Best wax for high shine

[stangguy]

Is there any wax that will leave the paint looking like it does when it is wet? I don't care about longevity, as these cars are used just for show, and spend 99% of their lives in the garage. Just looking for the highest possible shine. Don't really want the new "ceramic" coatings. I have been using the standard Turtle wax/Mothers/Mquires/ etc, and they all seem good, but I would like more pop. IF that is even possible.

 

[Dave9]

I could be wrong but suspect a forum search will turn up more info than anyone will repeat again. Your choice of wipe on or spray emulsion oil will be the extreme of highest shine, and lowest life and greatest dust/grime accumulation, then there's surface prep.

 

[atikovi]

Maybe you want a gloss enhancer?

 

[Ed_Flecko]

If you really want to "leave the paint looking like it does when it is wet...", you want a polish. Wax is simply to protect.

I diamond will shine because it has been polished...not waxed.

Ed

 

[atikovi]

If you really want to "leave the paint looking like it does when it is wet...", you want a polish. Wax is simply to protect.

I diamond will shine because it has been polished...not waxed.

Ed

HUH? Polish is for removing scratches, blemishes, stains, etc. Wax protects AND shines. Comparing a diamond to a paint finish is just silly.

 

[The Critic]

HUH? Polish is for removing scratches, blemishes, stains, etc. Wax protects AND shines. Comparing a diamond to a paint finish is just silly.

Polishing removes defects, which is what allows any finish to exhibit maximum gloss.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

HUH? Polish is for removing scratches, blemishes, stains, etc. Wax protects AND shines. Comparing a diamond to a paint finish is just silly.

The surface of a mined diamond is not smooth. It is only after it is polished, not waxed, that its beauty is revealed. Paint on a car is the same. If the OP wants the best shine...the paint should be polished, and then waxed to protect the shine.

Ed

 

[mccandish]

Wax actually appears to lessen gloss for the most part - at least from the testing done on this website. Only a few coatings enhance gloss according to his results. The best one so far is Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray.

 

[hrv]

I always thought that a polish or a glaze it what brings out the shine while a wax is for protection....Like the Meguiers two step polish then followed by the wax...

 

[atikovi]

I use Meguiers 110 polishing compound all the time and it leaves the paint nice and glossy. The wax or sealant I use on top of that certainly increases that gloss.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

I always thought that a polish or a glaze it what brings out the shine while a wax is for protection....Like the Meguiers two step polish then followed by the wax...

You are correct.

On YouTube, "The Junkman" used to have a video posted that showed a Toyota Camry that he had spent a month "polishing" (only, no wax was used), and it looked phenomena! In the video, he baited people to post their opinion on which wax he had used on the Camry and offered to send the correct guesser a years' supply of the wax, if they guessed correctly. Unfortunately, he seems to have taken the video down.

Junkman Says, Guess the Wax!

bit.ly

Ed

 

[atikovi]

"The Junkman" used to have a video posted that showed a Toyota Camry that he had spent a month "polishing" (only, no wax was used), and it looked phenomena!

What's was the point? I can spend 4 hours polishing to make the paint phenomenal, don't need a whole month for that. And without a wax or sealant, the results will just go down hill fast.

 

[The Critic]

What's was the point? I can spend 4 hours polishing to make the paint phenomenal, don't need a whole month for that. And without a wax or sealant, the results will just go down hill fast.

That is false. The only reason the appearance goes down hill quickly is due to poor washing practices.

 

[atikovi]

I'd say it's because dirt, stains and other contaminants stick to the paint stronger without wax. And why would wash practices be any different if it did or didn't have wax?

 

[busdriver]

A couple good waxes come to mind..Collinite 476 and Finish Kare Fk1000P... Both can be had for less than $20 at Autogeek... Another good inexpensive option is Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant...

 

[Ed_Flecko]

What's was the point? I can spend 4 hours polishing to make the paint phenomenal, don't need a whole month for that. And without a wax or sealant, the results will just go down hill fast.

The point is that the OP said, "Is there any wax that will leave the paint looking like it does when it is wet?" and the answer is No. The point of wax is to protect...the purpose of polish is to produce the shine the OP is looking for by smoothing the surface of the paint so light reflects in one direction and is not "scattered".

Here's a good example of how light that reaches the eye reflects off the surface of a smooth (i.e., polished) surface -vs an unpolished surface, like the stock surface of your car paint. It illustrates what polishing achieves.

https://bit.ly/3JJ9b2K

Ed

 

[manicrodder]

I always thought that a polish or a glaze it what brings out the shine while a wax is for protection....Like the Meguiers two step polish then followed by the wax...

This. In fact for the short time effect a glaze may be what you are looking for. Many show car owners use nothing but glaze.

 

[2010Civic]

I use Meguiers 110 polishing compound all the time and it leaves the paint nice and glossy. The wax or sealant I use on top of that certainly increases that gloss.

Meguiars 110 is a compound. For maximum shine you should finish with Meguiars M205. Wax can level the surface to some degree which will increase shine but if the surface is already perfectly flat a wax won't add much shine.

 

[danez_yoda]

strip all the way and slather baby oil on it. It will be dripping long enough to take pictures. Don't drive it like that or the folks behind you will not be happy.

Really though, nothing will leave a true wet finish because water will fill all scratches in the paint/clear and not show them on the surface. Its a perfect masker and it is perfectly clear. The only way to get that is to do what is suggested above and polish with a multistep polish (lots of work)
to remove all of the scratches in the paint then coat with a wax. on dark colored paint pure carnuba seems to give the best "wet look" paint but in reality any wax with oils in it will work well. In the old days we used Meguiars #7 show care glaze which was full of oils mostly to fill in all of the scratches, then cover it with high tech yellow wax (non cleaner wax). It would last about a week or two before the sratches would dry out and show.

Too much work for me now but it did look good. Do one section of the car and see what works best. try different techniques.

 

[atikovi]

Meguiars 110 is a compound. For maximum shine you should finish with Meguiars M205. Wax can level the surface to some degree which will increase shine but if the surface is already perfectly flat a wax won't add much shine.

I used to use 205 but when it didn't clean as effectively on some more blemished or weathered paint, I tried 110. That worked much quicker and better and I couldn't tell the end result from 205, so I've use 110 as the only polish before waxing. If I get a 2 or 3 year old car with clean paint I may use 205, but for most, it's 110 and it still looks excellent.