Reported in the November 2011 issue of Consumer Reports (CR) magazine.
According to CR, waxes can help protect paint. Some can also improve the shine of oxidized paint, but they won't improve the shine on newer cars because of clear-coating. The best pastes can provide longer protection than liquids. Their testing found ease of use about the same for both types, although some pastes were harder to remove. The following properties were tested:
Gloss improvement
Durability
Ease of removal
Ease of application
Cleaning
Resistance to scratching/hazing
Compatibility with plastic
In the table below, waxes are listed in order of performance. Although CR listed 12 waxes in this category, only the top 7 will be listed as those falling below were not recommended for consideration by CR. None was rated excellent overall.
Liquid or Gel Wax (Easier to apply overall than pastes)
1. Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 G12718
2. Nu Finish NF-76
3. Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Premium Liquid Wax G7016
4. 3M One Step Cleaner Wax 39006
5. Meguiar's Cleaner Wax A1216
6. Mothers California Gold Carnauba Cleaner Wax 05701
7. Auto Glym Super Resin Polish SRP 2/2
In the table below, waxes are again listed in performance order. While 7 waxes were listed in this category, only the top 2 will be listed as those falling below were not recommended by CR.
Paste (Top scorers in this category are more durable)
1. Nu Finish NFP-80
2. Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste Polish T-465
Long-lasting waxes:
Nu Finish NF-76
Nu-Finish NFP-80
Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste Polish T-465
Waxes that deep-clean your paint:
Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Premium Liquid Wax
3M One Step cleaner Wax
Meguiar's Cleaner Wax
Mothers California Gold Carnauba Cleaner Wax
Auto Glym Super Resin Polish SRP 2/2
Nu Finish NFP-80
Important Note
Don't assume that because a wax is highly rated in one category it will be similarly positioned in the other. For example the #1 rated Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 in the Liquid category is only #4 rated in the paste group, too low in performance in that group to earn a CR recommendation. In like manner, the #2 rated Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste Polish in the Paste category is rated #12 (last) in the list of Liquid products, obviously not earning a recommendation.
Conclusions
Overall, liquid waxes performed as well as paste waxes, with the best liquids providing better shine on faded paint. Only two of the 19 car waxes tested were rated excellent for durability, Nu Finish NFP-80 and Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste, both paste waxes. Regardless of your effort, how much you spend, or what longevity claims manufacturers make, CR recommends waxing new cars at least every two or three months for maximum protection.
In the next post I'll report my experience using one of these products.
Happy Motoring!
According to CR, waxes can help protect paint. Some can also improve the shine of oxidized paint, but they won't improve the shine on newer cars because of clear-coating. The best pastes can provide longer protection than liquids. Their testing found ease of use about the same for both types, although some pastes were harder to remove. The following properties were tested:
Gloss improvement
Durability
Ease of removal
Ease of application
Cleaning
Resistance to scratching/hazing
Compatibility with plastic
In the table below, waxes are listed in order of performance. Although CR listed 12 waxes in this category, only the top 7 will be listed as those falling below were not recommended for consideration by CR. None was rated excellent overall.
Liquid or Gel Wax (Easier to apply overall than pastes)
1. Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 G12718
2. Nu Finish NF-76
3. Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Premium Liquid Wax G7016
4. 3M One Step Cleaner Wax 39006
5. Meguiar's Cleaner Wax A1216
6. Mothers California Gold Carnauba Cleaner Wax 05701
7. Auto Glym Super Resin Polish SRP 2/2
In the table below, waxes are again listed in performance order. While 7 waxes were listed in this category, only the top 2 will be listed as those falling below were not recommended by CR.
Paste (Top scorers in this category are more durable)
1. Nu Finish NFP-80
2. Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste Polish T-465
Long-lasting waxes:
Nu Finish NF-76
Nu-Finish NFP-80
Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste Polish T-465
Waxes that deep-clean your paint:
Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Premium Liquid Wax
3M One Step cleaner Wax
Meguiar's Cleaner Wax
Mothers California Gold Carnauba Cleaner Wax
Auto Glym Super Resin Polish SRP 2/2
Nu Finish NFP-80
Important Note
Don't assume that because a wax is highly rated in one category it will be similarly positioned in the other. For example the #1 rated Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 in the Liquid category is only #4 rated in the paste group, too low in performance in that group to earn a CR recommendation. In like manner, the #2 rated Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste Polish in the Paste category is rated #12 (last) in the list of Liquid products, obviously not earning a recommendation.
Conclusions
Overall, liquid waxes performed as well as paste waxes, with the best liquids providing better shine on faded paint. Only two of the 19 car waxes tested were rated excellent for durability, Nu Finish NFP-80 and Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Paste, both paste waxes. Regardless of your effort, how much you spend, or what longevity claims manufacturers make, CR recommends waxing new cars at least every two or three months for maximum protection.
In the next post I'll report my experience using one of these products.
Happy Motoring!
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