Optimum spray wax...anything better?

Z

ZR2

New member
I`ve been using nothing but Optimum Spray wax for years and have been through many bottles. I am very happy with it and it seems to work exactly as advertised. I like how easily it applies, wipes off, and doesn`t leave any residue on black trim panels and can in fact be used to protect them, too.

I`m thinking about giving another product a try, just for the sake of trying something else. I know OPT is a bit old, so I am wondering if there is anything known to be better out there lately?

I park my truck primarily in a shared underground garage but often spend some of my days having to park openly on a residential street.

My main criteria is something for maximum protection from the sun to prevent fading.

I`d like to keep it to something else that can be easily sprayed on and wiped off after a good wash. I don`t currently have the space or luxury to spend hours to prep my truck for an involved ceramic coating or anything like that.

Any recommendations? Or is OPT still king?


Thanks!
 
ZR2 said:
I`ve been using nothing but Optimum Spray wax for years and have been through many bottles. I am very happy with it and it seems to work exactly as advertised. I like how easily it applies, wipes off, and doesn`t leave any residue on black trim panels and can in fact be used to protect them, too.

I`m thinking about giving another product a try, just for the sake of trying something else. I know OPT is a bit old, so I am wondering if there is anything known to be better out there lately?

I park my truck primarily in a shared underground garage but often spend some of my days having to park openly on a residential street.

My main criteria is something for maximum protection from the sun to prevent fading.

I`d like to keep it to something else that can be easily sprayed on and wiped off after a good wash. I don`t currently have the space or luxury to spend hours to prep my truck for an involved ceramic coating or anything like that.

Any recommendations? Or is OPT still king?


Thanks!
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Nothing comes to mind but opti seal or a ceramic sealant. Other than getting more durability i don’t think you’d see anymore benefits.


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Since you mention protection from UV fading, the thing about OCW is that it has a UV absorber in it. It`s patented, but as I read the patent (a long time ago), the patent is not for the UV protection per se, but how they got the UV absorber to mix with the other ingredients. It seems to me there are some spray-on ceramic products which have gotten play here (Turtle Wax and Mother`s come to mind), but if you`re happy with the OCW...

I think it`s likely you could find another fairly easy to apply product that might last longer beading-wise, no way to know really about the UV protection, IMO.
 
The nu finish ceramic is nice and easy to use it’s an alcohol solvent based spray sealant/very light coating I would think it might work. It more durable than normal wax sealants. Or use adams spray coating it’s also easy to use and leave more durable protection.

even professional coating only leave 1-3 microns of protection on top of the paint so it’s hard to say if that very small amount of product does anything to protect from UV.
 
Yeah, it may be very difficult to gage UV protection. Do many really advertise that claim?

ZR2, how often are you needing to apply the Optimum product?

Pan the Advertiser did a recent video on 20 spray-on type of coatings, primarily ceramic and "graphene" stuff. The video I watched really showed off a couple products that looked stellar at the 6 month mark with the balance mostly showing a fail. As a result, I went out and bought the Turtle Wax Flex graphene pro product (very long name) and applied it this past weekend -- the stuff is super slick to the touch. The other product that has a good showing is the Griot`s spray on ceramic. Just a couple of ideas that could provide improved longevity. Personally, I`d love to own a spray-on product that approached 1 year duration.
 
What about Griots 3 in 1? I used it as a stop-gap on my wife`s coated vehicle and I`ve been really impressed. Easy to apply, looks good, and seems to be pretty durable.
 
tom p. said:
I went out and bought the Turtle Wax Flex graphene pro product (very long name) and applied it this past weekend -- the stuff is super slick to the touch.
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Ha, that sounds pretty interesting, they even say it provides UV protection and that it`s patent-pending (see my above comments about that patents are not necessarily related to the performance of the product). My reading of the bottle at Amazon is that it`s called "Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Pro Graphene Infused Flex Wax", and it seems like you can apply it in a number of different ways. If I wasn`t still trying to use up stuff from when George W. Bush was president, I`d buy a bottle.
 
Setec, that`s right, they suggest three techniques for application. I did traditional and it was easy enough to work with.
 
I love OCW and personally, you should stick to it.

If you wanted to try 16oz of something else, I would go with Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax. It’s synthetic, but acts like an old school wax, doesn’t mind overspray on windows, available in gallons as well.

We don’t have the new formula in the UK yet, so this is based on the 16oz/gallon formula. I think the new one comes in. 20/24 oz bottle only.

Doesn’t say it has any UV protection either, but it is a pleasure to use.
 
I`ve been really enjoying 3D`s new Bead It Up product lately. This stuff attracts less dust than a carnauba product, goes on streak free, and really provides some nice gloss, slickness, and water behavior. It is a "crosslinking" polymer that has a cure time of ~24hrs so I`m assuming you can layer away after the cure time if desired, and is claimed to work well as both an LSP or a topper to your existing layers.

3D Bead It Up - 16 oz.
 
Ocw is a hard product to beat. There are some more durable sprays out there but none look as good on a dark car for me. Ocw is awesome on black trim too. The TW ceramic spray is pretty solid as is seal and shine.
 
tom p. said:
Yeah, it may be very difficult to gage UV protection. Do many really advertise that claim?

ZR2, how often are you needing to apply the Optimum product?

Pan the Advertiser did a recent video on 20 spray-on type of coatings, primarily ceramic and "graphene" stuff. The video I watched really showed off a couple products that looked stellar at the 6 month mark with the balance mostly showing a fail. As a result, I went out and bought the Turtle Wax Flex graphene pro product (very long name) and applied it this past weekend -- the stuff is super slick to the touch. The other product that has a good showing is the Griot`s spray on ceramic. Just a couple of ideas that could provide improved longevity. Personally, I`d love to own a spray-on product that approached 1 year duration.
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Gyeon cancoat.... literally applies like a sealant.


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I like Adam`s H2O Guard & Gloss, applied as part of a rinseless wash. For my own cars I apply it every 2-3 months over a sealant (or before a road trip), and it can be applied to trim without issue.

Just before this product was released several years ago, I was a Detail Fest and Ivan showed how to use OPT Spray Wax as part of a ONR wash. A few weeks later I received some G&G to test (it needed to be applied wet), and used the method I had just learned with great results. I have been using ever since, and if I have a customer that just wants wax this is what I use - protection and no extra time added.
 
OCW is still my go to drying aid on anything that isn`t coated. Idiot proof, looks fantastic and lasts a good while. If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it.
 
mc2hill said:
I like Adam`s H2O Guard & Gloss, applied as part of a rinseless wash. For my own cars I apply it every 2-3 months over a sealant (or before a road trip), and it can be applied to trim without issue.

Just before this product was released several years ago, I was a Detail Fest and Ivan showed how to use OPT Spray Wax as part of a ONR wash. A few weeks later I received some G&G to test (it needed to be applied wet), and used the method I had just learned with great results. I have been using ever since, and if I have a customer that just wants wax this is what I use - protection and no extra time added.
Click to expand...

Adam`s H2O Guard and Gloss is one of those products that really stood out to me as an amazing spray sealant, but after I finished the bottle I never went back to it. This might convince me to give it a go again though, as I`m usually incorporating rinseless washes for customer vehicles just because it`s easier.
 
The only product that I used that I could visibly see that actually prevented clear coat chalk up on an older truck was Zaino. Not exactly sure how that worked but something that I read seemed to indicate that the UV portion gets absorbed into the clearcoat. Not sure if the UV protectant in Zaino is different than what is used in other products or not.
 
mc2hill said:
I like Adam`s H2O Guard & Gloss, applied as part of a rinseless wash. For my own cars I apply it every 2-3 months over a sealant (or before a road trip), and it can be applied to trim without issue.

Just before this product was released several years ago, I was a Detail Fest and Ivan showed how to use OPT Spray Wax as part of a ONR wash. A few weeks later I received some G&G to test (it needed to be applied wet), and used the method I had just learned with great results. I have been using ever since, and if I have a customer that just wants wax this is what I use - protection and no extra time added.
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Ah yes, the Dylan era of Adam`s Polishes. Those were the good ole days.
 
ZR2- Welcome to Autopia!

I`m late to this party, but FWIW, OCW (which I use on my wife`s A8) is indeed nice stuff. IME the only significant drawback is that it provides minimal protection from etching (bugs/birds). For that reason, I`ll eventually switch that car over to the FK1000P that I use on the others since that stuff has proven utterly impervious to such stuff.
 
Accumulator said:
ZR2- Welcome to Autopia!

I`m late to this party, but FWIW, OCW (which I use on my wife`s A8) is indeed nice stuff. IME the only significant drawback is that it provides minimal protection from etching (bugs/birds). For that reason, I`ll eventually switch that car over to the FK1000P that I use on the others since that stuff has proven utterly impervious to such stuff.
Click to expand...

Accumulator-- curious which, if any, maintenance products you are using with the FK1000P. I`ve been at this for over 20 years and have a tin of the stuff for the first time ever. Anxious to give it a whirl.
 
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