does wax go bad?

J

jasonc

New member
my autoglym wax started separating from the pot and formed a crack. is it starting to go bad? only used it twice last time was 3 months ago.



usually i have all my expensive wax stored in a humidified cabinet but left the hd wax on my detailing cart.



should i be worried it will go bad?
 
Only one way to find out! Honestly I wouldn't worry too much about it, it could just be drying out. Just be careful about it caking up instead of spreading easily across your pad.
 
Alot of waxes will start to separate and eventually start looking like spoiled milk if left in the heat too much. The product usually still work, but will be less durable and may smear a bit.
 
Sounds like the solvents evaporated. I have a tin of Natty's Blue and it did the same thing (reduced to about half its size) and it wouldn't spread good. I have a couple of waxes in the fridge and they are still in excellent condition.
 
Thanks for this thread, jasonc, because it's news to me!



May I ask the folks here, what else is significantly susceptible to temperature instability? Are my sealants, AIOs, washes, ONR, compound/polishes, paint cleaner, 303/vinyl/optimum/leatherique, Al/chrome polish, etc, etc, all ok in a garage, but in a temperate Californian weather? Or is it only with carnauba that we really get concerned?



The two carnaubas I presently have are Collinite 476S and Dodo Hard Diamond White. They are both, how do you say, quite firm- and should this mean that they are less susceptible to temperature instability? (The Dodo wax for instance is so firm, that I might have to leave it in the sun for a bit to soften it up; therefore I would wonder just how long softening would take when coming directly from a fridge.)



Thanks! I suppose the reason I ask is because I have sort of a hard time with the idea of buying a mini fridge just for two tins of wax, but I might do so if say half of my products could really benefit.
 
IMO, the thicker the product, the more susceptible it is to separation after continuous heating/cooling cycles. While a mini fridge would be great, why not just bring your LSP's inside? After losing several expensive sealants and polishes, I brought my stuff inside and even stuff that is 5+ years old still looks new.
 
Johnny 5 said:
May I ask the folks here, what else is significantly susceptible to temperature instability? Are my sealants, AIOs, washes, ONR, compound/polishes, paint cleaner, 303/vinyl/optimum/leatherique, Al/chrome polish, etc, etc, all ok in a garage, but in a temperate Californian weather? Or is it only with carnauba that we really get concerned?



Thanks! I suppose the reason I ask is because I have sort of a hard time with the idea of buying a mini fridge just for two tins of wax, but I might do so if say half of my products could really benefit.
Click to expand...



All dressings, polishes, waxes, and sealants(that I know of) are affected by temperature fluctuations and high heat. As long as your garage is relatively stable and doesn't get too hot, you should be ok. Having said that, a fridge would mean a longer shelf life to the products.
 
I have some AG HD that is a couple of years old and its still in good shape. I normally don't worry about cracks in the wax, that is pretty common. If you have garage temperatures from 40 - 95 you should be fine leaving everything you listed out there. Some polishes do not reseparate after they freeze, and some will break down at high temperatures. But anything in between should be fine. The AG HD wax if I remember right actually has a storage temperature range on the box that was somewhere around 40ish to 85ish.
 
Thanks a lot for the perspective gentlemen. I'm sure the garage temps are between 40-95 for at least 99 of every 100 days, but yeah, it shouldn't be so hard to find some space somewhere indoors for a some products such as the wax. Consider it done, and thanks again. :xyxthumbs
 
Think of it this way:

You paid MORE for the concour's-quality waxes than you did for a mini-'fridge. Go figure! Seems like a reasonable investment to make in a mini-fridge, though, considering what high-end waxes cost these days.
 
David Fermani said:
Sounds like the solvents evaporated. I have a tin of Natty's Blue and it did the same thing (reduced to about half its size) and it wouldn't spread good. I have a couple of waxes in the fridge and they are still in excellent condition.
Click to expand...



I have a can of new Autoglym HD and opened it with the edges shrunk too, although not half its size. I've found HD wax to not spread making for heavy applications and I get clumps, and it seems not too many people experience application difficulties. Shame, I really love the beading I get from it but I've almost given up on it...
 
I've got some old tins of (mostly) wax in my basement that are 40 years old and are still good! The oldest I save for old times sake, and don't intend to use it on a car. The second oldest, a pure paste wax, I use to polish and coat some collector knife blades.
 
All car acre products are negatively impacted by wide temperature fluctuations and extremes of high or low temperatures. As far as wax storage is concerned standard room temperature will suffice; a refrigerator provides a stable temperature / humidity, which equates to a longer shelf life to the products.



Water-based car care products should not be stored at temperatures below > 35.OF (wax 45.OF) if they freeze they may become unstable and therefore unusable, ideal storage temperature range- 50- 70.OF with an average humidity range. Most car care products have a ‘useful life’ of approximately 2-3 years provided they are stored as above.



Keep containers tightly closed and ensure they are not compromised (fractured or leaking seals) store in a dry, cool and well-ventilated place. Keep away from direct sunlight. Do not allow to freeze. Do not store at temperature extremes (below 40 – over 80.OF +) as heat will destabilise emulsified products (wax, polymer sealants, polishes, etc) and avoid extreme temperature swings as the chemicals will become unstable, which will create problems with the performance of the product. Some separate out; others lose their effectiveness if they are heated past a certain point. Most car care products (including Polymers) will separate and may become unusable after being subjected to freezing temperatures



The chemical composition of waxes rarely ever change regardless of what form it is in, whether it is melted to a semi-liquid or remains as a semi-solid. Temperature has little to no effect as far as inhibiting the shelf life of wax, a cool temperatures and constant humidity will slow the evaporation of solvents from the wax, thus keeping the wax softer and easier to use over a longer period of time.



Shelf-Life



Providing their contains have a tight seal and are not compromised by fractures or (air) leaks



a) Polymers have a shelf life of approx 3-5 years if kept in their original containers and stored at temperatures as above



b) Polish - technically 2 years, providing the bottle is kept closed, and the product has not separated or the solvents haven’t evaporated by leaching ( the bottle will become semi- collapsed) there should be no problem with use for three years after sale date



c) Waxes - will last almost indefinitely, provided that they are stored a sealed in their original containers and in the refrigerator or controlle

d environment once opened. The liquids should last 18 months if stored at normal room temperature.



d) Detailing Chemicals (Wheel cleaners, All purpose cleaners (APC) and etc) have an almost indefinite shelf life if kept in their original containers and stored at temperatures as above, see also Product separation



e) Product separation - if product emulsion separates it could be indicative of age (but not necessarily past its useful life) shake vigorously for 5-10 minutes and see if the product re- mixes.

Product shelf -life may vary from one manufacturer to another, if in doubt check with product mfg or vendor.

 
Yeah, it will vary with the product and the conditions. I've generally been very lucky with this one, which is good since I've stockpiled products I like lest they become unavailable (including pre-VOC and other discontinued waxes).



I've had both polishes and LSPs (sealants and waxes) last pretty much indefinitely, even under some rather extreme temperatures (but always above freezing).



I just used some 3M PI-III products (good old 05933 and 05937) from the '90s and they were just like new.



I bet almost all of my LSPs are at least five years old, most are older than that and some of them are from the 1980s! The only LSP that's ever gone bad for me was a jar of Souveran that (I just noticed has) dried out, and it was OK for the first ten years or so.



It's QDs that go bad for me, from the heat in my storage room. Previously I'd only had Meguiar's #34 go bad, but I just recently had some Griot's SpeedShine get all thin and watery after, as best I can remember, six years or so..maybe it was even from when I consolidated the two shops back in 2001-02, can't really say. My EF Clear Pearl is OK under the same conditions and I bought that well before the consolidation so it must date from the '90s.
 
Accumulator said:
but I just recently had some Griot's SpeedShine get all thin and watery after, as best I can remember, six years or so..
Click to expand...



Glad you mentioned that! I have my first gallon of Speed Shine coming in today. I'll just keep it in the house.
 
Bill D said:
Glad you mentioned that! I have my first gallon of Speed Shine coming in today. I'll just keep it in the house.
Click to expand...



Well, it *did* take many years of neglectful storage conditions to go bad, but yeah...better safe than sorry.
 
Indeed, if high Florida heat could possibly accelerate a full gallon's worth going bad, I'd rather not take my chances. I have plastic totes in the laundry room to store overflow/sensitive products.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top