Hrm...I'm not "established" on this site, but you should trust me when I say that I know my stuff about detailing
First off, your 14 dollar Zymol is actually made by Turtle Wax, and is about as low quality as wax comes. the 50 dollar Japon Zymol...that's real Zymol. Personally I feel that Zymol is not long lasting enough to justify the extra cash, and it's difficult to work with.
What do I recommend, you might ask? You need to get the paint clean before protecting it. Start by washing the car with a good carwash and a cotton wash mitt. Once the paint is washed, put your hand in a Ziploc bag and run it across the paint. You feel ridges, rough paint? It's particulate matter embedded in your paint. The rougher it feels, the more work you have ahead of you.
Is the paint in relatively good shape? Clean with 3M Inperial Hand Glaze, the Pinnacle Paint Cleanser, or Griot's Garage 3-step Machine Polish applied with a random orbital buffer (Porter Cable is my choice). I prefer to use 3M Imperial Machine Glaze followed by the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. If the paint has sap and has been neglected, you'll need to claybar the car. I will not go into detail on proper useage of the claybar here, but remember that it DOES remove paint, so only use it when absolutely necessary.
After the paint is properly polished/cleaned/glazed, you want to seal in that shine. I prefer Klasse sealant, an acrylic that forms an elastic shield on the paint that will last for 5-6 months, at least. Let one coat cure for an hour, re-apply, let cure for an hour, then you are ready for wax. I prefer One Grand Blitz Wax, as it provides a deep shine while being longer lasting than Zymol or Meguiar's. Really, nothing beats One Grand, most serious detailers will use it. Best of all, 18.99 will but you a 10 ounce can that lasts several waxings.
That is an incredibly rudimentary car care guire for you. I will soon be writing an article on car care for
www.ClubSi.com, and taking new pics of my car to show the results. I will post that here when completed. Also, all prodcuts I mentioned are available at the following websites -
www.griotsgarage.com www.properautocare.com www.carcarespecialties.com I know much more than that about paint care, also interior, underhood, wheels, tires, glass, metal polish, whatever. Just ask.
Just stay away from that Turtle-wax in disguise, it's terrible stuff. Also, stay away from Mother's, and anything that claims to clean the paint AND wax in one step (Meguiar's Cleaner Wax comes to mind).
