advertisement


Expensive Car Wax worth it?

M

Mongeddavid

pfm Member
I spend a fair bit of time detailing the car and have used some waxes after a da correction and clay bar to pretty good effect. I have never spent more than about £30 on a wax I have used collinite 476 and some stuff from Meguires Auto Glym etc.

Im kind of curious about a more upmarket wax the Auto Finesse Desire Wax at £120 seems to have some good reviews if they are to be believed. Has anyone used or would recommend a more upmarket wax for a metallic blue car or is it simply snake oil and a waste of your hard earned?
 
Waste of time and money. Col 476 is good stuff, so is AG wax. I have Dodo juice which is nice but not a long lived at the Colly or Autoglym
 
I've tried just about the lot now. Balancing the trade offs of ease of use v Finish I have stuck with the meguiars range, now even buying it in bulk as it's cheaper.

For easy on easy off and a show finish with protection it's hard to beat in my opinion. Especially if you chuck a clay bar at the paint first.
 
I just use Meguiars stuff, needs re-doing about once a month but a £25 tin of gold class carnuba will last a good while. It's easy stuff to work too. This is a wax/sealant, not an all in one, colour magic type product. Something like Autoglym Super Resin Polish should get your paint in nice condition ready for a sealant like the Meguiars stuff, polishing shouldn't need doing regularly though, I'm guessing you probably know this but thought I'd mention it. So no, don't spend a fortune, waxes don't last a particularly long time and if the Meguiars gets a nice finish (which it does), it's a bit nuts spending more.
 
Agree Linn. Just to add some of the meguiars range does feature carnuba in its make up.

One other stonking product I've just bought after a tip is meguiars "Final inspection" It's a detailing fluid, and you can use it with the clay. I now use this before a show or whatever as a "gloss restorer".

Seriously good product. I buy it in 4 litre containers from slims detailers for south of 30 quid. Available on Amazon too!
 
kennyh said:
Agree Linn. Just to add some of the meguiars range does feature carnuba in its make up.

One other stonking product I've just bought after a tip is meguiars "Final inspection" It's a detailing fluid, and you can use it with the clay. I now use this before a show or whatever as a "gloss restorer".

Seriously good product. I buy it in 4 litre containers from slims detailers for south of 30 quid. Available on Amazon too!
Click to expand...

Nice one, I don't have to clay too often but I'll get some for when I do. Anything to make the job easier. I have to work from a wheelchair or on crutches, people think I'm mad doing it myself but I always find imperfections and end up fixing them myself when someone else has detailed my car... and I like to be in control of what is being used... the bonnet of a Z4 is a bitch to work on but I have a soft blanket so as I can lean on it safely!:D
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
Nice one, I don't have to clay too often but I'll get some for when I do. Anything to make the job easier. I have to work from a wheelchair or on crutches, people think I'm mad doing it myself but I always find imperfections and end up fixing them myself when someone else has detailed my car... and I like to be in control of what is being used... the bonnet of a Z4 is a bitch to work on but I have a soft blanket so as I can lean on it safely!:D
Click to expand...

i meant to say, you can use the Final detail just like a polish. On then off. The clay bar lubricant is it's other use.
 
I've used the Autoglym HD wax for a couple of years. It lasts much longer, and the car brads beautifully. I use it every six months or so, and top up with Autoglym Aqua Wax, the finish seems to last forever done this way.
 
Carnuba-based waxes seem best, but there's no need to pay a fortune for them. Personally I really HATE cleaning cars but I'm too mean to pay for them to be done. Wheels. Hate cleaning alloy wheels. Bring back the old steel pressed ones I say.
 
Rockmeister said:
just like cables. Autoglym is fine. There's no miracle product IME barring regular hard work.
Click to expand...

No comparison in finish in all honesty with the above named product in my experience. Mer was for years my choice over Autoglym before this trend of exotic stuffs really kicked off. One Autoglym product in particular was just like a silicon based liquid, it attracted every bit of dust and dandalion weed to stick to it whenever I used it :D
 
kennyh said:
i meant to say, you can use the Final detail just like a polish. On then off. The clay bar lubricant is it's other use.
Click to expand...

Excellent, I'll buy some and give it a try.

Suffolk Tony said:
Carnuba-based waxes seem best, but there's no need to pay a fortune for them. Personally I really HATE cleaning cars but I'm too mean to pay for them to be done. Wheels. Hate cleaning alloy wheels. Bring back the old steel pressed ones I say.
Click to expand...

Yes, I like them. They don't last forever but they give a lovely glowing finish and are easy to work IME.

I do pay to get the car washed, a local place does a nice job and are very careful... but detailing, tedious as I find it, is something I prefer to do myself.
 
I have a mate who is ocd about his car, he was telling me about his latest wax (£30 for a small pot) he said it leaves a ceramic coating, I laughed, their is no way you can rub on a ceramic coating.

Pete
 
Simoniz is cheap and very good. It also really messes up people who think they know it all so don't read the instructions first, which obviously means bonus points for amusement.
 
My garage cleans my car inside and out once a year when I take it in for its annual service, whether it needs it or not. They cleaned it again when I dropped it off for a new tyre the other day, which I thought was a bit over the top, but they don't charge and it does look nice. I've no details of what they use. I never clean it.
 
MikeMA said:
My garage cleans my car inside and out once a year when I take it in for its annual service, whether it needs it or not. They cleaned it again when I dropped it off for a new tyre the other day, which I thought was a bit over the top, but they don't charge and it does look nice. I've no details of what they use. I never clean it.
Click to expand...

snap.... my last car had three washes in its lifetime with me. I had the Macan since January and that hasn't been washed yet.
 
The trouble with waxes, I find, is that they slough off and collect on the trailing edges eventually. No, I don't pile it on just in case you are wondering. I generally apply only a thin layer of carnauba, allow it to set, and then buff. But in a matter of weeks, on my darkish finish, I see the tell-tale signs of wax residue in crevice and panel gaps.

I gave up waxing a year ago, and have used CQuartz UK instead. Water still beads easily and contaminants don't seem to cling on as they used to with the coated paint surface. The downside is it does not gleam like carnauba does, but I wax/coat to protect the paint against corrosive bird-poo first and foremost. So far, CQuartz is doing the job.

gintonic said:
snap.... my last car had three washes in its lifetime with me. I had the Macan since January and that hasn't been washed yet.
Click to expand...
That would do my head in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top