ehall

Just for the record, the two details I quoted were basically full, once a year details, with lots of correction and effort. They averaged about 7 hours a piece. They are now in a condition, and the owners were hand educated, in the proper methods, to keep it almost that good for the next year.

toddk911

Before & after pics?

eniac

For the most after a quick read I would have to agree wth what E-hall is saying. My father has been professionaly detailing everything from award winning show cars and very expensive exotics to everyday beaters. He has been doing this for over 45 years. 5 years ago he developed his own private line of wax products and this is the only products I use as they are better then anything else I have used in the 15 years I have detailed cars. I am not promoting his products, just saying what I know from experience.

I'll have to look over this discussion further when I get some free time.

951rs

Hi all

Ehall, thanks for your PM mate which is truly appreciated. I fully agree it not being a problem to disagree on certain topics and not being angry with each other at the same time. I prefer a direct and hard discussion which may lead to a conflict and some results to any other kind of less efficient and energetic communication, at least it doesn't get boring.

I therefore still would like to clarify a few items which you please feel free to disagree with:

I intentionally have chosen the 600 grid as it has a rougher surface then encountered on any normal cars paint surface. I wanted to point out that the Swissvax Wax (whenever I refer to the term wax I refer to all ingredients in a Swissvax can which certainly is not 100% Carnauba wax, Carnauba wax applied purely would not provide sufficient paintwork protection and would not last one run through the carwash) also provides very good beading characteristics on rough surfaces which puts your statement into perspective.

Off course you are right in stating that a super clean, super flat and absolutely homogenous paintwork is the basis and key factor for any wax application and flwaless finish. I prepare the (healthy) paintwork manually with the paint rubber followed by polish free Cleaner Fluid, I put the Cleaner Fluid equally on a pad and then apply it on the paintwork, I do this rubbing forth and back evenly (no circular movements) only applying gentle pressure. I proceed in small areas and work strictly systematically. I then use a super clean high quality cloth to polish the paintwork until I hear a squeaking sound caused by the friction of the now extremely homogenous surface, this is what I call a “healthy squeak”. I then use a high-quality micro fibre cloth to make the paintwork perfectly prepared for wax application. If I drop some water on the paintwork at this stage it does not considerably bead. This - my own mileage and testing, also referring to the above picture - leads me to the conclusion that it is not the surface alone that makes the superb beading effect, more so the wax.
The same effect I experience when putting a drop of water on the glass of my watch or other extremely flat surfaces.

Also I don't see what should be ignorant in stating that for wax preatreatment of healthy paintwork no machine is required. I know a few local very pricy detailing companies that mainly use Swissvax, they never use a polishing machine except for paint restoration and correction. This is also what I have learned from the company owners of Swissvax and a few collectors / enthusiasts which have serious collections of both Oldtimers and Supercars which they detail themselves as they are also wholehearted enthusiast. I'm convinced that when dealing with healthy paintwork there is nothing more precise and sensitive than some well trained hands and eyes working coordinatedly.

Please also note that I have never stated that a Swissvax treatment lasts for 2 years, stating this number I referred to how long a wax can of 200mls lasts. A wax application lasts 12-15 weeks. I also am very aware of the rough weather conditions in some parts of the US due to the extreme heat, but I would not underestimate the swiss weather conditions either due to the harsh winters where all roads are heavily salted. This fact lead to the development of the PTFE enriched Autobahn wheel wax which is one of my favourite products from Swissvax, you can not imagine how easy cleaning your wheels gets thanks to the PTFE.

And to get to my last point...yes, I do not do detailing for living but I still have detailed several cars and got PAID for it. The last two were a 2006 BMW M5 and a 2007 997, I charged the owners 600 CHF and 550 CHF (1.03CHF = 1 US $). I may do another 997 this weekend where I can shoot some pictures of what I just referred to.

To summarize our energetic discussion I would find it very interesting if you would test Swissvax products and provide this community an unbiased report as you doubt our power of objective judgement in this area. I don't want to question your knowledge and mileage at all but I dare to state that you have to do this before you can say you have seen and know it all (just my 2 cents) about detailing.

And ehall, I prefered your last avatar of the P-51...a very nice warbird. Not to agree to much with you I'd like to state though that I still would prefer a Fw 190 D9...LOL

And for everybody else here are some facts...
magazines where they tested Swissvax / Swizöl:

Max Power, conclusion:
"Winner. Effortless to apply and buff considering it's waxbased. And the finish was sumptous deep and glossy, a truly first class polish"

http://www.swizol.com/D/DE/MaxPower.htm

Another test from Classic & Sports Car:

http://www.swizol.com/D/AT/ClassicSC1.htm

A test of a german classic car magazine where Swissvax was awarded for being the highest quality product providing the best gloss results:

http://www.swizol.com/WebBilder/OM_1...ren%5B1%5D.pdf

I should be able to dig out and scan some other tests if somebody is interested...

Cheers

Beni