As a professional detailer, one of the most common questions I am asked is “which wax or sealant do you recommend for my car?” This is never an easy question to answer as each person has different requirements in their choice of protection. I usually evaluate the client expectations, consider the type of vehicle, and also how it will be used and what elements it will most likely be subject too. I then make my decision based on those criteria.
For these two “gorgeous ladies” I’ve chosen to use two of my favorite carnauba waxes. While both of them are very good, they do differ in ease of use and slightly in look.
First up is this classy lady, a 1936 Ford Sedan Convertible, which first received an extensive make over prior to me applying my choice of carnauba. As you can see there were some pretty major paint defects that needed to be removed initially, as no wax is going to look good if you don’t first prep the paint. 😉
Prior to correction
50/50 shot of correction
After correction
After all the paint correction was complete, she received a nice coat of Pinnacle Souveran! If you’ve never used Souveran before, let me tell you that this is probably one of the easiest carnauba waxes you will ever use! As a good friend of mine often says, “its Bubba proof!” On top of that, it produces such a warm, deep, and wet-looking gloss that it really was perfect for this classic car. Obviously this vehicle is not driven daily and long-term protection was not a concern. If ease of use is high on your list of qualities in a carnauba wax, then Souveran is for you.
Souveran
Nice thin coat
Sporting her new dress! 😉
Next up is this stunning 1968 Firebird convertible, my “flashy lady”…or “bad girl” if you will. 😉
This vehicle actually belongs to my mentor and long time friend, who was actually responsible for training me in on detailing 20 years ago. Let me first say that I LOVE THIS CAR! With the owner being a very busy and hard working man, he often just has his employees washing the car and over the years it had accumulated some wash-induced marring.
50/50 shot of paint correction
After some significant paint correction I decided upon Dodo Juice Supernatural for my choice of protection. This is a high dollar wax in my book, and it is pretty much at the top of what I’d ever spend on a wax. That being said, of the dozens of carnauba waxes I own, I do feel Supernatural is my best looking carnauba. Much like Souveran, it also gives a nice deep, warm, wet-looking gloss, but I feel it is a little better in the area of depth and wetness. However, it’s not really the wax I prefer using the most, as it does have a bit of a learning curve. It is still very easy to apply and remove, very close to that of Souveran actually. On the flip side, Supernatural can also be a little temperamental at times and, as with many high carnauba content waxes, “sweating” can be an issue. Once you have the process dialed in though it simply looks amazing! With most carnauba waxes I usually like to apply them using a foam applicator working in small circular motions. However, with Supernatural I have found that David Bibiloni’s method of waxing seems to work best for this wax. I also like to apply and remove it right away doing one panel at a time, being sure to use high quality micro fiber towels like the Great White. The Polishing Pal is also a great tool when applying wax in a back and forth motion as it really helps you apply a nice thin coat, which is key to using Supernatural, as it seems that heavy application is often the cause for “Sweating”.
Wearing Supernatural
So at the end of the day we have two excellent, yet slightly different high end carnauba waxes here. One has the edge in ease to use, costs less, and still looks great. The other requires a little more effort to use, comes in at twice the cost (for the wooden tub, which is pretty cool), and it also looks amazing! For me the decision almost always comes down to time and ease of use.
Thanks for reading,
Rasky