HI all,
For many years I have been interested in keeping my car as mint as possble, and keeping the paint the best it can be.
and with me just recently having a front end respray what better chance than to test out somes Wax products.
I am sure many of you have wondered myself included, should I spend alot of money on a Wax product? do they do what they say or is the company's marketing skills better than their product? Or do they prittymuch do the same job but with different labels and price tags?
Now personally for me, what I am after the most from a Wax is good protection. At the same time I would like it to give the car a wet look and "pop" the flakes in my paint, not asking for alot I know
Some things to remember there are a few different wax types, below is some research I found a while ago on the interweb.
Car waxes are the important final step in detailing your car. They act as both sealant and protectant, keeping the elements and the environment away from your paint job. Applying wax to your car on a regular basis not only keeps it looking good, but also helps extend the life of the body and the paintwork. There are many different types of car waxes on the market; it can be confusing. What do they each do?
Types of Car Waxes
For all the varieties of car waxes on the market today, there are really only two types of wax. One is natural, deriving either wholly or partly from plants. The other is synthetic, using all manmade chemicals to create the wax. They do the same thing, but have slightly different properties.
Natural Car Waxes
Natural car waxes are often the best choice, and certainly command the highest prices. Most people have come across carnauba car wax, which derives from the copernica cerifa plant in Brazil. Natural car waxes often include carnauba, either in its pure form, or mixed with oils or petroleum products to different degrees. All of these still qualify as natural car waxes as they do contain carnauba. Pure carnauba wax will be the most expensive of all.
Although carnauba car waxes and other natural waxes offer excellent protection to the paintwork on a car, they need to be renewed regularly, as they one last between 1 month and 2 months. Natural car wax gives the kind of glossy finish that synthetic car waxes can’t replicate. Generally, natural car waxes will be paste car wax.
Synthetic Car Waxes
The vast majority of car waxes are synthetic. They aim to do exactly the same thing as natural car wax, but they’re made form chemicals. There will generally be no natural wax in the products at all, making them more paint sealant than wax. Rather than a paste, synthetic car wax will be a spray car wax or a liquid car wax. These do offer advantages for coverage and ease of application.
Part of the ethos behind synthetic car wax is that it is easier to use than its natural counterpart. They’re not as difficult to rub into the body and will buff out more easily. As there’s nothing natural, synthetic car wax will last longer than natural car wax, for up to a season before it needs to be renewed.
Variations
Within synthetic car waxes, there are many variations. These include clear coat car wax or colored car wax. The latter offers wax matched to light or dark colors of paintwork. It’s all a way to take advantage of an ever-expanding market of car enthusiasts who want to pamper their vehicles with car detailing. Car waxes are big business.
Car polish is similar to wax, and will enhance the paint work. It doesn’t have the same protective qualities. Like many other products, they still need wax over the top in order to finish the job.So back to my personal review.
The waxes in question that I will be trying are both Natural waxes and are carnauba waxes. I must stress, I am no expert everything I am writing is not fact. However I am still learning alot so please if you do spot I have got my facts wrong then please share as I can only learn by making mistakes
My first one is
Collinite 915.jpg)
Cost: £24.95
Where to buy: Click hereWrite up: For the BEST in wax endurance, Collinite 915 Marque d'Elegance is the product to have.
Car enthusiasts demand a wax that is proven to protect in the most demanding environments, rain or shine, on track or on the street. They have discovered that Collinite 915 Marque d'Elegance gives their valuable automotive investments a blinding, lasting shine because its formulated from the highest-ever concentration of pure Carnauba waxes. And no abrasives means all Collinite waxes are absolutely clear coat safe. It doesn't get any better!
With over 15% more than our No. 476s, the Collinite 915 Marque D' Elegance wax boasts Collinite’s highest amount of rare carnauba; yielding our highest gloss and warmest shine to darker, meticulously maintained finishes.
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And my second wax is
Auto Finesse - Spirit.
Cost: £89.95
Where to buy: Click hereWrite up: Over the years at Auto Finesse, we have learned that capturing the true Spirit of metallic and pearl finishes with a paste wax is a tricky business. Auto Finesse Spirit wax is the result of countless months of experimentation. We finally stumbled upon a high-carnauba blend that gave us the optical clarity and crisp gloss we desired. These two characteristics combine to awaken something that lies dormant in many paints: dazzling metallic flake pop! With this wax, you can summon its Spirit.
All Auto Finesse waxes are carefully blended by hand in Great Britain from the finest quality natural ingredients available, and bring with them the same philosophy of performance and beauty as the rest of our detailing products. The waxes we use treat your vehicle with nature’s own defense against the elements, giving it water repellency, and resistance to environmental pollution (Including UV-fading, acid rain, and bird droppings.). Let’s take a look at what else makes Auto Finesse Spirit special…
Auto Finesse Spirit contains 50% T1 Grade Brazilian Carnauba Wax by volume, with the remainder being made up by all natural Beeswax, Candelilla wax, and oils.
While many waxes and sealants can actually mute pearl and metallic paints, Spirit’s visual clarity, crispness, and gloss have the opposite effect. Pearls and metallics will truly sparkle.
The delicate Apple fragrance is juxtaposed with the immense protection that lies within every pot of Spirit, and 5-months of durability or more are easily achieved if layered.
Superb beading and sheeting combine with Spirit’s durability to help repel the worst, and wettest weather that spring, summer, fall, or winter have to offer.
Spirit is one of our professional-grade ‘hard’ waxes. Its firm consistency allows the wax to be spread in super-thin coats, minimizing waste, and making buff-off a breeze.
Whether your car or motorcycle has a modern clearcoat, or a classic single-stage paint system, Auto Finesse waxes will give it the protection it needs to survive the realities of everyday life. For the detailing professional or dedicated weekend enthusiast, there simply is no finer way to complete your flawless Auto Finesse style finish.
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Now before I apply these waxes there is a few steps I need to take first. I ensured the car was fully cleaned then I brought it into a garage to cool off before doing anything.
The test will be performed on my bonnet only but before I can do that, I need to cleanse the bonnet before applying any wax, so I used the following product.
I must also point out that both the waxes in question are designed for darker coloured cars.
Autoglym HD Cleanser
Cost: £19.95
Where to buy: Click hereWrite up: For perfect results when waxing, it is important to ensure the surface of the paintwork is “deep cleaned” to remove all traces of road grime, bug splatter, old waxes, etc. As regular shampoos and clay don’t always remove old films of polish, Autoglym High Definition Cleanser will effectively remove all surface residues as well as general dust and grime.
This will leave a fresh clean surface, ideal for ensuring you get the best possible result, especially if you choose Autoglym High Definition Wax for the final protective finish.
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So bonnet is now cooled, cleansed and ready for wax, but first we used 3m tape to mark the two sections off.
First wax goes on, notice i got my cousin to apply the wax while i did the hard work of taking the photo
Next side we used the 2nd wax as you can see, we used my sample pot thankfully donated by Auto finesse
Ok wax is on time to compare...
Auto finesse - Spirit side
Collinite 915 side
I then took the car into even daylight and removed the 3m tape.
It is very difficult to see in the pictures, but take my word for it when I say there was no difference that I could see in the ammount of "pop" from the gold flakes in the paint or the ammount of "wet look" the next step is the protection which thankfully it rained about an hour after completing the car, tipicail
As you can see the beading seems the exact same. At this point is is extremely difficult for me to justify spending nearly £90 on some wax when I can get another brand for £25 that seems to do the exact same job.
On saying that, the one thing I haven't been able to test here is the lastibility which might far outweigh the cheaper wax, however. I know the cheaper wax will last for a good season before a reapply is required.
What I will say about the more expensive wax is it goes on and buffs off a hell of alot easier than the cheaper wax. It also smells lovely and spreads more meanig it will last longer.
Auto finesse have also confirmed that their spirit wax contains 50% Carnauba which trust me is ALOT and I am unable to find the Carnauba % of the other wax as of yet.
I must point out however that my research tells me that is for example a 100% Carnauba wax exsited (which is does not) then it would be impossible to work with as it would fall apart and be too soft.
So there you have it, thats my personal review. I am still undecided on if I will buy a pot of Auto finesse yet, they were kind enough to send me their sample pot for the perpose of this test and I will by all means point them in the direction to this reveiw. I am sure if they read it they will be happy to read your comments from the people that use it going forward.
On a side note I would like the thank you all for taking the time to read this review and should you have any questions, suggestions then please feel free to comment below
Nino.
