In this article I aim to dispel these misconceptions and help explain why, unless you have an immaculately and regularly detailed car you should not initially use one without the other and what benefits you will get from each.

What is the difference between car wax and polish?

Firstly let’s start with the question What is a Wax? A wax in its natural form comes in many guises from vegetable waxes i.e carnauba to animal waxes i.e. bees wax. Its is the natural properties of some of these waxes that make them ideal for use in car waxes. The most popular for use in the automotive industry is carnauba wax. What makes this type of wax ideal is that it is

• virtually insoluable in water, so won’t immediately disappear after each wash or rain shower
• has a melting point of 82-86 °C so will withstand the high daylight summer temperatures without melting off your car
• although one of the hardest waxes to be found in its natural form it produces a durable and very glossy finish when combined with other waxes/ingredients used to produce a softer product that can be more easily applied to paintwork.

Most car waxes will therefore be a combination of the natural wax, solvents, silicone fluids, other waxes and colorants. Some will also contain abrassives, depending on the product being developed but for the purposes of this article we are looking to compare the “pure” wax vs polish.

In giving your paintwork its shine, your wax will effectively be “smoothing” out the surface of the paint by “filling” in many of the imperfections in the paintwork. Unfortunately if your paintwork is suffering from oxidation, dullness or swirls there is only so much “filling” that the wax can achieve and all you are effectively doing is covering up and hiding the true nature of why your car is not looking as good as it should.

One other category of “wax” we have not yet considered is the “synthetic wax” or “sealant”. Again these have various other added ingredients that change how the product adheres to your paintwork giving a longer lasting and more durable finish. The difference between waxes and sealants is again a subject in its own right and I will explore this further in a future  article.

However you will not find a car wax made of just 100% pure wax.

What is a Car Polish?

In contrast to a wax a car polish is a product that uses an abrasive action to remove very fine layers of the top coat protection to flatten out the surface to ensure and equal reflection of the light and thus a highly polished look. Such products come in varying degrees of abrasiveness from medium to ultra fine.

The quality modern polish will be made of what is known as diminishing abrasives which break down into further smaller particles as they are worked on the paint thus getting finer and finer the more they are “polished” into the paint. This avoids the need to go through varying steps of abrasiveness in different bottles to achieve a highly polished look. Many polishes also contain gloss enhancing oils which further help to provide a deep look shine to the paint work.

What however is missing by just applying your polish is any protection to the polished paintwork, which is where your wax comes in to protect all the hard work you have just put in polishing and a achieving that deep gloss shine.  Which, using your wax or sealant, you will now protect for a few to several months (depending on how often your car is used, how it is stored, the wax you have used and the environment).

It is worth mentioning at this stage another product group called Glazes. A true glaze is a product that does not contain any abrasives but a mix of gloss enhancing oils and Koalin which   effectively fills in any remaining imperfections in the paintwork to ensure a bright evenly reflective surface).

It is good practice, especially on some of the more softer modern paint finishes not to us a pure polish too often but to use a glaze more frequently than you polish to maintain the gloss and look of your paintwork. This will ensure you are not continually taking off micro layers of the clear coat each time your detail your car and thus ensuring the longer term effectiveness of your paints protection.

As with polishing however it is vitally important after using a glaze that you immediately seal it in with your wax or sealant otherwise the fine fillers and oils that provide the smooth reflective surface will be washed away in the first rain or next car wash.

I hope this has helped to explain the difference between polishes and waxes, how they work and what difference they make to the look and protection of your paintwork.

Your Turn: 

When and how did you discover the difference between Car Wax and Car Polish – do you believe many manufacturers still make it confusing? Please share your experiences in the comments.

Will my car fail its MOT if it has damage or scratches on the windscreen? What will cause a fail and what is acceptable for a pass?  What are the options for remedy or repair of scratches and damage?

These are questions that are frequently asked by car owners facing their next MOT and unsure if they should have their windscreen repaired or replaced prior to their test.

In this post we will look at the current testing criteria for windscreens and what is and is not likely to result in an MOT failure.

There are a number of types of “damage” that will result in an MOT failure if they fall within the shaded zone of the diagram below. These include chips, cracks, stickers or significant scratches that are 10mm or bigger.

Obviously if it is just a screen sticker within or protruding over the area then the owner should be given the immediate opportunity to remove it. The other types of damage will need to be removed or repaired to enable the windscreen to pass inspection.

Outside of Zone A but contained within Zone B your screen will fail its inspection only if the damage is of the size 40mm or over.

If your windscreen has been repaired these repairs will be inspected to the same test criteria as original unrepaired screen. The repair will be judged solely on the basis of whether they allow clear vision. An ‘invisible’ or barely detectable repair that is finished flush to the rest of the glass, does not count as “damage” even if it exceeds the limit on damage allowed in the test. But it does have to be a good repair and as mentioned above barely detectable.

Light surface scratches on your windscreen is not to be considered as “damage”, unless it is an area of concentrated scratching i.e scratches caused by the prolonged use of a defective wiper blade. If the scratched area obscures vision and is of or over the size limits of Zone A or B than it will be considered as a reason for the screen to fail the MOT.

Cost Effective Windscreen Repair Options

On average the cost of repair of windscreen damage is 70% less than the cost of screen replacement and depending on your insurance cover you may be able to get the repairs done for free and without impact on your no-claims bonus. If this is not an option there are cost effective options available to you:

1. Chips/Cracks – these can be repaired although normally only if up to the 10mm in length in Zone A, 25mm long if in the swept area around Zone A and up to 40mm if on the Zone B swept area. For trucks it is slight different and we have heard of cracks as long as 150mm being repaired in HGVs. It us advisable to employ the services of a professional firm to repair chips or cracks.
2. Scratches – these can be repaired by either employing the service of a glass repair company or using a DIY windscreen scratch repair kit. You might find our previous blog post on How to use glass scratch remover to remove scratches from your windscreen informative on how these these kits work and how to use them.

Hopefully this article will have given you the information you were looking for in relation to any damage or marks you have on your screen in the run up to your MOT.

Your Turn: 

What experiences have you had with your windscreen and MOT test? Have you managed to save ££’s by repairing your own screen? Please share your experiences in the comments.

Photo Credit

So why use two buckets when one should do? I cringe these days when I recall helping my father wash his car with a single bucket of water and then afterwards throwing the remaining water left in the bucket over the car to start swilling it off!

Of course what I didn’t appreciate at that young age was that I had just covered the paintwork with all dirt and grit I had worked so hard to wash off.

This is the basic principle of the two bucket method i.e. to avoid the grime and grit getting back onto the paintwork and causing swirl marks and light scratches as you wash your car, motorcycle or other vehicle.

What is the Two Bucket Method?

To use the two bucket method you simply use two wash buckets, putting your wash shampoo mix in one and clean water in the other.  Firstly give your car a rinse to loosen dirt and wet the paintwork. Again if you do not have access to running water use a watering can or similar. Next soak your wash mitt in the wash mix solution and begin washing your car.

Then, before putting your mitt back into the wash solution simply rinse it out in the second bucket of clean water. This will remove the dirt and bits of grit from the fibres of your mitt so making sure they do not make their way back to your paintwork and thus reducing the chances of  creating swirling and light scratches. Now you can got back to the first bucket of wash mix, dunk your wash mitt and continue washing – each time following the same process.

If you want to further ensure you reduce the chances of any of the grit getting back into the wash mitt it would be worth considering using a special inexpensive device such as the Scratch Shield or Grit Guard (links to product pages). These effectively trap the grit, removed from your mitt, at the bottom of your buckets and preventing them swirling back up into the water above the shield or guard.

Related Products: 2 x Car Wash Bucket & Grit Guard Combination

Your Turn: 

Do you use the two bucket method? What are your favourite washing tips?  Please feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below.

Photo Credit

Here we outline 8 Top Tips to wash, clean and care for your cloths and towels, keeping them in tip top condition and working at optimum performance.

1. Never use fabric conditioner – Always number one on our list when washing. The conditioner gets deep into and stays in the fibres vastly reducing the effectiveness.
2. Take care – If you drop a microfibre towel or cloth on the ground – consider binning it – either that or be prepared to sit for a long time picking out each of the bits it will invariably pick up – you don’t want the possibility of a bit of grit hiding in the fibres scratching your newly polished paintwork.
3. Wash before first use – although most cloths and towels will be lint free straight out of the bag – we do find that some lint created during the manufacturing process can remain with the cloths until first wash.
4. Consider adding vinegar – a small amount of vinegar with your washing detergent or microfibre rejuvenator to help remove some oils and bacteria that might be picked up or start growing in the fibres.
5. If and when tumble drying – remember to always use a low heat – the fibres which are made up of varying proportions of Polyester and Polyamide will melt at higher temperatures and when then cool will harden and potentially scratch your paintwork or the surface you are working on.
6. Wash separately – try not to wash with materials that are not lint free – you will know from experience that microfibres will attract and retain most bits they come into contact with – the last thing you want is for bits wool, lint and other materials from your washing being trapped in your microfibres.
7. Dampness stinks – do not leave your microfibre drying towel or cloth lying around damp – as soon as you can get them washed and dried – this will help prevent the growth of horrible smelling bacteria as mentioned in Tip 4. If not able to wash and dry immediately rinse out in clean water and then totally submerge in a container of clean water with some added vinegar – this will help reduce bacteria growth until you can wash and dry.
8. Store separately – try to store your microfibres in a dry, dust free environment and away from other materials to prevent them attracting lint, dust and other particles.

If you follow these practical tips for cleaning and caring for your microfibre drying towels and cloths they should give you many months or years of effective and safe car cleaning and detailing use.

Now for your turn – do you have any tips for cleaning and caring for your detailing cloths or tools? Please let us know in the comments box.

Has the constant in and out of your car left you with those really annoying scuff marks on your car interior door trims? Are you finding them a little difficult to remove?

The trouble is a lot of trims have a grain in them which when receiving the occassional bash of your shoes or boots forces the dirt deep into grain. This makes it much harder to remove with just a damp cloth or your trim cleaner alone.

There is however help at hand which makes removing many of these scuffs marks a doddle.

It comes in the form of the latest microcell sponge technology or commonly referred to as Magic Sponge. (links to product page)

This type of foam was originally manufactured by BASF and used in sound-proofing and insulation. It has however recently been shown to have amazing cleaning properties due to its structure which can be likened to a maze of fine microscopic strands which are able to get into the tiny grooves and pits of plastic and vinyl trims.

These sponges effectively have an extremely fine abrasive quality enabling them to remove otherwise “uncleanable” marks and scuffs from your trims. So how do you use them?

•  Dampen the sponge with either water or your trim cleaner
•  Rub over the offending marks on your cars plastic or vinyl interior door trim until the marks have disappeared
•  Wipe a clean damp cloth over the cleaned area to remove any residue and then dry off.

Its as simple as that.

Magic sponges can also be put to may other uses. I have also personally used them to great effect to remove the greasy dirty finger marks the kids leave on painted walls. They can also effectively remove crayon and marker pen and other dirty marks from painted walls and wooden surfaces, floor and walls tiles etc.

Although safe to use on such surfaces we would not recommend use on highly gloss finishes such as your cars paintwork etc, as the fine abrassive quality whilst perectly okay on harder plastic trim will dull your clearcoat and polished paint finish.

When purchasing magic sponges to remove your scuffs and marks from car plastic & vinyl (or other surfaces) it is worth noting that by the nature of their cleaning action they wear away similar to when using a rubber eraser and thus can either be purchased individually or in multiple packs.

Popular belief is that a “shammy leather” should be stored damp in a sealed container to keep it soft. Unfortunately for many that choose to do this they quickly find that when they next come to use it, large holes have appeared or it has fallen to bits completely. This is because real chamois is a natural substance usually made of sheep or lamb skin and as such will rot if not kept and stored in the right way.

So how do you go about caring for your chamois leather?

1. After use rinse your leather by hand in warm soapy water. Do not use dish-washing detergent as this will remove the oils from within the chamois. Instead use natural soap – a bar of pure soap that you would wash your hands with will be ideal
2. Once the dirt is cleaned out of the chamois then rinse again in clean warm water and re-lather some soap back into the leather – this will help keep it soft
3. Next gently squeeze out the excess water, stretch out and hang up to dry naturally – but not in bright direct sunlight as you do not want it to dry too quickly
4. Once completely dry your chamois leather can be folded or rolled and stored in a dry container, but only when completely dry
5. Next time you come to use it, first rinse it again in warm water to soften it and remove the soap that was lathered into it before it was dried and stored.

1. Meguiars Grit Guard & Bucket – a great bit of kit to help prevent light swirls and scratches. The Grit Guard fits in the bottom of the bucket and traps the grit in the water preventing it getting back into the wash mitt and back onto the car. Ingenious.

2. Farecla Smart Uniball – attach to the end of a domestic drill and you have the perfect wheel polisher – great for those that love to keep their wheels gleaming

3. Superspray – for those without pressure washers – attach this handy device to the end of the hose and it allows you to apply clean water to soak the car, then a shampoo mix all over the car and then back to clean water to rinse off. Great value.

4. Type Dressing Applicator – help apply the tyre black without spraying it all over the wheel or bodywork – these crescent shaped sponges glide effortlessly round the contours of the tyre applying the tyre black as you go. Very affordable & effective.

5. Extra Large Microfibre Drying Towels – a must for all car cleaners – at about 5 sqft these giant supersoft drying towels can soak up to 7 times their weight in water making drying the car a breeze. More effective & longer lasting than a chamois.

6. Clay Bar Kit – still one of car cleanings best kept secrets - as they say about most things “its all about the preparation”. A clay bar kit will provide the smoothest finish possible on the paintwork ready for the polish/wax. A must for anyone seriously into cleaning their car.

7. Cyber Clean – a great stocking filler that helps remove the dirt and dust from some of the most hard to reach places in the car. Simply push into the corners, crevices or gaps and cyber clean will pick-up and pull out any loose dirt & grime. As seen on TV.

8. Leather scented air fresheners – again something a little different. Great for cars with leather seats that have lost that original leather smell. Simple & very effective.

9. Wheel Sealants – anyone who loves their car is likely to take great pride in the condition of their wheels. Wheel sealants are a great new product line that protect alloy & other types of wheels from the corrosive effects of brake dust and road salt and making them much easier to clean.

10. Valeters Kit Bag – for those in your life that have more polish, wax & car cleaning bits than they know what to do with. Now with these handy kit bags they can keep everything neatly together in one place.

Update: Following the launch of a new and very unique product from Dodo Juice I am adding a No. 11 to the list:

11. Dodo Juice Home Brew “Make your own car wax” Kit – a totally unique and innovative gift extremely well presented in its own tin. This gift contains all you need to make 250ml of your very own premium carnuaba wax. A must have for any car lover.

Hopefully this has given you some more ideas on a more unusual and unique Christmas Gift to buy the car lover in your life for Xmas. Also subscribe to our blog and look out for our forthcoming post on the top 10 most popular car cleaning products for Christmas.

Dodo Juice has in more recent times taken the market by storm with a range of quality based products and some really innovative and out of the box marketing never before seen in the world of car cleaning products. At the same time we have seen a large growth in the number of people going self-employed as professional detailers/valeters, whether this is through choice or necessity (i.e. redundancy). And it is from this sector that we see many of the new products that are presented to us. Unfortunately many do not have the pre-requisites that are required to successfully launch a new product into the market place. As a retailer we would expect to see one or more of the following:

1. A unique product that provides a real solution to a common problem
2. A great story to tell – Surf City is a new entrant to the UK that have an interesting story to tell as well as good quality products
3. A quality of product better than others currently on the market
4. A short and long term marketing plan backed by appropriate budget (don’t expect the retailer to become your marketing dept)
5. A new technology that makes detailing easier, quicker and or gives better results – GTechniq is a great example here

Unfortunately many new entrants come with average packaging, no USPs, no marketing plan or budget to speak of and products formulated from the same chemists as many other names already on the market and an expectation that if the retailer takes the product they will be able do the promotion for them.

It is not that we do not want to see new products and brands coming into the market as healthy competition means more product development and choice for the consumer to benefit from. The danger however is that the market place becomes overcrowded with me-too products that serve to confuse the consumer and dilute the opportunities for those that have a real point of differentiation.

If you are in the process of launching or thinking of putting a new product/brand into the detailing world we would encourage you to do so, but please ensure that you are armed with at least one or more of the points above. And if you are not, please take time out to see how you can change your detailing product, brand, marketing or service that will enable you to stand out from the crowd and ultimately have far more chance of success and brand following.

The problem, especially with white is how to get that deep wet look shine in the first place and then to have last as long as possible. As with many things the quality of the finished look is mainly in the preparation, but there are a number of products that come top of our list to give you that mirror like shine – even on white. Here is our top 8 list:

• Poorboys White Diamond – a liquid glaze to be used pre-wax

• Dodo Juice Diamond White – carnauba based hard paste wax

• Dodo Juice Light Fantastic – carnauba based soft paste wax

• Pinnacle Signature II – a great quality hybrid wax

• Collinite 476s – paste wax that combines great shine & longevity

• Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid – as it says on the tin – longer lasting than its Supernatural sibling

• Dodo Juice Supernatural – a good quality carnauba based wax

• Meguiars Ultimate Wax – a pure synthetic paste wax relatively new in the market but getting a good following

In many cases your actual choice of product will be determined by personal preference, whether you like paste or liquid, how often you get to detail your motor etc but hopefully the above will give you a good starting point.

Do you have your own favourite for white and lighter coloured cars? If so please let us know using the comment box below.

All aimed at keeping your wheels looking good for longer and protecting them from these corrosive elements. In a recent test Auto Express put 12 of the most popular wheel waxes through their paces with a surprise winner – Collinite No. 845. So which ones were test, what were the results and why was the winner such a surprise?

The test was conducted over a period of a month and looked at a range of benefits including; ease of application, beading on application, how clean they remained and beading at the end of the month. Price and amount needed to be applied were also factors used in the judging.

In many Auto Express tests that we see the difference between the top spots may only come down to a small difference in price if there is little else to separate the products. However on this occasion the top spot Best Buy Award went to one of the most expensive products on test and one that is double that of the number two spot winner. This is clearly testament to the quality of the product.

Indeed the Auto Express judges state “Look past the price, because the Colinite is a brilliant product for your wheels”. The collinite 845 is a bit of a strange brew compared to most waxes/sealants with either tend to be a paste or a liquid. The  Collinite however has a consistency between the two which makes it easier to apply and work with, especially in the corners of spoked wheels. Not only were the judges impressed by the ease of application but commented that it “provided the beading of a paste” and “the shine it left was brilliant”.

Collinite No. 845 "is a brilliant product for your alloys"

The reason it was a surprise winner is that Collinite No. 845 unlike all of the others tested was not originally designed as a wheel wax. We actually recommend it alongside its sibling 476S as a winter wax due to is impressive durability providing excellent protection from harsh winter elements (see our Guide to Winter Car Care). No. 845 is also used in some industries to prevent flash-over between electricity cables! So when you think about it when you combine the ease of use with the durability and quality of shine it makes perfect sense that it would work extremely well on your wheels both in summer and certainly in winter.

The second place spot went to Mer Wheel Wax, a previous winner of this award, losing out to the winner on the results of the final hose down which showed the durability did not match that of the Collinite. It was still judged as easy to use and repelled water well throughout most of the test. In third place was Angelwax Protective Wheel Sealant which dropped one place from the last time it was tested. Although the third most expensive judges did comment this was not an issue as being a paste “you hardly need any to do the job”. However it does also mention that although you have to wait 10 minutes between application and buffing the “results are worth it”.

The big surprise of the test were that two of the most popular products Poorboys World Wheel Sealant and Smartwax Rimwax did not make it into the top 3. From the feedback of our own customers over the years the Poorboys product has always been extremely highly rated often getting five stars in the customer reviews.

The other products tested included:

Simoniz Brake Dust Repellent – 4 stars
Bromaco Wheel Guard – 4 stars
Swissvax Autobahn – 4 stars
Poorboy’s World Wheel Sealant – 3 stars
Smartwax Rimwax – 3 stars
Halfords Alloy Wheel Protector - 2 stars
Turtle Wax Extreme Wax for Wheels – 3 stars
Wonder Wheels Wheel Seal – 2 stars
Spautopia PureX Wheels – 2 stars

If you don’t already use a wheel wax or wheel sealant I would heartedly recommend you consider applying one to your alloy wheels. Not only will it provide added protection and help your wheels last longer but you will also find that when it comes to regular cleaning things get a lot easier and quicker with dirt and brake dust becoming a breeze to simply hose and wipe off.