Carnauba wax or polimer wax

traveler · 03:01 AM

I know this has been discussed ad naseam but I just returned from a detailing clinic sponsored by a PCA chapter and the fellow doing the clinic claimed that a polymer wax is far better than a carnauba wax because it lasts a lot longer. Other than that statement, what he had to say was very good and I learned a lot but I thought (from reading here and elsewhere) that a polymer wax was bad for the paint on a Porsche. Or is this just an old wive's tale?

What do you think?

Early_S_Man · 07-31-2004, 11:45 AM

Never heard of polimer wax!

Polymer ... on the other hand, has been superior to carnuba for more than 30 years, both in lustre and durability! Must be an old wives tale [from the carnuba wax mfrs] about the 'harmful' nature to Porsche paint ... never happened, not on old enamel, or modern clear-coated, either!

porschenut · 07-31-2004, 11:58 AM

I disagree. Polymer may be more durable, but carnauba gives a superior finish.

mikester · 07-31-2004, 02:11 PM

I just carnubized mine today with mother's...

john70t · 07-31-2004, 02:27 PM

But stay away from anything with silicone(turtle wax) unless the next time the car is painted it's going back to metal. I've heard painters hate the stuff, but I'm not sure if polymers create the same problem.

Randy Webb · 07-31-2004, 02:34 PM

Sherwood vs. Pnut - be sure you guys are talking about the same things - polymer coatings were available in the 70's but bubbled and peeled off the paint. OTOH, Meguairs has just come out with one - they'd have done that earlier if they were convinced it would meet their spec.s

Ok - now let 'er rip...

911Velocity · 911Velocity's Garage

I have used Zymol forever and haven't seen anything better yet.

Emission · Emission's Garage

I like NuFinish. Easy on... easy off.

I just waxed my daily driver with Griot's "Best of Show" (or whatever they call it) wax... and the stuff was a %$&@! to remove. NuFinish next time...

traveler · 08-01-2004, 03:05 AM

OK, so what I'm hearing is that a carnauba based wax is more work and doesn't last as long but it gives a better shine, whereas a polymer (thanks for the spelling tip S_Man

) will last a lot longer. Is that basically the bottom line?

dmcummins · 08-01-2004, 04:47 AM

I use P21S carnuba. Looks good to me.

JonT · 08-01-2004, 05:04 AM

It would seem to me that the answer to your question depends on the type of polymer being used and the type of paint on your car. Painting formulas/techniques have changed over the years from the factory so a general statement "Polymer wax is good/bad for Porsches" does not cover all situations. Most people on this board have had positive results with a variety of products and stick with what works for them.

chuckr · 08-01-2004, 05:16 AM

This has been discussed to no end.... but since you asked, carnauba wax
is the best way to go, I'd bet the clinic you attened used a polymer based product. For your 87, which had no clearcoat from the factory,
the carnauba waxes offer the best protection. While it is true the polymer
based products have short term benifits, and are easier to use, the
the extra time and expense using a high quality carnuaba will pay off
in the long run. I have given clinics and written articles on Porsche
detailing, read pages of articles and you get strong opinions on both
sides. I base all my opinions on seeing Porsches that had a cloudy, milky looking appearance to the finnish. These were older Porsches
and this took years to develop, however, this was caused by inferior
detailing products. I was able to remove this and return the finnish
to normal. The time you spend on your car pays off, the better quality
of product you use pays off.

robhamster · 08-01-2004, 07:08 AM

I have used both polymer and carnauba on my cars. On my Guards Red '84 Cab, I have had the best results with Zaino's polymer products. However, on my black Mercedes, swirl marks were a big problem with that product, so I have tried carnauba on the black paint with better results, but the best come from the Mercedes Paint care product, and I have idea what it is made from, but no swirl marks. And with a black car, how it looks for the first five minutes after you wax it matters most and after that, it is dirty again (pigpen?).

I had a '75 911S for years that I kept in near concours condition and only used Mothers carnauba on it. It was silver with a clearcoat and it always looked great, but I waxed at least once a month. On the '84, I use the Zainos stuff twice a year and it works well enough.

I agree though with the person who said that no matter what you use, make sure it is a quality product.

Cheap is as cheap does.

philipguziec · 08-01-2004, 07:46 AM

"I base all my opinions on seeing Porsches that had a cloudy, milky looking appearance to the finnish. These were older Porsches
and this took years to develop, however, this was caused by inferior
detailing products. I was able to remove this and return the finnish
to normal."

I've got exactly this problem on my 89. Could you explain how you removed the milkiness and returned the finish to normal?

Also, in exactly what ways is a carnuba product superior? For me, super high shine isn't important so, other than shine, what about hardness of the coating layer, durability of the layer, effort to remove the old layer, effort to install the new coat, etc. How does carnuba perform compared to liquid glass, for example?

Thanks.

chuckr · 08-02-2004, 12:13 PM

Phil,
I notice you have a black 89.
Black is tough to deal with, I never saw a black Porsche with this problem. My suggestions are just that , suggestions, so follow at your own risk. 3M 1500 Grit Rubbing Compound, you can get this a Wal-Mart
it is in a small dark grey plastic bottle usually near the touch up paint.
Use a lightly damp cotton rag, new if possible, if old, it must not have been dried using static sheets or fabric softner. I use the white cotton towels from Wal-Mart. Find an out of the way area on your car and put a quarter size amount of the 3M on the sightly damp cotton rag and rub lightly, gradually increase the pressure over an area about the size of
a baseball for a couple of seconds, check the rag for color, you might get some black a little is ok, once you start to see black or after you have rubbed the area for a few seconds, go to a clean dry section on the rag and rub off the 3M compound. If the milky haze is gone... do the rest of the car if not, well, it gets a bit more complicated... can you say Porter-Cable ? This has worked many times for me, just never on Black
lots of Guards Red though. Go to www.carcareonline.com and search for
answers on your other questions about carnauba. I hope this helps
e-mail me off line if you'd like.
Good Luck
Chuck

Wil Ferch · 08-02-2004, 12:35 PM

Black paint...muddy.... swirls?

Believe it or not....3M Imperial Hand glaze..applied with finger tips...followed by Dri-Wash 'n Gard...

I would never have thought this would be good until a close friend who works a high end collision shop showed me this. Unbeleivable. Caveat: Some guys simply don't like this, since it corrupts pre-established thinking. Others do. See here:

Cleaners/waxing

---Wil

Truth-in-advertising...I used to hawke this stuff part time. Can still get it for those who want it but it's not paying for my daughter's college...doesn't bother me either way...