Time to top up your hard work with a long lasting and glossy protection!
The best way to a fantastic car finish is through the preparation stage, and that is absolutely true. However, a good wax or sealant gives a final 20% of your finish, and can make or break a look. If you thoroughly cleaned the paintwork properly, its fair to say a £5 wax from Asda will look great, and also proves that spending £300 or £1000 on a wax is not necessarily needed for what you want from your cars looks. Quality waxes WILL give you better clarity, gloss and protection over cheaper waxes and thats where your money will go. I'll discuss the 'surely a £300 wax is better than a £50 wax' argument as I go...
So what are the differences between Waxes and Sealants?
Waxes:
Sealants:
The basics of it are -
Waxes are produced using natural materials and are 'crafted'
Sealants are chemically manufactured in a lab
Both give great but VERY different looks to your paint.
You can put a wax over a sealant to give a slightly different finish than normal, but not the other way around..
Waxes bead better and longer, sealants do bead, some very well, but there main design is to sheet and repel water far better than a wax ever will.
Waxes have been around for years, and dependent on the look you want, contain more or less carnauba than others, and also more oils in them to give the 'wet look'. More oils = a wetter look finish, but give less longevity in the end. The R222 Concours wax above is buttery soft, and as long as you apply it thinly is a doddle to remove again after a few minutes. Now it gives a very deep, glossy wet look finish, its one of the best show finish waxes on the market, but protection drops after only a few weeks. The look is a very intense, deep look, and the reflection are out of this world - only you know however if you really want to keep applying it every week!!!
Carnuaba (wax) is graded like gold is in rings - the higher the grade, the purer the wax and the more 'glowy' as an effect you get in the finish. A wax is designed to give a 'warm glow' when applied, and to some, this is the ultimate in look that they want in their car.
A waxes length of protection varies massively - and especially in the winter. Even good quality wax will not last longer than 10 weeks in salty conditions, it eats through the protection very, very quickly. Ive used many different waxes, and achieved some stunning results with them, but never got more than about 10 weeks on my daily drivers before the need to re-aply the wax.
Sealants are totally chemically engineered, and give a different look and feel to the car. They provide a very 'glassy' finish to paintwork, wheels and metalwork. They are spectacularly easy to apply..
Auto Finesse Tough Coat:
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A whole car can be coated, and buffed in well under 20 minutes with awesome shine and a good 2 months protection. In fact - I went through November to March on Tough Coat by a simple squirt over the panels and a wipe down every wash. Its a great product - but the market is constantly changing with these sort of products as the competition is fierce. Sealants really are best on light coloured cars, and metallics (the chemicals react superbly with metallic flake popping to bring out a stunning finish) - however they will work on any colour car
Sealants I'd highly recommend - Auto Finesse Tough Coat, CarPro Reload and GTechniq C2v3
Longer lasting sealants are now available, as they bond to the paint better and offer much better performance over a longer period of time - the Gtechniq / Wolfs / Autobright manufacturers are all putting out products as simple and easy to use as Tough Coat - but offering up to 12 months of protection from a simple wipe over of the product on your paintwork
Ceramic sealants are also on the market now, offering up to 2 years of protection, and also an ability to shrug off minor marks and damage to your paint, protecting paintwork from swirls and stone chips.
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The down side to all this protection from CQuartz - is that it can not be applied at home. You need it applied in a temperature controlled environment, with a face mask and away from moisture. It has to be applied professionally and by an authorised user, otherwise its just too temperamental to get right.
Hybrid Waxes -
These are also relatively new, and mix the look and feel of a traditional Wax, with the look and finish of a sealant. Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid is without a doubt one of the best of these products on the market, regardless of cost. The looks are amazing, and you get a good 6 months of longevity out of it. This is my normal personal choice of LSP on whatever I'm working on - great finish and depth to the product!
So which is better - wax or sealant? Personally I use more sealants on cars than waxes, from a looks and protection level basis. I do enjoy waxing a car though and Bouncers 22 is my 'high end' wax, and its a stunning product in all price brackets, created by a car enthusiast like ourselves.
So to answer the question about 'is a £300 wax better than a £50 one'....
There are some very VERY good waxes and sealants out their nowadays, and they don't have to cost more than £50....and personally Ive not had a desire to go out and spend £300 on a wax. Ive seen them used and they certainly do not give a finish that to my eyes warrants the extra cost. Swissvaz, Zymol (to name but a few) use all sorts of marketing, and brand awareness to get you to believe that these products are a 1000 times better than say AutoGlym HD wax. I guess its like fashion in a way - If you pay £200 for a pair of quality jeans from a branded store, then you are buying into what the brand represents - its image, its uniqueness and the name. Swissvax and Zymol are no different.
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
See what I mean.....
The important thing to remember with waxes, is always apply them THINLY......apply it too thick and you will need arms like Popeye to remove it! They usually only take 5 minutes to haze over before they are ready to buff, but use the finger swipe test to check that it is ready - if it comes off using your finger - its ready to buff
I use finger applicators to apply waxes - they make using a pot and applying the wax easy
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Quirks..
Some waxes are designed to 'gloss' an hour after they have been applied - Supernatural Hybrid is one of them -this is perfectly normal for it to look better later on after application. 'Gasing' is a process you may have heard of too - waxes because they are natural 'breath' slightly - and you may spot the odd patch of car (particularly on darker cars) where you get a patch that needs re-buffing a few days after you have detailed a car. This again is normal, and just a quirk of some higher grade waxes
The best way to a fantastic car finish is through the preparation stage, and that is absolutely true. However, a good wax or sealant gives a final 20% of your finish, and can make or break a look. If you thoroughly cleaned the paintwork properly, its fair to say a £5 wax from Asda will look great, and also proves that spending £300 or £1000 on a wax is not necessarily needed for what you want from your cars looks. Quality waxes WILL give you better clarity, gloss and protection over cheaper waxes and thats where your money will go. I'll discuss the 'surely a £300 wax is better than a £50 wax' argument as I go...
So what are the differences between Waxes and Sealants?
Waxes:
Sealants:
The basics of it are -
Waxes are produced using natural materials and are 'crafted'
Sealants are chemically manufactured in a lab
Both give great but VERY different looks to your paint.
You can put a wax over a sealant to give a slightly different finish than normal, but not the other way around..
Waxes bead better and longer, sealants do bead, some very well, but there main design is to sheet and repel water far better than a wax ever will.
Waxes have been around for years, and dependent on the look you want, contain more or less carnauba than others, and also more oils in them to give the 'wet look'. More oils = a wetter look finish, but give less longevity in the end. The R222 Concours wax above is buttery soft, and as long as you apply it thinly is a doddle to remove again after a few minutes. Now it gives a very deep, glossy wet look finish, its one of the best show finish waxes on the market, but protection drops after only a few weeks. The look is a very intense, deep look, and the reflection are out of this world - only you know however if you really want to keep applying it every week!!!
Carnuaba (wax) is graded like gold is in rings - the higher the grade, the purer the wax and the more 'glowy' as an effect you get in the finish. A wax is designed to give a 'warm glow' when applied, and to some, this is the ultimate in look that they want in their car.
A waxes length of protection varies massively - and especially in the winter. Even good quality wax will not last longer than 10 weeks in salty conditions, it eats through the protection very, very quickly. Ive used many different waxes, and achieved some stunning results with them, but never got more than about 10 weeks on my daily drivers before the need to re-aply the wax.
Sealants are totally chemically engineered, and give a different look and feel to the car. They provide a very 'glassy' finish to paintwork, wheels and metalwork. They are spectacularly easy to apply..
Auto Finesse Tough Coat:
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
A whole car can be coated, and buffed in well under 20 minutes with awesome shine and a good 2 months protection. In fact - I went through November to March on Tough Coat by a simple squirt over the panels and a wipe down every wash. Its a great product - but the market is constantly changing with these sort of products as the competition is fierce. Sealants really are best on light coloured cars, and metallics (the chemicals react superbly with metallic flake popping to bring out a stunning finish) - however they will work on any colour car
Sealants I'd highly recommend - Auto Finesse Tough Coat, CarPro Reload and GTechniq C2v3
Longer lasting sealants are now available, as they bond to the paint better and offer much better performance over a longer period of time - the Gtechniq / Wolfs / Autobright manufacturers are all putting out products as simple and easy to use as Tough Coat - but offering up to 12 months of protection from a simple wipe over of the product on your paintwork
Ceramic sealants are also on the market now, offering up to 2 years of protection, and also an ability to shrug off minor marks and damage to your paint, protecting paintwork from swirls and stone chips.
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The down side to all this protection from CQuartz - is that it can not be applied at home. You need it applied in a temperature controlled environment, with a face mask and away from moisture. It has to be applied professionally and by an authorised user, otherwise its just too temperamental to get right.
Hybrid Waxes -
These are also relatively new, and mix the look and feel of a traditional Wax, with the look and finish of a sealant. Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid is without a doubt one of the best of these products on the market, regardless of cost. The looks are amazing, and you get a good 6 months of longevity out of it. This is my normal personal choice of LSP on whatever I'm working on - great finish and depth to the product!
So which is better - wax or sealant? Personally I use more sealants on cars than waxes, from a looks and protection level basis. I do enjoy waxing a car though and Bouncers 22 is my 'high end' wax, and its a stunning product in all price brackets, created by a car enthusiast like ourselves.
So to answer the question about 'is a £300 wax better than a £50 one'....
There are some very VERY good waxes and sealants out their nowadays, and they don't have to cost more than £50....and personally Ive not had a desire to go out and spend £300 on a wax. Ive seen them used and they certainly do not give a finish that to my eyes warrants the extra cost. Swissvaz, Zymol (to name but a few) use all sorts of marketing, and brand awareness to get you to believe that these products are a 1000 times better than say AutoGlym HD wax. I guess its like fashion in a way - If you pay £200 for a pair of quality jeans from a branded store, then you are buying into what the brand represents - its image, its uniqueness and the name. Swissvax and Zymol are no different.
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
See what I mean.....
The important thing to remember with waxes, is always apply them THINLY......apply it too thick and you will need arms like Popeye to remove it! They usually only take 5 minutes to haze over before they are ready to buff, but use the finger swipe test to check that it is ready - if it comes off using your finger - its ready to buff
I use finger applicators to apply waxes - they make using a pot and applying the wax easy
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Quirks..
Some waxes are designed to 'gloss' an hour after they have been applied - Supernatural Hybrid is one of them -this is perfectly normal for it to look better later on after application. 'Gasing' is a process you may have heard of too - waxes because they are natural 'breath' slightly - and you may spot the odd patch of car (particularly on darker cars) where you get a patch that needs re-buffing a few days after you have detailed a car. This again is normal, and just a quirk of some higher grade waxes