As you must realize, the sale of car wax is a fairly competitive business. This competition for the consumer's dollar causes some makers of wax to stretch the truth and make some exaggerated claims for their products. It's very hard for you the consumer to separate what's real from what's not! Here are a few sample claims you should be wary of!

When it comes to car wax claims, DON'T believe everything you hear or read. Always compare waxes in a side-by-side test and judge with your own eyes and intelligence!

LATEST HYPE! - "How about waxless products I've heard about?"

If they don't say their product contains wax, they must use some man-made substitute. A polymer, amino-functional silicones, urethane or acrylic or who knows what? These are formulated to penetrate the pores of the paint. Some even give a good shine. If they talk about molecules or curing from humidity in the air, that's one tip-off. If it can be applied in full sun, that's another give-away. Ask a body shop owner what happens when repainting if that stuff's been used. And...ask the maker of the product what ingredient in their product actually coats your car's paint.

Don't be fooled into thinking that Carnauba is bad or that it causes yellowing paint. This is just the latest 'Hype' used by companies that make car polish that does not contain expensive, imported real Carnauba Wax! The finest blends of Carnauba wax are still regarded by the experts as the best product to coat your automobile's paint!

This wax will last for 52 car washes!

What exactly do they mean by last? Do they mean you'll get great water beading until the 53rd car wash and then it'll stop? Will the paint be just as shiny through all 52 washes as when the wax was first applied? And then does it become dull at the 53rd wash? Will it make any difference if your car is kept outdoors all the time versus being garaged? Are the 52 washes spread over 1 year or is the car run through a car wash 52 times in just 1 day? Will the wax prevent the dulling continuous build-up of scratches that occur each time the car is washed?

This product will polish, clean, remove scratches and dirt...but doesn't contain abrasives.

This is a very popular claim and is used widely by many companies! Please tell us how they remove scratches without abrasives. We all know a scratch is a groove or valley in the paint. How do you remove a valley? You can either fill it with more paint or you can lower the 2 hills either side of the valley. How can you lower those hills without abrasive? When asked about this, some makers claim their product chemically lowers those high spots. I guess they mean the product melts the paint only where it's high. Wow, if they can do that, they should win the Nobel prize for chemistry and physics! This website tells you how to test any product for the presence of abrasive. Don't take anyone's word when using a product claiming no abrasives. Test it yourself!

This wax contains more Carnauba than other waxes.

So what does that mean? The maker wants you to think...if it contains more Carnauba, it must do a better job. Actually, the quantity or percentage of Carnauba has absolutely nothing to do with the final results! It's not the quantity but the quality of Carnauba, the blend of different grades of waxes and the additional special and unique ingredients that makes for best shine and durability. Similar to many other types of products, the "more is better" approach doesn't always hold true.

Another example of the Fallacy of "more is better" is the making of tomato based spaghetti sauce. Some manufacturers claim their sauce contains a higher percentage of tomatoes than their competition. They imply that the more tomatoes the better the taste. We all know there are special spices and additional ingredients that add to and enhance the overall flavor. How tasty do you think that sauce would really be if it was made completely of tomatoes?

Don't be 'sucked-in' by wax advertising hype. Every manufacturer says their wax is the best...including us! When it comes to auto wax, comparing advertising claims between one manufacturer and another is virtually a waste of time. Always compare waxes for gloss, water-beading, depth of shine, durability and ease of application in side-by-side visual tests with your own eyes! That is the finest way to determine which product is best for your needs.

This wax will prevent acid rain damage.

If you buy this one, make sure you read the guarantee, if indeed there is one! How are you going to prove you used their wax in the first place? If your car's paint is damaged will they repaint it at your choice of custom paint shop or will they only pay for a $99.00 one hour special? Maybe they'll just refund the purchase price on the wax...some guarantee!

Despite the wild claims, so far no company has developed any coating for paint that will prevent acid rain damage. Most waxes will resist damage but none will prevent it! When chemists create a chemical that will absolutely prevent acid rain damage, the paint manufacturers will put it into their paint. After all, the paint makers are getting the majority of the complaints as they trickle down from the car makers.

This car has a Clear Coat over the paint. It never needs waxing...or, don't use any abrasive on the Clear Coat of this car.

These claims are promoted by car makers. They really stretch reality. Anyone can claim a car never needs waxing. I'm sure you know many people that never wax their cars. Just look on any road in the USA. Most cars don't shine cause the owners never, ever wax em'.

This product doesn't contain petroleum distillates. Petroleum distillates will damage your paint.

Just what are petroleum distillates? Anything made through the distilling of petroleum (oil) is considered a petroleum distillate. Ever hear of petroleum jelly? It's used in facial cold cream for softening and removing makeup. It's used to make lipstick. It's used in sunburn protection formulations. Some even gets eaten because certain petroleum derivatives are used in food and baking. Even many paraffin waxes are made from petroleum. Not only do most car waxes and polishes contain some form of petroleum, so do most car paints! If you still believe those that claim petroleum distillates indeed damage your car's paint, you'd better tell the makers of the paint to remove their petroleum!!

What about comparing waxes by calling different wax manufacturers and asking them if their wax is better than another brand?

This is a total waste of your time. Do you actually think any manufacturer will tell you that a competing brand is better than their own? We are constantly amazed at all the people calling and asking this question. We always advise the caller to test all waxes under consideration in a side-by-side test on his own car. This is the ONLY true and accurate way of comparing waxes and determining which is best for your own vehicle.