Nu Finish Wax
The popular car wax that isn't a car wax
Nu Finish wax has long been a popular way to add beauty and protection to your cars paint. In a world that seems to get progressively busier, most of us can appreciate a car sealant that only has to be applied once a year.
Not only do many people want to know if Nu Finish wax is really a car wax or not, but can it really last a full year?
That is a bold claim to make and a claim NuFinish uses as its marketing campaign: "The once a year car polish" (or wax...or whatever it is. Keep reading)
But I also want to believe in world peace some day and that hardly seems realistic. But before we answer that million dollar question, how about we deal with the confusion this product has always represented.
Car Polish, Car Wax, or Car Sealant?
From where I sit (figuratively speaking of course), it seems the obvious, is not being questioned at all.
What is Nu Finish: a car wax, a car polish, a car paint sealant?
Car Wax: A product made with some form of natural wax. The most commonly used in the manufacturing of car waxes is carnauba and beeswax. Nu Finish wax actually has no wax of any kind and can be verified at their own website: Nu Finish Wax
Car Polish: A product with either chemical ingredient or abrasive particles that will act as polishing "agents". Ingredients that chemically alter, clean, enhance a surface. Or abrasives that mechanically abrade the surface to remove imperfections, restore gloss, and make a surface appear better by abrading a surface that has been rendered less than perfect
Sealant- While many people will search for Nu Finish wax, it is in fact a synthetic sealant and not a wax. As a rule within the world of auto detailing, a sealant is formulated using synthetic ingredients. Based on this rule, the Nu Finish wax is not a car wax at all, but a true synthetic sealant.
"Who cares Darren. Just tell me if it works!"
Nu Finish Wax:
The Once a Year Car Polish
The simple answer is that Nu Finish Wax is a great product and works. The more important answer is located below. I will dissect not only the Nu Finish car product itself, but this world of car care with its endless hype, marketing, and advertising that has many of you so confused, you don't know where to begin.
Nu Finish Once-A-Year Car Polish (16 oz) Bundle with Microfiber Cloth Kit (2 Items)
So with that said; does Nu Finish work? This depends.....
Depends on your definition of work.
If by "work" you mean working like other types of traditional car waxes and car paint sealants then yes, it does in fact work. It has worked since it was introduced, and continues to work while gathering more and more fans along the way.
But does it represent the winning balance of what I consider the necessary things I look for in a car sealant or a car wax?
- Does it produce the results you want?
- Does it have a good user experience?
- Is it easy to get?
- Is it economical relative to other similar products?
Once again, the simple answer is yes; Nu Finish wax can add a check to all those boxes. With that said, each one of those bullet points is relative.
For example when I say that it is easy to use, this is relative to a liquid type of product versus let's say a spray wax. I find spray waxes even easier to use than a liquid.
Just as I find liquids generally easier to use than a paste wax. Everything in life is subjective (your personal opinion) as well as relative to something else it is compared to.
Does Nu Finish Wax really last a year?
Our million dollar question of the moment!
Can you really just wax or use Nu Finish once a year and have it last?
If Nu Finish can truly last a year, at what point does it begin to not work? Exactly 365 days after it is applied to your car?
Experience at a professional level tells me the answer to that bold claim would be, "No". Nu Finish does not last a year in the way the company would like you to think it does, or in the way you would want it to last.
"Numbers never lie, but liars always use numbers"
Not to be overly cynical, but experience has taught me that a desired outcome can always be teased out with the use of numbers. And for this reason I don't personally overthink the massively debated topic of "protection" or "durability" of any product.
It simply feels like an impossible claim to qualify and prove.
One of the most commonly used metrics is the "beading effect". Does the water still bead-up on your car paint. If the water still beads, then the wax, polish, or sealant must still be there.
But this is completely false. I can deliberately remove any and all forms of car wax, polish, or sealant and the water will still bead-up on that paint. And yet, this is the very demonstration company after company uses to verify that their product remains and is still working and protecting.
What about the other claims:
Shine- The Nu Finish will definitely shine any paint. Most products when applied will create a shinier surface simply through the act of rubbing during the application and removal process.
At to this rubbing action chemicals that will remove embedded dirt, restore additional shine, and create additional depth in the process.
Protection- Protect? Protect from what? There is no product that will protect your paint from everything. I realize there are many tests that will compare numerous car waxes and paint sealants to see how well they can protect against certain unwanted elements of life: bird droppings, water spots, tree sap, etc., etc. But this is where I would refer back to my quote from above about liars and numbers.
I simply have seen too many tests in many areas of life that use cherry-picked number and stats to finesse the wanted conclusion using the "right" set of numbers and stats.
So with all that said, I will typically default to the other metrics of what I consider the winning balance:
- Nu Finish wax will definitely produce the desired results most people are looking for
- Nu Finish wax has a very good user experience (once again this is both subjective and relative)
- Nu Finish wax is very easy to get. (use the link towards the top of this page and you can have it shipped directly to your door)
- Nu Finish is very economical in relation to any other product out there
"Darren, I get it. Nu Finish wax sems to be a good product despite the confusing labeling and marketing, but I want to know what you would do!"
So glad you asked. So many of my long-term followers ask that very question.
Nu Finish Wax:
What Would Darren Do (WWDD)
Although I have used Nu Finish on numerous occasions throughout the past 30 years, I could never call it my "go-to" product. There are simply too many other products that are both easier to use (much easier) and deliver additional benefits.
- My "go-to" car wax for the past 15+ years
- The wax that originally blew my mind with the ability to use it directly on black trim without staining (this is called a non-staining formulation in the industry)
- Not only do I use the Q-7 wax to enhance and protect my car paint, but I use it intentionally on any black trim to also enhance and protect my black trim as a maintenance product (if your black trim is worn-out, dried-out, then you need to restore your black trim separately)
- Can be used in direct sunlight, on hot paint
- Spray wax that is as easy as easy gets (versus a liquid or paste wax)
- Excellent concealing and covering capabilities (One of the benefits of any car wax product is the ability to conceal and cover subtle imperfections in your car paint)
Darren's Tip: There are a couple ways you can apply the Q-7 car wax. You can spray directly onto car panel, wipe in with a micro-fiber cloth, then flip cloth over and buff to perfection.
Or you can spray the wax onto a wax applicator sponge, and apply like you would a traditional paste wax in whatever pattern you want. Allow to dry (this is rather quick in most weather conditions) and then buff off with a clean, micro fiber cloth)
And like I said, I use this wax deliberately on any type of black trim, window gasket, sun roof seal, etc. to protect and enhance (this can be porous, hard, semi-hard, rubberized black trim of any kind)
Nu Finish Wax Summary
If you have made it this far down the Nu Finish wax tutorial consider yourself part of a select group of people. People willing to put in the work to become more informed.
Informed people make better decisions and my goal is to help you be as informed as possible.
I wish you much success in your cosmetic car care efforts!
Sincerely,
Darren Priest
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