imported_Dave KG
06-18-2008, 05:28 AM
I have to admit, in the UK at least, with new waxes coming out right left and centre at various prices all offering the be the next miracle in car care, I confess myself to be a bit.. fed up! I am firmly of the belief that a wax, no matter how expensive, will only ever add a subtle nuance to the finish if at all, and that the main aim is protection. 99% of the look will come from the polishing stage, the wax will deliver little if any extra.
However, new waxes are appearing all over the place, and the prices of some of them are enough to make me faint! Seriously! So... I think its about time to really see what all this expensive wax malarky is all about, so with great thanks to local detailers and a car dealership in Slough, England, I have come up with a test which will be conducted on July 27th:
6 black metallic Vauxhall Astras will be prepared, and machine finished by myself using Menzerna PO85RD Final Finish, widely acknowledges as one of the best finishing polishes on the market - this will give the finish the best possible opportunity for the wax or sealent to show at its best. After polishing, each car will receive a wipedown with IPA to have a completely clean and polished surface free from any oils that may detract from the wax finish. Each car will then receive a different LSP: layered in two or three layers throughout the course of the day before the meet and left overnight to settle.
On the day of the test, cars will (weather permitting) be outside in natural light for you to judge the finishes, and will hopefully also be placed in doors for comparison in artificial light. The cars will simply be labelled A, B, C.. etc. So the test will be blind. Please come to this meet ready to take part! Whether you see yourself as a seasoned professional or keen enthusiast or just a beginner, your vote and opinions are very important to getting the best out of this test: I want to know what you think, I want to know what you see!
Effects of water: beading and sheeting will be tested if I can secure outside water source.
On the day, I will ask people to rank the cars in order of their favourite finish. I will also hand out a form to allow you to rate each finish as you see it, and to describe for me in a few short words what you see in the finish... If anything, these descriptions are the most important part as I will be looking for consistencies in these. There are no right and wrong answers, I dont know what the answers are! I am really keen to see exactly what you think of each finish so we can draw conclusions from the results of as many people as possible. This can include how a finish feels as well!
At the end of the day, I will reveal which car was wearing what and which finish was the preferred ones, rating them as follows: Out of the 5 cars, please rate the car in order of preference. 1st choice gets 5 points, 2nd choice 4 points and so on down to last choice which gets 1 point. If the results are random, then all finishes will come close. If there is a true preferred car, then it will clearly show. Over the following few days I will analyse the descriptions of the finishes looking for consistencies in the results to see if any conclusions can be drawn. Raw data (annonymous) will be posted up also for all those to see and draw their own conclusions as well
At the moment I envisage the following LSPs to go on trial:
1) ***** flagship (Royale if I can get it, else Vinatge)
2) Swissvax flagship (Crystal Rock?... or Divine)
3) Dodo Juice flagship (Supernatural)
4) Zaino flagship (Z2 with ZFX)
5) An AIO: the ever popular Bilt Hamber Autobalm
6) A value wax: Meguiars #16
This is not hard and fast but as a general idea, we have two big name expensive players, one mid-range player that wants to knock the bigger names for six, the big name sealent, a wild-card in AIO, and a value wax.
All results from this test, both raw data and my personal conclusions will be presented for you to assess for yourself, and draw conclusions about the effects of various different LSPs - at least in the looks that they deliver. I know that for many on Autopia, this test is far to far away to reach in person, but I will post full pictures and results of the event.. If you are more local and do fancy coming along to be a part of this test then please let me know, as I am looking for as many people`s thoughts and opinions as possible - the more that take part, the more results I am going to get at the end of the day and the more conclusive the results will be! :)
However, new waxes are appearing all over the place, and the prices of some of them are enough to make me faint! Seriously! So... I think its about time to really see what all this expensive wax malarky is all about, so with great thanks to local detailers and a car dealership in Slough, England, I have come up with a test which will be conducted on July 27th:
6 black metallic Vauxhall Astras will be prepared, and machine finished by myself using Menzerna PO85RD Final Finish, widely acknowledges as one of the best finishing polishes on the market - this will give the finish the best possible opportunity for the wax or sealent to show at its best. After polishing, each car will receive a wipedown with IPA to have a completely clean and polished surface free from any oils that may detract from the wax finish. Each car will then receive a different LSP: layered in two or three layers throughout the course of the day before the meet and left overnight to settle.
On the day of the test, cars will (weather permitting) be outside in natural light for you to judge the finishes, and will hopefully also be placed in doors for comparison in artificial light. The cars will simply be labelled A, B, C.. etc. So the test will be blind. Please come to this meet ready to take part! Whether you see yourself as a seasoned professional or keen enthusiast or just a beginner, your vote and opinions are very important to getting the best out of this test: I want to know what you think, I want to know what you see!
Effects of water: beading and sheeting will be tested if I can secure outside water source.
On the day, I will ask people to rank the cars in order of their favourite finish. I will also hand out a form to allow you to rate each finish as you see it, and to describe for me in a few short words what you see in the finish... If anything, these descriptions are the most important part as I will be looking for consistencies in these. There are no right and wrong answers, I dont know what the answers are! I am really keen to see exactly what you think of each finish so we can draw conclusions from the results of as many people as possible. This can include how a finish feels as well!
At the end of the day, I will reveal which car was wearing what and which finish was the preferred ones, rating them as follows: Out of the 5 cars, please rate the car in order of preference. 1st choice gets 5 points, 2nd choice 4 points and so on down to last choice which gets 1 point. If the results are random, then all finishes will come close. If there is a true preferred car, then it will clearly show. Over the following few days I will analyse the descriptions of the finishes looking for consistencies in the results to see if any conclusions can be drawn. Raw data (annonymous) will be posted up also for all those to see and draw their own conclusions as well
At the moment I envisage the following LSPs to go on trial:
1) ***** flagship (Royale if I can get it, else Vinatge)
2) Swissvax flagship (Crystal Rock?... or Divine)
3) Dodo Juice flagship (Supernatural)
4) Zaino flagship (Z2 with ZFX)
5) An AIO: the ever popular Bilt Hamber Autobalm
6) A value wax: Meguiars #16
This is not hard and fast but as a general idea, we have two big name expensive players, one mid-range player that wants to knock the bigger names for six, the big name sealent, a wild-card in AIO, and a value wax.
All results from this test, both raw data and my personal conclusions will be presented for you to assess for yourself, and draw conclusions about the effects of various different LSPs - at least in the looks that they deliver. I know that for many on Autopia, this test is far to far away to reach in person, but I will post full pictures and results of the event.. If you are more local and do fancy coming along to be a part of this test then please let me know, as I am looking for as many people`s thoughts and opinions as possible - the more that take part, the more results I am going to get at the end of the day and the more conclusive the results will be! :)