List of Things to do with 4 oz Carnauba Cleaner Wax included in Mothers Clay Bar Kit

[grabby]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A lot of people on the forum have been asking, "Why is there a 4 oz bottle of Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax with the Mothers Clay Bar Kit? What am I going to do with it?"

I even remember a profound statement by Trac_511 that goes "I don't want to end up with a collection of little bottles of Carnauba cleaner wax..."

One reason behind not knowing what to do with it is because most of us here are detailing enthusiasts who prefer more intensive work on our detailing tasks. Ask someone here what they're going to use on a car on their next detail and it'll be either the UWS, the Reflections Car Wax and Top Coat combo or the FX SynWax. The use of the Carnauba Cleaner Wax rarely comes up

Another reason is that some people perceive it to be for the beginner detailer. The very first Mothers bottle that I bought was Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax and I haven't used it to wax the car ever since I started using the other product lines and learned how to use a rotary. A lot of people follow this path too.

Let's face it, it's just a reality that after you've stepped further into the art of detailing, you somewhat lose the need for a one step product that isn't as special as the FX SynWax or Reflections Car Wax.

So, here's the answer to all the queries on what to do with it. I've come up with a short list of how a bottle of how that small bottle of Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax can be handy even to the hardcore detailer.

1. Use it on your door jambs. You will appreciate its cleaning abilities, removing some water spots that usually dwell in this area after washing and the occasional smudges of grease that usually comes from the hinges. It'll also prevent these water spots and grease from embedding into the paint making it a lot harder to remove. Lastly, it'll reflect on how much you pay attention to the smaller details of the car that people will definitely appreciate.

2. Use it on your SUV's roof. Doing an SUVs roof can be a real pain. You're tip-toeing, your arms are extended to its capacity and you're having a really hard time doing both at the same time. Save yourself some time and effort and use a cleaner wax on it. I detailed a customer's Honda CR-V just this weekend. He had a roof rack on top that he didn't want removed for the detail making it virtually impossible to access with a rotary. It was in a really bad rough water spotted condition, not waxed since 2003. I busted out the small bottle of Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax and improved the condition of the roof by 80% without breaking much of a sweat.

3. Use it on your clear coated rims. Not only will your rims appear shinier and cleaner, it'll also resist stubborn brake dust and road tar from sticking. If you've never waxed it yet, clean the rims with a wheel cleaner, dry then apply the Cleaner Wax. You'll be surprised at how much gunk is still on the tire even after the use of a wheel cleaner as your applicator will probably turn black after a couple of passes (happened to me.) If you maintain applying the cleaner wax to your rims, you might find your bottle of wheel cleaner collecting dust in your storeroom.

4. Use it to maintain the lower painted portion of your car. The lower part of your car gets more pounding from than the upper part of your car. It's where mud and muck splash on too when driving in the rain. It's where road tar and asphalt sticks to. It's where excessive brake dust from your brakes stick too especially on vehicles without mud guards. Thus, wax degradation and contamination build up goes at a faster rate at the lower part than the upper part. For me, it's a pain to frequently do Step 1 of the UWS to clean and Step 3 of the UWS to protect so instead I use the Carnauba Cleaner Wax.

5. Use it on your windshields. I've used it on my windshields and windows and I'm very pleased with the results. When the rain starts to pour, the water beads on the glass and a lot of them slide off easily. When I turn the wipers on, there are absolutely no wiper smudges on my glass. It helps resist water spotting as well.

The great thing that I find with the Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax is that its ease of use and its cleaning ability. It's near effortless to apply and remove. Even on the most oxidized paint surfaces, I haven't had the issue of the product streaking. Its cleaning ability is just amazing, a small amount of product, a couple of passes with a foam applicator and the foam applicator turns black. Buffing off the residue is a breeze and it'll reveal a clean shiny surface. Let's not forget the best thing of all, it protects very well similar to the durability of Mothers Pure Carnauba Wax.

So there you have it. A couple of things to do with the 4 oz Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax that comes with Mothers Clay Bar kit.

Grabby

[simpson]

Good suggestions grabby. I was wondering, can I use a reflections top coat after the cleaner wax to give it the extra umph? I know we can't use the reflections wax couse it contain mild cleaners so it be a waste but what about top coat? Thanks.

[grabby]

Originally Posted by simpson

Good suggestions grabby. I was wondering, can I use a reflections top coat after the cleaner wax to give it the extra umph? I know we can't use the reflections wax couse it contain mild cleaners so it be a waste but what about top coat? Thanks.

On my clear coated rims, I actually follow up with Mothers Pure Carnauba Wax for that extra "umph." I suppose you can do the same with Reflections Top Coat since it doesn't contain any cleaners.

Grabby

[Trac_511]

That is a well-written post Grabby and I'm sure to take you up on some of your suggestions. Actually, just yesterday I used the small bottle of Carnauba to spiff up my bug shield. The evening rain beaded up nicely too.

Say, will this product work fine with my chrome wheels?

Again, great post; I hope you're getting some kind of royalty from Mothers...!

[grabby]

Originally Posted by Trac_511

That is a well-written post Grabby and I'm sure to take you up on some of your suggestions. Actually, just yesterday I used the small bottle of Carnauba to spiff up my bug shield. The evening rain beaded up nicely too.

Say, will this product work fine with my chrome wheels?

Again, great post; I hope you're getting some kind of royalty from Mothers...!

From what I gather, the CCW's cleaners are a lot lighter than Mothers Chrome Polish so it should work.

On the other hand, Mothers Chrome Polish can also be used on glass. Since I've used CCW on glass, it should also work on Chrome. Give it a try and let me know. If you're a bit hesitant about it, try it in an inconspicuous area first.

My best guess though is that it'll work fine.

Grabby

[JoeyC]

Grabby,

Great write up. Keep 'em coming.

JC

[jonjon_u]

I agree. Thanks for sharing.

[ottawaguy]

OK, this a pretty good thread, but let me comment on what this says to newbies to detailing. I am very much a neophyte to detailing, I had never even heard of a clay bar until a month ago. But I am ready now.

After a long winter, I have been trying to learn about getting a better finish on my vehicles. I spent about an hour reading all the labels on the products at my local hardware store. I wanted a clay bar and found the Mothers kit. It sounded great,I was enthused.

So I came here and read even more, including the detailing download. I read threads about the cleaner/wax and even a Mothers Admin suggests giving it to a neighbour or using it to detail your lawnmower. WTF? I am less enthused for sure.

I just wanted to put out the warning that you guys should be careful about becoming detailing snobs. As I have learned, of course a five step process will give better results, but you have totally killed my desire to purchase and try your entry level products. For sure I would have graduated to doing more, but even a three step process to cleaning my car was a big step for me. Is the Cleaner/Wax that bad?

Apparently it's only good enough for my lawnmower? Look guys, don't get me wrong, I have learned a ton already and will continue to visit and learn. But trashing your own products seems counterintuitive to me. Can I suggest that you at least tout the benefits of this kit as a great product for getting into the game?

I feel like I'm disappointed I bought this thing.

[TonyfromOz]

ottawaguy.
Welcome to the forum.
What you may have read is polite banter.
As you can see from the Clay Bar kit, it's a big box, but the clay is just a tiny part of the contents of that box.
Mothers include the Showtime as a lubricant, and strongly advise the following.

The process of the clay is to remove those tiny embedded particles stuck in the top clear coat of the paint that make the surface feel rough. As well as removing those particles, clay will also remove any wax or any other product on the paint as protection.
Because of this, the advice is then that for protection of your paint then you should apply a product for this protection, and that small bottle of Carnauba Cleaner Wax is included for just that purpose.

Over the years a lot of the guys here have had to repurchase the clay kit, because the clay won't last forever. Along the way these guys have started getting into the use of other products and have a collection of those little bottles of CCW. What the 'banter' here suggests is to discuss things that could be done with those little bottles.

I feel sure that if you were to read around some of the other threads and posts here, you'll find that people have a really high regard for that single stage product.
In this day and age of exotic products, multi stage products and new products this old faithful might be considered as old fashioned, but believe me, those who have used it or have come back to it are always surprised at just how good it really is, still today.

I use Mothers 3 stage process on my own car, Reflections on my Sister's car, FX on my daughters car and the old faithful Carnauba Cleaner Wax on my Mum's car and my brother's car.
If I was to recommend one product for someone starting out, it would be this one.

However, your brain always points you in the right direction, and more often than not that first decision always proves to be a good one. In your case, the product you purchased was the Clay Bar Kit, and with every new guy (that's every single one) this should be the mandatory first step.
Just wait till after you've finished the clay work on your own car and then just run your fingertips across the painted surface. That silken smooth feel is just unbelievable let me tell you.

So no, just 'cos we might say to give it to a neighbour or use it on your lawnmower doesn't mean we're snobs. It's just that some of us have a quirky sense of humour. After years of working on cars, us car care nutcases look at every painted surface and think out loud, "Now that could look so much nicer. Where is that little bottle?" Yuk yuk yuk.

Just hang out here and read some of the threads and posts, and have a good look at the 'detail guide' on that blue menu bar at top left of this screen.

Believe me, it's all good.

Tony.

[jonjon_u]

ottawaguy,

I'm one of those who highly regard the Carnauba Cleaner Wax. It has solved the waterspot and slight spiderwebbing problem I experienced during the rainy season in our country.

I have viewed the Carnauba Cleaner Wax as my maintenance product, in between my PowerPolish regimen. It's simply one of the most important car care products in my arsenal.

[Trac_511]

Ottawaguy, welcome aboard. Do not be easily dissuaded with some of those comments you referred to. I think you're totally taking them out of context (namely, the lawn mower thing).

IMO no one was trashing anything. The consensus was, if you have no use for the little bottle of Carnauba that comes with the claybar kit, give it away or use it on something other than my ride. And why would there be no use for it to begin with? Because personally, if I'm going through the trouble of clay-barring my entire truck, I will also be investing the time and effort to apply the UWS or at least Phase 2 and 3 of it. In this regard, the bottle is rendered irrelevent by default.

Mother's still has to throw in some wax in there because clay-barring will remove wax and it must be replaced by something. In this case, the little red bottle.

[B2Bomber]

the question strucked me too when I first bought my claybar kit together with the rest of the UWS products but then I've long found several uses for the small bottle of cleaner wax I get everytime I buy a claybar kit.

i use the cleaner wax on:
a. door jambs
b. interior paint - like my spare wheel well
c. under-hood paint - after degreasing
d. when I'm out of pre-wax cleaner

nice thread grabby

[abnot]

This weekend after I had washed my car, I was doing the final cleaning (windows, applying protectant) and noticed some waterspots on the roof.

I first reached for the Pre-Wax Cleaner since Showtime did not remove them. It took care of several but then knew I had to apply wax in the cleaned areas. I then recalled this thread so I opened up one of the 4 oz bottles of cleaner wax (samples from waxstation). It worked pretty well on the water spots so now I have a one step process. The cleaner wax has that tropical smell too.

I will add this to my mini-kit (Showtime, towels, glass cleaner) for the car.