Spray on Ceramic Car Wax

[Lurch]

Have any of you used it before?

I washed my car and applied Simoniz carnauba wax yesterday and that's kind of a lot of work, so I think I'll get some spray on ceramic wax.

Meguiar's makes one (about $15) that the directions say you spray on after washing your car, and then I guess you're supposed to wash it off with a high pressure hose, like from a car wash in rinse mode and this spreads out the ceramic. This supposedly lasts about a year.

Turtle Wax makes one (about $13.50) that you spray on and rub in with a terry cloth, and they tell you to reapply it ever 1 to 2 months.

But even my Turtle Wax Wax & Dry spray wax seems like a better option than what I did yesterday.
I used to use Turtle Wax paste wax also. It's real easy to apply and rubs off easily after it's dried.

Maybe my car was too wet, and the cloth I used to apply it was too wet, but it was kind of more work than I had in mind.

[Philip]

I've been using this "Nu Finish" once a year car polish, seems to work well for me, may be similar to Meguiar's and is very easy to apply without buffing.

[Lurch]

I've been using this "Nu Finish" once a year car polish, seems to work well for me, may be similar to Meguiar's and is very easy to apply without buffing.

[Easto]

In order to get and keep your best results it's desirable to start with paint/clearcoat that is in very good condition. Depending on how bad the car starts out as will determine what products to use. Since what you've mentioned seemed like a lot of work let's pick a plan that you can maintain. If the car is not in bad condition look for an All in One (AIO) product. These will usually advertise as some sort of light polish / defect remover with a wax. All the major players offer an AIO. If that gives you a finish you like I would then suggest getting some sort of "Wet Wax" to apply after every 2 or 3 washes. This is usually a spray-on product. Don't confuse it with a spray wax that you spray on and then buff out later. A wet wax is applied after you wash your car and it is still wet. Spray it all over the car and then dry as usual. As you dry the car it leaves a wax like finish. A wet wax will give you the best results with the least amount of work.

Since it's really hard to say what you need and how much time you want to spend keeping your car looking good... I would find a detail guy or shop in your area and ask them to take a look at your paint and to suggest a plan of attack. Just tell them you're looking to save money and time keeping your car clean. They should be able to suggest a product that would work best for your car.

[Lurch]

In order to get and keep your best results it's desirable to start with paint/clearcoat that is in very good condition. Depending on how bad the car starts out as will determine what products to use. Since what you've mentioned seemed like a lot of work let's pick a plan that you can maintain. If the car is not in bad condition look for an All in One (AIO) product. These will usually advertise as some sort of light polish / defect remover with a wax. All the major players offer an AIO. If that gives you a finish you like I would then suggest getting some sort of "Wet Wax" to apply after every 2 or 3 washes. This is usually a spray-on product. Don't confuse it with a spray wax that you spray on and then buff out later. A wet wax is applied after you wash your car and it is still wet. Spray it all over the car and then dry as usual. As you dry the car it leaves a wax like finish. A wet wax will give you the best results with the least amount of work.

Since it's really hard to say what you need and how much time you want to spend keeping your car looking good... I would find a detail guy or shop in your area and ask them to take a look at your paint and to suggest a plan of attack. Just tell them you're looking to save money and time keeping your car clean. They should be able to suggest a product that would work best for your car.

I like Turtle Wax Wax & Dry spray wax.
The finish isn't bad on my car bc it sits in the garage most of the time the last few years.

It has some road nicks on the nose that I touched up myself.

When it rains, the rain drops always bead up nicely on my car bc I wax it at least 3 or 4x a year.
That's a good way to see who's cars are waxed enough and which cars are not.
It seems quite common to see a lot of cars that haven't been waxed enough, that rain drops don't bead up on.

[YeOldeStonecat]

Mequiar's is my "go to" wax.
Tried this, that, and the other...always seem to go back to Mequiar's.
I think the best testimonial for me was my boat, which we just sold, but for the past 5 years we've lived on our boat for much of the 6 warm months up here at the marina.
And, fiberglass....being out in the sun all day, exposed to the weather, and trips across salt water...takes a beating.

I've seen ceramic wax on boats...yup, looks good.
My best "bang for the bucK'...has been with carnauba....does require elbow grease....yup it does. I'd get Mequiar's. Had tried others.But the results got compliments from many of my dock neighbors over the years. We bought our boat a bit tired...I did a lot of work to it each year doing upgrades and improvements...even replace the starboard engine (an inboard 350ci) myself. But the gelcoat on the boat was "tired" when get bought her..a bit "chalky". I just love the longevity of carnauba wax....one super thorough waxing in the spring..and just some light quick overcoat waxing throughout the season.

Plus carnauba wax always smells great!

Brand aside, the real secret is the amount of elbow grease you put into it. The better the prep work you do, combined with the harder and more thoroughly you apply it, the better the results.

[Easto]

When it rains, the rain drops always bead up nicely on my car bc I wax it at least 3 or 4x a year.
That's a good way to see who's cars are waxed enough and which cars are not.

This is probably one of the biggest things that I don't understand. People will go out and spend tens of thousands of dollars on a car, treat it like a red-headed-stepchild, never clean or wax it, only buy new tires after the current ones are completely unserviceable and only change the old after the check engine light has been on for a month etc etc. Personally, every time I walk out to the garage and look at our cars I remember how much they cost. I remember the sacrifices I made to get them. I don't take that lightly.