drcollie

I got lazy with detailing my cars, and switched over to Optimum spray products a few years back. They work pretty good and they are fast - and do OK. Then a couple of months ago a buddy gave me an old jar of Zymol Carbon he had from when he owned his Porsche and I clayed the car, then applied it and my 991 looked much better. I decided to just use the Optimum stuff on my two trucks and go back to a decent cleaner and wax.

I needed some more interior shampoo and some glass microfiber towels, so I'm on a detailer's web site and see the Swissvax products. $ 199 for a tub of Porsche wax an you need the $ 59 bottle of pre-cleaner polish. Are they nuts? But I was a little bit intrigued and did some research on it. Seems the guys in Europe love this stuff but not much talk about it in the USA. At first doubtful, I decided what-the-hell, and ordered it. It came in today.

I washed my car and did a panel at a time, first with the cleaner/polish and then applying the Swissvax by hand. Its 40 % pure carnauba wax so its very hard, and the heat from your hand helps flow the wax onto the car. Tool me 2 1/2 hours to do the car and I have a cab so no roof!

I was skeptical at first, but when I got done and stepped back..... WOW. What a difference. I've never seen any of my cars look this deep and wet, its pretty cool stuff. I have High Output lights in my garage and did this tonight, and snapped two shots to slow the reflectivity. You can see my wife's Audi SQ5 in the background also freshly washed and with Optimum products on it. Both are 2014 models and there is no comparison in the depth of the waxed finish.

I'm sold on this stuff. I used very little, but can see it will take at least two of the $ 59 cleaner bottles to one tin of wax. Some of you guys will scoff at this, but you probably would at Snap-On tools and swear by Craftsman. You pays your money, you takes your choice. It takes some time to do it right and its costly - but I don't know of anything better you can buy that will do THIS....to an agate grey car.

Vista6019

Stunning results. I have contemplated trying out this stuff as well and you might have just convinced me...

gota911

WOW, your car looks great!

The cost of the Swissvax could have been worse. You could have opted for the $1,499.00 tub of Crystal Rock shown below.

mathfuzzy

Beautiful, Duane. Nothing like car care therapy, especially when the result is so rewarding.

Curious if you (or anyone else reading this) has compared this wax to the Zymol Glassur (Porsche-specific). I've been using it on my p-cars for the last decade or so and have been really happy with the depth of shine, but game to try something new.

drcollie

Thanks JD...

I don't think you would see a huge difference from Swissvax vs Zymol Glassur. I think a lot of what has to do with the results I achieved is the pre-cleaner/polish in conjunction with the wax - it's a pretty remarkable effect on my particular car. Trying to research it a bit more, I come up with this blog entry from Meguire's who pretty much poo-poo the whole high end wax bit. He could be right, I don't know...certainly I am no expert.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...f-Carnauba-wax

What I am going to do is experiment a little on my wife's SQ5 and tape off the hood 50/50. Use the Swissvax on one side with their pre-cleaner and then a clay bar and Mequires Ultimate Paste wax on the other, and see how it comes out. That will be interesting...

991TurboS

drcollie,
Do you have protective film on your car front? If so, how did you handle that and the wax you applied? My film installer recommended Turtle Wax Ice for the film on the front/frunk lid/fenders of my TTS, which is what I use.

chuckla

Nice, Duane. From whom did you buy the wax and the cleaner/polish? Did you think about using an orbital or simply preferred to do it by hand?

LandShark

FYI, from the chemical stand point, the higher gloss/shine it is, the less durable it will be. Some gives awesome gloss but only last 2-3 weeks. They are more suitable for show car/garage queen or to show off your car. Some wax last a couple of months with decent gloss that's more suitable for a daily drive. It's all about trade off or balance of shine vs durabilit.

And prep work is the key of a good shine. Clay bar as a minimum, a good finishing polish by machine is the best.

Madmac

I too am a Swissvax fan. Great products and a little goes a long way. You should look into their wheel cleaner and wax. Have used sonax before, however prefer the smell of Swissvax. Did you leave your car in the sun afterwards to help cure the wax? I find this step brings out the depth of the paint.

drcollie

I don't particularly like the protective films, my car is bare in that respect and I prefer to bare-hand wax that use machines which tend to sling wax and be more wasteful. At $ 199 per container, I want to keep it all on the car and not on the floor or polishing bonnets. Picked the wax up on-line, www.detailing.com. Also grabbed other supplies to go with it. Jury is still out on how long it will last - we shall see! I use REJEX for my wheels, and aviation product, because brake dust won't stick to it....

ymg91150

Great job! (Btw: I love your wheels!)

I am practically obligated to use Swissvax products, as they are produced 20 minutes from where I live. These shots where taken after the last treatment.

drcollie

YMG - your car looks terrific. Have you been over to where they make the product and taken a tour? Bet it would be worthwhile if they are receptive to it. I'm sold on this stuff, if I have to re-apply every 6 weeks or so that's not a hardship. Daytime parking lot photos after application....it's definitely better than what I had on their before.

larspronne

swissvax makes some real nice products for sure, my favourites are the wax, leather cleaner and the tire dressing is awesome! perfect satin finish, last for a while and wont make the tires turn brown like so many other brands.
I've tested the mirage and the glacier wax(white color specific), and I am amazed with the durability! seen over 6 months in vicious norwegian weather and still beading water like crazy. I never thought this was possible with a wax- coming from ceramic and glass coatings like 22ple.
its all about the prep though, and maintainance. no harsh cleaning chemicals or scrub-washing and it lasts forever!

sezme

Car looks great. I also use Swissvax and have for years... The upside is the finished product. The downside is that since it's high in Carnuba the wax doesn't last for extended periods. I don't find this to be a problem since I want the best result possible - - and can always find time to wax more frequently.

Stu

Grunty

I find the p21s concours wax (or whatever it's called) to be a great value. While not cheap, it is not ridiculously overpriced and a little goes a very long way.