# FAQs about Collinite - Choice of the Pros.



## MrDUB (Nov 17, 2008)

*Is your wax clear-coat safe?*
Yes. 
The following waxes are clear-coat recommended: 
- 845 Insulator Wax 
- 476s Super Doublecoat Auto Wax 
- 885 Fleetwax Paste
- 915 Marque D'Elegance Auto Wax

*Should I always apply one of your cleaners (920 Fiberglass Boat Cleaner or 840 Prewax Cleaner) before waxing*?

It is not always necessary. Take a look at each scenario, depending on if you are working on your car or boat.

Boat: If it is older (more than 6 years) and has any oxidation, dirt or film embedded in the paint, use the cleaner first, then apply the wax. If the paint appears to be clean after a wash, then simply apply the wax and skip the cleaner. Collinite also makes a one-step formula called the #870 Liquid Fleetwax, which is a cleaner-wax combo. Its durability is not as strong as cleaning and waxing separately, but you will still get 2-3 months out of it. Also, if you have a larger boat (25+ ft.), it is a nice time saving option to have, which is why it is Collinite's #1 seller in the Marine Industry.

Car: Only use the cleaner if the car is a non-clear coat lighter finish (white, silver, tan). Clear coats and newer finishes do not require a cleaner, and simply require a wax protectant. Always apply wax after using a cleaner.

*What is the difference between the 476s and the 915 Marque D'Elegance?*

In terms of durability, the 476s lasts an average of one month longer than the 915. 
The 915 has more carnauba wax in the formula, and its finishing result is a warmer shine, and it is slightly easier to work with.

The 476s is the most durable product offered by Collinite, which is why it requires a little more rubbing and elbow grease.

*
What is the difference between the 845 and the 476s?*

The 845 and 476s are made with the same ingredients, but the 476s lasts longer due to the fact that it has a higher concentration of natural and synthetic waxes. This is why the 476s is tougher to work with. The 845 has been Collinite's overall best seller for 20 years due to the fact that it has excellent durability combined with an ease of use.

*How long does your wax last*?

Liquid/Gel Wax (845 and 925): 5-7 months depending on UV exposure.

Paste Wax (476, 885): 9-11 Months depending on UV exposure.

Marque D'Elegance (915): 8-10 months depending on UV exposure

Keeping your car in the sun all the time will slightly reduce these figures, and so will washing your car constantly with highly potent grease-cutting soaps. The wax is meant to protect your paint from the elements, so anything more than a non-abrasive soap is not necessary. Many times, hosing off your vehicle and drying it off with a towel will keep it looking great while preserving the coat of wax you applied.

*Would you recommend waxing with a liquid/gel wax or paste wax?*
This is personal preference. Both will give you very similar shine and protection. There is a direct correlation between difficulty of job and durability. The paste is considerably harder to work with, but the protection in terms of length of durability is superior. The liquid/gel application is more popular among users because it is considerably easier to work with and still lasts around 6 months.

*If I wax my car/boat twice, will it give double the durability?*
Waxing twice in a row will increase durability greatly, but it is not necessary. The products are formulated in order to provide lasting protection, and are not needed to be applied one right after the other.

But, if you wish to go over your car twice just to be safe, go over the hood, roof and trunk, as it will lend itself to the most rainfall and UV exposure. The sections of a car that will rust the quickest are around the wheel wells, so be sure that these are also protected.

For a boat, the hull will need the most protection because it is constantly in water


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

Collinite certainly make durable products, but where is the substantiation for the durability claims? They seem quite excessive, even for a hybrid sealant/wax, if taken at face value.

If 'depending on UV exposure' means locking a panel in a dark room with no UV light, then they could be entirely realistic - but most other competitive products would have extremely high durability/longevity as well. Garaged cars driven once a year are kinder to waxes than those driven every day in bright sunshine 

I presume this information is marketing info straight from the factory.


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## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

Dodo Factory said:


> Collinite certainly make durable products, but where is the substantiation for the durability claims? They seem quite excessive, even for a hybrid sealant/wax, if taken at face value.
> 
> If 'depending on UV exposure' means locking a panel in a dark room with no UV light, then they could be entirely realistic - but most other competitive products would have extremely high durability/longevity as well. Garaged cars driven once a year are kinder to waxes than those driven every day in bright sunshine
> 
> I presume this information is marketing info straight from the factory.


I think it's the same as some of the other waxes out there claiming to have up to one year of durability. Sure, it CAN last up to one year and if someone can afford those waxes chances are that the car is not driven too often, therefore the claim holds some water. I think if they want to use this as a selling point these claims should be regulated somehow, making the manufacturers state "under XYZ conditions" it could last for up to "XYZ" time. I think it's just as misleading as the crazy carnauba claims.


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

It is a shame if this is what is going on, and it would be nice if Mr DUB could say where the info was from.

A substantially natural wax is likely to last 2-3 months in average UK climate and use, a hybrid sealant/wax could last 3-5 months, a pure sealant could last 5 months plus... but that is about it under normal conditions as most people would understand or expect them to be. The only products that could technically last longer are those that actually physically bond with the paint (becoming part of the paint/clearcoat itself).


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## GeeJay (Jun 10, 2007)

I'm definitely taking the durability figures with a pinch of salt, but we all know 476s is a bl00dy durable LSP and a lot of people's choice for winter protection.
However thanks for posting the useful info about the comparisons between waxes :thumb:


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## MrDUB (Nov 17, 2008)

just to clear up, this info came to me directly from collinite themselves.

This man i believe: 









*Charles H. Collins
The Founder of Collinite Wax*

Every company claims thier product will do this and that, however, as we all know what really counts is what the 'people' say who actually use the product themselves.

collinite seems to have a cult following at this stage.

just my 2 cents.

Regards


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

That's just the bit I don't understand... Collinite is a great performing LSP so there's no reason to rely on hyperbole and astounding claims... it's like S and Z with their carnauba percentages... why do they feel the need to post sky high figures on the labels when the products are very good anyway? I just find it a bit odd. In most industries it's the poor performers who use every marketing angle in the book, yet in the wax industry it's the ones that don't need to use these techniques that seem to major in them.

As a manufacturer FAQ the post is pretty interesting (I am a Collinite customer myself with some 915) but then stuff like 'choice of the pros' devalues it as marketing spiel.

Some of what is said is interesting in its own right though... I mean saying that a prewax cleanser isn't required for clearcoats is interesting... that's worth of debate and I'm sure we'd love to hear more, in the most positive way  Then the section about paste waxes and liquid waxes is interesting as it contradicts itself... the answer is actually to do with the chemistry of the product and the solids content. Pastes are generally higher performers, like for like. But the answer says there is no difference, then that there is one. It is a shame it couldn't be more clear cut. It's like the marketing gets in the way.


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

MrDUB said:


> just to clear up, this info came to me directly from collinite themselves.
> 
> This man i believe:
> 
> ...


Cheers Mr DUB. I doubt it came from Charles directly though


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## Islander78 (Sep 30, 2007)

I for one agree with the durability of the 845....Where I live(quite sunny compared to UK, currently 14ºC Min and 22ºC Max) The 845 lasted longer than 6 months on a poorly mantained daily driver. Currently testing the 915 and it´s 6 months beading strong....


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Durability claims are always going to be open to debate. How does one assess whether there is wax on the panel or not and what level of protection is being offered is all particularly contentious issues as there are many "accepted" methods being employed. I consistently find if we base our assumptions on water behaviour then quoted durability figures come out lower than if we base our assumptions on various aspects including water behaviour but also including the squeak test - in my eyes the latter is far more telling as it takes into account more factors the change on the paint surface which can mislead one into thinking the wax has "failed".

We also know well that durability depends on the conditions cars are exposed too... I find I get excellent durability on a colleague's car which drives 10 miles a day to work through town and a short country road... I find my car which works harder for its living on motorways, country roads gets less but also find my dad's car gets least of all as its parked every weekend at a beach and the sea salt spray really reduces the durability of the LSP - I use the latter car as my main test bed as it properly challenges a wax. But we must not simply go on one durability report, but rather take information form a variety of sources and form some sort of average...

Doing this, we can see clearly that Collinite does come out if not at the top, very close to it... Likewise Zaino and latterly we are seeing Finish Kare hitting the charts in this respect. Pinnacle, Chemical Guys XXX, Dodo Orange Crush for me are at the other end of the scale, though others report better durability from one or other of these... But on average we say certain waxes lower performing than others...


The paint cleansing issue is an interesting one, and what is said there can be right or wrong depending on viewpoint... for a new car, paint cleansing should not be necessary but in honesty I would personally still recommend it, and while one may argue that regular waxing will protect paint from fade or needing cleansed, I'd dispute this. Bonded contamination cannot be removed by reapplying waxes so a form of cleansing should be carried out regularly IMHO, depending on the conditions a given car is exposed too... not to mention of course that its the cleansing and polishing stages which deliver the majority (or one may argue, all) of the looks to the paint finish - leaving this step out I certainly would not recommend.


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

Wise words DKG.

The durability question is a bit of a chestnut as, for example, the Orange Crush recipe you have reported on may not be the one actually being sold today (a new recipe was introduced as ongoing product improvement a few months back) and applying/layering products in a certain way can make a difference. We have had reports of 5 months for SNv1 durbility and that is a wax you found to be less durable... this was with 3x layers on a frequently used car, but we have to treat very high durability claims with just as much scrutiny as very low ones. The fact is carnauba does so much, synthetics have the capability of doing more - should durability be an overriding concern compared to ease of use, looks or whatever.

Re clearcoat not requiring paint cleansing, I would disagree as this picks up a lot of airborne contaminants as well as dust/dirt and pre-wax cleansers shift a lot on paintwork. You only need to look at the colour of an m/f or pad to see how much grime they can remove. I clayed a car the other day and the clay looked clean after... then cleansed and you could see how much extra dirt was removed.


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## hartzsky (Dec 23, 2007)

*Keeping your car in the sun all the time will slightly reduce these figures, and so will washing your car constantly with highly potent grease-cutting soaps* A small sentence in that commentary that might get missed. Someone define *"slightly *for me. How many people don't have there car in the sun? Not many I would bet. Unfortunately, durability claims on alot of products are vastly overrated. Lets look at Klasse AIO, claims 6 months or more. Not even close to 6 months in my tests, cut that in half and maybe more. Blackfire AFPP claims 6 months. Not even close in my tests, again cut that in half or more. Its like walking into the store and the sine says "*up to* 80% off!" The misleading part most people miss is the 2 little words that say "*up to*". So you walk in the store, 1 or 2 items are 80% while the rest is 40%. But they suckered you in with the 80% sign, but alas don't forget the 2 crucial words in the slogan, *"up to".* Alot of people miss this when they buy products. "Get *up to* 6 months protection with my wax!" Well, If it doesn't go 6 months, the company has an ace of spades in there pocket, they simply say, "we never claimed 6 months, we said *up to *6 months." So essentially it could go for 2 weeks and be gone and the seller is off the hook, again, by those 2 little words that most people miss and sellers will gladly add in there marketing campaign.


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## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

hartzsky said:


> sellers will gladly add in there marketing campaign.


The same concept goes for almost every consumable product on the market like with manufacturers' suggested usage of a product and expiration dates. They tell you to use X amount of their product, and you do, because "they" are the experts, thus we consume even more... Expired? Crap, gotta go buy more even though technically there's not a thing wrong with it. Expiration dates save the manufacturer's bum, but they're also another blessing because they can grossly underestimate the expiration date which causes us to consume faster and more. I have a couple old cans of wax (Johnson's and Formula 1) that say the entire can is good for about 6 waxings! Holy sh^t! Who the hell uses that much wax?? A lot of sheep do, that's who. My favorite is with doctors though . "Take these and come back in a week." WTF do I need to come back for if the pills you're giving me are going to cure my ailment?? Because doctors are also business men, that's why.


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## akimel (Oct 25, 2008)

Here is the URL for the Collinite FAQ page: Collinite FAQ


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## karl_liverpool (Sep 25, 2008)

i dont think water behavior is a good indicator myself i know of a few wash soaps(non wax) that bead like a well protected car


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