If you have a Monaco Blue or Black car--

What wax do you use and why?

I want to get this process right!

Thanks in advance!:buttrock

Zymol Carbon Wax
The Carbon wax is deliciously deep and lusterous when polished properly, and contains extra doses of carnauba(sp?) to achieve a mirror finish. The price is high, but the yield is tremendous. Make sure you refrigerate after opening as well.
I have never seen a wax that came out so well on a dark colored car.

Thanks!

I have heard that blue/black is hard to maintain and I want to keep it looking new.

Do you use those microfiber towels?

Ditto for Zymol Carbon. The downsides of Zymol are that it doesn't last very long and it's relatively expensive, but nothing tops it for depth of shine and slickness. I did the whole nine yards on my sapphire black Z4 today, starting at 5:30 a.m. Washed, clay barred, washed again, polished, 3M sealant glaze, then 2 coats of Zymol Carbon - you can see the metallic flake in the paint from a satellite now.

What is a claybar and what does it do? I feel like I have been under a freakin rock or something. And what "polish" did you use?

What is a claybar and what does it do? I feel like I have been under a freakin rock or something. And what "polish" did you use?

Clay bar is a bar of clay. :) You rub it across your paint using car wash soap or similar as a lubricant and it removes surface contaminants like bird poop and tree sap; the stuff that's been worked into your paint, rather than just sitting on top. It's similar to an exfoliant for skin.

The polish I used was Meguiars, but that just because I'm trying to use up the bottle I've got. Basically polish removes mild surface blemishes and preps the paint being sealed and wax.

If your car is fairly new, all of this is overkill. Just wash it with a quality soap (not dishwashing detergent) and a good wax. I get decent results with Meguiars NXT, and that's readily available in any parts department. Zymol Carbon is $46 for a jar, and I typically use it during the warmer driving season. One of these days, I'll spring for Concourse ($164). Even if I win the lottery, I'll never buy Zymol Royale ($7000).

To learn more, you can hang out in the detailing forum on this site, or swing by www.autopia.org, a site devoted solely to car detailing.

I've heard that Pinnacle Souveran (paste wax) and Poorboy's Natty Blue look best on dark colors, with PS being the best (but expensive and doesn't last too long) and PBNB being a very good but less expensive alternative.

I can't remember the consensus from a previous post, but did we agree that it was a good idea to clay-bar the entire car once you took possession of it? Also, I have a feeling that the dealer is going to put swirl marks all over the car with their initial wash. What's the best way to get rid of those? I've used swirl removers before but that usually only got rid of them for a day or two...

Ditto for Zymol Carbon. The downsides of Zymol are that it doesn't last very long and it's relatively expensive, but nothing tops it for depth of shine and slickness. I did the whole nine yards on my sapphire black Z4 today, starting at 5:30 a.m. Washed, clay barred, washed again, polished, 3M sealant glaze, then 2 coats of Zymol Carbon - you can see the metallic flake in the paint from a satellite now.
How much to do mine? :stickoutt

The surface is very clean, and I already put TW Ice on it for now which I think is basically a nebulous act, hopefully not a bad thing.

I will get myself to the store and get some real Zymol wax ASAP. Thanks for the tips and links.

Souveran Paste Wax works wonderfully and is a joy to use..

I use P21S on top of Klasse AIO on my Jet Black 335i. Looks like liquid. Once I get the time, I am going to do a full detail-clay, Einszett mild swirl remover, Klasse AIO, several coats of Klasse Sealant Glaze and then P21S.

Used to used Zymol Carbon many years ago. Good wax, but P21S is just as good if not better.

I may order some Natty's Red or Blue and Pinnacle Souveran just to try different ones.

I had ordered some Pink Carnuaba Paste Wax from Beauty Shine Products. After doing some reading-this isn't a widely known Carnuaba wax but the results are supposedly amazing according to some detailers over at autopia. It's a very hard wax, meaning there isn't a high solvent content like in Zymol, P21S, Souveran, etc. It's meant to be applied in a "spit shine" method as you would an army boot. More effort, but it's supposed to yield better results.

http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-product-discussion/38425-bkb-automotive-cosmetics-pink-carnauba-paste-wax.html

Okay so I ordered the Zymol Carbon. After your inputs and reading about the claybar, I see that it is for surface prep and I don't need it, yet. But what about the post of 3m glaze prior to Zymol application? Is this necessary or useful for prewax application?

I bought the appearance package for 495 bucks. It covers the exterior and interior. I would be giving them this thursday and they would coat and treat the car for around 4 hours.
It prevents stuff to permeate thru the paint or leather.

As per the dealer, i dont need to wax the car ever. It is covered for 5 years
+ I got BMW wax and everything else to make you happy :)

I dont understand--they said no need to wax, then they gave you wax?

Do you really believe/is this a 5 year protectant?

okay. I have not looked into the freebies that they have thrown in there; however, as far as believing them goes, I might still use the waxing.
The package really appealed to me coz I am a starbucks adict ;) and dont want to spill it on the beige..
If i spill or soil anything, i would have to just get it to the dealership and they would get rid of it for free.

I don't have a dark color, but the montego still shows is fair share of swirls. I usually rinse mine off at the car wash, then wipe down with micro fibers. I suggest putting vinegar in your water bucket as it helps get rid of spots, esp on windows. As for wax, Zaino Brothers. I have already applied a couple coats to get rid of the swirls from the Army shipping and washing it (looks like they used sand paper to dry it). My dad has a Le Mans Blue C6 and swears by Zaino. After my brief experience with it I would also highly recommend it.

My Black Sapphire came swirled. One thing to note is that Zaino is a nice wax but not worth the price and wait. It also does not remove swirls since it's not abrasive. The Zaino process has been talked about on many forums and I've tried it on silver and now black and other than it's easy application, I don't feel it's that much better than your Meguairs Tech waxes. All the new Nano waxes are the same.

One thing I am doing soon is getting an orbital and buffing the swirls out.

Preference is the key here. All three paint colors that I have saphire black, orient blue and a cosmo black look good with Zaino Z5+Z2. I have used The carbon wax from Zymol for a while until turning over to Zaino.

I have used Zaino in the past on a silver car. It is important to remember the key fact that this is a polish not a wax. Also, there are several steps the the Zaino process. I found that after applying all my Zaino products the car actually repelled dirt and maintained the shine.

I would agree with the previous posts concerning claybar (which is the same no matter way brand you use) it makes a difference. Now that I just purchased the BMW I plan to place an order for Zaino again. I will post pics once complete if anyone is interested.

I make do with Turtle Wax Ice for now.

I saw the title of this thread and almost blew water all over my desk.

Zaino is really the best for most anything like this IMO.

I was just trying to make it catchy so people would respond--plus I know that it makes a difference if you have a dark car color. I have seen some dark cars that look terrible and also great and it really seems to be how the owner cares for the paint more than anything.

Thanks everybody, I will post B/A pics

Pinnacle Souveran