November 23, 2007 - Initial wash and wax This is a long term test of 3M Perfect It Show Car Paste Wax. It was applied to a Ford Escape, which is a daily driver. The paint has some imperfections, which will hopefully simulate realistic conditions. The main objective with this long term test is to see how long a specific wax holds up under winter conditions. The test was started 11/23/2007. November 23, 2007 - Initial wash and wax - cont. I applied 1 coat by hand, waiting a day, then applied the second coat. The temperature in my garage was about 55 degrees, so the wax took some time to cure. Application and removal was quite easy. The wax looked decent at first, but after letting the wax cure overnight it looked much better. My main objective is to see how durable the wax is, but I was somewhat impressed with the looks of the wax. It gave a nice combination of a deep and wet look. I know looks vary within a range of opinions, so I'll leave the judgement of appearance up to the reader. Initial wash and wax - cont. The car gets washed approximately once a week using either Duragloss Car Wash Concentrate (901), or Detailer's Pride Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo. No quick detailers are used either. The car is also always garaged at night, but is driven 30 miles daily. Initial Wash and Wax - cont. For the duration of the test the car has always been washed using warm softened water. December 16, 2007 - Northeast Ohio deluge of snow, ice and road salt. An example of the conditions the finish was subjected to. This is not indicative of the whole winter. It is just to provide a range of typical Ohio conditions. These conditions did persist for about 2 weeks. It was not a fun time. Luckily the holidays were coming up. December 16, 2007 - More Ohio weather nonsense. Another angle of the Ohio joy that falls from the sky. Good thing it's free... February 16, 2008 - 9 weeks later Feb 16, 2008 - Still holding up nicely The car was washed with DP. Still looks good to me. Feb 16. 2008 - After washing One of the best characteristics of this wax is its sheeting ability. It doesn't produce large beads, but the water runs off quite nicely, leaving only small amounts of water behind. The wax claims to contain an acrylic silicone fluoropolymer. This must be what is responsible for the sheeting ability. I did type that in from the can. I try not to speak that way, opening myself up to all sorts of ridicule. March 27, 2008 - More beads Not too bad for a $12 wax. I don't think these beads will get you a free show on Fat Tuesday. March 27, 2008 - In from the rain The car sat out in the rain this evening. The wax seems to be holding up rather well. Beading is still nice, even though the car is pretty much filthy. March 27, 2008 - Still holding on The vehicle has not been washed for 3 weeks. The weather has been miserable, and I've been too busy with work to spend any time on the car. March 27, 2008 - How much longer? I am hoping this wax fails soon. I want to test something else! The recent weather has been nasty. Lots of snow and rain and salt. April 3, 2008 - Needs Washed It's only been 6 days since I last washed this. Where the hell has my wife been taking this thing? We'll see what things are like after washing. April 3, 2008 - Test for Beading Whoa, what a drastic difference. I'm no scientician, but I would bet that the wax has flown the coupe. The water just sat there. No sheeting, beading, dripping or drying. April 3, 2008 - It's all over now. This test was started on November 23, 2007, about 4 1/2 months of winter conditions. The wax has lasted much longer than I anticipated, and performed quite well. I would rate the looks as slightly above average, and the application was very easy. For 12 bucks you get enough wax for a fleet of school buses. It's quite a bargain and a decent value. Stay tuned for more wax evaluations.
Very nice documented test boggiejoe. It just goes to show you that there are some very nice waxes out there for not much money.
Great test... I enjoyed reading through all your updates. It looks as if the beading held up for a good 4 months, although, beading is a very subjective way of telling if the wax was still protecting. When did the slickness start to slack? Again, great test and I look forward to more in the future.
I did not really test the slickness. The only tactile measurement I got was from washing the vehicle. It felt a little different on the final wash, but I don't think it's conclusive. I'm working on a slickness mesurement tool that will hopefully give me somewhat of a repeatable reading. I don't have it ready yet, but I will be using it with my future tests. I will also be testing these same waxes more than once to get an overall average. It takes time, but it's enjoyable.
i have to give you major props there as i have faith on 3M products... definitely going to be one of my have to be wax...
