My Collinite and PC review

[imported_RZJZA80]

So I finally decided it was time to use my PC with LC white 4" pad to apply Collinite 915 wax to my brand new paint (never driven up to that point). The wax went on smoothly with the PC, and I did the entire car before wiping off, and this was a big mistake. It was very difficult to wipe off after sitting that long (long enough to apply to the whole car which was about an hour or so).



2 days later I apply more wax with the PC and LC white 4" pad and this time I did one panel at a time, and it came off pretty easily, but still not as easy as others.



I took it to my painter so he could remove all the hologram's the PC + wax combo left all around my car. No idea why it did that, any advice on this?



Today (month later) I applied the Collinite with a foam applicator by hand, one panel at a time, wiped off, and it came off smooth as butter. Took 3 hours to wax the entire car, door jams, engine bay, inside the hatch area, everywhere.



So far I like the Collinite but it doesn't have the durability I thought it would. I'm talking about a couple weeks, not a couple months like I read elsewhere. It also definitely makes the car darker, as I've used other waxes inbetween that made the car look lighter, even brighter.



Now this is wax straight on fresh paint that has only been polished and buffed, and washed of course.

 

[eyezack87]

Odd, I found that my Colli 476/845 both lasted more than a month before I got bored and took it all off to repolish my whole car....



Although, there are many factors that take place to determine the true durability of the wax...

 

[imported_mobenzowner1]

FWIW, i never do the whole car before removing when using collinite. I have the fleetwax 885 and have experienced about 3 months of winter durability with it. Just a week ago I applied a coat with my flex and a blue finishing pad, then actually spritzed with Optimum OID chilled to remove. I got this idea on the forum, but cant remember from who. It worked well and left a great shine. We'll see if durability is affected.

 

[JSFM35X]

I use 845IW and I would bet my life on that product. Bang for the buck is IMO best in the undustry. I use it on all my non black cars. I use a WOWA procuts b/c black is a PITA and I dont want to buff anything off black.



Did my wifes truck in August which is outside all the time and it still beads like crazy.



Prep is crutial in getting good adhesion. Was car with good high quality car shampoo. Clay car with lots of lube to minimize micromarring. If car is clean use fine grade or stronger if necessary. Rinse car and dry. Apply 845IW using MF or Terry applicator. Alow to dry and buff off with a MF mitt.



Should be good for 3-5 months. I usually allow 12-24 hours and re-coat. Its super easy the 2nd time.

 

[tom p.]

FWIW, i never do the whole car before removing when using collinite. I have the fleetwax 885 and

+1.



That's a major mistake to leave it for such a long period. You're asking for trouble when it comes to the Collinite products.

 

[Accumulator]

Noting that I use 476S/885 and not 915, I usually *do* apply Collinite paste to the whole vehicle before buffing off, and I seldom have problems. I use all my paste waxes this way these days, including Souveran.



While the durability of 845 isn't always that great, the Collinite paste wax lasts many months, but that's in *my* situation. I generally prefer to use 845 first and then apply the paste after a day or so.



But I *have* experienced the pseudo-holograms, as has ebpcivicsi. Neither of us has figured out why it happens and it's a frustrating mystery :nixweiss



The not-stellar durability might be from the application method; Mike Phillips and I have debated this before...not letting a LSP set up for a sufficiently long time does seem to compromise durability to some degree (but OTOH it can make for a more hassle-free application).



I *do* think you oughta use a milder pad than the LC white to apply Collinite wax though, and I'm generally not opposed to using more aggressive pads for stuff like this than many people prefer.



Oh, and heh heh, for *me* taking three hours to do everything with one coat of LSP would be pretty *fast* Some things like hinges/etc. can take forever.

 

[tom p.]

I use 845IW and I would bet my life on that product. Bang for the buck is IMO best in the industry.





Prep is crutial in getting good adhesion. Was car with good high quality car shampoo. Clay car with lots of lube to minimize micromarring. If car is clean use fine grade or stronger if necessary. Rinse car and dry. Apply 845IW using MF or Terry applicator. Alow to dry and buff off with a MF mitt.



Should be good for 3-5 months. I usually allow 12-24 hours and re-coat. Its super easy the 2nd time.

Agreed on all counts - - well stated.



These products, whether 845 or 476S or 885, are worth their weight in gold. As noted, appropriate prepatory steps are needed, as with most products, to ensure excellent bonding and longevity.



Many of us rely upon Collinite for winter-long protection as our vehicles get beat up during the snow/salt season. I think it's one of the best, if not most cost-effective, treatments out there.



I did my new car a few weeks ago with the 885 Fleetwax. I ended up doing two coats on all surfaces - - 2nd coat goes on real nice. I'll tell ya, it looks so good on the new dark red paint that I may use this product exclusively during the course of a year. I'm gonna give 885 the nod in appearance compared to the 845. I really like it. Even when the car has been driven thru the rain, it still looks great when it's not spotlessly clean.

 

[tom p.]

Accumulator, it's kind of phunny how we can lavish such praise on a single product year in, year out. That's truly indicative of a product with staying power and some degree of "greatness"! And Collinite seems like it's been around forever.



BTW, I got that fresh can of 885 delivered to my door for $15. Some guy on eBay is selling the stuff for short money.

 

[Accumulator]

..I did my new car a few weeks ago with the 885 Fleetwax. I ended up doing two coats on all surfaces - - 2nd coat goes on real nice....

And not one pseudo-hologram in sight, right?



I used to do multiple coats of 476S/885 all the time, but after getting the pseudo-holograms on the DenaliXL I'm sorta gunshy :nervous:

 

[tom p.]

I get the holograms. I tried to be real careful on the 2nd layer, but can still see some evidence of it. It's not bad...certainly not enough to put me off using the product.



I assume the Collinite products were re-formulated like everything else, right?

 

[SuperBee364]

Notice item number two in the instructions on the picture of the can in the post above: "Clean finish thoroughly...."



IME and IMO, people that are having problems not getting the legendary Collinite durability are not applying it to paint that is *completely* bare. Prior to applying Collinite, I always do a very thorough IPA wipedown. You want your paint stripped of *everything* prior to applying collinite. The same thing applies for any LSP, really, but if you want legendary Collinite durability, you just gotta apply it to bare paint.



Like Accumulator, I also apply Collinite to the entire vehicle before removing. Yeah, you can run in to some serioulsy difficult removal problems doing it this way, but if you keep the application *thin*, it's not bad, and I get really good durability letting it sit this long.

 

[Accumulator]

I get the holograms. I tried to be real careful on the 2nd layer, but can still see some evidence of it. It's not bad...

Heh heh, lucky you I was mighty :scared: :wall when that huge GMC of mine had 'em; mine weren't subtle!

I assume the Collinite products were re-formulated like everything else, right?

Yeah, but I'm using Pre-VOC stuff (I stockpiled it when the guys at Collinite were moaning about the challenges of reformulating, I was afraid I wouldn't like the new version).

IME and IMO, people that are having problems not getting the legendary Collinite durability are not applying it to paint that is *completely* bare. Prior to applying Collinite, I always do a very thorough IPA wipedown. You want your paint stripped of *everything* prior to applying collinite...

Ah, but just to show how much YMMV, I *never* apply Collinite to a stripped/bare surface! I always use it after something like a (leaves-stuff-behind version of) 1Z polish and I'm always raving about how Collinite lasts for so long :nixweiss

 

[tom p.]

Yeah, I typically lay down a base of KAIO or WS Prime. It works real well.





Spilchy Special = KAIO + #845

 

[slawek65]

845 over 4* UPP

 

[imported_RZJZA80]

I noticed most of you guys are mentioning other Collinite waxes besides the 915 I used, is there any difference?



Also when I waxed, is was freshly polished and buffed with Ultrafina 3M swirl remover and polish, so did I need to use alcohol or Klasse AIO on it? I now have about 3 or 4 coats of the wax on my car, but every time I wash it, it beads really nicely, but it doesn't feel really smooth anymore, is that normal? My painter advised to keep waxing the car, the more the better, at least 2 to 3 times per week, to layer it and gives really good protection.



My main thing is, those of you applying wax with the PC, what pad and speed are you using? What did I do wrong? I think I had it at speed 4.



What wax can I use that will lighten and brighten my car rather than deepen and darken it like the 915 did? My paint has a pearl in it and with the Collinite is seems to darken and mute the color so you don't see the pearl much anymore.

 

[Bigpikle]

Notice item number two in the instructions on the picture of the can in the post above: "Clean finish thoroughly...."



IME and IMO, people that are having problems not getting the legendary Collinite durability are not applying it to paint that is *completely* bare. Prior to applying Collinite, I always do a very thorough IPA wipedown. You want your paint stripped of *everything* prior to applying collinite. The same thing applies for any LSP, really, but if you want legendary Collinite durability, you just gotta apply it to bare paint.



Like Accumulator, I also apply Collinite to the entire vehicle before removing. Yeah, you can run in to some serioulsy difficult removal problems doing it this way, but if you keep the application *thin*, it's not bad, and I get really good durability letting it sit this long.

I think Supe hit the nail on the head here as well.... new cars need a clean, if not more badly, than your existing cars. They often have all sorts of silicone quick shine stuff slapped on them....



I used 476 last year, had all sorts of wax holograms for ages, but it did last the winter easily. Wont use it any more though, so sold it, and now use either 845 (idiot proof IMHO) or FK1000 which is lasting just as well and 10x easier to apply - again IMHO



Ignore being told to keep waxing the car 2-3 times per week :lol:

 

[Accumulator]

845 over 4* UPP

Now that's different :think: School me here...why do that combo?



I'm *NOT* being critical, I just can't imagine topping the UPP on my S8 with 845 (and I do like 'em both). I like the look and the slickness of UPP so much, I'd just *hate* to mess with it...

 

[Accumulator]

I noticed most of you guys are mentioning other Collinite waxes besides the 915 I used, is there any difference?

AFAIK the 915 has more carnauba and thus less synthetic stuff in it (as you can tell I'm no chemist by a long shot).

Also when I waxed, is was freshly polished and buffed with Ultrafina 3M swirl remover and polish, so did I need to use alcohol or Klasse AIO on it? I now have about 3 or 4 coats of the wax on my car, but every time I wash it, it beads really nicely, but it doesn't feel really smooth anymore, is that normal? My painter advised to keep waxing the car, the more the better, at least 2 to 3 times per week, to layer it and gives really good protection.

I wonder if that's just how 915 is :nixweiss Generally, IMO once a wax isn't slick any more it needs redone. Wonder if your wash is having some detrimental effect (either too harsh or not effective enough).



I'm a believer in layering Collinite (but beware the pseudo-holograms!), but once you get a few layers on there (maybe four or five) it oughta stay slick for a long, long time.

My main thing is, those of you applying wax with the PC, what pad and speed are you using? What did I do wrong? I think I had it at speed 4.

I probably do it by Cyclo a *LOT* more than by PC, but by PC I like Griot's red waxing pad and speed 4-4.5. Any of the LC or Edge finishing/LSP pads oughta work fine.

What wax can I use that will lighten and brighten my car rather than deepen and darken it like the 915 did? My paint has a pearl in it and with the Collinite is seems to darken and mute the color so you don't see the pearl much anymore.

Collinite 845, Meguiar's #16, and (perhaps especially) P21s. The P21s did that highly reflective, brightening thing so, uhm..."well" (scare quotes intentional) that I hated how it looked on my XJS. Or just use a sealant like FK1000P or UPP.

 

[Accumulator]

Oh, one more thing (two, really):



I've seen Collinite tins with instructions saying to "buff off before it dries" and other tins saying to "let it dry before buffing".



I used to W-O-W-O, but now I hardly ever do that with any LSP and I get better durability. But I'm starting to wonder if it's contributing to the possiblility of those pseudo-holograms :think:



I'm also wondering if applying Collinite paste waxes by PC is as great an idea as I've always thought it was; some pastes like #16 are simply *PERFECT* for machine application, but I'm starting to wonder about the Collinites....



Any opinions?

 

[imported_RZJZA80]

from my limited experience, when I applied 915 with my PC, it gave holograms everywhere. After my painter buffed them all out, I applied a couple coats again, but by hand, with a foam applicator pad, and it's perfect. although too dark for me, it shines nicely and not a single hologram. It HAS to be either the PC, the speed, or the white LC pad I was using, or possible 4" size?