Looking for a good wax for a JL

[Reinen]

I'm looking for a good wax for off-road & winter elements, primarily winter at this point. Obviously a wax will only go so far to protect the paint, I wouldn't expect a wax to make pinstriping a thing of the past. No need to suggest wrapping the Jeep in 3M film. (you animals! )

What I'm talking about is a wax that provides some protection against the abrasion and corrosion of mud and salt on a Jeep that gets and wears it's badge of honor. Not a Jeep that's detailed the moment a water mark appears. The kind of Jeep that often goes a little longer than it should between washes, without being too abusive on the paint. Something that will last reasonably well through the winter as I have 4 months where being above freezing is fairly rare. Best I can do then is give it a quick once-over with a power washer and park it over a garden sprinkler for a bit to wash away some of the caked on salt.

I can find some info online but it's primarily for cars. Car Dirty and Jeep Dirty are two very different things. Maybe some of you can enlighten me to something I haven't found yet.

Sponsored

 

[Jeepin' John]

Any level of ceramic coating. Full blown professionally-applied ceramic, all the way down to a quick DIY liquid or spray ceramic hyperwax

this is Mothers CMX (hyperwax / easy diy / cheap) i intentionally put it on dry once and now i use it as a "wax as you dry" to maintain a sacrificial layer to repel dirt and bugs. Dirt just doesn't want to stick to any level of a ceramic

i enjoy washing the jeep when i can (3 young kids) but now i almost am disappointed because the jeep doesn't get dirty fast enough!

 

[Fuel Fire Desire]

I’ve tried a number of different waxes on a number of different vehicles over the years. I always keep coming back to regular basic turtle wax. Easy on/ easy off.

 

[Blanco802]

I've had very good results from this paint sealant. My process is to wash and clay bar the car before applying this to ensure best adhesion. This should give you about 6-12 months of coverage.

Wolfgang Concours Series WG-5500 Deep Gloss Paint Sealant, 16 fl. oz. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AGELUJ...abc_8N40M4C23RRK52Z053B6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[cchambers74]

Reinen, I have had great luck with NexGen ceramic coating its has provided pretty great protection for the last few jeeps, I originally got it because I was looking for something like you, that would be a little more resistant to the "Jeep" elements vs normal dirt, for me anyways I have had pretty good luck going the ceramic coating route, just make sure its nice and clean before you apply it.. good luck, on a side note it really makes white pop!!1

 

[LiveToWork]

Everyone is going to give you a different brand name/wax.

Really, its just going to come down to how well you maintain it. Wax your vehicle with anything but cheap walmart products. And then get a good spray wax that you can apply after every wash or two.

 

[omnitonic]

Best I can do then is give it a quick once-over with a power washer and park it over a garden sprinkler for a bit to wash away some of the caked on salt.

I've been using one of the new magic "ceramic" spray and wipe waxes on the paintwork (not mentioning the brand helps this avoid devolving into a brand war pissing contest), and I've also been using Chemical Guys Tough Mudder in my foam cannon. Either one or the other of those has made it almost impossible to really get my Jeep caked down with globs of mud. I was sort of disappointed, last time I went wheeling. There was plenty of mud, as it had just rained. I figured it would be impressively filthy when I stopped to take pictures, and it wasn't very dirty at all.

Maybe there is something to that stuff. So far, I only have the one data point, and I don't know if that was just a fluke. Maybe the mud didn't stick as much as usual, because it had just rained, and it was more watery than usual. Only time will tell, but the Jeep was definitely way easier to clean after those treatments.

 

[Reinen]

on a side note it really makes white pop!!1

Yeah, I'll make that pop go away real quick. Especially in winter.
It's been a while since I had a vehicle where I gave a crap. Do the new ceramic waxes last?

Really, its just going to come down to how well you maintain it. Wax your vehicle with anything but cheap walmart products. And then get a good spray wax that you can apply after every wash or two.

Well, the whole point is that "every wash or two" can be almost half a year. Most waxes have a minimum application temperature of 50 degrees and my garage rarely gets that warm. My windows of opportunity are when water doesn't freeze before I can shammy it off. So "anything" isn't quite good enough. A long lasting wax applied in the last days of fall is what's important, hopefully it lasts until the next opportunity when temps permit. Summer is just a matter of motivation.

 

[Eandras]

I use a lot of PoorBoys World products I have used there EX which is a sealant with carnuba wax as a base coat followed by their Nattys red or blue.

They do offer a do it yourself ceramic coating that is real reasonable in price and easy tp apply. They even have a ceramic coating for the plastic fendors and bumpers.

Steve the owner is real nice guy and is available to answer question and offer advice. I buy a lot of detailing supplies from Steve.

I have also started using products from limitless car care.q a Chris‘s waxes and coatings are also top notch.

prices for both companies are some of the least expensive of what I use when detailing vehicles.
Both companies also offer a tire shine that goes on wet but dries immediately and doesn’t sling.


Best of luck

Ed

 

[JeezAJeep]

I do like Adams products...all their products work well in my opinion

 

[LiveToWork]

Yeah, I'll make that pop go away real quick. Especially in winter.
It's been a while since I had a vehicle where I gave a crap. Do the new ceramic waxes last?


Well, the whole point is that "every wash or two" can be almost half a year. Most waxes have a minimum application temperature of 50 degrees and my garage rarely gets that warm. My windows of opportunity are when water doesn't freeze before I can shammy it off. So "anything" isn't quite good enough. A long lasting wax applied in the last days of fall is what's important, hopefully it lasts until the next opportunity when temps permit. Summer is just a matter of motivation.

Hang on. Youre going without washing it through the winter?

 

[viper88]

I have used a lot of stuff over the years. Everything from basic wax like P21S and Zymol to Zaino, Adams, ect. I honestly think Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions is better than all of them for ease of application and removal. It is a lot more durable than all of those products also. Other regular non-ceramic products might have deeper and richer shine but the trade off is durability.

Go for a full ceramic coating if you want the best shine and durability. You will need to reapply and upkeep it a few times per year also. Pricing is all over the place for full ceramic coatings. Some are really expensive.

 

[Blanco802]

One thing to take into consideration for ceramic coatings. They offer the best protection (durability), but you really want to make sure you remove any imperfections from the clear coat as those will be visible (locked in) until the ceramic coating wears down, which can take a few years, depending on the ceramic coating you use. What this means is that your preparation, assuming you would want to do it yourself will be key. You may need to do some compounding and polishing, depending on your clear coat condition in addition to the standard wash and clay.

With paint sealants, the durability will be lower than ceramic, usually up to 12 months. Sio2 sealants (spray versions) are usually good for 4-6 months and are the easiest to apply. You can use normal or spray waxes are they are usually good for up to 3 months.

 

[Reinen]

Hang on. Youre going without washing it through the winter?

I wash the Jeep whenever the temps rise above freezing and I don't have other commitments. It can easily go months before temps and available time allow an opportunity to wash. It's always too cold to apply wax for 5 months of the year. Since I know that's coming, I want to apply the best protective coating I can before my Jeep is subjected to that.

FWIW, there's no shortage of snow to wipe the Jeep down with. But a power washer is usually nothing more than a snow & ice maker.

For example, this is my normal. Happens multiple times per year. I get an average of 45 feet of snowfall every winter.

Sponsored