Top banana: Meguiar’s Hi-Tech Yellow Wax shines

I’m not a big fan of products that purport to do multiple things. Few of the combination printer, copier, fax and scanners that I’ve owned have been as good as the dedicated machine for each task. So it is in car care too, where all-in-one cleaner waxes go up against multiple product systems that involve a separate polish and final wax. I generally find cleaner waxes to be less effective than a separate polish followed by a non-cleaner wax topcoat that acts as protection only.

One of the most popular non-cleaner waxes is Meguiar’s Hi-Tech Yellow Wax, which provides good gloss enhancement and does a nice job of filling minor surface imperfections. For non-oxidized surfaces that don’t have significant paint problems, it’s a good bet for easy-to-apply protection. Yellow Wax is hands down one of the easiest products to apply and remove that I’ve ever used. Unlike cleaner waxes that leave a white polish residue behind, you don’t have to be careful about removal from crevices and avoiding rubber; Yellow Wax leaves almost nothing behind after you remove it.

And while we never recommend sniffing solvents of any kind, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the stuff smells really pleasant — kind of like banana Laffy Taffy. The user friendliness is a good thing because you will apply it more often than some of Meguiar’s other products that seem to bead water a little longer.