Review: Meguiar's Ultimate Wax (liquid)

[Dellinger]

Not a new product and nothing sexy, but have held my tongue until I could speak intelligently about the product.

I have four applications of Meguiar's UW under my belt and 5+ months of evaluating the performance on those vehicles. I have also applied it to my truck that is un-garaged and serves as my DD, featured near the bottom of this review.

Product Description from Meguiar's follows the pictures further down.


Preface:
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your take, I'm not an LSP junkie. I have, at the moment, two traditional LSP products and one coating product on my roster. Meguiar's UW is one of them.

When considering a product for purchase I want the following in order of preference:
-Performance (longevity)
-Ease of application
-Value
-Looks


Performance Points of Reference:
Helping form my opinion of Meguiar's UW are the metrics below.

1.) Length of Application: 14 weeks (10/7/13- 1/6/14)
2.) Miles Driven: 1,812
3.) Washes Performed: 8
4.)Temperature ranges during period: 66- 18 degrees F
5.)Weather: Rain, Hail, Sleet, Ice, very few clear days

Not included in those metrics but given for perspective:
Man-made externalities encountered: De-icer, sand, rock, road construction.


My Experience & Opinion:
I picked up Meguiar's UW last summer after reading some reviews praising the sealant's longevity. I was somewhat skeptical based on my experience with NXT 2.0 but it was OTC and priced around a 20 spot.

Performance: A-
Comparing UW to other longer-lasting, traditional LSPs, it will last just as long as 845. Mind you, the climate I live in is unrelenting in the winter regarding rainfall and inclement weather. I'm very impressed with its' longevity. UW could have lasted another month, I estimate, but seeing 3+ months of protection... that's all I need to know for my business.

Value: B+
I think a $20 bottle of OTC sealant is getting up there but it can be obtained without mail ordering. Applying 1 ounce or a little more per job... well, you should get quite a few applications of a bottle.

Ease of Use: C+
Application is easy but FIGHT the urge to over apply. When Meguiar's speaks about their 'ThinFilm Technology'... believe me, when applying via machine you will barely see it.

Removal is a bit tricky. I have applied to a panel and wiped immediately off. I have applied to two panels and then wipe off the originating panel. I have applied to an entire side and wiped off. I have applied to an entire vehicle and then wiped off. In the end, none of my application methods changed the outcome. (I applied approximately 1.5 ounces to each of the full size trucks I serviced.)

On dark colors, looking back over a panel with a Brinkman, it streaked for me on every application. Thick nap, short nap, blah, blah, blah... no towel that I own would remove the smearing. It wasn't apparent in full sun but with your nose to the panel and a inspection light... it was there.

Looks: B+
If you like NXT 2.0, you'll like UW. Very similar, if not the same. Hard, plastic, shiny, with some depth.

In closing, I will continue using UW on light colored vehicles. I don't know if I will purchase another container of UW when my supply expires. I am going to try Powerlock and evaluate.


Performance Pictures @ 3.5 months...
Before I replaced UW, I snapped some photos of the 'high wear' areas to give readers a look at the sealants status. Note- it was raining so you might see some streaks of water on my lens.




















Product Description:

Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax

Meguiar's® ThinFilm technology delivers our easiest application & removal... even if you have to wax in full sun! We've re-set the bar with a pure synthetic wax that provides extended protection with amplified reflectivity that won't leave a white residue on trim & plastic.

• Our most advanced, pure synthetic hydrophobic wax.
• New ThinFilm technology makes application easy, even in full sun!
• Extended protection with amplified reflectivity.

Forthcoming Review

Another Meguiar's LSP... (well sort of). Probably some months off before I will comment.

Just a teaser shot...

[Slimsadie]

Nice review. I see you are from Amboy. I am down in salmon creek

[jankerson]

UW is a solid LSP from my own experience.

[Dellinger]

Nice review. I see you are from Amboy. I am down in salmon creek

Sweet! Good to know that another forum member exists near me... I rarely see anyone here from WA state, much less Clark County, lol.

Feel free to PM if you want to get together and celebrate cosmetic car care!

[twitch77]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[CM8 6MT]

Interesting review. I never had Ultimate Wax streak on me, ever. You'll find that PL will last you alot longer, but looks wise, well thats debatable. Below is what Ultimate Wax really looks like when done right..

[peter hurcos]

A bit streaky over Collinite 476 in my experience. No improvement over the 476 in the appearance department. Probably a little worse. I guess it wore OK. I took it off after a couple of months.

Thought it was overpriced for something that isn't even necessarily the best thing on the shelf at Wal-Mart. I'm nobody's idea of an enviro, but the extravagant packaging was kind of off-putting. If it were five dollars per bottle less it would be an average product.

[FUNX650]

I find ULW to provide a wondrous LSP experience: In, of, and by itself.
Never found the need, or the urge, to ever layer it atop another LSP.

Bob

[Dellinger]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Twitch, you are welcome! Thank you for reading.

Interesting review. I never had Ultimate Wax streak on me, ever. You'll find that PL will last you alot longer, but looks wise, well thats debatable. Below is what Ultimate Wax really looks like when done right..

CM8 6MT-
Thank you for your sentiments. (Nice photo by the way!)

Here is one F-150, where I applied UW after correction... again, the streaks/ smears were unnoticable in the sun... but under artificial light, it was there.







(For background... what I started with on that F-150)

A bit streaky over Collinite 476 in my experience. No improvement over the 476 in the appearance department. Probably a little worse. I guess it wore OK. I took it off after a couple of months.

Thought it was overpriced for something that isn't even necessarily the best thing on the shelf at Wal-Mart. I'm nobody's idea of an enviro, but the extravagant packaging was kind of off-putting. If it were five dollars per bottle less it would be an average product.

Peter-

Interesting... I have 476 on my radar. I too felt the price of UW was 'getting there'. However, definitely the longest lasting OTC LSP I've used.

Thank you for your thoughts!

I find ULW to provide a wondrous LSP experience: In, of, and by itself.
Never found the need, or the urge, to ever layer it atop another LSP.

Bob

Love me some Bob! And I mean that!

Hope your Christmas and New Years were grand, Bob.

You bet, I am definitely not in the 'layering' camp... not saying it's wrong. It's just not for me, lol.

[silverfox]

Its interesting to see somebody benchmark a sealant's longevity... against a wax.

There was a time when it was the other way around.


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