No difference seen between waxed and unwaxed panel

[Thejoyofdriving]

I always here people talking about how shinny there car is after getting waxed. And how big a difference there is from one wax to another. I always though in the back of my mine "thats just silly, how can a wax make your paint look better" but every one believes that wax does indeed add depth and shine, so I said to my self if all these people see a difference there must be, so I went with the crowd. But yesterday I was working on a black car and I decided to test it out once and for all. So the paint was preped(washed, stripped clean, clayed, and cleaned again) and I applied some SSII to half of the hood and wiped it off. I stood over the paint, but no matter how hard I looked I could not see any difference in shine AT ALL no matter what angle I looked from. So.....can someone explain to me why was there no difference between the waxed and unwaxed panel?

[ehuth1]

I always here people talking about how shinny there car is after getting waxed. And how big a difference there is from one wax to another. I always though in the back of my mine "thats just silly, how can a wax make your paint look better" but every one believes that wax does indeed add depth and shine, so I said to my self if all these people see a difference there must be, so I went with the crowd. But yesterday I was working on a black car and I decided to test it out once and for all. So the paint was preped(washed, stripped clean, clayed, and cleaned again) and I applied some SSII to half of the hood and wiped it off. I stood over the paint, but no matter how hard I looked I could not see any difference in shine AT ALL no matter what angle I looked from. So.....can someone explain to me why was there no difference between the waxed and unwaxed panel?


:o Your kidding right...

[Thejoyofdriving]

:o Your kidding right...

No, why would I be kidding?

[02CAMSS]

My friend I have had this problem on a white car after a good polishing but never on a dark painted auto.

[sneek]

hmm, sometimes you have this problem on lighter cars, but I find it is less common on dark cars. There should be at least additional gloss. :D If you are willing to shell out the big dollars you can get a gloss meter ( I there is a more scientific name for it, but the name slips my mind). To some extent I do agree with you that there usually isn't a huge difference between waxes in look. I mean you have to look pretty hard to see it. Mostly your customers won't be able to sell what you used. I usually shoot for durability, but I do notice differences in look between say Meguiar's #21 and Collinite 476S. OCW is a tough one because you can't really see any real difference right away.

[richy]

To me the big difference is in the polishing and or glazing. The sealant or wax just keeps that glorious, wet look alive. If you just applied wax alone, you may needed to work the paint to get a better shine before you put on the wax..then try something like P.S...then you'll see..and if not, get a 2nd opinion..amazing what different eyes see.

[Thejoyofdriving]

This is what the car looked like when I was done, it looked exactly the same when I was done washing it, no difference in gloss or reflection what so ever.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa20/thejoyofdrivings_pics/328Ifrontshotafter.jpg

[klumzypinoy]

I've read you gotta look at it under the sun as well, or at least some sufficient lighting. As for me, I do see some gloss difference between a waxed surface and an unwaxed surface. I haven't developed an eye for wax differences though, but I am trying.

[Wolf-Strong]

You notice it the most when the surface is polished up with no surface imperfections; no swirls or anything. I wouldn't want to be mean, but maybe you don't have the eye for it; this isn't uncommon for someone to not be able to see fine details, and hey, more power to you because then you won't be as obsessed as many of us and be able to save money instead of waisting it on countless waxes. Here is a picture someone took comparing a new Meguiar's wax (right) (unnamed as of yet) to M26 (left). This shows the darkening ability, however seeing the 'wet' look some different as it is actually a distortion of the image.

http://meguiarsonline.com/photos/tkddad/images/36997/original.aspx

[A1monky]

Even on light colored cars you can feel the diffrence. The waxed surface will def be smoother, and softer to the touch. On a dark colored car correct
lighting is key. Black always looks great in the shade.

[Largebore]

Probably did not spend enough on the wax. Any wax that costs ess than $30,000 may not show up

[TOGWT]

Reflectivity: [: To prevent passage of light and cause to change direction, as in> a mirror reflecting light]
In optics reflectivity is the fraction of incident radiation reflected by a surface. It must be treated as a directional property that is a function of the reflected direction, the incident direction. It should be noted that most surfaces can be divided into those that are secular and those that are diffuse.

For secular surfaces, such as glass or polished metal, reflectivity will be nearly zero at all angles except at the appropriate reflected angle. For diffuse surfaces, such as matt white paint, reflectivity is uniform; radiation is reflected in all angles equally or near-equally. Such surfaces are said to be Lambertian. Most objects have some mixture of diffuse and secular reflective properties.

A wax or sealant can only reflect (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Refraction) what is underneath it, so a clean, level well-prepared surface is the most important consideration (85% of a surfaces reflectivity is due to its preparation) along with applied product clarity.

As was suggested it is possible that you cannot diserne a difference in a waxed / un-waxed surface (highly unusual but possible) But you must view the surface with a light source on it to see the reflections.

[Thejoyofdriving]

Probably did not spend enough on the wax. Any wax that costs ess than $30,000 may not show up


Your probably right. Im going to sell my car and then some so I can get some solaris wax for that extra 1% shine.

I guess I can see what some of you are saying. I am going to do further tests with more lighting when I have time. Ive got a very fine eye for detail so its not my eyes, it was probably the lighting. Can anyone here tell the difference between a wax or a sealant?

[trhland]

they say thewax gives more of a wet look as apposed to a sealant

[Pauly6401]

I think that the wide range of waxes and sealants would make that pretty tough. Souveran isn't going to look like S100, and Zaino won't look like XMT 360, so you can't really do a direct comparison unless you sampled dozens of sealants and dozens of waxes and then tried to make a generalization between the two.