Clio 197
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FROM ONLINE WHICH?
Car polish
Our Best Buy polishes will not only make your car gleam, but they will protect it from the ravages of nature
Every newly polished bonnet is a prime-firing target for pigeons, or so it can seem. Our feathered friends can do considerable damage to a cars paintwork, so its wise to choose a polish that protects your car as well as one that makes it gleam.
But if you havent yet found a favourite brand, a shopping trip could leave you feeling somewhat perplexed. Is there a difference between wax and polish? Should you buy a colour-specific one? Should you buy a spray-on polish or one that is applied with wipes? Fear not, weve rolled up our sleeves and set to work with 25 popular polishes that youll find in car shops, garages or supermarkets. Our endeavours reveal not only which polishes will make your car gleam and which ones will best protect it from the elements but, also, which ones offer the best resistance to the dreaded bird droppings.
The full report:
Reviews products from Ambersil, Armor All, Autocare, Autoglym, Car Plan, Comma, Eagle One, Halfords, Mer, Simoniz, Sonax, Turtle Wax, Wonder Wax and Zymol
Explains how we tested the products
Tells you how often to polish...
...and how to get the best from your polishing
And reveals, which we found to be most pigeon-proof of them all!
Why Wax?
The terms wax and polish are used interchangeably in this article as, essentially, they do the same thing. There are two main reasons to polish your car. The first is to make it look nice. Polishes should add shine and help to conceal surface scuffs and marks (though theyre unlikely to mask scratches which have removed paintwork). The second is to help protect your cars bodywork against unavoidable environmental damage from things like rain, grime, salts, tree sap, and bird droppings. Even sunlight can cause harm.
Nowadays, the bodywork of new cars is given an anti-corrosion treatment and a clear hard protective topcoat over the colour layer. But, as the car ages, this barrier diminishes, leaving the bodywork duller and more exposed to the elements which can cause rusting. Keeping your car clean helps remove some of the agents which can cause damage and also helps to revive its appearance. But applying polish goes further by adding a physical barrier that can help prolong the life of a new cars topcoat or, on an older car, compensate for one thats deteriorated.
Staying Power
For some diligent people, polishing their car is a weekly pastime. But, for many of us, its considered a chore. So, if youd rather polish your car as seldom as possible, its best to choose a polish that will protect your car for as long as possible.
In our tests, all polishes gave good protection for as long as six weeks, while a few were still going strong after three months. You can tell how well your car is protected from the elements by looking at how well the surface repels one of bodyworks main enemies - water. If the surface is waxed, droplets of water rest on it in high, dome-shaped beads. This beading means that the waters making minimal contact with the surface and is less of a hazard. On an unwaxed surface, rather than being repelled, water droplets flatten and spread out. This is a good indication that extra protection is needed.
In our technical tests, we compared the water repellent qualities of the polishes by putting them on car panels and comparing them with untreated sections. We found that all polishes gave a measurable improvement in repelling water when first applied. After the equivalent of six weeks, all polishes were still giving good results compared with the untreated panels.
But, after three months of artificial rain, salt and sun weathering results were far more varied. Five of the polishes, particularly Eagle One, Halfords Rapid, Simoniz Max Wax Cream, Mer, and Turtle Wax High Gloss Spray, were scarcely better at repelling water than unpolished panels. The more durable polishes, however, really showed their mettle. Halfords Colour, Halfords Showroom, Teflon and Turtle Wax Colour polishes were still going strong. Comma Top Gloss was also fairly long lasting. These are the ones for you if youre a reluctant polisher.
How Good Does it Look?
us which waxes they thought gave the best finish. We used them on an 11-year old, red car to compare the appearance of the different polishes because we thought this was likely to highlight the biggest differences. Our panel of five polishers, including a professional valeter, assessed how much shine and gloss each polish added to the car. This judgement didnt take into account the quality or condition of the cars surface before polishing - the panel just rated how shiny they thought the polished area looked on its own merits. Their consensus was that Autoglym Super Resin gave the most shine and gloss. But several polishes - particularly Car Plans Demon Shine and Halfords Rapid Wax - left our testers pretty underwhelmed.
Most polishes gave an even finish but our tests found that Zymöl Cleaner Wax and Comma Top Gloss both left some streaking and smearing.
Scuffs and Scratches
After 11 years on the road, our cars paintwork was blotchy, faded and dull, with plenty of scuffs and scratches. So the team assessed the extent of overall improvement each polish could bring. The best products were the Halfords Williams F1 Team and the Car Plan Triplewax. These are your best bets if you want to improve the appearance of an old car. But if minor scuffs and scratches are your primary concern, the Triplewax stood out as the best. For deeper scratches that have removed paint, youll need specialist products or a bodyshop.
The Costs Compared
Its tricky to work out which polishes give the best value for money. This could vary depending on consistency (some are runnier than others), how often you need to use them, and how big or old your car is. Weve tried to give some indication of comparative costs by calculating the cost per millilitre. Sadly, our budget didnt extend to trying out Zymöls Vintage wax which, at £1,300 (refillable for life), costs more than many second-hand cars. Youd have to be a very enthusiastic car polisher to get your moneys worth with that brand.
Best Buys
No single polish excelled in all our tests. If your main priority is longer-lasting protection, we recommend Turtle Wax Color Magic Plus £8.99 and Halfords Colour Polish £7.99.
These two proved to last longer than most of the other polishes - they gave excellent protection for up to three months - and did a reasonable job at adding shine and gloss. Turtle Wax comes in eight different colours, and Halfords polish in seven.
Comma Top Gloss Car Polish £4.99 also gave fairly long-lasting protection and a good finish. However, it proved a bit messy to use.
If you are trying to revive your cars good looks - perhaps to prepare it for sale - we recommend Halfords Williams F1 Team £9.99 and Car Plan Triplewax £4.99. They give good medium-term protection. Turtle Wax Metallic Liquid £5.99 is also worth considering. Simoniz Teflon Polish was one of the best protectors but rated poorly for appearance. So we havent made it a Best Buy
