Expensive Wax - Snake oil ?

[Red 4]

Over the years I've used all sorts of car cleaning stuff and wax.

The waxes have ranged from the relatively inexpensive (and aptly named) Poorboys stuff up to the relatively much more expensive Autoglym High Definition stuff.

The results have always been much the same but I do notice the differences between the carnauba based finishes compared to synthetic, etc. etc.

Anyhoo, my latest purchase has been some good old Turtlewax - bought for the princely sum of £2.85 from my local Auto factors ! And it wasn't even in the bargain/ sale items section !

I have to say the results are very good - lots of shine and lots of depth to the colour.
It is one of the best waxes I have used so far as shine goes ! Not the easiest to remove and it does dust a bit, but even so !
It's still beading well after 6 weeks.

So, is all this expensive wax snake oil ?

Or do I need to sell a kidney and get some Zymol Vintage at £2500 per tub ?

I'm honestly thinking of taking some pics of my car, saying it's been treated to some really, really expensive wax and posting on Detailing World in expectation of the fanboys on there saying how expensive wax makes such a difference !!

Edited by Red 4 on Friday 28th September 17:57

[Taglioni]

Those mugs will be more impressed if you lash the post with various space-age, scientific codes.........zxr99 dyna-jizz, applied in circles using a mongospaz ultra quim microfibre, finished with the bilt hamber ultra thruster finishing butter liquid gel.

Make sure you finish off with “it even smells good too”, like that matters

Someone’s pissing his chinos all the way to the bank, but hey, if it makes em happy

[Red 4]

Taglioni said:

Those mugs will be more impressed if you lash the post with various space-age, scientific codes.........zxr99 dyna-jizz, applied in circles using a mongospaz ultra quim microfibre, finished the bilt hamber ultra thruster finishing butter liquid gel. Make sure you finish off with “it even smells good too”, like that matters

Someone’s pissing his chinos all the way to the bank, but hey, if it makes em happy

Hey, I could say it's my own formula and I've spent decades in the industry working for brands such as Pagani and Bugatti, preparing their cars for shows and stuff.

I reckon if I bought in bulk, even allowing for buying my own snazzy bottles, I could make a killing, marry a sex kitten and retire to The Bahamas.

It does smell OK though. If you like Turtlewax. And it's green. Like the colour of money.

[Thats What She Said]

Car wax is pretty much like any other retail product. The marketeers will have you believe their product is the best thing since sliced bread. They will stick it in a fancy pot/bottle and sell it for extortionate amounts if the market wants it.

It's the same strategy used throughout retail. Whether it's phones, clothes, cars, food. They are all up to the same tricks.

Thats not to say they are all equal. Just dont judge it based on the marketing hype or fancy bottle.

[996Keef]

I use Romanian Elbow Grease

Costs £5 a go

[Red 4]

996Keef said:

I use Romanian Elbow Grease

Costs £5 a go

You realise you could (almost) have 2 x bottles of Turtle wax for that.

Hard shell shine don't ya know and made from real turtles.

I believe zymol is made from the tears of squirrels, unicorn horns and bigfoot st - hence the premium.

[belleair302]

There is no denying that certain waxes work better than others, either for deepness of shine or durability. However regardless of how much you spend prep work will result in a better finish. No wax will last for more than three months regardless of how wet you wash your car. Newer products however will last longer but come at a much greater cost and some need specific application. Having tried many waxes and spend many £100's of pounds my wax of choice is still Collinite 476s for winter and Chemical Guys 50/50 for spring and summer. Neither cost the earth and both tins last ages.