Which wax provides the shiniest, mirror-like finish?

**gwapster** · May 11th, 2009 01:30 AM

I heard that Mothers (FX, California Gold, Reflections) and Meguiar's (FX) are good brands.

Which of these, in your experience, gives the most shine, the best mirror-like finish, yung parang sa mga car show na pwede kang manalamin sa kintab hehe.

However there's a catch... my car is pearlescent/mica beige. I know it doesn't have the potential of, say, black to have such deep shine, but I've seen cars in shows that are light colored and still have mirror finish, that's what I'm after.

I know there are threads about detailing products already, but this question is specifically about DEEP SHINE, not much on paint protection, swirl removal, etc.

**Picard** · May 11th, 2009 01:37 AM

In my experience, Turtle wax ICE gives me the most mirror like shine (less glossy shine). Mother's gives the most glossy shine (less mirror-like). The bottom line is it will really depend on your cars paint (health and brand used). Different manufacturers use different brands of car paints so you really have to experiment and actually try several brands of waxes.

**oj88** · May 11th, 2009 07:47 AM

Mother's works for me best (alabaster silver).

**_Cathy_** · September 14th, 2014 04:58 AM

I'm using Collinite 845 but I am looking for a wax that will give me a better shine.

Can anyone recommend a wax? Any feedback on Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax or Nu Finish Polish?

**monty_GTV** · September 14th, 2014 06:11 AM

any paint surface that properly prepped and get rid of imperfections will exhibit the mirror like finish you normally see in car shows. for minor imperfections like light swirls pwede ka gumamit ng glaze to hide it then patungan mo ng wax. based on my experience, mas mirror like finish yung epekto ng synthetic waxes like sealants compared sa carnauba wax. yung carnauba are more on the wet look shine kumbaga. yung menzerna power lock sealant produced a mirror like finish nung ginamit ko as in pwede ka magsalamin. but I like more the effect of the carnauba waxes na oozing with wet look shine.

* cathy, I have the cg butter wet wax and I instantly loved it the moment I first used it. its very much like your 845 I believed being a liquid wax, its very easy to apply and buff and smell good too. why don't you try a carnauba paste wax this time? say col 915, pinnacle souveran, p21S or maybe a boutique wax dodo juice supernatural?

I bought lately the vic concours red and I loved it...

**crosswind** · September 14th, 2014 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by monty_GTV

any paint surface that properly prepped and get rid of imperfections will exhibit the mirror like finish you normally see in car shows. for minor imperfections like light swirls pwede ka gumamit ng glaze to hide it then patungan mo ng wax. based on my experience, mas mirror like finish yung epekto ng synthetic waxes like sealants compared sa carnauba wax. yung carnauba are more on the wet look shine kumbaga. yung menzerna power lock sealant produced a mirror like finish nung ginamit ko as in pwede ka magsalamin. but I like more the effect of the carnauba waxes na oozing with wet look shine.

* cathy, I have the cg butter wet wax and I instantly loved it the moment I first used it. its very much like your 845 I believed being a liquid wax, its very easy to apply and buff and smell good too. why don't you try a carnauba paste wax this time? say col 915, pinnacle souveran, p21S or maybe a boutique wax dodo juice supernatural?

I bought lately the vic concours red and I loved it...

How much did you pay for it bro??

**monty_GTV** · September 15th, 2014 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by crosswind

How much did you pay for it bro??

around 3k petot including shipping. isinabay lang ako ni sir ginnova nung bumili from abroad ;)

**jhnkvn** · September 15th, 2014 01:39 AM

Hello peeps~

Show car "shine" is the result of the absence of impurities on the paint. Why? Because imperfections interfere with light reflectivity. You actually know this pretty well based on your personal experiences. For example, your cellphone's screen is probably less reflective now than when you first bought it because you have these micro-scratches on the surface. If you have been handling glass or plexi-glass, you should have comparable experiences.

This is why to achieve show car "shine" is primarily thanks to paint correction which levels the paint's surface to be even. However, does this mean that asking which "wax" is the "shinest" irrelevant? I don't believe so. This is because although most of the result comes from paint prep (I'd say 90-95%), wax choices actually contribute to the results eventhough it's minute compared to the benefits of a well-prepped paint.

For the wax, choose a wax/sealant that has more oils. How do you know which product has them? Look for expensive but short-lived ones. Pinnacle is a perfect example of a beauty wax. It'll make a dent on your wallet, last just 2 weeks at best, but it has so much gloss-enhancing oils that it reigns at the top. For somebody who wants something more accessible, multiple layers of Klasse Sealant and Gloss (KSG) also works - try something like 5 layers of KSG.

However, it it's just the shine you need without the protection, it's time to splurge on a glaze - which is essentially just the oils. Two products that come to mind are 3M Imperial Glaze and Meguiar's Show Car Glaze. In fact, I remember reading Mike's post before that Meg's glaze recipe hasn't changed since the founding of Meguiars - it's that simple and great. 3M's Imperial Glaze is another great product.. I nearly went and purchased one last week as an impulse buy in ACE Hardware if not the fact that I'm not a general fan of glazes. If you plan on importing, Poorboys has a Black Hole and White Diamond (?) glaze that is tailor-made for a dark or light finish.