This is a fun experiment which I am sharing so others can give their input and maybe learn something along the way. I’m not saying one product is better than another. I’m simply showing what works best in my application.
I do not like washing vehicles. I work in a dusty environment and for years lived on a no winter maintenance dirt road. For nearly all my life, the roads were either muddy, or dusty. So to me, washing cars was a waste of time and resources. Now that I moved to a paved road, and recently purchased a Model 3, I would like to keep vehicles clean with the least effort.
I primarily use Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax on my Jeep Wrangler and it has worked very well for me. It does not leave pasty white film on the soft top or plastic or black power coated fenders. It also brings out a deep shine in the red metallic paint. Now that it is time to wax this vehicle again, I decided to experiment with different brands of wax and top coatings to see what performs the best.
I washed the hood with dish soap and used a clay bar to strip all the wax on the hood of my Jeep Wrangler. I then used painters tape to divide the hood into sections. I chose a few brands of wax and top coatings to apply in these sections so I could monitor their performance and longevity over the harsh winter months in PA. In the spring I will determine what works best and choose that wax for all my non ceramic coated vehicles.
For my Model 3, I did have a Gold Package of Ceramic Pro applied to the Model 3, as well as having the front end wrapped in SunTek Ultra. The front end, with PPF and Ceramic Pro, does very well repelling dirt. Simply driving in the rain washes nearly all dirt and bugs off the hood and front end. I am very impressed. However, the rest of the car does not repel dirt all that well. I was told it would make cleaning the car much easier, and touchless car washes will leave it sparkling. Does Ceramic Pro do this? Yes, on the areas where it is applied to PPF. On the rest of the car, I do not think it lives up to the hype. Using a 2 bucket wash method, I do not feel this makes washing the car any easier. This is simply my opinion. We are currently in the winter months on the East Coast with extra crud on the roads. I will see if it seems to wash any differently in summer conditions. Perhaps ceramic coatings perform better in dry climates with light dust coatings. In my opinion, I do not see a dramatic improvement in keeping the car cleaner when exposed to the harsh conditions of the East Coast. How the Ceramic Pro works as a paint protectant compared to wax has yet to be determined. Ceramic Pro Rain was also applied to the glass on the Model 3. I am extremely impressed with Ceramic Pro Rain and how it beads water excellently on glass surfaces. It does not cause any stuttering with the Model 3 windshield wipers either.
Products applied to the panels:
Hydrosilex: Marketed as a top coat, or stand alone coating which is incredibly expensive per oz. This product is new to me, but was recommended as a “ceramic safe” top coating for ceramic coated cars. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax: I have used this product on all my vehicles prior. Inexpensive per oz. I simply spray it on and wipe down the vehicle after it has been washed and dried. Removes water spots and leaves a sparkling shine on the vehicle. Currently my go to favorite, and I wanted to see how it stacks up to the Hydrosilex. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Meguiars #6 Cleaner Wax: I have never used this product before, but my co-worker says it is the only product he uses and has been using it for years. I decided to test it because he wanted to see how it compares to the products I currently use. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Nu Finish: Marketed as a once a year car polish, relatively inexpensive, and found at the local auto parts store. I have read good reviews on this liquid wax, and one youtube video claims it lasts nearly as long as the consumer version of cQuartz. I have never used it before, but I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax: I use this on my Jeep Wrangler and it seems to last long, it is fairly inexpensive, and it is extremely easy to apply. It does not leave a white film on my soft top or black plastic and black powder coated pieces of the vehicle. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Chemical Guys Jet Seal: A local detailer applied this product to my Jeep Pickup Truck last year. It is marketed as a one year paint sealant product. It makes the deep blue paint on the truck sparkle and sheds water and dirt very well when washing the vehicle. I applied this to a panel to see how it compares to the Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
The image below was taken a few days after the image above. Again, same scenario and the different products performed as the test the few days prior. Hydrosilex shed all the water immediately, followed by the Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax. The Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax also began to shed immediately with the Chemical Guys Jet Seal soon after.
The image below was taken 2 months after application. This was the first time I washed the vehicle. I used a foam cannon to apply soap to the hood. I washed gently with a microfiber brush, and pressure washed off the soap. Immediately the Hydrosilex shed all the water. I am shocked, as I assumed this product was not worth the high cost per oz. I used the pressure washer to wash right to left, reached in my pocket for my phone and took the photo. By the time I took the photo this was the results.
In the final image, you can see the Hydrosilex did extremely well at shedding and beading water. The Turtle Wax Ice Spray wax was close behind. I am disappointed that 2 months in and the regular liquid wax is not performing well. You can see the Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax still begin to shed water on the right side.
I will continue to monitor this and update in a few months on the durability of the Hydrosilex and Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax, and also the Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax and Chemical Guys Jet Seal. The other 2 types of wax seem to be a no go.
I do not like washing vehicles. I work in a dusty environment and for years lived on a no winter maintenance dirt road. For nearly all my life, the roads were either muddy, or dusty. So to me, washing cars was a waste of time and resources. Now that I moved to a paved road, and recently purchased a Model 3, I would like to keep vehicles clean with the least effort.
I primarily use Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax on my Jeep Wrangler and it has worked very well for me. It does not leave pasty white film on the soft top or plastic or black power coated fenders. It also brings out a deep shine in the red metallic paint. Now that it is time to wax this vehicle again, I decided to experiment with different brands of wax and top coatings to see what performs the best.
I washed the hood with dish soap and used a clay bar to strip all the wax on the hood of my Jeep Wrangler. I then used painters tape to divide the hood into sections. I chose a few brands of wax and top coatings to apply in these sections so I could monitor their performance and longevity over the harsh winter months in PA. In the spring I will determine what works best and choose that wax for all my non ceramic coated vehicles.
For my Model 3, I did have a Gold Package of Ceramic Pro applied to the Model 3, as well as having the front end wrapped in SunTek Ultra. The front end, with PPF and Ceramic Pro, does very well repelling dirt. Simply driving in the rain washes nearly all dirt and bugs off the hood and front end. I am very impressed. However, the rest of the car does not repel dirt all that well. I was told it would make cleaning the car much easier, and touchless car washes will leave it sparkling. Does Ceramic Pro do this? Yes, on the areas where it is applied to PPF. On the rest of the car, I do not think it lives up to the hype. Using a 2 bucket wash method, I do not feel this makes washing the car any easier. This is simply my opinion. We are currently in the winter months on the East Coast with extra crud on the roads. I will see if it seems to wash any differently in summer conditions. Perhaps ceramic coatings perform better in dry climates with light dust coatings. In my opinion, I do not see a dramatic improvement in keeping the car cleaner when exposed to the harsh conditions of the East Coast. How the Ceramic Pro works as a paint protectant compared to wax has yet to be determined. Ceramic Pro Rain was also applied to the glass on the Model 3. I am extremely impressed with Ceramic Pro Rain and how it beads water excellently on glass surfaces. It does not cause any stuttering with the Model 3 windshield wipers either.
Products applied to the panels:
Hydrosilex: Marketed as a top coat, or stand alone coating which is incredibly expensive per oz. This product is new to me, but was recommended as a “ceramic safe” top coating for ceramic coated cars. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax: I have used this product on all my vehicles prior. Inexpensive per oz. I simply spray it on and wipe down the vehicle after it has been washed and dried. Removes water spots and leaves a sparkling shine on the vehicle. Currently my go to favorite, and I wanted to see how it stacks up to the Hydrosilex. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Meguiars #6 Cleaner Wax: I have never used this product before, but my co-worker says it is the only product he uses and has been using it for years. I decided to test it because he wanted to see how it compares to the products I currently use. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Nu Finish: Marketed as a once a year car polish, relatively inexpensive, and found at the local auto parts store. I have read good reviews on this liquid wax, and one youtube video claims it lasts nearly as long as the consumer version of cQuartz. I have never used it before, but I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax: I use this on my Jeep Wrangler and it seems to last long, it is fairly inexpensive, and it is extremely easy to apply. It does not leave a white film on my soft top or black plastic and black powder coated pieces of the vehicle. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Chemical Guys Jet Seal: A local detailer applied this product to my Jeep Pickup Truck last year. It is marketed as a one year paint sealant product. It makes the deep blue paint on the truck sparkle and sheds water and dirt very well when washing the vehicle. I applied this to a panel to see how it compares to the Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax. I applied this to one section of the hood per the manufactures directions using a clean microfiber cloth.
Top Coatings on Left. Blank panel is a control with no wax. Liquid Wax on the right side of blank panel.
Early morning dew on the wax sections.
The image below is after the vehicle was driven for a month, and left parked in extremely dusty conditions. I took a gallon of water and poured it on the hood and the results were immediate. The Hydrosilex immediately shed all the water. This surprised me as I thought the Hydrosilex was going to be a gimmick. About 30 seconds later the Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax began to shed water decently as well. As far as the liquid waxes are concerned, the Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax began to shed water immediately, and the Chemical Guys began to shed water after about 20 seconds as well. None of the panels were left cleaner after dumping water on them, so none of the coatings worked very well to self clean. However, the hood was extremely dirty with a thick coating of dust on all the panels.
The image below was taken a few days after the image above. Again, same scenario and the different products performed as the test the few days prior. Hydrosilex shed all the water immediately, followed by the Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax. The Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax also began to shed immediately with the Chemical Guys Jet Seal soon after.
The image below was taken 2 months after application. This was the first time I washed the vehicle. I used a foam cannon to apply soap to the hood. I washed gently with a microfiber brush, and pressure washed off the soap. Immediately the Hydrosilex shed all the water. I am shocked, as I assumed this product was not worth the high cost per oz. I used the pressure washer to wash right to left, reached in my pocket for my phone and took the photo. By the time I took the photo this was the results.
In the final image, you can see the Hydrosilex did extremely well at shedding and beading water. The Turtle Wax Ice Spray wax was close behind. I am disappointed that 2 months in and the regular liquid wax is not performing well. You can see the Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax still begin to shed water on the right side.
I will continue to monitor this and update in a few months on the durability of the Hydrosilex and Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax, and also the Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Wax and Chemical Guys Jet Seal. The other 2 types of wax seem to be a no go.
