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Thought I would throw this out there. I am voluntarily washing, clay bar, and wax my Fusion this weekend. I  could totally pay someone else to do it but I guess I feel like doing it myself. It's a bit cathartic, as I can just unplug, listen to some music, and bring out the shine. I usually clay the car once a year but I skipped last year. I had been using Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid for my wax. It's been decent but only seems to last me 2-3 months before beading stops. I park outside so my paint takes a beating.  Anyone have any recommendations? 

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I previously used Meguiars Ultimate Liquid as well. Excellent gloss but only fair durability as you mentioned. Last year, I gave Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wax Spray Coating a try. It's almost as glossy as Meguiars Ultimate Liquid but the real appeal is durability. I'm been getting 6-7 months of beading in North Texas spring and summer weather, more than twice as long as what I got with the Meguiars Ultimate.

 

As a bonus, the Hybrid Solution Ceramic Wax Spray coating is easier to apply, as its a spray on, wipe off type product. The combination of durability and ease of application is great. Price is very reasonable, about $12-15 for a 16 ounce bottle.

 

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Hand washing & polishing a vehicle is good exercise.

I applied 303 Graphine Nano Spray shortly after delivery of my 2021 Ranger. They say it works best after removing old wax which I did by hand washing the truck with Dawn Ultra dish soap. The Graphine should be applied in a thin coat, and it looks horrible out of the bottle: a grey goo with a strong petroleum smell, but it really works. I used a microfiber cloth for both application and wipe-off and it's good on everything: glass, wheels, neoprene, rubber, plastic etc.

I followed up after a couple days with Adam's Detail Spray which really brought out a wet look shine and a very smooth finish- and has a strawberry scent! It has been about twelve weeks since I applied both and water is beading up well.

 

 

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Thanks for the suggestions! I was really looking at the turtle wax until I realized I had 2/3 of a bottle of Meguiars.  I decided to use that but will really look at ceramics for next time. 
 

My day started with replacing the wipers and cabin air filter. Then a wash with Adam’s strip soap. Followed by a painstaking clay bar with Griots. Then 2 coats of Meguiars. 

Results not too bad for a daily driver that sits outside.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I can't wax my vehicles like I used to in the past, so I gave away my random-orbit buffer to my youngest son.   Age and arthritis have more or less forced me into relying on the car wash for cleaning and paint protection.  However, a month or so ago, I got real motivated and hand washed, clay barred, and applied Meguiar's Ceramic Wax to the Aviator and the Expedition.  Probably not going to do that again but, so far so good.   

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I used to be on a much more frequent polishing schedule - now I'm lucky if I can carve out time for my my annual clay/polish.  The Chemical Guys (not sure if they're overrated or not) wash/wax I use keeps it looking pretty good when I can get a hand wash in.  Ceramic coatings have caught my eye recently, but I can't just yet swallow the price...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/29/2021 at 3:31 AM, Chrisgb said:

Hand washing & polishing a vehicle is good exercise.

I applied 303 Graphine Nano Spray shortly after delivery of my 2021 Ranger. They say it works best after removing old wax which I did by hand washing the truck with Dawn Ultra dish soap. The Graphine should be applied in a thin coat, and it looks horrible out of the bottle: a grey goo with a strong petroleum smell, but it really works. I used a microfiber cloth for both application and wipe-off and it's good on everything: glass, wheels, neoprene, rubber, plastic etc.

I followed up after a couple days with Adam's Detail Spray which really brought out a wet look shine and a very smooth finish- and has a strawberry scent! It has been about twelve weeks since I applied both and water is beading up well.

 

 

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Yeah i also did it, it works!

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Here's my deal;  wife got a new car.  I got the Adams fancy ceramic graphene stuff.  6 hours of prep, wash, Iron x removal,  clayed,  then polished with buffer.  Then used 2 types of

prep sprays to remove all polish dust.  Then applied the ceramic coating.  Overall car is super wax like,  shiny until you look hard.  These ceramic coatings take alot of know how,  if done by untrained first timers its look really bad.  Note the stop line on the roof pillar.  Doors and hood have streak lines.  Car needs to be redone,  but I'm tried.

My suggestion,  have a pro or the dealer do this.  The sprays above me are nice for a week,  most wash off in the next rain storm.  Waxing these monster trucks is a waste of time every 3 months.  IMO.  Rob

DSC05098.JPG

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I usually clay bar and wax in the spring, and then wax again in the fall.  My car is garage parked both at home and at work so I've found doing clay bar twice a year is usually a waste of time.  I have been using Meguiar's NXT 2.0 wax for many years and it seems to last a decent amount of time, but the downside is it seems to collect dust and dirt pretty easily so you end up washing the car more often.  I recently bought Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic spray wax and am looking forward to trying it out.  I've been using their hybrid detailer for a few months and it has a great shine.

meguiars hybrid ceramic.JPG

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/28/2021 at 6:53 PM, rperez817 said:

I previously used Meguiars Ultimate Liquid as well. Excellent gloss but only fair durability as you mentioned. Last year, I gave Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wax Spray Coating a try. It's almost as glossy as Meguiars Ultimate Liquid but the real appeal is durability. I'm been getting 6-7 months of beading in North Texas spring and summer weather, more than twice as long as what I got with the Meguiars Ultimate.

 

As a bonus, the Hybrid Solution Ceramic Wax Spray coating is easier to apply, as its a spray on, wipe off type product. The combination of durability and ease of application is great. Price is very reasonable, about $12-15 for a 16 ounce bottle.

 

809dc7bb-9501-44f4-a254-f6e96fbc3f36_600

 

Will this be enough for a Navigator?

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  • 4 months later...
On 10/10/2021 at 11:39 AM, mustang84isu said:

I usually clay bar and wax in the spring, and then wax again in the fall.  My car is garage parked both at home and at work so I've found doing clay bar twice a year is usually a waste of time.  I have been using Meguiar's NXT 2.0 wax for many years and it seems to last a decent amount of time, but the downside is it seems to collect dust and dirt pretty easily so you end up washing the car more often.  I recently bought Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic spray wax and am looking forward to trying it out.  I've been using their hybrid detailer for a few months and it has a great shine.

meguiars hybrid ceramic.JPG

I happen to have some on-hand as was wondering what your thoughts were. How did it work out? I have a new truck on the way and want to use it. Should I consider using something different for my first wax treatment before moving to this product?

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On 9/29/2021 at 6:10 PM, d232799 said:

Here's my deal;  wife got a new car.  I got the Adams fancy ceramic graphene stuff.  6 hours of prep, wash, Iron x removal,  clayed,  then polished with buffer.  Then used 2 types of

prep sprays to remove all polish dust.  Then applied the ceramic coating.  Overall car is super wax like,  shiny until you look hard.  These ceramic coatings take alot of know how,  if done by untrained first timers its look really bad.  Note the stop line on the roof pillar.  Doors and hood have streak lines.  Car needs to be redone,  but I'm tried.

My suggestion,  have a pro or the dealer do this.  The sprays above me are nice for a week,  most wash off in the next rain storm.  Waxing these monster trucks is a waste of time every 3 months.  IMO.  Rob

DSC05098.JPG

I had my Stinger ceramic coated when I bought it in 2019, coming up on three years later and it is the best money I spent to keep it easy to detail and limit my efforts keeping it waxed. Professional application seems to be a must for sure, the learning curve is steep. 

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6 hours ago, Stangman1990 said:

I happen to have some on-hand as was wondering what your thoughts were. How did it work out? I have a new truck on the way and want to use it. Should I consider using something different for my first wax treatment before moving to this product?


I did end up putting it on in October last year and it has held up pretty well through the winter with salt and snow.  My car is driven daily and the ceramic wax is still beading up all these months later.  Definitely seems to have held up better than the Meguiar's NXT Tech 2.0 wax I used to use.

 

One suggestion is to make sure the car is wet when you apply this product.  I did the first application dry and found out there is supposed to be moisture on the car because it helps it bond to the paint better (plus it is much easier to apply that way).  I ended up doing two applications.  Check YouTube...Meguiar's has a couple videos showing how to apply this specific product.

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52 minutes ago, GT69 said:

I prefer ceramic coating instead of wax. Its not cheap though, but at least in my case it lasts longer than wax.

Agreed, the depth my Ceramic Pro coating has added to my paint is jaw dropping. Car washes are super simple too with most dirt rinsing off quickly.  

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