Cleaners/waxing

[jnnking]

This is my first post and my first Porsche. I bought a 1995 Cab four days ago. I've wanted a Porsche since I was about 10 years old. Anyway...

I wondering about brands of washes, cleaners, waxes etc. to use to keep my baby beautiful. I see Porsche has it's own line, I see Zymol and Zaino and others that appear to be something different that a typicall car wax.

Any suggestions or pointers for a newbie?

Thanks!
Jim

[Randy Webb]

Nobody really knows. Con. Reports did a test a few months ago, but did not test all the high end stuff. You need to select 2 good ones and try them side by side. The best wax may depend on your climate. P21s is what the PCNA expert likes. The Zymol that is NOT sold in stores is good for gloss but is reputed to last only as long it takes to put it on. Malms & Meguiars are supposed to be good. I am happy with the latter. Google for their site and get a car treatment presciption from them eve if you don't use their stuf. Check carcareonline.com for his tips.

[Carrera Sled]

Try Meguiar's #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax. http://www.meguiars.com/product_showroom/showproducts_template.cfm?SrcLine=PP&SrcCat=4. Looks awesome.

I haven't tried their Medallion yet - don't know if it's any better. Wax, polish, etc. are one of those personal preference things, but I swear by Meguiar's; I've used various products of theirs for years with mucho satisfaction.

[cegerer]

One of the best all-around cleaners I've used is a simple 50/50 mix of alcohol and water.

[cicsprog]

Welcome....after the wax, we want pictures of your car.

Jason
88 911 Cab

[Type911]

Asking what type of wax/cleaners, is like asking what oil is best,
everyone has an opinion

Like Randy said, talk to Larry Reynolds of http://www.carcareonline.com/, he will tell you what works best for your Porsche.
I like P21S Concours Carnuba wax, One Grand Blitz wax, Lexol leather treatment, Vinylex for the tires, dash, black trim..works good on the rubber seals too. P21S drying towel...works better than a chamois. Sonax car wash..orange soap for washing works great, plus its Gerrrrman
Rain-x on all the glass & lenses.
One Grand Glass cleaner, or Porsche glass cleaner..comes in a small bottle, works the best, but is the most $
For cleaning floor mats, hose the mats down, take a small amount of laundry detergent (not the kind with bleach in it !), scrub with a brush, rinse very well, then vacuum with a wet/dry shop vac, air dry in the sun...makes the mats look brand new.

Detailing is always fun when its a Porsche !

[bkrygier]

Meguiar's Final inspection #34 a good sprayon wipe off product.
I use it on all three of our vehicles and buy it by the gallon. a lot cheaper

[89911]

I'm a firm believer in frequency as opposed to the old (all day Saturday waxing my car until my arm fall off day of yore). I use a clay bar for debri, spray on wax to finish, and quick car detailer immediately after washing. The car always feels showroom smooth and my shoulders thank me.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Type911 lists exactly what I use as well. I also like the 3M Rubber Treatment for the tires.

If you buy 1 Grand glass cleaner by the gallon, it's not bad. I use it now for everything--house windows, mirrors, cars...

Steer clear of Zymol. It's great for show cars that never get driven or go outdoors, which is why collectors and museums like it, but it's not for road cars.

Stephan

[jnnking]

Thanks for all the great advise! I've been doing a lot of reading over at carcareonline.com

One other question, a friend of mine swears by Zaino, http://www.zainostore.com. They call it a 'car polish'. It's not a wax, carnuba or otherwise. Is a carnuba wax the only way to go? Or do some of you use a 'polish' of any sort?

Jim

[chuckr]

If you do a search you'll get lots of info. I do not recommend any synthetic products on a Porsche, type911 said it .... kinda like oil.
I use any highly recommend Griots Garage products, I also like the other info type911 mentioned. Carcareonline has good info and good products.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

There are lots of things out there to make a car look shiny, all of them synthetic. Carnauba wax has been the standard since the 1920s. It's the main ingredient of every good furniture wax, like Butcher's Wax--S. C. Johnson of Johnson's Wax essentially discovered it, commercially--and it's the only thing you should put on a good car.

Oh, and beware of waxes that boast of being "100-percent carnauba." What they mean, when you read the fine print, is that what carnauba is in the can is is "100-percent carnauba," though it totals three to seven percent (typically) of the contents. Truly pure carnauba is about as hard as a candle. A really good, expensive wax _might_ be about thirty percent carnauba, as a remember. (I recently did an article about Zymol for my monthly Popular Science column, "Man and Machine." It hasn't been published yet. And might not be, since it's pretty hard on them...

Stephan

[kbrown]

what color is your cab? do a search on here and you will find lots of advise, some from professional detailers...I'm still looking for something to take out the swirl marks completely...I probably never will, black is a pain....put I still love mine....pictures please???

[SRISER]

Agree about Zymol. I used it on my 88 Carrera and it looked great in terms of shine but water doesn't bead up very long. I have used Meguires in the past and have been very happy. Griots has nice (and expensive) waxes, cleaners and polishes. Can't wait to see the pics of your new ride...

[azasadny]

I've been using 3M Imperial Hand Glaze (part number 39007) and 3M Show Car Liquid Wax (part number 39026) this summer and I'm impressed with the results. I believe NAPA carries it, that's where I bought mine.

[jnnking]

I've added an avator. Is there someplace else I can add pictures, it's so small. It's dark blue with light gray interior, for those who asked.

Jim

[Carrera Sled]

Originally posted by jnnking
They call it a 'car polish'. It's not a wax, carnuba or otherwise. Is a carnuba wax the only way to go? Or do some of you use a 'polish' of any sort?

Jim

More opinion: The polish issue may be somewhat overlooked. I find that the polish is what really makes the car shine; the wax simply protects the finish. I only polish with about every other waxing. The Meguiar's Show Car Glaze (#7) works great for me, followed by the #26 liquid wax, which has carnauba wax, polymers, resins, silicones, etc. for durability. Have fun with your new ride!

[Randy Webb]

When evaluating these opinions always ask if they did a side by side comparison. That's what needs to be done to compare one item with another. OTOH, you can just grab any decent thing listed above and try it. If happy, fine -- you're done. But you may well not have what is best for your climate type.

BTW, the Medallion is a tad "harder" than the others -- it uses a cation binding system to lock itself in (sez Meg's tech support). I didnt find any sig. difference in bug protection or gloss rel. to the Gold class.

I am going to test the Gold class against he Malm's pretty soon (in our rainy season with alternating sun). Maybe later on, I'll test the winner against P21s.

[Oracle]

Hi,
In the past I used Turte Wax (the high end) and it was good but then I started using Meguiars's Show Car Glaze Polish #7 then I apply a coat with Meguiar's Yellow wax #26 and the results are incredible.
Even my neighbour asked if I repainted the car or did something to the paint.

Even on the "Ford Exploder" the meguire's is better than turtle wax.

Bye
-J

[traveler]

The Zymol that is NOT sold in stores is good for gloss but is reputed to last only as long it takes to put it on.

Steer clear of Zymol. It's great for show cars that never get driven or go outdoors, which is why collectors and museums like it, but it's not for road cars

Now you tell me!

I just spent the last three hours giving my new ride a wash and wax (using Zymol) and my shoulders ARE tired. It looks incredible but I guess I'll have to find something else and do it all again next weekend.