I'm new here, though I believe I am a somewhat more-educated newbie, since I have done restoration and body work as a hobby for close to 10 years now (I'm familiar with what goes into painting and maintaining paint). I will admit, I use NuFinish regularly. I couldn't help but do a search on NuFinish, and in all honesty I don't understand why it has such a bad rap. I do not have exposure to many of the products that are praised on this forum (I'm just now getting some exposure to the Meguiars pro line), but I will tell you this: It's not for everyone, but FOR US, NuFinish is a great product. It lasts in the Texas heat for 4 to 6 months (OK, so not a full year), and in Chicago where we lived until 2 years ago, it lasted even longer.
NuFinish is great for a daily driver that occasionally sees an automated touchless carwash, like my wife's van. I'm realistic and know that she won't take as good care of her vehicle as I do mine. She won't wash it as often, and the kids will manhandle the paint as they slide in and out (they're 4 and 6), and careless people will rub up against it frequently at the mall and grocery store, so I want something a little more durable on there. As far as OTC products, I have tried them all and NOTHING withstands daily wear and tear better than NuFinish. In my experience it is more than just marketing hype for uneducated consumers, as some of you would imply. For an abused vehicle you would be shocked by how much gloss and shine the paint has. I attribute this to the fact that we use NuFinish. I know if I were to use some of the so-called "better" waxes being touted on this forum, it would not look as good. After a couple carwashes, the "better" wax would be stripped off. Then some bird droppings, sand, or road grit would get on the paint. Then my kids would rub up against it. It would be loaded with spiderweb scratches and swirl marks by week's end. So what good would the "better" wax be at that point? Now if my wife washed every few days with gentle car wash and a two-bucket method with very careful drying in the shade using an absorber or a bagful of microfibers (like I do), it might be another story. But that currently does not occur.
With regard to shine, NuFinish is definitely not going to be an extreme makeover product. Not that it doesn't impart any gloss - it does. It's just not anything special. It doesn't hide anything, so you have to prep the car very well. But if you prep properly, I believe you can even use the $2.99 tub of Turtle Wax and get good results - it just won't last long and will probably come off on the first pass through the automated carwash. With NuFinish, we can go 4 to 6 months in 100 degree heat with 2 or 3 automated carwashes a month, and the paint's surface is still slick and beads water. As for abrasives and using NuFinish as a cleaner, I don't know where that claim comes from since you basically rub a small amount on with a damp cloth, then wipe it right off. You don't apply any pressure as is typically instructed with a cleaner wax (like the blue OTC Zymol which I have also used). That's it - it's pretty simple to apply really. Yes, it smells like a chemical, unlike the Zymol which smells like food, but so what?
My other cars (garage queen and daily driver) are Benzes and I use Clay Magic clay, Zymol HD Cleanse, and Zymol Vintage (another product that gets unfairly bashed here evidently due to the $1800 price tag). Vintage is a phenomenal product, and despite what others here will say, I find hand application to be the quickest method. I can wax a car in 10 minutes. And I can literally feel every imperfection and paint flaw for obvious reasons, which helps me easily locate and deal with problem areas before they get out of hand. I can literally say I know every square inch of my cars' bodies. But to be honest with you, I'm a little tired of having to wash gently by hand with 2-bucket method every couple of days, especially if it rains. So I am considering trading gloss for durability and switching to NuFinish, leaving the Vintage for the garage queen. I'll be able to do very quick washes with one bucket, or even go for the occasional (gasp!) automated carwash. No, it won't look as glossy or dripping wet, but the car is a white-silver so it isn't highly reflective anyway. I haven't even used the PC on it yet, and there are swirl marks if you look closely, but due to the color it looks great from 10 feet away.
I just bought the PC a couple weeks ago and have been experimenting with removing swirls, and all I can say is that prep is everything. Bottom line in my opinion is whether you use cheap OTC stuff or expensive $1800 stuff, if you prep the car properly it is going to look fantastic!
Now one thing I am considering experimenting with is applying Vintage over NuFinish...
