Turtle Wax: New member

T

TWax

New member
New member to the site. I'm actually an employee of Turtle Wax. I am here to learn about new products in the market and why members of this forum like or dislike them. My primary purpose is to learn from you all so that we can make our products better.



We spend a tremdous amount of time and $ to make products that people need and like. We conntinuously benchmark performance attributes against competitive products, both otc and the boutique brands. I personally wash my car once per week. I use primarily Turtle Wax products, but will also use competitors products which peak my interest.



I it appears that some from the site have a less than favorable impression of Turtle Wax products. I see lab data and real life test results daily. Some of what I have seen, mirrors some opinions. However, the majority of test results yield different outcomes from what I read here. I am not saying that the results from members are invalid. Real life test results are more important to us than lab tests.



I'm simply curious. What is it that makes Zaino or Meg's products more desireable to some on this board? Thanks for any and all feedback. I hope that this can be a win-win process both for Turtle Wax and for you all (by making products which provide the results you're all looking for)
 
What is it that makes Zaino or Meg's products more desireable to some on this board?
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Zaino is a really good product and speaks for itself. Megs I think they invest a lot in their marketing, but I do like some of their products such as 105, 205, 80,#21 Just IMO...
 
Although I have never used any Zaino products and I cannot comment on their quality, they seem to be more of a boutique product, many of their users could be Zaino-zealots. Perhaps they have such a following based on their results, again I have yet to try their products.



Personally, I feel as though Meg's markets it's products towards professionals and car care fanatics as opposed to Turtle Wax's casual users. Meguiars also manufactures more products from more uses. The one time I used a Turtle Wax product (the green paste wax) I really was unhappy with the results, this was even before I was as picky as I am now. To date I have never been unhappy with even one Meguiars product I have used, that is why I am largely loyal to their line of products. Even their least expensive products (Cleaner Wax, DC1-3) are of extremely high quality.
 
i personally keep trying any product that comes onto the market purely for my own curiosty and see if it lives upto the hype. BTW, as an employee of TW what are the rules regarding keeping up with the competition? can you not purchase another brands products and test it in your labs for comparative results? its always good to know what goes on behind closed doors :)
 
I keep picking Meg's (among other) products because I get more value out of them. Better looks or more longevity, some times it comes down to price to performance too.





Some TW stuff is OK, for most needs I can get better results form other companies products.
 
Welcome! There some turtle wax products I really like, ICE liquid clay is my favorite, though I don't use it in a clay sense. I think the main reason most people here do not like TW is the fact that they are geared for the average joe. Most people in the real world think waxing a car is enough trouble, anything more than washing and smearing some wonder product, and they don't want it. Many other vendors make products for perfect finishes, TW does not. People here are all about perfection. It seems TW is all about the best finish in a single step.
 
TWax said:
New member to the site. I'm actually an employee of Turtle Wax. I am here to learn about new products in the market and why members of this forum like or dislike them. My primary purpose is to learn from you all so that we can make our products better.



We spend a tremdous amount of time and $ to make products that people need and like. We conntinuously benchmark performance attributes against competitive products, both otc and the boutique brands. I personally wash my car once per week. I use primarily Turtle Wax products, but will also use competitors products which peak my interest.



I it appears that some from the site have a less than favorable impression of Turtle Wax products. I see lab data and real life test results daily. Some of what I have seen, mirrors some opinions. However, the majority of test results yield different outcomes from what I read here. I am not saying that the results from members are invalid. Real life test results are more important to us than lab tests.



I'm simply curious. What is it that makes Zaino or Meg's products more desireable to some on this board? Thanks for any and all feedback. I hope that this can be a win-win process both for Turtle Wax and for you all (by making products which provide the results you're all looking for)
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IMO there isnt really anything "wrong" with turtle wax, In fact, I can think of quite a few good things.

Most of the problem comes from the fact that people who use it are amateur detailers, meaning they most likely use a dish sponge to wash their car and paper towels to wax it :eek:

This leaves a finish that looks like crap and therefor leaves a bad impression on a lot of people about your products.
 
To be honest. I think Turtle wax gets a "bad rap" because of the perception that it's cheap stuff because Walmart, or Target carry it. Even if Turtle wax made the best wax ever, since big box stores carry it, it's looked upon negatively. You could include in this the Meguiars products as well.



Some people just believe if Walmart carries it, it's watered down cheap stuff. Because of the demands that Walmart makes to get a product as cheap as possible.



Just telling you what some friends have said.



I know Turtle Wax already manufactures the Zymol cleaner wax, but I would love to see Turtle wax come out with a wax that competes directly with the Zymol, Swissvax, high end line. Add Zaino in there as well. It would be so easy for a company such as Turtle wax to do so. Especially with the R&D and budget TW has.



How about it TWax, any chance your company would make a high end wax, for a reasonable price.



Of course this wouldn't be a product you would want to sell at Walmart, or Target.



This would be more of a niche product. I imagine if you would set a side a dept to the high end market, you would do very well. jmo
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback thus far. Keep it coming. I'd also be happy to answer questions you have regarding TW products.



1. We do not purposefully make products geared towards the average joe. Our marketing support if aimed toward that market, yes. However, we do benchmark by product segment against otc and boutique. Our channels of distribution have recently made us readily avail to the "average joe".



2. We absolutely buy products via the internet and at auto chains to test and evaluate competitive products to ensure that we are competitive or ahead in comparative performance testing. Believe me, I am present for much of the testing because I find it quite interesting and incredibly important. I am actually in the sales / marketing side of the business, but am often in the lab.



3. nosbusa170: Making a great product is usually the easy part. Marketing the product, which fulfills a real consumer need, is the challenge. We have reviewed the possibility of launching such a product. Now, it comes down to what type of product, poly? carnauba? price u'd be willing to pay?



Hope this answers everyone's questions. If not, please feel free to ask for clarification. Thanks
 
nosbusa1700 said:
To be honest. I think Turtle wax gets a "bad rap" because of the perception that it's cheap stuff because Walmart, or Target carry it. Even if Turtle wax made the best wax ever, since big box stores carry it, it's looked upon negatively. You could include in this the Meguiars products as well.



Some people just believe if Walmart carries it, it's watered down cheap stuff. Because of the demands that Walmart makes to get a product as cheap as possible.



Just telling you what some friends have said.



I know Turtle Wax already manufactures the Zymol cleaner wax, but I would love to see Turtle wax come out with a wax that competes directly with the Zymol, Swissvax, high end line. Add Zaino in there as well. It would be so easy for a company such as Turtle wax to do so. Especially with the R&D and budget TW has.



How about it TWax, any chance your company would make a high end wax, for a reasonable price.



Of course this wouldn't be a product you would want to sell at Walmart, or Target.



This would be more of a niche product. I imagine if you would set a side a dept to the high end market, you would do very well. jmo
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That would be funny if they did. When someone asks what I use, I ocassionaly joke that I have 26 layers of turtle wax on my car. :p
 
Thanks all for the response and comments. Please keep it coming. I'm going to try to address as many I can at this time. If you feel I didn't answer ur specific question, please let me know.



Q1. BTW, as an employee of TW what are the rules regarding keeping up with the competition? can you not purchase another brands products and test it in your labs for comparative results? its always good to know what goes on behind closed doors



We absolutely buy products otc and over the internet. Our R&D department and staff are continuously evaluating competitive products and how TW products stack up against them. We simply do not sell a product in a segment which does not perform as well or better than the competition. I am intimately involved in the testing and evaluation of products.



Q2. How about it TWax, any chance your company would make a high end wax, for a reasonable price.



We have evaluated the option many times. Creating such a product is the easy part. It all depends upon what u all want and need in a new product. Poly? Carnauba? Multi - step? Desired price?



Q3. I think the main reason most people here do not like TW is the fact that they are geared for the average joe. People here are all about perfection. It seems TW is all about the best finish in a single step



Our distribution channels of strength have positioned the brand in such a way. TW develops products to fulfill consumers needs. We work hard to understand what our customers want and devlop products to deliver unique solutions. Sometimes, saving time, ez on - ez - off, is what our customers tell us they want. Other times, it's durability. and so on



Q4. I keep picking Meg's (among other) products because I get more value out of them. Better looks or more longevity, some times it comes down to price to performance too.



Q5. Some TW stuff is OK, for most needs I can get better results form other companies products



Which products? Have u compared them to other products within similar price points? I'd be interested to test what ur using.



Q6. This is going to be interesting...



I hope so



Thanks
 
TWax, many people want to try the high end products, but can't justify spending 2K, 8k to 35k for something as cheap as Carnauba wax, Propolis, and a bunch of oils.



I know more goes into it than this, but come on how much does an 2k-35k wax actually cost to make? Besides the R&D and marketing.. A couple of bucks?



Turtle wax could make a high end sealant, and Carnuaba line.



Just like Walmart.. They take name brand products and get their chemist to find out what's in them , and make them comparable to the name brands, and sell them at a much cheaper cost in most cases.



I've always wanted to ask a wax employee this question..



Why is it the high end sealants "insert name" sell for 40.00 and below, yet high end Carnauba's "inset name" can sell for thousands, and thousands of dollars. :think:



I want to get your take. Thanks
 
nosbusa1700 said:
Turtle wax could make a high end sealant, and Carnuaba line.
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They could make a polish worthy of polishing a turd into chrome and a lot of people wouldn't buy it under the TW brand...
 
yakky said:
They could make a polish worthy of polishing a turd into chrome and a lot of people wouldn't buy it under the TW brand...
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You are absolutely right. imo It's the name perception.



If I were Turtle Wax, I would make a product to compete directly with Zymol, and Swissvax lines, but I wouldn't call it Turtle wax.



Gatorade now calls their drinks "G", Turtle wax can come up with something.. When I think of Turtle wax, I think of the waxes my dad used back in the 70's. I just associate TW name with old and outdated..



Twax, just being honest.
 
nosbusa1700 said:
You are absolutely right. imo It's the name perception.



If I were Turtle Wax, I would make a product to compete directly with Zymol, and Swissvax lines, but I would change the name of the product.
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All it would take is putting ICE paste into an expensive looking container, creating some catchy brand name and selling it for $250. You coulndn't boil an egg before there would be some post raving about it.



The thing is, TW owns the market share that makes the most money. Everyone else is little fish. Granted they are little fish that cater to us, but in the grand scheme of things...
 
yakky said:
All it would take is putting ICE paste into an expensive looking container, creating some catchy brand name and selling it for $250. You coulndn't boil an egg before there would be some post raving about it.
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I agree..



:LOLOL
 
I really liked Turtle Wax Platinum. I don't quite understand why it got pulled from production. I haven't tried any of the ICE products yet, but I've heard they're very similar to Meg's NXT products.



The F21 line is also pretty good, but I think a lot of what turns people off is the makeup of some of the products. The TW waxes tend to be almost liquid and not the kinda of hard, nice smelling products we like. The tire and protectants are also not water based, like many of us prefer to use.



I think a new lineup geared towards more enthusiasts under the F21 line could work. I'd be open to it.



EDIT: Something I wanted to get across but didn't was that I like the concept of the F21 tire spray cleaner/protector. But one of the main issues I've had with the TW lineup is that everything is shiny and glossy, many of us prefer a low gloss finish, that just looks dark and healthy. This along with the water based are two of my main requirements for a tire shine, and being a gel is a bonus too (I like to use a sponge applicator for my tire shine, let it soak in a bit, then wipe off the excess to reduce sling).



I used the TW ICE interior cleaner/protector gel and while it worked well, I wasn't overly impressed with it. It didn't appear to leave much protection behind, and the little crystals in it made a mess.
 
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