Wax-What kind?

I have used them both. My favorite used to be Zymol, but it is not as easy to find locally. I just detailed my car last month only to have some non-paying attention fool total it on the way back from the grocery store! RIP 2007 Silver Honda Accord EX-L V6 6MT!

I also have a 1997 Civic, and the last time I used the Meguiars 3 step kit on it, the dang thing looked brand new. I need to hit it with the three step process again soon, but that is a LOT of wiping and buffing!

Naturally, if your paint isn't oxidized yet, you probably can get away with just waxing it. When it starts to get bad, it is time to use the Cleaner/Polish/Wax treatment and prepare to spend all day doing it!

DJ NoMore wrote in news:jsedne0bYoivtr3anZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

You're supposed to do the 3-step thing just once. Thereafter you just reapply the 3rd step -- the carnauba wax -- as required.

It's done wonders for the wife's car, which is red. Red is a terrible color for fading.

Yeah, but I haven't waxed the poor Civic since 2005. With my wife dying in January 2007, the fate of the poor Civic was in limbo, and just last week it was titled back to me. It too is red, and the spoiler hardly has any paint left on it. It only has 72,000 miles on it, so I am sure I can squeeze some more life out of it!

Now that I have a Sport's Car, the Civic will be my daily driver/grocery getter. This is especially the case since my 2007 special order Accord was totaled on the return trip home from the grocery store. At least my car died in the process of protecting me!

I am truly sorry to hear of your loss.

Thanks Brian. 2007 just hasn't been my year.

Things will improve, it just takes time.

My condolences on your loss as well.

Regarding the wax question, I have a '98 Accord EXV6 "Heather Mist Metallic"

123K miles on it. I have used Meguiars almost exclusively, and in spite of it the parts of the roof, trunk, and now hood have faded to primer. I have used the Paint restorer 2-3 time in the life of the car and the cleaner/wax one a year otherwise regular wax. I'm wondering if the wax products contributed to this problem, however I doubt it as the sides of the car are pristine. Reminds me of the old silver card the GM used to make. I just did not expect that from Honda.

I still use the Meguiars on my 2005 Lexus and it still looks showroom new.

Matt

"Matthew" wrote in news:PIRUi.4$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe12.lga:

I sounds suspiciously like Mr. Sun has done his thing on your paint since the sides are fine. Does the car sit outside most of the time? (in the sun)

The car was garaged for the first 3 years of its life, then delegated to the driveway for the last 6 years. I certainly could be the sun. I just thought with diligent care, "modern" paint on cars should not fade like a '76 Silver Chevy. I had a 1998 Accord LX in Graphite Gray that spent a fair amount of time garaged, but plenty of time outdoors as well. Sold it when I got the 1998. It had a mere 121k miles on it and the paint looked as new as the day I bought it. The was "pre Meguiars" I used Gliptone products on that one.

"Matthew" wrote in news:1ewVi.886$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe12.lga:

Certainly could be the paint itself, a bad batch, or that particular color paint and Meguiars, or both and the sun. That color might have come from a different vendor. Heck even the clearcoat on top might have been defective. Who knows. You did your best. I've been using Nu Finish for almost forever on my cars after reading how well it did in a CR test way way back. And it lasts far longer than the pastes I had been using (Classic etc.). But whether it's actually better? ???

Since you had to polish the paint out during that time obviously it was deteriorating regardless of your efforts, and the wax wasn't helping. (or it was some and kept it from being far worse) I haven't polished a car since, oh, the 70's, and most of our cars we keep 8 to 10 years. Though I still have the little tin of polishing compound in the garage, I'm sure it's totally dried out now.

I'd bet it was that specific color of paint on that model year, and for whatever reason, it was more susceptible to oxidizing regardless of any protection. You might try doing a test with Meguiars on one half of the trunk or hood, another brand on the other half for a few months. See which one beads the longest,etc. It's super for show and tell, but out in the real world where you want hard coat against the elements and longevity, maybe not?

The trick is to use products that won't harm the existing clear coat. Clay-bar stains away but steer clear of "cleaner" waxes. There are some expensive products out there that contain abrasives so be careful.

Several layers of wax are really needed to do a complete job. I put 4 layers of Nu Finish onto my mother's Acura TL and the rain literally rolls off the car at moderate speeds. I used Collinite Fleetwax on my Corvette, 3 layers, with similar results. IMHO, there are lots of decent products on the market but none will last anywhere near as long as advertised. Get used to washing/waxing if your car's appearance is important to you. Nu Finish's huge advantage is being able to apply it in full sun. Unless you have a show car, that's the stuff I recommend (just don't believe it's a once/year deal) because it's easy and fast to use, pretty cheap and readily available. (Collinite is a superior product but it's hard to find and not as easy to use.)

Mcguiars interior preserative goes a good job inside the car and will remove wax white streaks from black exterior plastic. This stuff will also keep door seals from freezing to the door frame.

Happy buffing.