I live in the United Kingdom. The weather is pretty grim throughout the winter, generally wet, sometimes slush and snow. We salt the roads here, too, and they are generally filthy dirty. My SL is used in all weathers and sometimes spends the night outside. My wife's BMW spends most nights outside and does at least 60 miles everyday.

Both cars retain their waxed look for months at a time. I have not done the SL since September or October, yet still it looks great when washed. The BMW gets filthy dirty because of its shape (it is a 1er), but always washes up just so.

My routine with both cars is to clean the paint, then Meguiars NXT or Auto Glym Ultra Deep Shine, then Zymol Carbon Glaze, then Auto Glym Extra Gloss Protection. I started using the Auto Glym EGP this year and I have been amazed with the results, it is extremely hard wearing and long lasting. Previously I have needed to wax every week or two; the EGP has lasted three or four months and 10k wet and dirty miles. It is not too expensive, either.

The best advice on applying Auto Glym EGP is to start with a well-prepared paint surface, and apply very sparingly in lines running along the length of the car with a foam applicator. The longer you leave it to dry or cure, the better. Leave it for at least a couple of hours, though. The EGP does not add extra gloss, rather it provides extra protection for your gloss finish.

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JJ Rodger
2013 G350 Bluetec
1999 SL 500
1993 E300 diesel T
1990 190

Blau, Did you get any AutoGlym stuff? How did you get on? My car still looks great (for winter) nearly six months since the last wax.

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JJ Rodger
2013 G350 Bluetec
1999 SL 500
1993 E300 diesel T
1990 190

Blau

My 99ML doesn't seem to take wax as well as my SLC. The ML sits in the garage while the SLC is outside (sorry guys, the ML is my wife's) and the wax lasts a lot longer on the SLC (same waxes used on both). There never seems to be much depth to the ML wax.

Possibly unrelated, but when I complained to MB that the ML paint seemed to chip real easily compared to the SLC, the answer was sort of "what do you expect - the new formulas are environment friendly".

I don't know what that means, and I don't know if it relates to your problem, but I'm not happy with my ML's finish no matter what I do.

It's true.
Thank your local Treehuggers for that one.
Most paints since the early 1990's are water-based paints.
Can you say chipping, just by looking at it?
The newest M-B paint is a " Nano " paint.
Supposedly somewhat better.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

I learned about Zaino products on this very site and have used nothing else since. Seems to last longer than other products I've used. Here in the midwest it's hard to apply polish during the winter, unless you have access to a heated garage, so I want something that lasts through the winter. This product does.

One time I applied Zaino polish to half of my trunk lid, and a top-notch carnauba wax to the other half, just to compare how long each would bead up. Zaino beat the other by several months.

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Steve
'93 400E

Hear, here! Zaino is the best period. End of discussion. They may as well close the thread.

Just so you know Zaino is a synthetic. It will last up to about 6-8 months. The common sythentics that do this WELL are Zaino, Meguiars NXT, Wolfgang and Klasse.

Carnauba based waxes are easier to apply especially the good ones like P21s aka S100 and Pinnacle. But they don't last as long as the synthetics by a mile. The Carnauba shine is still better to the trained eye than the synthetics but the synthetics are really close.

A better test would have been your Zaino against NXT or Wolfgang.

If you have harsh winters like we do on the North East, synthetics are the way to go.

I use Carnuba wax for the summer and a synthetic for the winter when I need pure protection and can't wax every month. My 300 gets a new coat every month or so with a full detailing. People still swear I have 50,000 miles and not 230,000 miles on her.

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Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

I must agree with Fay31....Zaino is without equal, end of discussion. I live in high altitude New Mexico where the sun eats auto paint for lunch, and the only finish that lasts with the best UV protection is Zaino. I must qualify that statement however: I apply 5 coats over a two day period (Zaino states no more than 3 per 24 hr period), and use the Special Affects Accelerator. That said, the finish is wet-looking and beads water a full year after application....almost unheard of! A Little goes a long way, extremely easy to apply/remove, leaves no residue, lasts and lasts. Nothing else will ever touch my 3 Benzes!

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1996 SL320 97K miles
1996 C220 130k miles
1992 500SEL 170k miles <---sold
1986 300E 216k miles <---sold