The recent weather has been extremely detailing friendly so I have had the chance to try out several new products. I figure it is time to contribute something back to Autopia and do a review once or twice a month.
Price: $9.99 at a local Wal-Mart (Availability is extremely high – I have seen it everywhere).
Packaging: The bottle and product combination is very unique and eye-catching. It is quite apparent that their marketing nomenclature (Turtle Wax ICE) matches well with both the clear liquid and bottle. I was initially excited by the look of the sprayer – It appeared to be exactly the same as those provided by
Meguiar’s on their Quick Detailer, but it also had a red tab that could be locked into a position that prevented the sprayer from accidentally depressing. Unfortunately looks can be deceiving, the sprayer does not “atomize” near as well as the Meguiar’s sprayer…I think the product might be too thick to “mist”.
Product: Clear liquid consistency with a pleasant banana smell. I could not find anything scientific from Turtle Wax’s website, but the product description in Amazon says that it "contains both synthetic polymers and carnauba wax". Please note that the Amazon description may or may not be accurate.
Instructions: (Direct from the bottle) “Shake well…Spray product liberally…Wipe with a MF or terry towel…Flip towel for a final wipe to reveal a high gloss…Apply additional coats for increased shine and protection…
Do not apply on glass”.
Application and Ease of Use: This product has left me somewhat scratching my head. I have used this QD over 4 cars with varying LSP’s (Klasse
SG, Natty’s, DP PSS, Meguiar’s ColorX) – I find the product extremely difficult to spread. The instructions were right on when it says you have to spray liberally on a panel – If I did not do this, my MF towel would fold over on itself. I ended up using way more product than I normally do when compared to other QD’s. Two nice qualities are that it can be used on trim (medium gloss shine) and in direct sunlight – if the surface was hot, I had to wipe faster than normal and do smaller panels or else it would streak.
Performance and Finish: I was able to remove finger prints and very light dust with ICE, but I really have to question its overall cleaning power considering that Turtle Wax claims that you can add another layer for better look and protection. The product also filled in very faint spider webs – a definite plus in my book. Unfortunately, initial slickness was shockingly poor. The product seemed to remove the slickness from my LSP. Next-day slickness was only marginally better. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in this trait. I believe the low slickness also attributed to my difficulties in applying/buffing off the product. In regards to appearance, ICE leaves an extremely clear and reflective finish - My clear coat looked several inches thick. I would describe the look as a cross between
Klasse SG and EX-P. This is not necessarily a bad or good thing as everyone has their own preferences.
Conclusion: Honestly, I do not believe I will buy this product again. Taking a look at the bigger picture, there are several outstanding QD’s that are readily available and at a much lower price point. Although I actually enjoyed the appearance it provided to my car, the low ease of use was very unfortunate – I could have applied another layer of LSP in the time it took me to QD with ICE.
I hope you enjoyed the review. As always, I am open for comments and questions.
Review: Turtle Wax ICE Synthetic Spray Detailer 
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Linear Mode
