Exterior finish care
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So what are the recommendations for wash/wax for the Insight?
I talked to the detail guy at the dealer and he recommended a waterless wash product called DriWashnguard. Bought some from him and have tried it 3 times. Gotta admit I'm underwhelmed... It's OK but not good for black trim; leaves white stuff I had to clean off with a good turtle wax cleaner.
So back to square one...
I won't use automatic car washes. I'm in AZ and there's a lot of dust. Currently I use a low-power pressure washer and keep it far back from the car. No soap. It does a pretty good job of getting the dirt off without rubbing but the bugs still require some hand rubbing.
The driwash stuff goes on easy after that but I am not getting the beading I can get with a good wax. But I don't want to deal with paste wax buffing; I'm lazy and want something easy. LOL...
So what's the ticket for finish protection these days?
I talked to the detail guy at the dealer and he recommended a waterless wash product called DriWashnguard. Bought some from him and have tried it 3 times. Gotta admit I'm underwhelmed... It's OK but not good for black trim; leaves white stuff I had to clean off with a good turtle wax cleaner.
So back to square one...
I won't use automatic car washes. I'm in AZ and there's a lot of dust. Currently I use a low-power pressure washer and keep it far back from the car. No soap. It does a pretty good job of getting the dirt off without rubbing but the bugs still require some hand rubbing.
The driwash stuff goes on easy after that but I am not getting the beading I can get with a good wax. But I don't want to deal with paste wax buffing; I'm lazy and want something easy. LOL...
So what's the ticket for finish protection these days?
Opinion. DriWashnguard is trash. I used to see it at the car shows.
For rinseless wash, I like Optimum No Rinse with a grit guard and two buckets.
For finish care, I am on the ceramic band wagon these days. I have had Ceramic Pro done on one car. I have GTechniq on the others and GTechniq on the Insight. I have to add SOMETHING so I use c2v3 on top of the GT ceraminc and Beadmaster (cheap stuff...really good) on top of any of it.
For rinseless wash, I like Optimum No Rinse with a grit guard and two buckets.
For finish care, I am on the ceramic band wagon these days. I have had Ceramic Pro done on one car. I have GTechniq on the others and GTechniq on the Insight. I have to add SOMETHING so I use c2v3 on top of the GT ceraminc and Beadmaster (cheap stuff...really good) on top of any of it.
I have been using Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax as my paint protection. It's cheap, fast, dummy proof, and gives good results (https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/3...c-wax-my-personal-experience-2.html#post12034). :grin:
If you need to wash the car, https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Ultimate-Wash-Wax-Washing/dp/B00353PWAW/, has good reviews on amazon (I wash my car at a car wash due to no garage).
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This test of ceramic coatings is interesting-
Surprised how well the Consumer Reports favorite NuFinish does compared with some of the $$$ ceramics.
With the new car I decided to try a new snake oil and ordered a bottle of IGL Ecocoat Premier. Just put it on today, so no idea how long it will last. I can say application and removal was as easy as the various spray waxes I've used; much easier than the typical paste/liquid wax. Of course, spray waxes I've used are lucky to bead water for a few weeks, so hopefully this one will do better. Also no staining of rubber so far that I can see where I went over an edge. Downside is $62 after tax and shipping so it's kinda pricey and only at a few stores like Autogeek and Autopia. I figure I used maybe 1/8 the bottle.
Surprised how well the Consumer Reports favorite NuFinish does compared with some of the $$$ ceramics.
With the new car I decided to try a new snake oil and ordered a bottle of IGL Ecocoat Premier. Just put it on today, so no idea how long it will last. I can say application and removal was as easy as the various spray waxes I've used; much easier than the typical paste/liquid wax. Of course, spray waxes I've used are lucky to bead water for a few weeks, so hopefully this one will do better. Also no staining of rubber so far that I can see where I went over an edge. Downside is $62 after tax and shipping so it's kinda pricey and only at a few stores like Autogeek and Autopia. I figure I used maybe 1/8 the bottle.
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Interesting info. His next 2-year, ~40 item, side-by-side test will include some of the products mentioned in forum (9HMRFIX, Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic, IPL) so it will be interesting to see the new comparisons...
I actually considered using NuFinish before deciding on HCW but had concerns from amazon reviews about accidentally getting the stuff on places I shouldn't. Since the stuff is so durable it's also really hard to remove.
Going to look into it again when I do my next decontamination around the Fall.
Going to look into it again when I do my next decontamination around the Fall.
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Yeah definitely be careful to avoid the black rubber and plastic trim, but if you can stay on the paint it's a bargain for durability. I can't recall if it's just a wax/sealant or if it also has a light polish ingredient which I try to avoid on new paint. Too easy for me to apply swirl marks with a polish. If this IGL Ecocoat Premier lasts nearly as long as this test suggests, doesn't stain plastic/rubber and is as easy as a spray wax to apply and remove, I'll look over the price tag vs. Nufinish.
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I’ve used NuFinish in the past and I just could keep it off the trim. So I’m giving it a thumbs down for that reason.
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Sorry, but I'm not sure I follow... do you mean it was hard to keep off of plastic trim areas while still getting a good polish on rest of the painted surfaces? Or that it was easy to manage?
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I mean I’m not skilled enough to avoid the plastics trim 100% of the time. I prefer using something that doesn’t require surgical precision to apply without ending up with crummy looking black trim.
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21 Posts
About to apply my first wax job. I've used Turtle Wax Hard Shell liquid for years on my other Hondas and pleased with the results, so that's what I plan to use. I typically do the entire car (in segments) once a year. I know, should do more, but...
Anyhow, this car (Cosmic Blue) is darker than any car I've had in the past, so interested in any thoughts. Just bought some microfiber towels to wipe/buff off the haze as well (previously used regular old bath towels). Should I be fine with Turtle Wax Hard Shell? Any advice on application/removal? Thanks.
Anyhow, this car (Cosmic Blue) is darker than any car I've had in the past, so interested in any thoughts. Just bought some microfiber towels to wipe/buff off the haze as well (previously used regular old bath towels). Should I be fine with Turtle Wax Hard Shell? Any advice on application/removal? Thanks.
If your wax is in any way ceramic, throw away the microfiber towels after you use them. The stuff will dry and cause scratching the next time you use them.
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Thanks hasarad, I don't believe it does....
https://www.turtlewax.com/our-products/essentials/turtle-wax-super-hard-shell-liquid-wax/
https://www.turtlewax.com/our-products/essentials/turtle-wax-super-hard-shell-liquid-wax/
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I've owned light-colored cars, mostly because the sight of swirl marks would drive me nuts. I'd mostly used "hard wax" that hazes in the past, and used spray wax instead on this car. If you're a fan of Turtle Wax, their "ICE" spray product rated pretty well in post #5 (video) within this thread. For the hard wax, I'd suggest ensuring your car is absolutely clean microfiber towels are new/washed/immaculate to minimize swirl risk.
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Silver is great in my experience for not showing dirt, dust, swirl marks, etc. Plus it generally doesn't look as bad as some other colors when you have to use touch-up paint.
But the dark blue with ivory interior looked so sharp we gave it a whirl since silver was only available with the black interior. I think every car we've owned for 25 years has been white, silver or gray, so it's nice to have a color now.
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I just applied a Ceramic coating to my Insight this week. I went a different route than the Turtle or Meguiars brand and opted for the Avalon King Armour Shield IX. https://avalonking.com/?gclid=CjwKC...IM-_R7YBESOOKV6eKXK5kLabaTJnFSAxoCUo8QAvD_BwE It was pretty labour intensive from start to finish. First the wash and dry. Then I used Chemical Guys Light Clay bar and Clay uber synthetic Lubricant to do the whole car. After that I cleaned the whole car with a 50% isopropyl alcohol /water solution. Then I applied the ceramic coating. All total it was just under 6 hours to do everything. At this point I am still in the 48 hour "don't get the car wet" stage so it is parked in the garage. The Avalon King product is quite expensive but there are lots of places where you can get a promo code and save 25% off of the price. They say it is supposed to last up to 5 years so only time will tell. Has anyone else used this product ?
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I put on a ceramic spray over a month ago, IGL Ecocoat Premier. It's also kind of pricey, just over $50 on sale but at least the application is easy. So far, so good, but my guess is that it's like when polymer sealants first appeared decades ago. All these claims that they last for years or even lifetime. The catch is that you have to put on a "rejuvenator" or "booster" or something every few months to keep the shine and bead lol. Of course you buy their booster and you're basically just adding more sealant like you would apply a new coat of wax every few months.
Like sealants did over waxes, I'm sure ceramics have improved things a little over the last generation of finishes. And like all those before, there are more snake oils out there than legitimate quality products like NuFinish. It's hard knowing which is which especially when they are new and relatively untested long term.
Like sealants did over waxes, I'm sure ceramics have improved things a little over the last generation of finishes. And like all those before, there are more snake oils out there than legitimate quality products like NuFinish. It's hard knowing which is which especially when they are new and relatively untested long term.
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