Zymol question
 

I have always thought that zymol was a very expensive and very good quality wax. I was at the local auto parts store the other day and saw some on the shelf for $4 or $5 bucks...

What gives???

Do they have a cheap version of there good stuff?

I think it was called "polish/wax."


Fig

You mean the blue bottle stuff? I used up the one I bought on our Detriot Iron, but not going to buy another. IMHO, Meguires, Mother's Cali gold, and a host of others work as well, if not better...

I have some of the cheaper Zymol wax, it's not bad. Not the best wax out there, but it does shine much, much, much better than the Meguire's carnuba cleaner wax I have. That stuff is junk. It lasts about two weeks and the shine sux and it doesn't hide fine scratches. Anyone want a slightly used can of the stuff? I won't even use it on my white pick up. I tried a side by side comparison between the two waxes and the zymol was the obvious choice hands down.

I haven't tried the Meguire's non cleaner type wax, it might be better, I can't say.

Anyway, the zymol does a pretty good job of hiding fine scratches (on black paint) and has a much deeper shine that most. It is a pain because if you don't get it on evenly it will show dark streaks. It's easy to apply, but you have to get it on evenly. I think it is because it has a little oil in it. it seems to last a couple months at least. The dark shine (on black paint) starts to fade slightly after about a week or two, again probably due to the oils evaporating.
unless you are into concours it is a good value.

From what I've heard, the blue stuff isn't the real thing, but made by turtle wax.

Yes, it is often called "Zurtle" wax. The spendy Zymol may look good but is said it will not last for more than a week unless you keep the car in a museum.

Xymol used to make a decent wax in a bottle available in stores, but now all you can find is the cleaner wax, which I think is mildly abrasive so I wouldn't use it often. The only good Xymol is the expensive stuff in the small containers...

Hooray, a car wax thread. Can spring be far behind? I hope not.

BTW, I use Klasse; and the cheap Zymol is NOT the same as the spendy stuff.

Jerry M
'78 SC

Yep, spring is about to spring...and Sammy G is right, I'm really a novice when it comes to wax jobs...I only work with decades old paint...

I used Zymol on my black car, what a pain in the arse!!

I then bought a bottle of that 3M stuff (Imperial Glaze) everyone swears by on the board--works really well, but still a pain in the arse! Then I bought the Mother's Cali Gold, Easy on, Easy off, but it does not last long. So now it is the 3M Imperial Glaze when I have some real time and then Mother's inbetween.

I am always open to suggestions, especially by owners with black cars since they are the true challenge.

I know it's a little more $, but I use the Groits Garage brand of polishes & waxes. A little of their Speed Shine after a wash job and, and the wax holds up a good for 4 months.

Which supplier does Griots relable?

Heck, ANY wax is better than none..

Well, while we are at it...which wax is best for the P-car???

oh well ill flick a booger on my car and make it shine........ J/K

Zymol, and Malms are popular.... and you cant go wrong with meguiars

My recipe: wash with good soap, 3M imperial hand glaze, followed by P21S Concours caranuba wax

Hold on there pwd72s, I never called anyone a novice, I never said anything about anyone. I compared the cheap Zymol to the Meguires carniba cleaner wax after I did a side by side test on my car. I even put in a disclaimer that I've never tried Meguire's top of the line wax so I don't know how well it works.
no offense was meant, so please don't take it.
While were on the topic of waxes, a friend of mine suggested a product called one grand blitz or something like that. Ring a bell?

BTW, I also use a product called 3M Perfect-it. Very good stuff. Mild enough to not take paint off (much) but it really makes teh black paint look deep. Also a PITA to use but the results are good.

I've used the Zymol paste that smells nice and comes in a nifty little clear container with the o-ring seal in the past. I think its kinda like fancy doggy treats...they make it look tasty for humans (cause' you're the one buying it for the dog). It leaves a nice deep shine, but I didn't find that it holds up particularly well to day in day out driving, and its a pain in the a-- to put on...you're suppose to put it on and take it off before it dries...I found it got "pilly" on me and I put more fine scratches in the paint trying to get this stuff off or spread evenly. I also don't buy into Zymol's "care and feeding" of your paint crap. I'm no polymer chemist, but I think keeping your paint contaminant free and protected with anything is more important than smearing it with "blends of banana and coconut extracts". Last time I checked I saw a lot of stuff I couldn't pronounce in PPG paint, but fruit extracts weren't one of them.

I use "Super Glaze" made by the wax shop available at Pep Boys. Easy on, easy off, great shine.

-BG :D :D

Sammy, sorry if I overreacted...one grand blitz wax is a good carnuba based wax, without cleaners added...

Here's some really good info from Car Care Specialties:

http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=9

Try the mequiars, go with the Show Car Glaze (their highest gloss), followed by their Medallian wax (their longest lasting), this was recommend to me at a tech session and seems to work great.

I have the blue Zymol 16oz bottle from Costco that came 2 for one. It's pretty good but I found it to be more work than I wanted.
It says
"For max gloss and shine, lightly spray cool, clean water onto freshly waxed finish and buff with a soft, clean cloth."
Well, I've done that on my 911 probably 5 times and the Durango we used to have twice and my dad's F350 dually ONCE (OMG that's a big vehicle to wax!). The shine really comes out great using that method but it takes some work. I could look at an angle and see the wax begin to "set" as I rubbed. It really had that slick, fast feel afterwards.
Now, my neighbor and I were going to the Phx Flight Porsche show and we were taking my car. Not to enter, just to enjoy the ride. He came out and saw me as I finished washing it and said "I have some great wax, I'll be right back". He was done in 15 minutes, tops. And it looked great. He had the Mothers stuff but I can't remember which one. I'm not really up on waxes and I'm not sure of all Mothers bottle colors but this bottle was red.

Fig,

If your car is red, I can attest to the fact that 3M Hand Glaze will streak32. I went with what I read on Car Care's site and used 3M hand glaze w/ One Grand Blitz wax, so I was suprised when it showed streaks from certain angles. Said that, car does look alot better, esp from a distance. It's a pretty good work out too.
David

how about for white 911's?
any rec's??

Maurice
'80 SC Coupe

Use P21S Paintwork Cleanser to polish and shine. This will also remove the yellowish discoloration from wax buildup on older paint. Follow it up with Blitz Wax for protection.

the guys on the renlist swear by Zaino. I think its ony available directly from them. Have not tried it yet

- Maguire's Medallion uses ionic bonding to "lock" the wax onto the surface.
- It's not clear what the "Meguire's (sic) carnuba cleaner wax" was -- maybe the cheapest stuff they have (maroon bottle). They make a special product for scratches.

- I use the Gold line and am happy. Wax performance varies depending on where you live. The best wax in high sun/smog (Phoenix, LA) may not be best for fog & rain (Orygun).

Just for clarification, here's a picture of the Zymol that IMO isn't bad, and the Meguire's wax I think is junk. I paid around $12 for it, I'm sure it isn't top of the line.

I have detailed Porsches for a living and have had really good luck with certain products.I have not had the opportunity to use all the products out there,nor the money to purchase everything I might want.
First, Zymol has let Turtle Wax manufacture a Cleaner Wax for them in Chicago, read the back of the blue/clear bottle, it will say made in Chicago,Ill.
Second, Griots does not repackage other products as their own. They make and sell some of the finest products for the money on the market,
Can you tell I use and like Griots, their Best of Show Wax and Fine Hand Glaze works fantastic on Guards Red ! 3M Imperial Hand Glaze will not streak or swril if used and removed properly and works very well with One Grand Blitz Wax on Black.The best secret I have is to use lots of new 100% cotton towels when removing polish or wax and to ask questions when you see a Porsche that is your color that looks really good. different colors tend to respond better to different waxes, I use a different wax for black than for red.Some cars like a polish and some prefer a glaze.I tend to stay away from Polymers and synthetic waxes, I have seen the white milky buildup they cause, it can be removed,but is is very time consuming.Scratches.... I have the best luck with 3M Rubbing Compound 1500 Grit.The 1500 grit is the key,and I follow this with a good polish or glaze like the 3M or the Griots then a wax.Cleaner waxes are good if you have not waxed in 6 or 7 months.Use a cleaner wax, then a polish or glaze then a wax.Carcareonline had good prices and pretty good advice too ! There are other good products out there, I just haven't had the chance to use them, I am not a big fan of Mequiars waxes, their other products, like their tire gel, are really good.I wish I had the money to try some of the really high dollor waxes like Pinnicle or some of the Zymol estate waxes,there are a couple of others that I just can't seem to remember now but, like someone else mentioned in an earlier post here... any wax is better than no wax and spring is comming so lets get those babys out and get'um shined up for some serious bug killing !

I do not claim to be a pro, but heres my thoughts. For the person just learning how to do it right, you can go to Griots web site and print out a 60+ page how to on cleaning and shineing your car.
Some of it you have to take with a grain of salt as most of his
recommendations are Griot product focused.
The most important part is to keep the car clean and the surface free from contaminants. I personally use Mother Three step with
cleaner, glaze, then carnuba. I use a Porter Cable 6in. random orbital buffer (Lowes $107.00) with foam pads . I also buff off the wax with a micro fiber bonnet. Then I don,t wash the car ever!!!
when after driving it ,it get dirty i use a bath towel wetted with
hot water and folded in 1/8ths, I wipe off 1/8th of the car and dry it with as soft a terry cloth towel as I can find and only use a new
section to dry each area. This give you 16 clean surfaces to wipe off the dust and dirt and doesn't leave any trapped water to sit
and rust out the car. When I start to see swirls I rewax and Buff with the micro fiber bonnett. I do all three step only about twice a year if that many.

Keith

Keith? You don't claim to be a pro???

You know -- the very best thing you can do is keep your car in a garage... My only problem is rock chips. The wax lasts 1-2 years.

The other car has to sit out in the rain (winter) and sun (summer). It needs a lot of work every few months.

does anybody use a clay bar on their car before using the glaze and wax? i was curios if it works or if a cleaner/wax works just as well.

I've been using Zaino a variety of products for a year or so with good results. First heard about it on the roadfly.com web site. They have various products depending on the current condition of your finish; everything from a compounding-type product to a "speed shine" type product. They also have a car wash product, tire treatment etc. Problem is you have to order it direct from the factory as I don't think they have very many distributors. Their web site is www.zainobros.com. Check it out.

Clay bars are a must especially if you can feel tiny rough speckles in your paint. Griot's Garage, located in Tacoma, WA sells the clay bar and other car maintenance supplies. My friends with F-cars and I swear by them when used properly. That is gently wash the entire car with your favorite car wash. Towel dry thoroughly, then take the clay bar and rub small sections at a time along with Johnson's Jubilee furniture polish. This keeps the clay moist and moving over your car's paint finish picking up all of the imbedded particles in your paint. After each panel is clayed, wipe off excess Johnson's polish and then you can use your favorite wax. For a perfect smooth as a babies butt shine. Depending on how much you drive your car, clay about twice a year. Once if you don't drive it much.

clay bars work like a charm - I use the overspray Meguiars stuff at the paint supply shops lubed with the appropiate spray. Follow up with Imperial Hand Glaze, then The Wax Shop Liquid wax - probably the easiest wax in the world to apply, best stuff I've used. Talk about a easy process...As slick as a wet bar of soap and you can see yourself a mile away in it -

One of the biggest things is not letting the car get too dirty between washes, and only drying the car with fresly washed towels, no chamois (101 projects tip). I usually only hose down the car - if it's extremely dirty then a bit of car wash soap then.

rjp

I tried the Meguiars on my guards red Targa and didn't like it. Switched to the blue Zymol and have been satisfied, but my car is a daily driver and, while I of course want a nice shine, I'm not looking for concours quality, effort, and time. We've had a lot of rain and snow this winter and the water is still beading, shine still good; last waxed in October.