Does expensive wax really make a difference?

gmblack3a said:
They never told me the name of the company who offered, but its a good chance it was.



I would never sell a client something like that for $300. A month or two down the road and the finish is dead, sure they will call you right back.

I'd offer instead a coating like OS or Cquartz.
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Excellent point!

You can only bluff the customer once. You're damn right.....they'll call you back!!!!!

Why jeopardise the trust that 've spent so long to build with your customers????



Firstly, regardless of how expensive and glorious-sounding the carnauba is, it's only a carnauba...and in many instances, durability is not its strong point. Novelty by virtue of price, is its strong point.



Secondly, if my customer insists that I apply only ONE layer of something to the car, I'd do a coating (as you mentioned above). At the very least, it's something that has great durability.
 
I know it's easy to bash companies that sell $8k wax applications for $300. But the truth is, many people want it and don't give a crap about the real deal correction. There is a market for everyone and there is room for all types of business. With that said, there is not room for dishonest business practices.
 
I have Souveran, BFMS, Megs 16, AG HD, and a few little samples of Dodo, (might finally try Orange Crush after the post above) - basically, I just use BFWD on everything, and I've tried Poxy and will try it again on my car, that may very well be my second most used "wax".



Nuba's tend to be harder to apply, harder to remove and generally last about 2 washes, I realize there are exceptions, but it's hard to beat BFWD for ease of use, and I like using a PC and LC gold pad to apply it. I'll try to revisit my wax collect since the detail biz is down, guess folks around here are more worried about paying taxes and buying their kids the latest games for Christmas.



So - are big buck waxes worth it? It's a question that has no right or wrong answer.
 
I feel like high end wax fanatics have a very particular type of person.



I'm not name bashing because to my knowledge he's done really well for himself and he seems to have a loyal customer base, but Paul Dalton uses these waxes worth more than most people's monthly mortgage payments.



I feel it has part to do with marketing your product (your detail) and I would've liked to speculate that shedding abillity or feel maybe would be better with these high ends...but judging from conversation, I guess not
 
JuneBug said:
... but it's hard to beat BFWD for ease of use, and I like using a PC and LC gold pad to apply it.
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Do you use a flex to apply it. What speed would you suggest on the FLEX for BFWD?
 
gigondaz said:
:p:p:p You shd've asked someone to do that experiment on your car without telling you what was done. Then, when you see the car....I'm sure the results would be interesting.



I've done lots of blind tests on nuba'ed cars and my test subjects were always car club members who're very fussy about their cars. In most of the tests, I was surprised by the response..........:)
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Considering there was a distinct line between them all due to the different reflective properties, I'd still be able to tell. No, these are not your standard tape lines. Some sharpened the flake, some muted the flake, some made it wet, and so on. Muted flake is annoying to look at once you see the difference up close
 
Good carnauba waxes have a special candy like warm look that you don't get with synthetic sealants. If you look at Zymol's lineup for example, the waxes just look better and better the more you spend. However, these waxes are not the most durable. Dodo Juice Supernatural is one of my favorite waxes, and it's reasonably priced enough for plenty of people to afford them. YES, there is a difference after a fresh detail, but after a few washes they're all pretty much the same. In my opinion, you will see a bigger improvement by finishing with a rotary polisher over a dual action polisher than you will with a super rare exotic carnauba wax.





John
 
I had a Flex, I never used it to apply a wax, but - if you wanted to try, I'd start with the lowest speed and see how it went. And John raises a good point about finishing - rotary vs PC, next time I get by Brandon1 's shop, we'll have to try that experiment.
 
JohnKleven said:
... In my opinion, you will see a bigger improvement by finishing with a rotary polisher over a dual action polisher than you will with a super rare exotic carnauba wax...
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I'll be interested to learn the results if you ever get a chance to do that Flex/Cyclo/rotary glossmeter test.



The other day I did one of my very infrequent corrections, and yeah...though I have no objective data to back it up I do believe that the Flex might not be all that great for achieving (ultimate) gloss. I ended up finishing via Griot's 6" DA instead of the Flex as I felt I'd get better results, and I do think that the Cyclo finishes out better than any of the "PC-like" machines so that would've been better still. Guess it wouldn't surpise me after all if a rotary-Meister such as you could do even better with that machine, even if I can't.
 
Yes, at my company we use wax also that is around the 8K mark, as we have tried so many different kinds of wax and just couldn't get on with them! We have to make sure it is exceptional as the cars we detail are supercars and customers expect the best job! Each to their own though I suppose.
 
Accumulator said:
I'll be interested to learn the results if you ever get a chance to do that Flex/Cyclo/rotary glossmeter test.



The other day I did one of my very infrequent corrections, and yeah...though I have no objective data to back it up I do believe that the Flex might not be all that great for achieving (ultimate) gloss. I ended up finishing via Griot's 6" DA instead of the Flex as I felt I'd get better results, and I do think that the Cyclo finishes out better than any of the "PC-like" machines so that would've been better still. Guess it wouldn't surpise me after all if a rotary-Meister such as you could do even better with that machine, even if I can't.
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I agree! Some are masters of a rotary and some are masters of a R/O.
 
Does expensive wax really make a difference? Taken at face value, that question is hard to answer. What difference(s) are you looking for?



Personally, my decision to use an LSP is *not* based on looks alone. Sure, that's part of it, but there are other things to consider...



What conditions is this LSP gonna be used for? Am I looking for one that is gonna be used to protect a car through a salty winter, where max environmental protection and longevity are the most important factors? Or is the car going to be a garage queen, only pulled out for sunny Sunday drives? Do I need an LSP that easily expels dirt off the surface when it's wash time? Is it a show car that only peeps it's bumper out of the garage for the latest in door showing?



No LSP is a "do it all" for all of these conditions. In certain circumstances, a 12 buck bottle of Collinite 845 is "the best LSP" for the situation. In others, a high dollar wax like Vintage is "the best LSP".



I doubt there's one guy here that only uses one LSP for *every* set of circumstances. Just about every LSP out there has it's benefits, regardless of it's price, and is "the best" under a given set of circumstances.
 
Jean-Claude said:
But the truth is, many people want it and don't give a crap about the real deal correction.
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Isn't that the sad truth? I'd love to do more full corrections but frankly, most people simply don't notice swirls and aren't willing to take the steps after a correction detail to keep their finish looking as flawless as possible. Their main goal is a clean, well protected car.
 
JohnKleven said:
In my opinion, you will see a bigger improvement by finishing with a rotary polisher over a dual action polisher than you will with a super rare exotic carnauba wax.





John
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I definitely agree. I think the rotary breaks down polishes better and the spinning vs orbital action reduces the chance of buffer haze. Oddly enough, it seems the softer the paint, the better the rotary finishes it out.
 
Scottwax said:
I definitely agree. I think the rotary breaks down polishes better and the spinning vs orbital action reduces the chance of buffer haze. Oddly enough, it seems the softer the paint, the better the rotary finishes it out.
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I agree w/that too; however sometimes I find it's very, very difficult to finish down perfectly with a rotary on soft paint. Kind of a funny grey area there. I totally know what you mean though; on medium to soft paints I definitely find there is added clarity when finishing with a rotary vs DA...but admittedly I'm talking about such a fine distinction I think it'd be hard to notice unless you were working on the car yourself.
 
After using 3-4 waxes in the last year, I won't be buying anymore. To me, they are just grossly overpriced and attract more dirt/dust than I care for. I do like Victoria's Red alot( I will always keep a jar handy) but other than that, its Blackfire, and Zaino for my LSP'S.
 
SuperBee364 said:
......What conditions is this LSP gonna be used for? Am I looking for one that is gonna be used to protect a car through a salty winter, where max environmental protection and longevity are the most important factors? Or is the car going to be a garage queen, only pulled out for sunny Sunday drives? Do I need an LSP that easily expels dirt off the surface when it's wash time? Is it a show car that only peeps it's bumper out of the garage for the latest in door showing?



No LSP is a "do it all" for all of these conditions. In certain circumstances, a 12 buck bottle of Collinite 845 is "the best LSP" for the situation. In others, a high dollar wax like Vintage is "the best LSP".



I doubt there's one guy here that only uses one LSP for *every* set of circumstances. Just about every LSP out there has it's benefits, regardless of it's price, and is "the best" under a given set of circumstances.
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Fully agree with you:)

It all depends on:

1. How the vehicle is used, stored and maintained.

2. Requirements from the car owner.
 
The price for most waxes GENERALLY depends on the quality and % of carnauba it has in it. Saying that there are many fine waxes out there starting at a low price to high. From Collinite, Natty's Blue to Vintage I have used many waxes. It depends what you asking what you want your wax to do. I go for looks. Souveran and Vintage (refilled 5 times) are what I prefer. You have to be the judge. My favorite sealants BFWD and HD POXY. Go ahead and blast me for having Vintage but I have gotten my moneys worth from it.
 
MDRX8 said:
The price for most waxes GENERALLY depends on the quality and % of carnauba it has in it. Saying that there are many fine waxes out there starting at a low price to high. From Collinite, Natty's Blue to Vintage I have used many waxes. It depends what you asking what you want your wax to do. I go for looks. Souveran and Vintage (refilled 5 times) are what I prefer. You have to be the judge. My favorite sealants BFWD and HD POXY. Go ahead and blast me for having Vintage but I have gotten my moneys worth from it.
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Anyone that blasts you for using a wax they will probably never experience would be incredibly ironic.
 
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