# Turtle Wax Ice Paste Wax & Detailer Review



## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

****UPDATE ON PAGE 2****
****ANOTHER UPDATE ON PAGE 2****
****NEW UPDATE ON PAGE 4****

I gave both of these products a go on the Panda this afternoon and thought I'd give them a little write up either good or bad.

To give the products a "fair" test, the mixture of HD Wax and Tough Coat that has been on the bonnet since August/September time was stripped using Carack NSC, and to make the durability test fair, this was then removed using Trix, then rinsed/washed again to leave clean, bare paint. So anyway, on to the review...

First up is the paste wax, which came in a kit with its own applicator and an MF towel:

The box:









The contents:









Unusually, the wax had foil covering it, presumably to keep it fresh but I've not seen this before:









And the actual product inside:









The wax smells of crayons, or at least I think it's crayons. Kind of an old-school wax smell which I sort of like. It's very hard which didn't surprise me and had also cracked a bit around the edges as you can see in the picture above.

Turtle Wax recommend that you wet the applicator before applying the wax so I thought I'd follow the instructions to the letter. The wax was rock solid and it took a quite a bit of movement in the tub to load the applicator but after the first time it seems to load up easier. The wax appeared to liquefy on to the applicator leaving me with this:









I found the wax quite hard to spread, it was very grabby on the panel which isn't something I've experienced before. It was almost sticky but applied very easily despite this and in the end left a nice thin coat. The applicator that came with the kit is quite good IMO, it reminds me of a thin dual sided applicator and was easier to use than a normal applicator.

Once applied, I was left with this:









As you can see, the haze is extremely difficult to see. I'm not sure if this would be better on a dark car but it was a bit awkward to see where I was applying it but I've had this before with other LSP's on white anyway. I also applied it to the front grille trim just to see how it does. It's completely invisible when applied to trim by the look of it.

The wax was left to cure for just over 10 minutes and to my surprise, actually came off a lot easier than it went on. I wouldn't say it was the easiest to remove, but certainly up there and would classify IMO as an easy to use wax. It came off the trim easily and buffed up to a deeper/darker colour so also seems to double as a trim restorer.

After removal, I was left with this:

























Needless to say, I was quite impressed with the finish. The camera phone as always just doesn't do it justice. It's glossy, wet, reflective and doesn't seem to be any worse than some of my favourite LSP's. It's not the slickest LSP I found, but it's given a strange feeling to bonnet, almost like a smooth plastic layer applied over the paint. I've heard on some other forums that after a day or so, it becomes slicker which sounds interesting but I've seen this with FK1000P which seems to improve in terms of looks over a couple of days.

Now on the to the detailing spray which was used around 15 minutes after removal of the wax. I wasn't going to use it originally but was curious about how these two products would work together.

Here it is prior to application:









The directions state to apply the detailer liberally, but I didn't listen this time as I didn't want to potentially cause streaking and so I applied it like I would any other QD (2-3 sprays for the bonnet in this instance).

It wiped on quite easily, almost like spreading water really as it's completely see through. I then buffed it with the other side of the MF as directed and it left a nice glossy finish, which I would say added a tiny amount of gloss to the freshly applied Ice Wax:










Unsurprisingly, the QD added some more slickness to the wax. Not quite as much as FK425 which is my all time favourite but I wouldn't say this was far behind at all, especially in terms of the finish it left. For £6 which is what I paid, it's a steal and for double that, it would still be worth it IMO.

I hope this is informative enough and the thread will be updated whenever I wash the Panda to keep tabs on the durability.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Just thought I'd update the thread with some better photos. The sun's out today which gives a much better idea of what the finish looks like.


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Great review from yourself Millns, the paint is very reflective and glossy in the pictures, great work from yourself :thumb:

White is not a easy colour to reflect light from, this has to be one of the best white coloured cars I have seen on here, in terms of gloss wise :thumb:


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Trip tdi said:


> Great review from yourself Millns, the paint is very reflective and glossy in the pictures, great work from yourself :thumb:
> 
> White is not a easy colour to reflect light from, this has to be one of the best white coloured cars I have seen on here, in terms of gloss wise :thumb:


Cheers Trip, I think being nearly new and recently polished to near perfection certainly helps.

Just need it to rain now to see the water behaviour of this wax.


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

millns84 said:


> Cheers Trip, I think being nearly new and recently polished to near perfection certainly helps.
> 
> Just need it to rain now to see the water behaviour of this wax.


Hi Millns thanks for your reply on here, I have a feeling for the price of the wax and the whole package it's a decent product as it can be aplied everywhere even on trim :thumb:

I also have this wax in my collection Millns, but have not used it, will try this wax come spring time, and see how long the wax will last in normal conditions.

I'm glad it's a very easy wax to use, that's one benefit I like from a wax :thumb:

Shame you have got over 200 views from your thread, and only 1 replie, beats me


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Trip tdi said:


> Shame you have got over 200 views from your thread, and only 1 replie, beats me


I think the words "Turtle Wax" puts a fair few off, which admittedly was the case with me but for some reason I've always wanted to try this so I just went for it.

It supposedly beat Collinite 476 in a durability test by Auto Express, don't know what all that's about!


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## V5Ade (Jul 2, 2006)

I love the Ice paste, but for a weird reason. I use it on the outside of our brown UPVC windows and doors (as in the house). It keeps them looking like new!


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

I suppose UPVC can't be too different from trim on a car.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

This wax is awesomely durable - a customer once had it on his Boxster and it withstood both IronX and Tardis!


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

MidlandsCarCare said:


> This wax is awesomely durable - a customer once had it on his Boxster and it withstood both IronX and Tardis!


Yet you hardly ever hear of it. I'm impressed so far and would still be if I get a couple of months out of it, but by the sound of it I might be struggling to strip it in the spring


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## carlblakemore (Jun 30, 2006)

I think this wax will always suffer brand snobbery! I will try some when one of my many current waxes runs out! Good write up, thanks

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2


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## Mean & clean (Aug 19, 2007)

I have ICE detailer spray in my collection and I've always loved the gloss from it. The only downside IMO is it can streak when applied in cold weather, apart from that it's great.

The old formula ICE shampoo was also very good.


Sent from my GT-I8150 using Tapatalk 2


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## TooFunny (Sep 18, 2012)

I went through a phase of using the ICE QD, the only reason I stopped is AF Finale is so good over Toughcoat. The QD was very good, soooo glossy!! Great water behaviour too.


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Nice write up.Looks good to me.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

I'm only a novice to detailing, but I've been using the Ice Paste now for about three months and so far I've been very impressed with the results.

I've nothing to compare it with in terms of more expensive products, but I'm struggling to see how they could be that much better, especially as it doesn't leave white cack all over the trim and plastics.

I'll be most interested to see how you find it for longevity.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Joe the Plumber said:


> I'm only a novice to detailing, but I've been using the Ice Paste now for about three months and so far I've been very impressed with the results.
> 
> I've nothing to compare it with in terms of more expensive products, but I'm struggling to see how they could be that much better, especially as it doesn't leave white cack all over the trim and plastics.
> 
> I'll be most interested to see how you find it for longevity.


Well in terms of looks and ease of use I think it could be sold for double the RRP under another brand and nobody would question it. I wish I had tried it sooner really...

Durability sounds good from what others have said and I'll be updating the thread whenever the car's washed. :thumb:


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

millns84 said:


> I think the words "Turtle Wax" puts a fair few off, which admittedly was the case with me but for some reason I've always wanted to try this so I just went for it.
> 
> It supposedly beat Collinite 476 in a durability test by Auto Express, don't know what all that's about!


Hi Millns, there's nothing wrong with the brand Turtlewax but I do see your point :thumb:, infact they do some great products in there line up, I have used there Gloss Guard for years, and it is a strong performing sealant that is so easy to use, very versatile plus very cheap to buy :thumb:

I'm not to sure about Autoexpress's reviews and tests they conduct on products, makes me wonder how they test and score there products


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Looks pretty good to me.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

So here's the first update.

The car was washed for the first time today and the Turtle Wax was definitely a step ahead of the older HD wax on the car (as expected, as the HD wax has a 6-7 week head start).

I hadn't seen the beading from the Turtle Wax until today and was impressed with the water behaviour. It's quite a fast sheeter and any beads left over are very round.

Here's a couple of pics taken immediately after rinsing off snow foam:


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

So here's the second update. Again, this picture was taken just after snow foam so as to not show up any added beading/glossiness from the shampoo used:










As you can see, the beading is still very strong. Actually, I'd say the Ice wax is as new really. The sheeting and beading has not yet dropped off at all and neither has the appearance of the wax.

I'm now considering stripping off the older HD Wax and just using the Ice wax all over :thumb:


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Seems to be holding up not too bad.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Ross said:


> Seems to be holding up not too bad.


Yep, I can't see any difference in how it's performing.


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

should of bought it from halfrauds when the 3/2 was on oh well next time, panda looks cracking though:thumb:


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

suspal said:


> should of bought it from halfrauds when the 3/2 was on oh well next time, panda looks cracking though:thumb:


Got it for £11 off ebay so probably better than the 3 for 2 offer :thumb:


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

This is the cheapest I've found it for so far. Sadly the £1.99 offers people mentioned elsewhere seem to be long gone.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221089513682?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

that looks like its holding up very well andthe panda looks very well cared fr


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## B17BLG (Jun 26, 2012)

I actually have a pot of this in my detailing bag :/

When i used it about 2 and a half years ago I was very impressed but got caught up in buying a more exspensive wax! I think it gives a great gloss! Might even crack it out next time


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## Tsubodai (Oct 20, 2012)

Hmm, can't be bad for a tenner.
Might get some of this to try on my test car (ie the wife's)
Any reasons why this wouldn't work (well) on top of EGP on a black Pug 306?


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Tsubodai said:


> Hmm, can't be bad for a tenner.
> Might get some of this to try on my test car (ie the wife's)
> Any reasons why this wouldn't work (well) on top of EGP on a black Pug 306?


No reason it shouldn't go over the EGP. I've put it over clean paint this time just to see how it does on its own but will probably use it over an AIO in the future.

Also thinking about clearing out my other waxes if this stuff lasts well, still beading strongly at the moment despite a couple of weeks worth of dirt on it.


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## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

Whilst I can't deny the results, why do they call it a polish when by all appearances it is a 'wax'? I've never even picked this up to have a look, so am not entirely sure what it is meant to be...

Cracking finish you have on the Panda


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

nick.s said:


> Whilst I can't deny the results, why do they call it a polish when by all appearances it is a 'wax'? I've never even picked this up to have a look, so am not entirely sure what it is meant to be...
> 
> Cracking finish you have on the Panda


I think it's something the non-boutique brands sometimes use to muddy the waters given their usual target market. As we all know, 99% of people think a polish is a wax, and a wax is a polish etc, so my view is just that it's marketing and not wanting to be overly technical to people who don't usually care as much as we do on here.

I know the original TW formula, and some others they have made do have mild cleaners and fillers in, so more AIO products but as far as I know from reading as much as possible about Ice Wax, this is a 100% LSP.

Also, it's not a wax from what I've read...it's a sealant. :tumbleweed:


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

I've just re-applied the paste to our Fiesta after a couple of months. It was still beading pretty well, but I wanted to give it another coat before the winter really takes hold.

I'm very happy indeed with the results I've had from it so far.


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

Look like great products for the budget detailer:thumb:


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## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

millns84 said:


> I think it's something the non-boutique brands sometimes use to *muddy the waters* given their usual target market. As we all know, 99% of people think a polish is a wax, and a wax is a polish etc, so my view is just that it's marketing and not wanting to be overly technical to people who don't usually care as much as we do on here.
> 
> I know the original TW formula, and some others they have made do have mild cleaners and fillers in, so more AIO products but as far as I know from reading as much as possible about Ice Wax, this is a 100% LSP.
> 
> Also, it's not a wax from what I've read...it's a sealant. :tumbleweed:


I prefer this kind of murky h2o 










End of the day, if it gives people results they are happy with and it's a wallet saver, then it's win win really


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

nick.s said:


> End of the day, if it gives people results they are happy with and it's a wallet saver, then it's win win really


Absolutely right mate, and to be honest looking at the pics on page 1 when the sun came out, I think I prefer the finish this gives over everything else I've got. Tough Coat and HD wax both work really well on the Panda, but there's just that edge on glossiness that the Ice gave it. The water behaviour matches HD wax, but not quite as fast in sheeting as Tough Coat but the fact that it even compares with these is impressive.

The only way it could get tripped up now is durability, but it's going strong. HD wax is also still performing well on the other panels after three months now but I think the appearance has deteriorated faster than the Ice wax has over the 6 weeks it's been on the car.

I was hoping to give it a wash today for another update but the ice hasn't even melted yet so might leave it until next week :wall:


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

millns84 said:


> I was hoping to give it a wash today for another update but the ice hasn't even melted yet so might leave it until next week :wall:


Rather ironic, given the name of the stuff!


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Joe the Plumber said:


> Rather ironic, given the name of the stuff!


I did wonder if I should have said frost


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

Any further news about how you're getting on with this please?

I'm still very happy with it.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

It's not been washed since the last update I'm afraid 

I was meaning to give it a good going over last week/weekend but have managed to catch the flu so it'll have to wait. I'll see how I'm feeling at weekend, but for the time being it's still beading through the dirt


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Right, so here's the third update...

Despite battling man flu and a chest infection since last week, I went out and washed the Panda today. I think it was a big mistake but I'm digressing already...

It's been 7 weeks since the car was last washed and you could really tell, it was a disgrace! I actually changed my rinse bucket half way through as it was so black with dirt I didn't feel comfortable rinsing my wash pad in it.

When rinsing, I immediately noticed that the sheeting and beading of the wax have reduced dramatically, the same with the HD wax also on the car. I'd say both are now on their way to failing, with TW still having the edge as it's about 6 weeks fresher than the HD. I reckon another month will kill them both, maybe 6 weeks at most.

Another thing I noticed is that tomorrow, the wax has been on the car for 3 months, through a very wet, sometimes cold winter. There's been a build up of all sorts of crap on the bonnet, including salt from gritters and it's actually survived. I'm starting to wonder what it would have been like if I hadn't removed the AIO before applying, added another layer of wax and had been maintaining it with a QD (admittedly the HD wax has had QD on it)...perhaps it'd last very well with this kind of approach. Actually, it's lasted very well in general, especially given the price tag and brand perception this wax gets.

As usual, here are some below average quality pictures showing the water behaviour courtesy of Nokia:



















And one last picture just to show what the finish looks like:


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## carleko (Aug 6, 2012)

still a decent shine on the bonnet.I bought a bottle of TW high gloss wet look detailer from halfords a few weeks back mainly because it was on special offer £3.99 and used it has a QD i was that impressed i went back and bought another two bottles to keep in reserve gives a real wet look shine on top of farcela high gloss wax.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

To be honest I think the Ice detailer is better than anything I've used. It might not be multi-purpose like a lot of QD's but in terms of top-up protection and shine it's got everything I've used beaten now that I've used it a fair bit...


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## thtcrazyguy (May 22, 2013)

Love this thread, been looking for a good detailed review on Ice Paste for a while, and this has made up my mind! 

Only question i have is would this be good to use on top of AG SRP ? (ive just bought AG Shampoo, AG SRP & Ice Paste/Wax to give my new car a proper cleaning!)

Thanks!


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

thtcrazyguy said:


> Love this thread, been looking for a good detailed review on Ice Paste for a while, and this has made up my mind!
> 
> Only question i have is would this be good to use on top of AG SRP ? (ive just bought AG Shampoo, AG SRP & Ice Paste/Wax to give my new car a proper cleaning!)
> 
> Thanks!


I've not used SRP for years but there's no reason it wouldn't work great under Ice Wax, just like any other all in one product. I recently used VP Achilles Prep under Ice Wax and it worked just fine. :thumb:


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

I asked the same question a while back and was told it was 'a waste of the SRP'. However, with more experience now, I don't think it is.

I like SRP as it has a slight cutting action, but the only thing is, it does still leave white residue on anything that isn't painted. The Ice Paste is very good and leaves no residue at all, but having now just tried ArmorAll Shield:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Armor-All...ssories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item51acf54085

it's easier to apply and even better than the Ice Paste. I couldn't get over how much better our (already shiny) Fiesta looked after applying it. And the Shield for Wheels is fantastic, too.

The only downside I can find to the Shield is the amount you get means the tin of Ice Paste will last much longer before it runs out.

Although I'll probably get criticised for this, I reckon you could use SRP to restore any slightly tired paintwork as a one-off, and then use the Ice Paste (or preferably the Shield) on top regularly to keep it looking good.


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## johanr77 (Aug 4, 2011)

Is turtle wax ice not solvent heavy, reckon it would strip a good chunk of what srp lays down. The reason srp gets a good finish isn't because of the fairly light abrasives in it but the fillers, if you put something full of solvents on top are you not likely to clean the fillers out of the scratches?.


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## thtcrazyguy (May 22, 2013)

I have no idea Johanrr, can anyone else answer this? (im hoping to use SRP with the Ice Wax this afternoon!


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

I tried the SRP/Ice Paste combination on a dark blue Subaru and it seemed to work very well. 

The Ice Paste destroyed ordinary vinyl gloves in a couple of minutes (you need nitrile ones to avoid this) so it probably is quite high in solvents. The liquid version certainly is, but it's not as good either.


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## johanr77 (Aug 4, 2011)

Yeah I'm not saying don't do it but just making you aware that you may not get the end result you expect or want. The other way to do it is to use a light polish before turtle wax then you're not removing anything when you lay down the sealant. 

If the paint is in decent nick then a going over with srp will give it a light spruce up, if it's covered in swirls already you may find applying something with solvents takes something away from the finish that srp has given you.


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## thtcrazyguy (May 22, 2013)

Thanks both, I wasn't planning on wearing any gloves though....don't have any either, so will hope I don't hurt too bad after using it! If the weather stays nice today, will give it a go and let you know how it works out. Will take pics after the SRP and then after the ice wax has been used. 

Just bought 2 buckets, as I've read about the "2 bucket" method but not quite sure what it is?! Can someone enlighten me? I usually just use one bucket with shampoo to clean and rinse after with a separate bucket of fresh water! 

I've also bought a noodle mitt for washing!


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## johanr77 (Aug 4, 2011)

Bucket one = full of your car wash
Bucket two = clean water

Load up the mitt from bucket one, spread soap around the panel then dunk and rinse in bucket two to clean off any dirt or grit. When bucket two gets dirty/cloudy change for fresh water.


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## thtcrazyguy (May 22, 2013)

Thanks Johan, simple but effective I'm sure!


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

TBH I don't think the TW is that solvent heavy, certainly not like FK1000P or Collie.

I've not noticed it removing any filling ability of any AIO I've used with it (Carlack NSC, AB Cherry Glaze and VP Achilles Prep). I'd always use an AIO in any event to get the paint as clean and swirl free as possible prior to applying an LSP. The filling action and protection they offer is a bonus though, but like I said I've not seen this affected by the TW.


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## thtcrazyguy (May 22, 2013)

Thanks, I am planning on getting up early tomorrow morning and cleaning, got my AG Intensive Tar Remover, MF Noodle Mitt, AG shampoo, extra large MF drying towels, plenty of MF's AG Fast Glass, AG SRP, then TW Ice Paste! Will take some pics before, after the SRP and after the Ice Paste has been applied to let you know how it looks! Thanks again for the help.


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## thtcrazyguy (May 22, 2013)

Attached pic after SRP and TW ice paste applied. Gotta say, am very happy with the result!


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## Blackmondie (Mar 13, 2011)

:thumb: that's a very good looking car you've got there. how did the srp hold up against the ICE?


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

looking good :thumb:


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## sprocketser (Aug 4, 2012)

Great beading , been using the TW Detailer as well , does a great job so far .


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## thtcrazyguy (May 22, 2013)

Thanks for the comments guys. 

Compared to the SRP, the ice paste is harder to buff off, but if you have the time it's no trouble, I was rushing as my wife was out, my baby daughter was inside asleep and I was trying to get it all finished before she woke! My hands and forearms have definetly felt the effect after shampoo, polish & wax within 90 mins! 

The difference I found between after the SRP and after the ice wax, was that the paint felt smoother after ice wax and extra glossy. The ice was really easy to put on with the sponge applicator once a little wet. 

Thanks again for all the help! Looking forward to the next wash!


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## ClioToby (Oct 22, 2009)

Ive not used the Ice detailing spray for approx 4-5 years now but it was certainly good enough, for the price. I cant remember what sort of water behavior it produced but it was certainly good enough for removing dust (basically as you would any QD). I had to get some detailing spray from halfrauds last week and I was torn between Ice and Megs Synthetic. Went with Megs in the end.

They just call their stuff the wrong names, like this polish stuff.


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## alan1971 (Apr 11, 2013)

i used the tw paste wax yesterday on my bonnet, after it was applied i was'nt that convinced about it, but just over 24hrs later, i guess it does give a good shine.


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## thtcrazyguy (May 22, 2013)

Well it rained today and got to say, am loving the beading im getting from the ice wax paste!


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## alan1971 (Apr 11, 2013)

rained today, took a picture of the beading.


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## Coop5 (Jul 10, 2013)

I managed to spend the entire morning detailing our new Qashqai,

This Involved rinse, wash, clay, SRP and topped off with this Ice paste.

Our motor hasn't been washed properly yet so I wanted to do it well (As well as can be done by hand using over the counter stuff)

I have to say that this stuff is right up my street, for some reason I much prefer to get stuck in and actually feel the wax getting worked into the paint. Anyhow, the stuff goes on easy, it is a little tougher to remove, but all in all I am really happy with it.

Just going to see how long it lasts now :thumb:







Cheers for your help Millns84


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

That does look very nice. You should know about its beading qualities in the next 24 hours if the forecast is correct. 

Thanks for keeping us posted.


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