meguiars.com: FAQ - What's the best wax Meguiar's has to offer me for my brand new car, truck, or s.u.v.?

Over the years, we have developed some very unique and highly specialized waxes that have attained their own following of loyal fans. All of the waxes Meguiar's manufactures are exclusive formulas, each offering the end-user its own unique features and benefits.

Two people with identical cars with the identical color and type of paint may prefer different Meguiar's waxes according to… what looks good in their eyes.

Who are we to argue?

What's more important is that you, our valued customer, know that whichever Meguiar's wax you choose, you can rest assured that you're getting the very best wax money can buy, not only in appearance results but also in protection results.

For that reason, it can be hard to recommend a specific wax because we're all individuals. Typically, we can share information about each of our waxes, and then let you use the product and make up your own mind.

If you're not 100% completely satisfied with any Meguiar's product, just return the unused portion to Meguiar's along with your receipt and we will gladly refund you money.

Sometimes, it's just a matter of experimenting with our different waxes to find just the right one that best suits your particular set of circumstances as well as your personal tastes. Some things to consider when choosing a wax are the environmental conditions in your area and the amount of time you are willing to invest in waxing each year.

All new cars, trucks, and S.U.V.'s require a non-abrasive wax that is safe for clear coat paints. All Meguiar's waxes are non-abrasive, this means Meguiar's waxes contain no ingredients that will abrade the paint or instill a scratch.

You can safely use any Meguiar's wax on any new car's finish and easily produce excellent results. That said, some Meguiar's waxes are more suited for a finish that is new and in excellent condition, while some Meguiar's waxes offer a light chemical cleaner for finishes in less than perfect condition.

A finish in new or excellent condition would benefit more from a Meguiar's polish/wax or pure wax because they don't contain any chemical cleaners and instead offer a more concentrated blend of polishing oils and protection ingredients.

A finish that has been neglected, or is a few years old, would benefit more from a Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax because the non-abrasive chemical cleaners will safely and effectively clean the surface by removing contaminants producing a more clear and glossy finish. Remember, your end results are always determined by the condition of the surface to start with, and the prep work you do before applying a protective coating. If your finish is severely neglected, you might consider using a dedicated paint cleaner before applying any wax.

Here is list of all Meguiar's waxes and the unique characteristics each wax offers.

Pure Waxes – Pure waxes are an excellent choice for new cars, trucks, S.U.V.s, new paint jobs, cars that have been well maintained, or cars whose finish has recently been professionally detailed.

	NXT Generation^TM Tech Wax – This pure synthetic paint protectant will do more to increase optical clarity, shine and gloss, while providing the best protection against attack than any other wax on other market.
	#26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax – This pure wax blends the highest quality Brazilian Number One Carnauba Wax with costly Polymers, Silicones, and special Resins to create eye dazzling gloss and depth of color while providing durable paint protection.
	Meguiar's Deep Crystal System Step-3 Carnauba wax – This premium quality liquid wax blends Brazilian Number One Carnauba Wax with an exotic blend of conditioning oils, as well as long lasting Polymers, Silicones and Resins for long lasting durability. Step-3 Carnauba wax leaves behind a brilliant, crystal clear finish with incredible water beading action.

Polish/Waxes

Meguiar's Gold Class Clear Coat Wax – This wax comes in both liquid and paste versions and is an excellent product for any new car finish. This is what Meguiar's calls a Polish/Wax. This means it is part rich conditioning oils that add beauty and part synthetic polymers that add protection. This wax is famous for creating deep, dark, crystal clear reflections on any type of paint. Polish/Waxes are excellent waxes for people who love a deep, dark reflective shine, but who also want superior protection for their car's finish. Gold Class Clear Coat wax accomplishes both of the goals using one of Meguiar's most complex formula's of their legendary trade secret polishing oils and the best protecting polymers available.

Cleaner/Waxes

	ColorX^® - ColorX is Meguiar's newest addition to the Cleaner/Wax family. ColorX is like Meguiar's traditional Cleaner/Wax, (A1216), on steroids. It's more effective at cleaning neglected finishes, restoring optimum clarity and leaving behind an incredibly long lasting synthetic polymer paint protectant than Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax, (A12), without having to resort to harsh abrasives and without giving up the kind of stellar results you have come to expect from Meguiar's products. ColorX can be applied by hand, dual-action polisher and orbital buffers.
	Meguiar's Cleaner Wax – This is Meguiar's best all purpose cleaner wax. A12 as it's known by it's part name, was introduced in 1973. While most waxes come and go… this wax has been around for over 30 years and will be around as long as were driving cars. Meguiar's Cleaner Wax is a combination of non-abrasive chemical cleaners, rich conditioning oils and synthetic polymers, silicones and waxes all ingredients for long lasting paint protection. Because this Cleaner/Wax is non-abrasive it can be used on finishes in good to excellent condition with excellent results. The chemical cleaners in Meguiar's cleaner wax will clean and remove light oxidation, pore-imbedding stains, built-up road grime, and air-borne contaminants. The trade secret conditioning oils will rejuvenate your paint, restoring the paint's original oils lost over time, resulting in a darker, more clear finish. The synthetic polymers, waxes and silicones will seal the paint, locking in the rich conditioning oils and protect the finish against corrosion, oxidation, chemical attack, and the detrimental effect caused by day-in, day-out driving and exposure to the environment. Another benefit to Meguiar's A-12 Cleaner Wax is it's widespread availability, and affordable price, (suggested retail is $4.95). This makes it another good choice for people with daily drivers that would like to wax their car often. And if you like to see water beading on your car's finish after washing or following a rain storm, you will not be disappointed. The chemists at Meguiar's recently reformulated A-12 Cleaner Wax to bead water like nobody's business! Water beads are small, tall and tight and last and last. Water beading, as well as darkness gets better and better with each additional coat. Easy to use, Meguiar's Cleaner Wax wipes on easy, dries fast, and removes effortlessly with a premium quality 100% cotton towel, or Meguiar's own microfiber polishing cloth, the Ultimate Wipe. Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax can be applied by hand, dual-action polisher and orbital buffers.
	#6 Cleaner/Wax – Meguiar's also offers a Cleaner/Wax in the Professional line, which is available in both 16-ounce bottles and 64-ounce containers. M-06 Cleaner/Wax in the Professional line is a tad bit more aggressive than any of the Cleaner/Waxes in the consumer line and perfectly suited for one-step applications on neglected surfaces. M-06 can also be used with a rotary buffer for extra cleaning and polishing strength, as well as by hand, Dual-Action polishers, and Orbital buffers. This product has widespread availability, and is a long time favorite among serious enthusiasts.
	#66 Quick Detailer – This cleaner wax is the workhorse in the Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax category. Available in 1-gallon jugs, this is Meguiar's most aggressive cleaner wax and perfectly suited for use with rotary buffers on severely neglected, oxidized, scratched and swirled surfaces. This wax offers incredible cleaning strength, without using harsh abrasives. The rich polishing oils leave behind a lustrous finish while Meguiar's state-of-the-art synthetic polymer waxes leave behind a long lasting durable protective finish. Perfect for Used Car dealers and wholesalers looking for a fast and effective one-step product. M-66 like M-06 is very versatile, and can be used by hand, dual-action polisher, orbital buffer, and the rotary buffer.
	#20 Polymer Sealant – As the name implies, this is a premium polymer sealant. Unlike most products on the market labeled polymer sealant, this product works. The hardest thing to make a polymer sealant do is to bond and adhere evenly over the entire surface. Without the right technology behind the formula, polymers will tend to bond in some area, and not in others. This leaves some areas of your car's finish protected, while other areas are susceptible to damage. The chemist at Meguiar's went to great lengths to ensure that the polymers used in #20 Polymer Sealant bond evenly on all types of paint. Light Cleaning Action – To help insure superior bonding for long lasting protection, #20 Polymer Sealant *contains a very small amount of some very light chemical paint cleaners*.
A common question about car waxes is: *"How long will a wax last?"* Well, one of the most important factors that determines how long a wax lasts, is: How well the surface is prepared to accept the wax. That's why Meguiar's chemists include a light amount of chemical cleaners in this product. These light chemical paint cleaners help to clean and remove any light surface contamination or oxidation from the finish so that the polymers can bond or polymerize to the finish at their maximum ability. This ensures the polymer protection will last longer than had the chemical cleaners not first prepared the surface for optimal bonding. #20 Polymers Sealant is easy to apply, and incredibly easy to wipe off. It leaves a bright shine on finishes in good to excellent condition. #20 Polymer Sealant can be applied by hand, dual-action polisher and orbital buffers.

Meguiar's Cleaner/Waxes - a great choice for daily drivers

Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax is an excellent choice for all new cars, truck and S.U.V.'s that are used as daily drivers and parked at least a portion of each day outdoors and without cover. Because daily drivers are driven daily (thus the term), and are often parked for at least part of the day, if not all the time, the finish is constantly under attack. Contaminants, dirt and road grime tend to build-up faster on daily drivers than cars that are only driven once in a while and parked under cover or in a garage for part or most of each day. The safe and gentle non-abrasive cleaning action used by Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax insures your new cars finish stays clean, clear and protected - the perfect wax for daily drivers.

Note: Although all Meguiar's Cleaner/Waxes contain chemical cleaners, you can safely use them on all finishes, new or old. The cleaning ability of Meguiar's Cleaner/Waxes is effective but gentle, and should not be confused with off-the-shelf Cleaner/Waxes that often contain strong cleaning agents, harsh solvents and in some cases, sharp abrasives.

Spray Waxes

Meguiar's spray waxes are meant to be used as booster waxes to supplement the base coat of wax you have already applied. These two spray waxes help maintain the results your have previously achieved. They are not intended to take the place of a normal application of either a paste or a liquid wax.

NXT Generation^TM Spray Wax – This liquid spray on wax is a companion product for Meguiar's NXT Generation of car care products built with ESP's (Engineered Synthetic Polymers) for today's advanced polymer finishes. NXT Spray Wax builds on the results you have already achieved using NXT Tech Wax. NXT Spray Wax is an excellent maintenance product to maintain your protection, in-between regular applications of NXT Tech Wax. This is not a quick detailer and should not be used to remove dirt and dust accumulation. It is also not a replacement for a regular coating of any wax. NXT Spray Wax can be used with all Meguiar's waxes, but chemically works best with NXT Spray Wax.

Quik Wax – This is a remarkable product. With Meguiar's Spray Wax, you can quickly restore that "just waxed" look in minutes. Recently reformulated, Quik Wax now darkens and deepens medium to dark colored paints, while significantly increasing gloss and shine. Quik Wax also helps to fill in and hide unsightly swirls and scratches. This is not a replacement for a quick detailer, but instead, the natural companion to a quick detailer. Using a quick detailer first to remove light dust and fresh contaminants, then immediately going over the finish with Quik Wax to maximize optical clarity, shine and gloss. Quik Wax can be used with all Meguiar's waxes.

For a recommendation tailored to your specific needs, we encourage you to apply for a FREE Car Care Rx Plus or to call our Customer Care Hotline and one of our friendly Surface Care Experts will be glad to discuss your car care goals and recommend a product for your particular needs.

10. How soon can I wax my new car?

11. How do I remove the rough feeling from my paint?

12. How can I remove below surface defects like chemical etching, swirls, and scratches?