Collinite......and the winter beaters (sort of)...

L

LightngSVT

New member
I broke down and ordered the Collinite IW and I have been anxious to try it. Today it was partly sunny and about 55, so I decided to do the wifes car and my winter beater. I have to say although this stuff has kind of a solvent odor and a strange consistancy it works great (cant speak for durability yet)! Went on easy and came off easy too. Didnt seem to powder or stain black trim!!! The results are great, Im impressed to say the least!



Here is the wifes 2001 (or 2002?) Gran Prix. About 8 weeks ago I clayed and used #6 on it, with a rotary then topped with #20 (?) polymer. Car was still beading water nicely so today all I did was wash with GC and apply IW. WOW!! Very noticable difference, mettallic pops now and it is very glossy. These small pics dont really do it justice, but it gives you a good idea.

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Next I set out to get my winter beater ready. I did everything except the 1/4 panels and part of the rockers. You can see I still have some body work left to finish and then have to paint it. I washed with Dawn, clayed, then 3M FPP and a rotary. LAt I applied a coat of IW. The results are fairly dramatic! If this IW lasts half as long as they claim, then I am sold on this product for daily driven vehicles!



honda-before.jpg


honda-after.jpg


honda1.jpg
 
IW is very easy to use and you are right it doesn't stain trim. The 476 Super Double Coat Paste may provide a little longer protection in my opinion, but requires more work since you usually put it on by hand (vs. rotary with the IW). It also doesn't stain.



Pics look great!:xyxthumbs



Huge difference on the Honda!
 
The Honda really should have been compounded, the polished and waxed. But givien its purpose in life I was going more for shine / gloss then perfection. Besides with 13 years of "average" owners ther are some deep swirls / scratches. But there still is a hug difference even in sunlight. So how long does the IW last? Oh and I applied it by hand.
 
Outdoors all the time? And driven daily? Of course prep is everything, but I would give it 3 months of good beading. Collinite doesn't give a time frame on the IW as they do the 476. On the 476 they claim 1 year, but I tell people expect to rewax in about 6 months if not sooner. Both work very well on Blacks & Reds in creating a nice deep look I think.



I sent both IW & 476/885 to be tested with 25 other waxes & sealants being conducted by an independent lab test. Both survived 12 concentrated car washes, but the paste edged out on the Saltwater corrosion testing by providing better protection in this category (the paste equaled that of Zaino). In fact only 3 products scored excellent and 2 of them were synthetic sealants. The third being Collinite 885/476. Not surprising since Collinite's core market is targeted towards Marine use. The IW still made it in the top 8 as it performed better than the control panel. The other categories where Gloss before wash and after wash. IW was glossier before the wash and 476 scored better after the wash (against each other).



Collinite also has something called 870 Liquid Fleetwax. As much as I like Collinite Waxes, I don't recommend 870. It doesn't last. They call it a carnauba polymer combo, but sometimes you just can't get all your products right.



But as the age old saying goes....there isn't a super product that does everything perfect. Just find the one that meets your needs and use it!





:wavey
 
They both look GREAT!



I used this stuff a long time ago and had greatttt results with it. I have since found new products, but I think I will grab some of this stuff for maybe customer details or something of the sort.



Keep us updated with how long it lasts.
 
I do friends and families cars periodically. After todays results I think this will be my new product of choice for them. If It can last an honest 3-6 months, it is better than most waxes out there. So what would be a good cleaner to use before IW, if you were doing a 2 step, customer detail?
 
Lightning,

Good work on the Civic. The Pontiac looks good too.



dr427,

Did you send out the different waxes and sealants out to be tested or is there a published report?



Eric
 
Hey Dr, I'm looking for more protection during the winter than the Poorboys EX I'm using now, but I dont want to loose the carnuaba deep look since my Lexus is so metallic. Could the 476 be used as a topper for the EX or is it also a cleaner? Boy that'd be ideal I think...
 
edschwab1 said:
Lightning,

Good work on the Civic. The Pontiac looks good too.



dr427,

Did you send out the different waxes and sealants out to be tested or is there a published report?



Eric
Click to expand...



I just sent several different waxes & sealants I had in my own arsenal. Not the full 25. There was a posting on another detailing forum looking for people to give up samples to help defer the costs of running the tests.



The guy who paid for the test is selling the report for anyone interested for like $8 shipped I think. Not to get his money back but to make up for time lost in reprinting and binding and shipping them. You can shoot an email here Wax Test.
 
Yeah, Collinite IS good stuff, and it's great for friends/family/customers- besides lasting a long time, it beads like crazy, which "regular" people always ooh and ahh about.



GoodnClean said:
Hey Dr, I'm looking for more protection during the winter than the Poorboys EX I'm using now, but I dont want to loose the carnuaba deep look since my Lexus is so metallic. Could the 476 be used as a topper for the EX or is it also a cleaner? Boy that'd be ideal I think...
Click to expand...



The Collinite MIGHT mute your look a little bit, but not bad. Much as I *DO* like it, it's really NOT, *IMO* the best looking wax on the market. I don't think it'll be so bad that you'll be disappointed, however. Nope, it's not a cleaner-wax, gotta clean first.



Originally posted by LightngSVT

So what would be a good cleaner to use before IW, if you were doing a 2 step, customer detail
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If you don't have swirls, etc. to deal with, you can use VM, AIO, or (*MY* favorite for this) Autoglym's SRP, then top with the Collinite. I've tried them all and end up going back to the SRP. This combo lasts *ALL* winter on a car I leave outside 24/7. The two products just seem to work well together.



DR427- I saw on another Collinite thread that you apply IW with a rotary. Hmm, wouldn't have thought of that, how does it work? What speed? I apply (and often remove) Collinte PASTES with a random orbital, myself. Just my preference.
 
I dont really mind it being muted a little bit, I could always top it with something like S100 too if I found the look degraded enough. Mainly I hate to get rid of the small blemish hiding properties of the nice oily polish, the EX and a wax to use a sealant. The car is basically swirl and mark free (knock on wood) but its dark colored, so there's a little something here and there that the combo I've been using 100% hides. To use a polymer I have to go tearing away at them with abrasives and I'd rather save them for when I really need them.
 
Accumulator said:


DR427- I saw on another Collinite thread that you apply IW with a rotary. Hmm, wouldn't have thought of that, how does it work? What speed? I apply (and often remove) Collinte PASTES with a random orbital, myself. Just my preference.
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Using a PC I would use it at about #3 (3,000 OPM?). A true rotary keep low (1,000-1,500 rpm or so). It is just to make application easier. Remeber it doesn't have any cleaning properties to it so you aren't looking for any cutting action. Heck I have applied it expecting to at least remove some water spots, but no it truly is a top coat designed for protection.



My preferred methods are to use 845 (IW) with a PC at about #3 on the dial. And with 476/885 I do it by hand, so that I can find and fix an imperfections since I am applying at a much slower pace. For removal I always do it by hand with Microfiber towels for either wax. I have a fear that removing with a PC could cause more damage that I may not find till later if an impurity was introduced to the pad during removal. This happened to me ONCE and I vowed to take the extra step to just remove by hand now. Turning of the towel and snapping it frequently loosens any large particulates that my be lurking in the removal pad/towel. Plus I don't like cleaning my pads or covers anymore than I have to. I just like MF and it removes so well that I have abadoned removal with a PC of anytype. For me the PC is now used for correction and application of liquid products.
 
[If you don't have swirls, etc. to deal with, you can use VM, AIO, or (*MY* favorite for this) Autoglym's SRP, then top with the Collinite.
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So what do you use for a car that has swirls? You know 99% of any "customer" cars are going to be swirled from car washes, or improper washing at home. What is a good 1 step polish / cleaner that would produce a clean, (nearly) swirl free finish for the Collinite to top?



Also do you notice any difference in length of protection, or coverage using the PC to apply the Collinite? I've always liked to do the prep steps by machine and the final wax by hand.
 
Here are a couple of pics of a "customers" car. It is my Aunts car, she is a regular custome, I do her car 2x a year. The car is a 2001 Sable. All I did on this one was to wash with dawn, clay and use the IW by hand (I had to use 3m rubbing compund with a wool pad followed by 3M FPPG with a foam pad for a few "bad" scratches and water spots that would not come out even with clay. The stuff worked awesome!). She was very pleased with the outcome ( I did interior also). The car is a gold-ish color, but looks a bit washed out in the pics, since it was getting dark. I think Ill have to start taking smaller res pics, since they all seem to only look so-so after I shrink them (they look great at 1280x720). This stuff works great even on light colors! I have 2 more cars coming next weekend and Im sure those owners will be just as happy as my first Collinite customer!



sable1.jpg


sable2.jpg
 
Did my daily driver (93 Galant) this weekend--with IW--in the garage on a rainy sunday about 55 degrees. Could really do large sections--applied by hand--off with machine, cleanup with MF--in very quick order; very EZ to use. Probably took no more than an hour total work time. Took a few minutes to haze up per area but good deal so far--we'll see how long it lasts
 
LightngSVT- If you have swirls, etc. to deal with, it's just the same ole same ole- abrasive polishes by hand/PC/rotary as required to remove/reduce them to an acceptable level. If you're happy with your 3M stuff, then I'd just stick with it. The SRP/Collinite combo does sorta hide them though, or at least it doesn't really ACCENTUATE them the way some products will.



I started using machine application/removal when I had shoulder problems, found I liked it so much I kept doing it. *I* think I get better results (especially on single stage, where I can really "work it in"). I don't think there's gonna be any durability difference, and I suppose it's really just a personal preference thing.



DR427- OK, I wondered if you used the rotary to get more heat or something. I sometimes use it to work Meg's machine glaze into single stage, but I never used it for waxing.



*I* apply the 476 at speed 4.5 or 5 when I use the PC, or else use the Cyclo. With pastes, the added speed seems to be beneficial. I'll try dialing it back a notch if/when I try the IW.



Everyone's situation is different, and I believe that whatever works for you is what you should do. So I can understand your preference for hand removal. I'm getting great results removing products by machine, but with what I'm doing (and where I'm doing it), contamination getting on the bonnets/towels at that point isn't really gonna be an issue. And FWIW, I use a LOT of MFs (towels/bonnets), sometimes getting a new on for every panel or so.
 
I totally respect your methods Accumulator. I never really thought about getting enough bonnets for each panel.:o That way if you did screw up some how at least it would be contained! Thanks for the tip on the Pastes at higher speeds.



For the IW, no heat exchange going on. At least no intention of it. I just use the PC for easy and quick application.



I hear ya on MF's. Got quite a stash myself!
 
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