Anyone with alloy wheels will be well aware of the time and effort required to keep them gleaming and the corrosive effect that brake dust and other muck & grime can have on them. In order to help solve this problem a wide range for wheel waxes and wheel sealants have sprung onto the market in recent years.
All aimed at keeping your wheels looking good for longer and protecting them from these corrosive elements. In a past test Auto Express put 12 of the most popular wheel waxes through their paces with a surprise winner – Collinite 845. So which ones were tested, 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 a 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”.
The reason it was a surprise winner is that Collinite 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 845. 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:
- Professional wheel polish and sealer
- Removes bonded brake dust and oxidation
- Polishes clear coated, polished and chrome wheels
- Shines, protects and repels brake dust
- Safe for all wheel finishes
- Long lasting protection
- For use on any type of wheel
- Protects wheels from brake dust, dirt, tar, bugs, water and anything else that impacts your wheels
- Seals out contamination so your wheels are easy to clean
- Two or three coats will make it repel brake dust even better
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.
1 Comment
Car Cleaning Guru
This really is an amazingly durable protective product! and with the results it gives on any color I’m not surprised it came out on top.