Nu-finish Polish

[Transit921]

i just nu- finished my car , looks pretty good, smooth like glass, i see everyone using mequiars wax , any comments on nu-finish

[SW03ES]

Ehhh...NuFinish is one of those...grocery store kinda products. So so durability, so so look, loaded with harsh chemicals and abrasives that have no place in a wax. There's much much better out there...

[1990LS400]

NuFinish won Consumer Reports Magazine's durability test several years in a row (and was rated the "best buy") but the magazine also noted that it causes hazing that is particularly noticable on dark paint. I used it for quite a few years on a previous car, and although the shine really does last a long time, I also can not recommend it.

[Transit921]

i have a black 1991 es250 the car is 14 years old and the paint was semi shinny, after nu-finish it was big improvement, like i can see myself in the car like a mirror, but there are some slight swirl marks here and there from old paint, but overall its a nice improvement , hopefully it will protect my paint from road salt

[SW03ES]

Jim- Consumer reports aren't detailers though. I and the people I know have worked with hundreds of different waxes and polishes, NuFinish isn't tops in any category, not even in durability. I can name 5 products just offhand that I know will last longer. Zaino, Klasse, 4Star UPP, Colinite 476s, Meguiar's #16 I could go on. All of these products will give you protection that will last and are abrasive free and free of harsh solvents.

Transit- Any wax will make paint look better, for a time. Most waxes contain fillers and oils that act like make up, making the paint look better until they wash away. How long it lasts depends on the particular product. Some last through several rains and washes, some evaporate before the car even gets wet. The only way to ACTUALLY make the paint look better for the long haul is proper paint cleansing and prep before any last step product you may use.

[1990LS400]

Steve, I was not recommending NuFinish but only reporting on what Consumer Report found in scientific tests. In the latest Consumer Reports evaluation I can find (May 2000), 26 polishes were rated. NuFinish Paste was rated #3 (NuFinish Liquid was rated #8)and the #1 rated polish was "Zymol Cleaner Wax" which was considered to have the best overall combination of qualities. Zymol is what I have been using for the past few years.

Over the past 25 - 30 years we have found Consumer Union to be a very reliable source of information and we have made many purchases based on its findings.

Attached is a scanned copy of the polish ratings.

[TOGWT]

Steve, I was not recommending NuFinish but only reporting on what Consumer Report found in scientific tests.  In the latest Consumer Reports evaluation I can find (May 2000), 26 polishes were rated.  NuFinish Paste was rated #3 (NuFinish Liquid was rated #8)and the #1 rated polish was "Zymol Cleaner Wax" which was considered to have the best overall combination of qualities.  Zymol is what I have been using for the past few years.

Over the past 25 - 30 years we have found Consumer Union to be a very reliable source of information and we have made many purchases based on its findings.

Attached is a scanned copy of the polish ratings.

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If you’re really interested in a ‘Consumers Choice’ type report written for detailers by detailers se the GURU Report on wax /sealants (Roadfly.org)

JonM

[SW03ES]

Jim- I also use Consumer Reports but detailing and detailing products are a highly skill and industry knowledge oriented field. I wouldn't consider any of the products included in that test to be quality products nor would I ever use any of them. I think this is an area where Consumer Reports really wouldn't be the source I would go to, I would go to professional and hobbiest detailers that know these products from having used them for years and years. All Consumer Reports knows is what they've tested (not being detailers) and what consumers have reported (being buy your wax from grocery stores kind of people). Not the best source of info at all in this area. You can do way, way better than any product on that list. Many variables can effect the longevity of an LSP, the quality of the prepwork, the area you live in, what you use to wash, where you park, the color of your car, the makeup of your paint. Its not a scientific thing, its a thing that is used and discovered by trying out different products on your particular car.

Zymol is okay, but not the best. Most people don't know that the Zymol you buy in stores isn't Zymol at all its rebranded Turtle Wax. Zymol makes some of the most expensive waxes in the world (they have several that are $1000 plus a jar) but at the consumer level it is an average product and its very overpriced.

Like Jon said you might want to check out the wax test by Guru reports, its a similar ratings system except its conducted by actual detailers and detailing enthusiasts testing quality professional grade and consumer grade products.

Look down that list of all the reports of scratching/hazing, thats the first clue.

First of all, no product should leave scratching or hazing when used properly, that automatically means the products weren't used properly. Knowing the makeup of a product and how to apply and remove it is part of detailing, and usually the manufacturer's instructions are wrong. That also shows that the products they're using contain abrasives and harsh solvents. No wax should contain anything that would mar or haze the finish, they're meant to be applied on top of a finish that has already been detailed to bring out its best look.

This is basically the difference between waxing and detailing. Going out and buying a wax off the shelf at the grocery store isn't detailing, there's a specific process and specific tools and knowledge you need to detail, thats what we're forwarding here in the detailing forum. Nu Finish is not an adequate product for a detailer, nor are any of the products rated by Consumer Reports. Rubbing a cleaner wax on paint doesn't make one a detailer, we've provided the knowledge and expertise here that anyone with the right tools and knowhow can achieve results professional detailers achieve. We're simply outside the realm of consumer reports.

Detailing is about process, not about product. When the process is done right any product will look good.

[1990LS400]

Steve, I think it boils down to whether or not you want to detail your car or just want it to look good. My two next door neighbors spend hours detailing their cars - one is a Porsche guy (enters his cars in competitions), the other is nuts about his Maserati. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make a car look perfect. In the summer I enjoy drinking a beer while "talking cars" and watching them work their asses off detailing their cars.

But a lot of us just want our cars to look very good and do other things with our spare time - for us some of the products highly rated on the Consumer Reports list work just fine. Many people who didn't know Lexus model body styles all that well thought my first LS was brand new after I had owned it for 13 years so I'm not sure all the extra work of detailing would have paid off in my case.

[silvermate]

if thats the case then nu finish definately isn't the product to use.

there are many more higher quality waxes that will last a lot longer than that product if you just want your car to look good.....as well as bring out a better finish.

but again, to all their own........everyone has their favorite wax, that in his/her oppinion is the best.......i do, we all do

but that consumer reports deal, just compared off the shelf products, they left out a lot of other great products that are available from other sources... online ect.......

but as stated in the other post if you aren't a detail enthusiast, (and there is nothing wrong with that) like stated above, people are busy, and one guy's hobby isn't the next guys hobby, peoples free time is precious nowadays, and very valuable

but if you wax your car once a year or so (like most people), nu finish definately isn't at the top of the list for "the best" one product to use under those circumstances, but again that my oppinion.

[SW03ES]

But, this is the detailing forum. Its geared around people that want to learn how to detail their cars, you don't have to learn to wax a car so there's no point in having a forum to discuss such a practice. Thats why I respond in threads the way that I do, because I've designed the detailing forum to be a launchpad for people that want to learn how to do this and do it properly. Thats why discussing these products and how they fit into what we do is important.

A lot of people who detail do it because they enjoy it, not because they want their cars to look good. To 90% of people a perfectly detailed car and one thats NuFinished don't look different, but the owner knows the difference. A lot of detailers use the term "Detailing is my golf". I find it helps me think and relaxes me. I'm racked with the decision over which real estate office to affiliate with, and two days ago I came home, got out my stuff and my buffer and washed my car and applied a new product I had been wanting to try. I can zone out when I do it and it helps me think. Its really the only time I'm fully relaxed and fully "in to me". Thats why detailers will re-detail their cars weekly or monthly even when it doesn't make a difference in how they look.

Its perfectly fine if its not your thing, some like gardening and I don't, some like painting and I don't, some play golf and I don't, but the goal of this forum is to teach people how to detail. Plus I'm ahppy to detail your cars for $200 and get my zen time AND make some bucks! Bringing Consumer Reports in here is like going to a golf forum and saying the pro golfers don't know as much about golf clubs as Consumer reports does.

That said, for a one step product you really can do MUCH better than what you're using and get a better look with better durability. If I were you I'd look at doing some of the things we discuss in here like claying and prepping the paint (with white I doubt you have a swirl problem) and then use something like Zaino. You'll get exponentially better durability and a bright clear shine I bet you'll like on the white. Plus its easy to use and layerable which a cleaner wax isn't.

[1990LS400]

Gosh Steve, all I was suggesting was that less aggressive detailing and less expensive products might provide a very acceptable level of detailing for many people who use their cars in everyday transportation. I didn't realize that I was going to offend you. I apologize and will stay away from the detailing forum in the future.

[SW03ES]

Jim- I think you took me the wrong way, you didn't offend me at all. I'm just trying to describe what detailing is and what motivates people to detail as it usually elludes most people.

Sorry for the confusion, but honestly I'm not offended, angry, irritated or anything of that nature.

Gosh Steve, all I was suggesting was that less aggressive detailing and less expensive products might provide a very acceptable level of detailing for many people who use their cars in everyday transportation

Actually you might be surprised when it comes to cost. A lot of times the consumer level products are the same cost or more expensive than higher quality professional lines, especially when you look at cost per application. To use the Zymol you use, thats not cheap at all. I can find you several products I've used myself and liked better that will cost you the same or less and provide you better look and more durability.

[johngalt1998]

Steve, i appreciate your thoughfulness in your responses. Your explaination of what detailing means to you helps me understand your viewpoint and i really appreciate you taking the time to write it.

I could not agree with you more about "Brining Consumer Reports in here is like going to a golf forum and saying the pro golfers don't know as much about golf clubs as Consumer reports does." I come here to hear about what i need to learn, products the pros use (most of which i've never seen or heard of but work wonderfully), how to use them, etc.

I guess i'm just saying thanks, i've learned a lot and look forward to learning more.

[SW03ES]

No problem, I enjoy it ;)

[Transit921]

i just washed, wax and put another coat of nu finish on like a hour ago

[Sluggo]

Back in the day, before every car had a clear coat applied at the factory, most automotive paints (without a regular waxing) would oxidize, dulling the finish on (particularly) red and silver cars. At the time that NuFinish came out, I found it to be the best affordable product out there (short of a professional buff job) for removing oxidized paint. It really worked very well.

Now, though, I haven't been tempted to use it on any clear-coated car (basically anything made after 1990 or so). If it's main benefit is still just as an oxidation remover, it's simply not needed for 90% of the cars on the road. For the time spent, I think you'll get far more benefit from a good, pure wax like Zaino or similar.

[SW03ES]

Actually many cars still come with a single stage paint, Lexus black, yellow, and red are all single stage (no clearcoat).

The clearcoat isn't what stops the oxidation its improvements in paint technology. All clearcoat is is paint with no pigment, its chemically identical to normal paint.

[Sluggo]

SWO3ES - Thanks, I didn't know that. Would it be safe to assume that most metallic paints are clear-coated and most solids are single stage? Or is it just a matter of the individual paint chemistry that determines whether clearcoat is called for?

[SW03ES]

It depends on the company. I can't think of any metallic paints that are single stage. MOST paint is clearcoated.

[ArmyofOne]

It depends on the company. I can't think of any metallic paints that are single stage. MOST paint is clearcoated.

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Ford purple metallic was not clearcoated (on the mid 90's mustangs). thats the only instance i know of, and it didnt last long. i think 94 and 95 were the onlyu years they had it and clearcoat could be applied at the dealer, but it came with no clearcoat from the factory. likewise with the prarie tan metallic on the contours and taurus's from 98-2000. they werent the greatest paints.

[SW03ES]

Clearcoat can be applied at the dealer? You sure? Clearcoat is jusr paint with no pigment. Adding a clearcoat at the dealer would be as involved as repainting the whole car and would cost a lot of money. You sure it wasn't just some crappy paint sealant they added at the dealer?

[SW03ES]

I just did a quick search, I'm seeing Light Prarie Tan as a clearcoated color...

Ford does have a few colors that aren't clearcoated though. They do a single stage black, red, white.