Review: Meguiar's: NXT Tech Wax

M

myall00

New member
Overall, it's a very effective product that produces decent results.

It's for the amateur who wants quick, fuss free results without spending too much time. If used correctly, NXT can be applied and buffed off easily.



On silver or other light colours, NXT produces results that matches other "multi-step/multi products" approach in terms of slickness, gloss and reflection.



On darker colours, I find that it darkens the colour very slightly and this gives an impression of greater richness and depth. Gloss is good too. However, don't expect the ultimate super slick, wet look that a "multi-step/product" technique can give you.



It has average durability and that's conceivable because it's meant to be an all-in-one product. I always top it with a layer of super longlasting Soft 99 Rain Hop wax to achieve crazy and consistent water beading up to 8 weeks.



NXT has a great fragrance, the packaging is very eye-catching and helps it to stand out on the shelves.



Even the more experienced detailing enthusiasts can use it as the 1st layer and top it with any Carnauba Wax. Should look great!
 
I bought it and tested NXT against the Meguair's Cleaner-Wax on the non-clearcoated stipes on my trailer.



Both products left considerable color on the applicators, although I would say that NXT did not leave quite as much as the CW, so I'd bet that the CW was a bit more aggresive. Neither helped the minor swirls much.



Mike P, posted here that NXT contains as much as 10% silicone, so I would bet that this is where the shine comes from.



I did not notice much of a difference in how long either one lasted.



I'll probably use up what's left of the NXT on the trailer, but will then go back to the much cheaper CW. (Niether of these products go on my cars.)
 
Sure looked sweet on this custom car built by Troy Trepanier.



2704sniperwithnxt.jpg




You can read about Sniper here, Sniper in HotRod magazine.



Sniper is a 1954 Plymouth Savoy Convertible with Viper running gear. Tech Wax really turned the surface clear to reveal the metallic flake and made the paint look clear, gloss and wet. The owner loved it.



:D :D :D



Mike
 
montoya said:
I found it to a low end , low durability, off the shelf Target or Cdn. Tire item that I will not be using.
Click to expand...



Care to elaborate?



Every customers car that I have used it on they have been more than happy and so far durability is been good .. My moms Cavalier done 10 March has lost is slipperyness but gloss and beading is still there.



Caddilac customer refered another to me and the specific instructions were .. Use what he got on his ..
 
Matt M said:
Mike P, posted here that NXT contains as much as 10% silicone, so I would bet that this is where the shine comes from.
Click to expand...



Actually, in an earlier thread you and I were posting to, you positioned Tech Wax as containing up to 10% and I clarified that it could be as little as 2%





Mike
 
I think NXT gets a bad rap from some on this site, possibly because it *is* an OTC product and not a boutique product.



My experience is 3/4 of my customers can't tell the difference between NXT vs. AIO/SG vs. VM/EX-P vs. combo X. NXT is a good product to use for those customers and it's relatively inexpensive and easy to find. It saves time by being a one-step. It's also a bonus when I can tell the customer that he can purchase the same product I used for maintainence.



For those customers that are more discerning and indicate to me a particular look they want, I have a variety of combos I recommend (depending on paint color) and NXT, while being an option, is typically not at the top of the list.



Finally, NXT has not been that durable in the area that I live in (MI tends to be harsh on cars), typically about 4-8 weeks. However, I've found that this range in durability is typical of most products. Z and AIO/SG (followed closely by EX-P) seem to be the exception as they seem to be durable no matter what environemt they're used in.
 
I think also the NXT durability may hinge on what is under it .. I am starting to notice if it is applied over sterile base ( No oils or the like .. eg Menzerna polished or AIO prepped) it lasts longer than if applied over something with oils and fillers ..



In a small industrial town like this with SO2 in the air and some SO3 a little moisture in the mix can make it harsh but NXT is holding its own with the other like products I use .. excluding Klasse/Zaino
 
Mike, you are correct that I am posting "as much as 10%" and you are countering with "as little as 2%". I don't remember the exact exchange, so I'll take your word for it. I remember seeing an MSDS or something here (that I currently cannot find) that listed 10%.



I guess now my question would be...which is it? 2% or 10%? It would seem to me that the difference would be sufficient to cause batches to work differently. Could this be why some get better results than others? It also seems to me that Meguiars' is better at rationing ingredients than this..Or, is this the best "percent range" we can expect from a Meguiar's (or any other brand) product? Meaning, is the technology used for figuring percentage of ingredients only to this point? Think about it....2% to 10%...is a huge difference.



I would like to add that I am not trying to shoot down Mike, or Meguiar's products. My Dad's weatherbeaten Taurus wagon sure looks a ton better since a quick coat of CW.
 
Matt,



I'm not an MSD sheet expert, I think it's interesting how some people like to use MSD sheets to position some products in a negative light, that is, if a person can position an ingredient listed in an MSD sheet in a negative light, they will. For their own purpose I suppose.



Meguiar's doesn't have to list all the things they do in their MSD sheets but they do so because they are an honest company and they don't have anything to hide.



I guess that's why most other wax companies don't make their MSD sheets easily available, they know some people will use them in a malicious manner. Of course, a company only has to list hazardous ingredients if I understand the rules correctly.



As such, look at the MSD sheet ingredients for Lexol Leather Conditioner



http://www.summitinds.com/msds/lexmsds.html



No ingredients are listed whatsoever. So a wax company could make their MSD sheets available with potentially nothing listed, or perhaps only one or two ingredients listed. At the end of the day, MSD sheets are not formulas or recipes. Meguiar’s isn’t going to put out any more information than any other wax company about their products. Heck they already put out more information than any other wax company as far as I can tell.



Regardless of your thoughts on NXT's durability, and effectiveness on you trailer, it sure looks sweeeeet on this Ford F150.





2704f150finished2.jpg




Mike
 
Mike...I do understand about MSDS. They are used not to show all the ingredients of a product, but are to show the ingredients that could be dangerous, or health hazards to those that use or transport them.



I only mentioned that I saw on this site about the 10%. If memory serves me it was in a post comparing ingredients of NXT to #20.



The Ford truck does indeed look great. Lots of cars posted here look great with a variety of produsts. However, showing another pic of a car with NXT does not answer the questions I posted about percentages, etc.
 
The silicone debate is far overrated anyway. Almost every product out there has a little silicone in it (except for Zaino). I think the only reason people are against silicone is simply because Sal Zaino tells his customers they are bad for the paint.



Unless you work in a body shop environment with fresh paint, there is no reason to avoid silicones.
 
COBRyan said:
The silicone debate is far overrated anyway. Almost every product out there has a little silicone in it (except for Zaino). I think the only reason people are against silicone is simply because Sal Zaino tells his customers they are bad for the paint.



Unless you work in a body shop environment with fresh paint, there is no reason to avoid silicones.
Click to expand...



Finally, someone tells it like it is.



Technically, on the Zaino website, it says Zaino doesn't contain any harmful silicones



Silicones are inert. Meguiar's doesn't use any harmful silicones either.



:D :D :D



Mike
 
It doesent make any difference how much silicone is in a product if its the good silicone. Most modern silicones are a good thing, and some products that claim no silicones are just using silicone with a different name.
 
I get very good results with NXT, whether I use a polish first or as a one step. I used it on a silver Alero about 7-8 weeks ago as a one step and when I washed it today (QEW), it was beading nicely and had some slickness left. Car looked really good too. No garage queen either.



I don't really like the packaging though.
 
I would like to add to Maecrispy's earlier comments about NXT not being a boutique product.



There appears to be many highly polarised opinions about NXT even before its official launch. In my opinion as a longtime Meguiar's user, the problem with NXT is its Marketing Positioning.



NXT promises much.... but due to its affordable price and distribution strategy (easily available), it has already psychologically ingrained itself in many people's minds that its a lower-end product belonging to a totally different class that is simply incomparable to other more professional brands. It's seen as disappointing product because it has no aura of professionalism around it. No aura = no hype = no excitement.



Look at Zaino (since it was mentioned in this thread)

Its higher-end pricing, unavailability over-the-counter, different application method and convincing mktg story have created an aura and hype around the brand for many years and this has created an almost cult-following around the world. I know I'm going to be slammed by Zainophiles but I'm still going to say this......if you look at different cars with each prepared by Zaino and other top brands such as AIO twins, S100 etc etc, I'm sure you cannot pick up the Zaino'ed car from the crowd just by gazing at it. As Maecrispy has pointed out, many of his customers couldn't even tell the difference. I agree!!!

A lot of passion and unwavering support around specific brands could be due to our minds....created by hype, word-of-mouth, over-sensationalised stories propagated by unknown people on the net. The power of suggestion is phenomenal and spreads like wildfire! Based on how our minds have been conditioned by these messages, we could have unknowingly psyched ourselves into believing that Brand A is still the "best". I acknowledge that Zaino is indeed a good product.



Back to Meguiars, if NXT was launched with a very expensive price tag, available on a limited-edition basis, requires a very different and time-consuming application method, I am sure this would create a totally different impression and generate the same hype and an aura of superiority amongst detailing enthusiasts.



Anyway, I am just a Meguiar's user who also happens to have used Swissol, S100, 3M, Blackfire and so many other brands.

I have come across many products that perform wonderfully and

I am not saying that NXT is fantastic. But at that price point, it certainly does a competent job.
 
myall00 said:
I would like to add to Maecrispy's earlier comments about NXT not being a boutique product.



There appears to be many highly polarised opinions about NXT even before its official launch. In my opinion as a longtime Meguiar's user, the problem with NXT is its Marketing Positioning.



NXT promises much.... but due to its affordable price and distribution strategy (easily available), it has already psychologically ingrained itself in many people's minds that its a lower-end product belonging to a totally different class that is simply incomparable to other more professional brands. It's seen as disappointing product because it has no aura of professionalism around it. No aura = no hype = no excitement.



Look at Zaino (since it was mentioned in this thread)

Its higher-end pricing, unavailability over-the-counter, different application method and convincing mktg story have created an aura and hype around the brand for many years and this has created an almost cult-following around the world. I know I'm going to be slammed by Zainophiles but I'm still going to say this......if you look at different cars with each prepared by Zaino and other top brands such as AIO twins, S100 etc etc, I'm sure you cannot pick up the Zaino'ed car from the crowd just by gazing at it. As Maecrispy has pointed out, many of his customers couldn't even tell the difference. I agree!!!

A lot of passion and unwavering support around specific brands could be due to our minds....created by hype, word-of-mouth, over-sensationalised stories propagated by unknown people on the net. The power of suggestion is phenomenal and spreads like wildfire! Based on how our minds have been conditioned by these messages, we could have unknowingly psyched ourselves into believing that Brand A is still the "best". I acknowledge that Zaino is indeed a good product.



Back to Meguiars, if NXT was launched with a very expensive price tag, available on a limited-edition basis, requires a very different and time-consuming application method, I am sure this would create a totally different impression and generate the same hype and an aura of superiority amongst detailing enthusiasts.



Anyway, I am just a Meguiar's user who also happens to have used Swissol, S100, 3M, Blackfire and so many other brands.

I have come across many products that perform wonderfully and

I am not saying that NXT is fantastic. But at that price point, it certainly does a competent job.
Click to expand...



Many good points made in this post. Well done. The comments made about the power of suggestion and hype reach the core of what the car wax industry is about IMO. Many lives, many families, many fortunes, many careers have been built on "Car Wax Hype". It's a multi-billion dollar global industry and the people who run it and work in it will say ANYTHING to keep the money flowing in.



During the time I've spent digging into products and the industry as a whole, I've found only a few people who seem to know what they're talking about. I've come to greatly appreciate those who pur real engineering and real science and real chemistry into their products.



I am not saying that NXT is fantastic. But at that price point, it certainly does a competent job.
Click to expand...

Money quote. For a $15 retail product, NXT is certainly a competent product.
 
In my response, I did not mention Zaino, or bring up the good-bad silicone debate. I only mentioned that the silicone content is probably part of the shine.



I read somewhere here that NXT contained AS MUCH AS 10% silicone, and Mike countered with AS LITTLE AS 2%. I posed a question to find out which is correct. 2% salt in a recipe versus 10% would make a big difference and I wondered if this wide range could have something to do with the varying results users are getting with NXT.



To say that NXT was launched without hype, however, is incorrect. Do a search on "lab sample" and you will read loads of sales pitch and hype for NXT. You will also read that it is a LSP, with no cleaners. This was later corrected. I frankly did not think it would help this thread to post quotes.



Lots of good comments on this thread, and NXT sure seems to be a product that stirs the pot. I hope my responses are taken in the same calm, non emotional manner that they are written.



In the end, I am still wondering if a spread of 2% to 10% is "normal" for these types of products. (I'd understand a 5% to 7% gap) I find it hard to believe that this wide a difference would not have an impact on a product's...ANY product's capabilities.
 
myall00 said:


Back to Meguiars, if NXT was launched with a very expensive price tag, available on a limited-edition basis, requires a very different and time-consuming application method, I am sure this would create a totally different impression and generate the same hype and an aura of superiority amongst detailing enthusiasts.



Click to expand...



Good posting .. In addition to the above they could have gone the route of having a Pre-Cleaner ( NXT Base Prep ) and added to the mystery and hype. But they didn't ..



Sometimes we have to realize *we* are the minority when it comes to detailing . For the majority of the people because of the forgiving nature of NXT ( on/off ease, swirl filling capabilities, minor cleaning, and gloss ) I think it more than meets thier expectations.



Every customer that has come to me from thier current detailer has commented on how good the car looks with NXT. Now not all is NXT .. I do a little more prep than the other guy but even the 56 I did last week I showed him the NXT result on an un prepped fender and he was impressed.



bretfraz hit it dead on ;



Money quote. For a $15 retail product, NXT is certainly a competent product.
 
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