It's summer in NY...Have to get a layer of protection on my car. What do you all recommend? Wax, these new nano-ceramic sealants? Also...headlight lenses are cloudy..any luck with these 'refinishers' for the lenses? Are the lenses replaceable?

I'm also interested in what new waxes are out there in the past few years; I've been out of that game for a while - no desire to wax a 12y/o minivan.

I still have a bit left of a tin of Mothers Carnauba wax, which I've always been happy with; easy application, good shine. But I want to know more about a product that leaves no white residue (as I've just bought a Volvo with black paint and some deep scratches). I've heard that Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax is such a product, but I have no experience with it.

As for headlight lenses, I'm told that the trouble with polishing them is that it removes the remaining UV resistant coating that keeps them from yellowing. I tend to believe this as the headlights on my Honda Odyssey got polished about a year ago (400 peso job at a autobody shop in Mexico). Results were good but now they are yellow again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqOKmZ9mMfc

There is no "easy" way to clean plastic headlight covers. The long video above explains the proper process, plus the UV coating required.

Maguire's does make a UV spray that can be applied annually, to a clear headlight.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

I am still looking for a wax that beads water as long as possible.... maybe not the best criteria..... but easy test.

so far on my boat and car for the past 4 years I have been using:
http://www.collinite.com/automotive-wax/insulator-wax/

On the sides of a 32' boat it lasts a year, on the flat surfaces of the Volvo's, parked outside in New England... about 10 months before rain beading is lost...
Art

I am from the old school, nothing works better than past wax and elbow grease. A sealant is not a wax, it does not remove any grime embedded in the top layer of the clear coat, but a sealant can be used over the wax finish to prolong the shine.

Don't forget the bottom of the trunk/hatch, the bottom of the inside of the doors, and all those areas you normally don't see.

As for the headlight covers, try one and report back.

Long ago, there was a product called Blue Coral. It came in two parts, a cleaner paste and a carnuba wax cream. It took forever to do my VW, but the shine was worth it. Today I just use Maguire's paste wax, Spring and Fall.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

My rating system:
The more work it is, the better the product.

I started using Maguire's back when it was $3.50 a can cuz it behaved just like the much more expensive Classic brand. Then it got popular and expensive, just like the New Balance's I used to buy at JC Penny for $10/pair. Now I pay $2 extra at the car wash to get the cheapo squirty wax stuff. Lasts about one month and the residue builds up nicely around the chrome badges, etc.

Ha, My Dad bought a 1962 Pontiac Catalina in deep red (burgundy).
He learned of Blue Coral and we slaved.

I want to try my first clay bar job on my '07 V70. After that I'll probably just grab any product.

Thanks for the tip regarding the places you don't see.

I'm a big believer in the clay bar treatment. I've not noticed a difference in paint color after doing it, but the difference when running ones hand across the paint is unmistakable. Before, rough and scratchy; after, smooooooth.

Tried clay bar last year on my 850. More work, but it does far more than wax alone.
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....