LOTS of wax on the black plastic fenders, and an entire family of bugs have decided to end it all on the bonnet at speed. Going out in style, they are.

Jeff

[Dark Silver S]

Quote:

Originally posted by friedduck
... and if you want semi-scientific testing, here's a fun read on wax testing.
Jeff

Seems to me that the test was pre-determined. They used different kinds of Zaino, but only the low-end Meguiar's.

In the end, it all boils down to personal preference. I noticed this weekend that I had six different containers of wax (car finish stuff?) in my garage.

[Casey]

Different Kinds of Zaino? There is only one kind of zaino...there is just several products that use in the process, but there isn't different lines of products as there is with Meguire's, Zymol, etc. So to say it was predetermined because of that I don't buy....but the thing with wax tests that I don't like is they all follow manufacturers recommendations....Zaino tells you to dawn, clay, etc your car...not me others do so in the tests they don't do that....and of course they don't look as good...you can not say it enough - PREP WORK is what makes the wax/polish look the best. If you apply the same prep steps like dawn, clay, smrs etc as the zaino process uses alot of other waxes would look pretty damn stunning too. (just won't last as long as zaino).

Six different containers? Me as well - I have prolly 5 different tire dressings, a bunch of waxes, several quick detailers, a few leather cleaners, different types of car washes, etc.

You made a great comment - it is alot of personal preference. So to everyone try more then one product...I would suggest everyone to try Zaino and P21S as these are in my opinion some of the best sythetic and carnuaba products on the market and you can get a good idea if you prefer one type of product over the other. After that you should try different types of that type...if you like Zaino I'd also try Klasse, etc. Some people are always looking for a the cheapest easiest method...but remember 1) you get what you pay for, 2) if it is worth doing it is worth doing well.

[Dark Silver S]

Why would anyone want the easiest method? This is a labour of love. I washed my S and my SO's Miata yesterday, and took great pains with the wheels. And I put a third coat of wax on the back of the S. When I say great pains, I mean I feel it today.