Sponsored

Is it OK to mix wax based protection/shine products with hybrid ceramic products?

young at heart

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2021
Threads
65
Messages
1,617
Reaction score
2,338
Location
Deep South
Vehicle(s)
20 GT vert A10 / 23 Mach 1 A10 / 23 Mach 1 Tremec
Let’s assume all consumer level Meguiar’s products available at your local parts store.

I had actually started my Rapid Red 2020 GT on a diet of Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic liquid wax, Hybrid Ceramic spray wax and Hybrid Ceramic detailer. Looks good but kinda an involved process. So I just got a Shadow Black 2022 GT also and I’ve been using Meguiar’s liquid Cleaner Wax touched up with Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Detailer. Simple, easy process that doesn’t take a lot of time or effort and the results are spectacular to my eyes anyway. Love the shine! Reminds me of the old days.

I’m thinking it would make sense to change the red car over to the wax based protocol for the sake of simplicity. Should I just dump all my hybrid ceramic stuff or is an occasional overlap OK?

I’ll add that both these cars are pretty day only garage queens that only see rain by accident.
Sponsored

 
Last edited:

msmy300z

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Richmond, VA
First Name
Rick
Vehicle(s)
2019 Bullitt, 2019 Honda Ridgeline, 2010 Subaru XT
It will certainly not cause any harm but may make you apply more often. Sticking to your hybrid ceramic line on both would probably be the lowest maintenance after a polish.

I haven’t been a big fan of the all in one products. When you layer wax, your durability is determined by the first layer in contact with the paint. My understanding is that a base with poor longevity will affect the longevity of whatever is placed over it. Water reacts to the last layer applied so a wax over a ceramic wouldn’t bead quite as tight as the ceramic on there initially. The all in one wax has polish to remove old wax and contaminants along with new wax that remains behind from the product application. This would leave behind only the wax in your all in one so additional layers would only be as good as your base for longevity.

I’m just a hobbyist and have watched a lot of YouTube. Scott HD is a good channel for reviews of product longevity.

The ideal approach would be wash, clay bar, polishing compound on a buffer, apply (product of choice). You would then use your detailer or occasional spray wax to make everything last longer. In general true ceramic > hybrid ceramic > synthetic sealant > wax for longevity. I would replace your all in one with a polishing compound and use it as needed.

I use good wash technique and haven’t needed to truly polish in ~3 years. I wash and use a ceramic detailer. I’m getting some swirls and marring now so I’ll need a light polish soon.
 

lizardrko

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2016
Threads
32
Messages
559
Reaction score
212
Location
Bay Area, CA
Vehicle(s)
2016 Mustang EB Auto PP
You normally dont want to apply ceramic sprays on top of waxes. It would no properly bond to the paint. Depending on the family of products or even the individual product itself, it might allow a traditional wax on top of the ceramic spray.
 

SINBUSTER007

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Threads
18
Messages
722
Reaction score
613
Location
Hagerstown, MD
First Name
Brian
Vehicle(s)
19 Edge ST, 17 Escape, 12 Boss, 15 GT, 66 V8 Coupe Auto, Kids Boss 302
Meguiars and Adams have both stated to me not to mix wax and ceramic. they will not adhere to each other.
rule of thumb, if car sits out most of the time, use ceramic....
if it sits in garage like mine, use wax. the level of protection is based on how the car is taken care of.
wax will need to be applied couple times a year if sitting outside. ceramic (good brand) will be like 2yr before maintenance and reapplied.
 

lizardrko

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2016
Threads
32
Messages
559
Reaction score
212
Location
Bay Area, CA
Vehicle(s)
2016 Mustang EB Auto PP
Meguiars and Adams have both stated to me not to mix wax and ceramic. they will not adhere to each other.
rule of thumb, if car sits out most of the time, use ceramic....
if it sits in garage like mine, use wax. the level of protection is based on how the car is taken care of.
wax will need to be applied couple times a year if sitting outside. ceramic (good brand) will be like 2yr before maintenance and reapplied.
95% of waxes only last a couple months tops, especially if left outside. Ceramic sprays will last 4-6 months. Consumer grade ceramic coatings will last ~2 years
 

Sponsored

Ewheels

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2019
Threads
65
Messages
1,609
Reaction score
2,131
Location
SoCal
First Name
Eric
Vehicle(s)
2018 GT PP1, 2020 Explorer, 2023 F150
Vehicle Showcase
1
I'd like to add my experience if I may.

Previously, always used wax. That was simply the gold-standard.
Recently switched over to ceramic coatings and my god, they are easier to apply (spray ceramics, not professional jobs), can be applied to every surface, don't leave stains on plastics like waxes do, and make washing the car so much easier. Ceramics are better than wax in every way as far as I can tell.

I used a strip wash to remove the old wax because, as previously stated, ceramics over wax won't work.
 

DFB5.0

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Threads
61
Messages
3,579
Reaction score
10,376
Location
Australia
Vehicle(s)
Mustang GT Fastback
The general rule of thumb is to not mix the usage of ceramic based and wax based products. There are exceptions though.

For example, I have been topping Collinite 845 wax with a variety of products, including "ceramic" spray sealants. P&S Bead Maker seems to play ok with 845, as does NV Nova Jet.

There are also specific wax's that can be used on ceramic coatings, Gyeon Q2 Wax for example. Q2 Wax can be used as a standalone product or used to top an existing long-term ceramic coating.

IMG-1881.jpg


Ideally though, if you have a ceramic coating, then use the maintenance product designed in conjunction with the coating. If you have a wax, then use the equivalent spray wax or quick detailer to maintain. The only real way to know if two products play well together is via trial and error. Hence my Collinite/Bead Maker combo.
 
OP
OP
young at heart

young at heart

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2021
Threads
65
Messages
1,617
Reaction score
2,338
Location
Deep South
Vehicle(s)
20 GT vert A10 / 23 Mach 1 A10 / 23 Mach 1 Tremec
The general rule of thumb is to not mix the usage of ceramic based and wax based products. There are exceptions though.

For example, I have been topping Collinite 845 wax with a variety of products, including "ceramic" spray sealants. P&S Bead Maker seems to play ok with 845, as does NV Nova Jet.

There are also specific wax's that can be used on ceramic coatings, Gyeon Q2 Wax for example. Q2 Wax can be used as a standalone product or used to top an existing long-term ceramic coating.

IMG-1881.jpg


Ideally though, if you have a ceramic coating, then use the maintenance product designed in conjunction with the coating. If you have a wax, then use the equivalent spray wax or quick detailer to maintain. The only real way to know if two products play well together is via trial and error. Hence my Collinite/Bead Maker combo.
I‘ve been trying to figure out a Meguiar’s stand alone wax only product that has no cleaning properties, leaves no streaks to deal with and doesn’t stain black trim. I’d like to keep all my products in the Meguiar’s family but evidently wha I’m looking for doesn’t exist.

So I keep hearing about Collinite 845 and Optimum Car Wax as well. Guess I’m gonna have to grab one of those and give it a shot.
 

DFB5.0

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Threads
61
Messages
3,579
Reaction score
10,376
Location
Australia
Vehicle(s)
Mustang GT Fastback
I‘ve been trying to figure out a Meguiar’s stand alone wax only product that has no cleaning properties, leaves no streaks to deal with and doesn’t stain black trim. I’d like to keep all my products in the Meguiar’s family but evidently wha I’m looking for doesn’t exist.

So I keep hearing about Collinite 845 and Optimum Car Wax as well. Guess I’m gonna have to grab one of those and give it a shot.
I dont think you would be unhappy with either 845 or Optimum Car Wax..............

IMG-7544.jpg


oct209.jpg


IMG_3407.jpg


Otherwise, make sure to have a look at Meguiar's newer ceramic infused Hybrid Ceramic Liquid Wax, this wont stain trim.

Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Liquid Wax - Long-Lasting Ceramic Protection in an Easy to Use Wax-G200416, 16 oz | Meguiar's (meguiars.com)
 
OP
OP
young at heart

young at heart

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2021
Threads
65
Messages
1,617
Reaction score
2,338
Location
Deep South
Vehicle(s)
20 GT vert A10 / 23 Mach 1 A10 / 23 Mach 1 Tremec
I dont think you would be unhappy with either 845 or Optimum Car Wax..............

IMG-7544.jpg


oct209.jpg


IMG_3407.jpg


Otherwise, make sure to have a look at Meguiar's newer ceramic infused Hybrid Ceramic Liquid Wax, this wont stain trim.

Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Liquid Wax - Long-Lasting Ceramic Protection in an Easy to Use Wax-G200416, 16 oz | Meguiar's (meguiars.com)
DFB, your last sentence is kinda the reason for my OP and what I’m uncertain about. I already have a bottle of the Meguiar’s Hybrid Liquid Wax and would love to use it but I had planned to use Meguiar’s Cleaner Wax (wax based) as necessary under it to remove swirls and fine scratches. Autogeek and others say that the Hybrid Liquid Wax can be used as a topcoat over other waxes and polishes. So maybe this is OK?

I got to say I kinda miss the ‘60s when the choices were a lot simpler and you were just dealing with single stage lacquer. If you just wanted a quickie job you threw on a coat of Simonize Vista but if you wanted to go all-out you went down to the Cadillac store and grabbed a tin of Blue Coral. Was it ever beautiful!
 

Sponsored

Bobn57

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
1,337
Reaction score
3,466
Location
New Jersey
First Name
Bob
Vehicle(s)
1968 Mustang Fastback, 2021 VB, GT/CS
Vehicle Showcase
2
I was using Zaino brothers polishing products religiously since 1999 but made the switch to gyeon MOHS EVO on my 21. I contacted gyeon to make sure I bought the right ceramic coating, prep stuff etc and followed to the letter of the law 😁 I didn’t want any excuse for the coating to fail. Now I’m sure every company will advise to only use their products and not mix and match as they want to sell their stuff. DFB5.0 is a great source of info and he’s experimented with lots of stuff so I would trust his judgement!
 

DFB5.0

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Threads
61
Messages
3,579
Reaction score
10,376
Location
Australia
Vehicle(s)
Mustang GT Fastback
I was using Zaino brothers polishing products religiously since 1999 but made the switch to gyeon MOHS EVO on my 21. I contacted gyeon to make sure I bought the right ceramic coating, prep stuff etc and followed to the letter of the law 😁 I didn’t want any excuse for the coating to fail. Now I’m sure every company will advise to only use their products and not mix and match as they want to sell their stuff. DFB5.0 is a great source of info and he’s experimented with lots of stuff so I would trust his judgement!
There is a lot of that, but also some truth to staying within the same ecosystem. For example, if you are going to use a "primer" polish before applying a ceramic coating, then it's best to stay with the same brand. Same for prep / IPA sprays.
 

kilobravo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Threads
74
Messages
7,959
Reaction score
7,158
Location
Corpus Christi, TX
Website
kilobravo.com
First Name
KB
Vehicle(s)
'16 CT6, '18 SD, '20 GT 500
OP
OP
young at heart

young at heart

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2021
Threads
65
Messages
1,617
Reaction score
2,338
Location
Deep South
Vehicle(s)
20 GT vert A10 / 23 Mach 1 A10 / 23 Mach 1 Tremec
Well this is interesting. I just looked at the back of my bottle of Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax and it clearly states the product ”can be used as a topcoat over traditional waxes and sealants”.
So that has me wondering if Ultimate Quik Wax and Ultimate Quik Detailer could be used over the Hybrid Ceramic Wax?

I realize they make Hybrid Ceramic Detailer (I have some) but I also have a stock of the wax based Detailer and Quik Wax I hate to waste.
 

DFB5.0

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Threads
61
Messages
3,579
Reaction score
10,376
Location
Australia
Vehicle(s)
Mustang GT Fastback
Well this is interesting. I just looked at the back of my bottle of Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax and it clearly states the product ”can be used as a topcoat over traditional waxes and sealants”.
So that has me wondering if Ultimate Quik Wax and Ultimate Quik Detailer could be used over the Hybrid Ceramic Wax?

I realize they make Hybrid Ceramic Detailer (I have some) but I also have a stock of the wax based Detailer and Quik Wax I hate to waste.
I don't think you will have issues using both of those with the newer products, especially Ultimate Quick Detailer. Meguiar's as brand are about being approachable and easy to use, having their products playing well together would be included in that.
Sponsored

 
 




Top