# Autoglym High Definition Wax



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

As a self confessed fan of Autoglym's products, especially SRP and Bumper Care, it would have been rude not to take the opportunity to try out their new High Definition wax... and today's detail (full write up tomorrow when finished) on a Honda Accord was an ideal opportunity to see what the product was going to deliver.

So - the finish on the car before waxing, fresh from being machine polihsed with Menzerna PO85RD Final Finish:










Already a deep glossy finish to the paintwork brought about by carefully burnishing it to a high gloss with a fine finishing polish... But some waxes can add just a tiny little extra to a finish like this - was AG's new one going to fall into the category??

First of all the paintwork was lightly cleansed and glazed using Clearkote Yellow Cream Wax - really like this product as it does add a subtle wettness to the finish, like #7, but retains excellent ease of use.

The High Definition was then applied, uisng the supplied applicator pads... strange pads, and on first outing I was finding them rather prone to turning up at the corners... too thin? Didn't take long to become fully used to them on the test panels though, and I was confident theyd apply very well on this car - and indeed they did, without the slightest hint of marring to the very delivate Honda paint finish. One applied, nice and thin, the wax was left 10 mintues until it happily passed the swipe test and then it remved with great ease - almost as easily as Chemical Guys 50/50 wax! A big plus point, indeed even where it was applied rather thickly it still removed with great ease.

The finish after wax:










It is very hard to tell from pictures the effects of the wax on the finish, so small is the nuance delivered from any LSP... in the flesh though, both Bryan and I commented that it did indeed add a little something to the finish. The look reminded me of P21S, the same kind of sparkly nuance, but with added depth of gloss over the P21S. Not quite the thick gloss left by Victoria Concours wax, but not far off and coupled to a sparkly nuance, the finish left by this wax impressed me... At £40, it puts itself in against Victoria, Dodo and Pinnacle to name but a few - but it aquits itself really rather well in this league - ultimately I prefer the thicker gloss of the Victoria Concours wax, but the High Definition certainly has a solid place in my detailing collection and I would personally rate it above my favourite £30 Dodo wax, the Banana Armour. They are all very close, and it would ultimately be personal preference, and this is mine...

What I can happily say though, is the High Definition didn't disappoint - indeed, it impressed! 

So whats wrong with it? Well, whats wrong with Vauxhall? The badge!! Its an Autoglym product which unfortunately will not win it any favours in the detailing community as a whole where brand still seems to be (far too) important... Put another badge on this wax, and it would be far more popular than it ultimately will be, which is a shame, but thats the way of things. Its a hugely competitive product, highly capable in terms of ease of use and in terms of the look it adds to the finish - it deserves to do well in my book, and I hope that the Autoglym bashers out there will see past the badge to appreciate fairly what this product has to offer.

Big thumbs up from me. :thumb:


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

A very nice finish Dave but finding it hard to appreciate the difference in the photo's but it does look extremely well.


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## phil440 (Aug 19, 2007)

i took the plunge and purchased some of this wax last week but only paid £30 so i thought for that much id give it a try 1 of my old friends who is a detailing nut but cant do the work his self had the perfect car to test it on a night hawk black ctr, did the usual prep work and finished with high definition i found it quite easy to apply if the applicator was damp just like 476s and after 10-15mins buffed off and i must say I'm NOT a autoglym fan and neither is my friend but we were both very impressed with the results very slick sharp finish but the big bonus point was the ease of use in my eyes. cant really comment on durability but again that is a time will tell matter but overall id give it a thumbs up


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

cheers Dave - good little review and look forward to the full write up...


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## HC1001 (May 27, 2007)

I should have mine tomorrow, got it nice and cheap can't wait to use it now!!! Cheers Dave.....:thumb:


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## dubsport (Aug 25, 2007)

Excellent writeup Dave with very fair comments there. . . 

Just recieved mine this week, looking forward too geting a few minutes to try it out :thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Gleammachine said:


> A very nice finish Dave but finding it hard to appreciate the difference in the photo's but it does look extremely well.


It is very difficult, I'd venture to say impossible to tell in photos... Do the same with, say, Swissvax Mystery, and in photos you'll not spot any difference either - the subtlety of the nuances delivered by LSP products are very hard to pick out even in the flesh


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## Wol (Mar 31, 2008)

tried HD wax for the first time yesterday. i must say the application and removal is so quick and easy. did a good job on a black seat ibiza as a follow up to radiant wax(SRP). im like many, i try and avoid the 'commoness' of AG, i see it a bit like the chav of the detailling world. but there are afew exceptions and this may just be one of them. plus i cant really say no when my AG rep will sell me a kit for £20 ...:thumb: 

anyway, to conclude, for anyone who either likes or dislikes AG, this HD wax is definately worth a try at the very least, but i think most will be pleasantly surprised.


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## westwood (Nov 3, 2007)

i have used some autoglym products in the past and found some good and some not so good, but alot of it is down to personal preference. i have had a litre of autoglym's liquid hardwax and i love the finish it gives so will defo have to try the high def wax, will have to see my autoglym rep...


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## Gandi (Dec 18, 2007)

I'll defo be trying this soon as im due some new waxes in the next few weeks so ill add this to the list


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## Mr.Mexi (Feb 23, 2007)

thanks Dave - you talk sense! Some fools just say "that's S**T" or "this is cool", I like the way you always explain _why_ you reached a decision! I may try this when my Collinite 915 runs out 

P.S. I totally agree with you on both Autoglym and Vauxhall cars!

Rob


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

whats the durability supposed to be like?


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

I've had some on my car since release date, and its still beading really well.

I've just started using Vics and DoDo too, and I think I prefer the finish they offer, but AG is VERY good, especially for £25 some people are paying for it.

It's also by far the easiest to use.

I have NXT2.0 too now, so I will try them all, and see how they last...


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

bidderman1969 said:


> whats the durability supposed to be like?


Will update on this as I monitor it on the cars I have applied it to - initial impressions of its first test looked very promising though so I am confident its durability will be a match for its price rivals... whether or not it can take on Collinite is another matter.


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## mouthyman (May 1, 2006)

another great writeup, thanks dave


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## rich.h44 (Apr 5, 2008)

I got some of the hd wax at the end of feb only got round 2 useing it a few wks ago!my mate (v6-dave) used it before me and said it good!any way i was well impressed with it,its been on the car around 3wk and its still beading realy well!i used it on top of srp and uds!


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## HAWKEY_SKYLINE (Mar 23, 2008)

i had a demo pot of the wax off the rep over the weekend and as said ealier it goes on and comes off very easy only got a couple of pics thou sorry !

























looks awsome fair play will defo be using in the future :thumb:


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## Tyrrell (Jan 29, 2007)

I personally love AutoGlym products, i shall be purchasing a tub of this. 

If its good enough for the Queen its good enough for me !!


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## dominic84 (Jan 27, 2007)

Good review :thumb: My rep showed me some last week and I was pretty impressed - I'd really like to see what it's like on top of Polycharged AG Liquid Hardwax because that combination alone never fails to impress me.


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## PootleFlump (Jan 1, 2006)

Tyrrell said:


> If its good enough for the Queen its good enough for me !!


Aye, her majesty loves bending over the bonnet of her bentley and give it a good rub.


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## HAWKEY_SKYLINE (Mar 23, 2008)

PootleFlump said:


> Aye, her majesty loves bending over the bonnet of her bentley and give it a good rub.


and phil in the background saying "lizzy darling you missed a bit "
lol:lol:


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

HAWKEY_SKYLINE said:


> i had a demo pot of the wax off the rep over the weekend and as said ealier it goes on and comes off very easy only got a couple of pics thou sorry !
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Gorseinon!


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## HAWKEY_SKYLINE (Mar 23, 2008)

ten points !lol 
i can see that you also reside in this area lol
how do mate ?:wave:


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

Yup, just round the corner from the shop in fact. Its a small world.


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## HAWKEY_SKYLINE (Mar 23, 2008)

your right it is lolif you see me out there cleaning pop in and say hi lol:thumb:


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## speedyscoob (Mar 13, 2007)

Here's my efforts. really should check other posts before i try to start new ones DOH.:newbie:


























cheers craig


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## IanG (Nov 21, 2007)

Used it for the first time today and quite impressed with it very east to use and the shine on the paintwork is lovely

View attachment 3596


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## S-M (Apr 19, 2006)

well i have just been sent a 10quid voucher from ebay for nothing at all, so i figure i will put it towards a pot of high def wax from ebay, could have sworn i saw them for around 28quid

18quid a pot sounds decent


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## Tyrrell (Jan 29, 2007)

i'm really excited about this wax!! i saw a box of it on the shelf at the weekend and had to stop myself from buying it !! i seriously have an addiction for detailing supplies !!!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Another advantage of this wax from a detailer's perspective is its wide availability... ie off the shelf in the shops. I know that with out excellent online traders, this is of little relevance to us - but many people like to just buy their products from the shops which is fair enough. When you finish off a detail for someone, if you can tell them to nip to their local motor factor and grab this wax (as its damn good so they wont be disappointed) to keep up the maintenance on the car, then its great IMHO.


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## Chris_4536 (Sep 20, 2006)

Excellent mini-review Dave.

The thing I notice in the after pic is that it almost looks as if an extra light has been turned on!
If you look closely at the 'ridges' on the bonnet for example, they reflect the white of the wall/ceiling with a far 'brighter' effect.

Very good :thumb:

Nice colour on the Honda too!


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## S-M (Apr 19, 2006)

S-M said:


> well i have just been sent a 10quid voucher from ebay for nothing at all, so i figure i will put it towards a pot of high def wax from ebay, could have sworn i saw them for around 28quid
> 
> 18quid a pot sounds decent


mine arrived today

the car (white impreza) had fresh paintwork on monday morning on both rear doors and rear 1/4 panels

tuesday it had this

800gritt wet sand
1200gritt wetsand
G3 via rotary
G10 via rotary
AG SRP via rotary

at this point the HD wax was supposed to be delivered but an email told me it was delayed so i sealed the whole lot up with some spare stage 2 diamondbrite i had kicking about

today adding the hd wax, to be honest i was not expecting much, with the paintwork as it was (rain refusing to stay on the car etc etc)but it seams to have given the car more gloss, which i was surprised about.

the rear bumper was resprayed this morning so nothing was applied to it, could use the rear bumper to compare another product, just not sure what to put on it yet


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## Bence (Dec 21, 2006)

I wouldn't put this on a fresh repaint.


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## mouthyman (May 1, 2006)

well after reading this I decided to get some, recieved it yesterday but if the weather is better next week i want to correct the car before giving it a few coats of this.

i was unsure on whether to put this on or one of my other waxes, but i want to try it and if Dave thinks its good then i trust his judgement, im sure i wont be disapointed :thumb:


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## Lewis. (Feb 26, 2008)

I too have a lot of this I managed to get cheaply from my brother in law. It's pretty damn good and smells a bit like surf wax. I put a lot on and it was a tad tough to buff off but that because I out so much on. I would recommend it. Found it came off and left less smear than fk1000. Never that impressed with this stuff despite all the amazing reviews. Always seems to dull down the finish after I've polished it.


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## Ben108 (Jul 26, 2014)

Holy thread resurrection! 

Side note - I do want to try this wax.


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## mbenz76 (Jan 29, 2010)

Used HD Wax for the first time recently after buying a new car (Black Mercedes E Class) and not wanting to pay the dealer to treat the paintwork (my last E Class was treated with Mercedes Star Guard and I wasn't impressed0.

I'm a pretty big AG fan, and have never had a bad experience with their products, but having had cars dealer treated with the polymer seals for the last 10-12 years, it's a long time since I applied a wax!

Got car early October and weather was pretty good. Couldn't wax for a week, so when I could I jet washed it down, then snow foamed it (AG Pressure Washer) followed by jet washing to rinse, and this brought the dust and minor dirt off the car so well that I didn't need to bucket wash at all. Towel dried and then used AG Rapid Detailer to get out the small water stains I had missed etc.

Got HD Wax on a 3 for 2 deal in Halfords (Amazon is still cheaper but needed it fast), and applied as per instructions. I did a panel at a time in case the weather turned on me (no bad weather forecast, but you never know!) and left for 15mins before buffing off with the cloth provided. Very easy to apply and to remove, leaving no smears anywhere. The E Class is a big car so took me 2-3 hours to finish the whole car.

The finish was excellent when I had done - used a couple of microfibre cloths to dust off any remnants of white wax powder.. As good if not better than when I had it unveiled at the dealership the week previous.

Yes, the wax is reasonably expensive at £45 per pot, but I estimate based on how much I used that the pot will do me 8-10 waxes of my car, so at £4.50 a time that is pretty good value.

After a couple of weeks the car got pretty dirty but the wax did a good job of keeping the flat surfaces (bonnet and boot lid) clean when it rained and the water bobbled just as it should. Water continued to bobble on the lower doors even though they were pretty dirty by now but not as good as the last surfaces.

Next wash I used the AG foam again, followed by AG Shampoo Conditioner and my Supernatural wool mitt and the dirt came off like butter off a hot plate. The wax really protects the car and stops the dirt getting stuck on.

I was going to wax a second time even though not needed just to add another layer for winter, but didn't have the daylight on my side so used the AG Aqua Wax as a top up wax when washing (AG themselves recommend it for this purpose).

If we get another good weekend then I'll give it another coat of HD Wax for winter, but it certainly doesn't need it.

AG also recommend this as good for alloy wheels as well, so when weather is good I'll give them a coat as well. My wheels are diamond cut black painted so want to keep them looking their best - I'll report back on how it performs.

In short, I strongly recommend this wax. Easy to apply and buff off, and leaves a superb finish.


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## Berylburton (Sep 14, 2013)

mbenz76 said:


> Yes, the wax is reasonably expensive at £45 per pot, but I estimate based on how much I used that the pot will do me 8-10 waxes of my car, so at £4.50 a time that is pretty good value.


With all respect, I think you are applying far too much. I have used this product on my wife's car about 6 times and it looks like I have enough left for another 40-50 coverings.


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## mbenz76 (Jan 29, 2010)

Berylburton said:


> With all respect, I think you are applying far too much. I have used this product on my wife's car about 6 times and it looks like I have enough left for another 40-50 coverings.


There is every chance I am! Like I said, first time waxing in about 10-12 years! Looks pretty good though, so if I am using too much, I like the results 

Seriously though, does applying more than necessary serve any purpose? Does it make the layer going on any thicker, or just waste wax?


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

mbenz76 said:


> There is every chance I am! Like I said, first time waxing in about 10-12 years! Looks pretty good though, so if I am using too much, I like the results
> 
> Seriously though, does applying more than necessary serve any purpose? Does it make the layer going on any thicker, or just waste wax?


As with any wax, thin, thin, thin is the way to go. Spreading it like butter is just wasting it.


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

You need just enough to be able to put an even thin film on the paint - if you can see any evidence of the waxed applicator pad having been over the paint, then that really is plenty enough. 

When you put the applicator pad into the tub, just use the lightest wipe to pick up a very light smear of wax. When you are waxing the car, it becomes easier if you give the paint an occasional mist spray of water when the applicator starts to bog down and drag, in order to keep it moving and work the wax out further across the paint.

Any more than that wont get you better results and will just be harder to buff off.

When you have done that and buffed it all off to a lovely shine, give it half an hour or so then repeat the process.

Job done - your car will then look lovely for months and months.

As others have said, a tub of HD Wax should be enough to do at least 30 coats of wax, maybe quite a few more. That's quite seriously the level of thinness we are talking about when applying this wax.


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## andystevens (Dec 12, 2011)

Bence said:


> I wouldn't put this on a fresh repaint.


Shouldn't put any wax on fresh paint for at least 3 weeks unless it has been baked & then put under an infared lamp.


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## Mr Whippy (May 6, 2006)

I've a pot of this from 2010 ish which has gone a bit dry and the block (about 3/4 of a pot) has shrunk maybe 20%

Is there any way you can melt this down and re-activate with a new solvent to get it 'right' again?

I remember using it a few years back when it was maybe 10% shrunk and it went on ok, it just needed to get nice and warm... but now it's even drier I'm not sure.


Interestingly, my pink poorboys wheel sealant from the same vintage is still as fresh as ever.
It's quite sad that AG provide such a crappy pot for their most expensive wax.

Dave


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

I wouldn't want to try and re melt and set it again. There never quite the same. Just try really working it and hopefully the dried portion will become oily again


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## greymda (Feb 16, 2014)

i've remelted my Nattys Blue and it's doing its job pretty well afterwards

just use a double-boiler.


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## sgllan89 (Apr 7, 2014)

i like the HD wax used it a few times however wasn't to fond of the applicator pads my hands seemed to cramp up when using them.


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## MB-BTurbo (Nov 27, 2011)

I think the car looks worse with Autoglym HD wax in the original post. Ironically and in contradiction to its name there is less definition on the reflections. The edges of the lights and shelving are not as crisp and fine details are missing.

Im sure for longer term protection it is better than not using the wax but for adding anything to the appearance, then no.


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## Autoglym (Apr 10, 2008)

Mr Whippy said:


> Is there any way you can melt this down and re-activate with a new solvent to get it 'right' again?
> Dave


Short answer is no. HD Wax isn't as simple as melting a load of ingredients together then waiting for it to set. The end result of a re-melt/set wouldn't be HD Wax anymore. It will be something, but not something we'd be happy with. Sorry!


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## chepch (Aug 6, 2016)

Sorry to drag up old threads but I think this stuff is awesome!! 

So easy to apply and results are fantastic. Great product and would recommend to anyone.


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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

GleemSpray said:


> You need just enough to be able to put an even thin film on the paint - if you can see any evidence of the waxed applicator pad having been over the paint, then that really is plenty enough.
> 
> When you put the applicator pad into the tub, just use the lightest wipe to pick up a very light smear of wax. When you are waxing the car, it becomes easier if you give the paint an occasional mist spray of water when the applicator starts to bog down and drag, in order to keep it moving and work the wax out further across the paint.
> 
> ...


Solid advice.


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