Review: Collinite No. 845 Insulator Wax

[Mike Phillips]

Review: Collinite No. 845 Insulator Wax







What is it?

A user-friendly liquid version of the No. 476s paste wax, which is a carnauba/polymer blend.


What does it do?

Seals and protects car paint while adding incredible gloss, depth and shine.


When do I use it?

After first washing and drying paint in new condition or after first doing any claying and paint correction to older cars.


Why should I use it?

To protect your car's paint with a durable carnauba/polymer blended wax while also creating and maintaining a high gloss finish.




From the manufacturer

A user-friendlier version of the No. 476s paste, No. 845 stands as Collinite’s most legendary product to date. Famous for its versatility, durability and DIY ease of use, “IW” is ideal for both small and large surface area jobs where lasting protection and timely job completion are desired, but hard buffing and frequent reapplication are not practical. Leaves behind carnauba shine and durable polymer coating that preserves finish and shields against the elements; UV, rain, snow, salt, dust, dirt, grime, bugs, staining and more..







Review

I've never used this wax before. In the year 2021, when I tell people this and they know how long I've been detailing cars, they are surprised because this product has a loyal and strong following. And the reason it has a loyal and strong following is real simple, it's a really nice wax. I say this from the application, wipe-off and end-results point-of-view. This car I applied it to has left the building and went home with the owner so I can't talk about longevity and protection.

Initial thoughts

Here's a picture of a full bottle at 74 degrees.





You can see the product has separated out with what I'm guessing is the carrying agent settled to the top while the solids have settled below it.







I respect any manufacturer that KNOWS their product separates out and knowing this the put the product into a CLEAR BOTTLE so their customer can see the product has settled out and thus NEEDS to be shaken well before use.


Here's the bottle after sitting in my fridge for a few hours and it has completely solidified.









If your bottle has been stored in a cold location and you need to use it, then simply run some hot water at the kitchen sink, fill a bowel or cooking pot, some kind of container with hot water and then place the closed, sealed bottle in the hot water and in just a few minutes it will warm-up and re-liquefy so you can more easily use it. (cold temperatures are not a normal problem here in South Florida )




Application

The company description for this product reads,

a user-friendly liquid version of the No. 476s paste wax


First a disclaimer - I have also never used the Collinite 476s Paste Wax. That said, I've used a lot of paste waxes and typically when it comes to a paste wax you have soft and hard paste waxes and this usually means the form the wax is in in the can. In other words, the wax is solid and hard in the can or jar or the wax is semi-sold and soft in the can or jar. Sometimes a company that makes a soft paste wax will describe it as pre-softened.

I believe the reason some waxes are formulated to be soft is simply to make them more fool-proof for the end user application experience. A soft wax is easier to get out of the can or jar and spread, thus making it more fool-proof for the masses that may or may not have a the knowledge and skill level to correctly get a wax out of a can or jar and get it onto their car's paint. Yep, the masses are that dumbed-down.

The real fact of the matter is, if you correctly know how to use a HARD wax then then getting it out of a can or jar is simple. All you have to do is spin your wax applicator over the top of the wax, (in the can), and this tiny amount of friction will soften or liquefy the wax so that it will flow into and onto the wax applicator and now you can transfer it and spread it over a body panel on your car.

With a soft or pre-softened paste wax you can actually SCOOP some of the wax out of the can or jar and then spread it. Me? I would still spin my applicator over the top of the wax (in the can or jar) and liquefy it to get some wax to apply to my car. It's a simple simple technique but until someone shows you the technique you will likely try to scoop the wax out like most newbies.

I'll use and review the Collinite 476s Paste Wax sometime in the future and in the process share the techniques mentioned above for getting this wax out of its can.

Back to the liquid version of Collinite 476s...

So this product at 74 degrees is quite liquid, that is it is quite thin. It shakes up very easy and pours out of the bottle very fast due to the large bottle opening and the fact that this bottle of wax does not come with a dispenser type cap like many liquid car care products on the market. This is why on the Autogeek.com store page for this product, below it there's a picture and a link to a basic flip top cap with small hole to limit or control the volume of wax coming out of the bottle. This helps to keep you from dumping too much wax out (because the product is very thin), and thus wasting product.

I used this wax just the way it came and found I had to be very careful when pouring some wax out and onto my wax applicator or too much can easily come out and if your not careful, end up on the car or the ground.

I strongly recommend spending the extra one dollar bill and get the flip-top cap and avoid the entire issue.



This is the cap that comes from the factory.





If you're not careful, it's easy to accidentally pour out a LOT of wax when using this product because at room temperature, the liquid wax is fairly thin.





Here's an optional flip-top cap you can "add to car" when shopping for Collinite Insulator Wax No. 845 on the Autogeek.com store.





Smaller hole makes using this product a lot gooder.





Even with the flip-top cap, the product is quite thin and little goes a long way so get used to how it pours out.







Fairly thin after shaken well.







Spreading the wax

Because the product is thin but also very WAXY - it spreads out like butter over a hot pancake. That is to say... it spread out EASY!






This was is very slippery to apply and it's easy to spread out to lay down a thin application and this is exactly what you want - a thin coating of wax.








A little bit goes a long way. I used your basic round, yellow foam applicator pad and it worked just fine.





It took me about 10 minutes to coat this HUGE car with wax because it spread out so easy and so thin...












That includes waxing all the britework too....












Drying time

In our air-conditioned garage, temp set to 74 degrees, it took about 10 to 15 minutes for the wax to dry to a haze. I turned an air mover on to speed up the process and also to






Wipe-off

I've read and heard this wax wipes off hard if you lay down to thick of a coat. I didn't see this characteristic. For picture value, that is so the wax would show up well in pictures, I tend to apply products like this a tick on the heavier side simply so my camera can capture the product on the paint. In areas where I applied it thick and in areas where I applied it thin - both scenarios - it wiped of SUPER EASY. In fact, I'm not sure I know of a wax that wipes off this easy. So if you're older with worn out shoulders, (or younger with worn out shoulders), you'll love how this wax wipes off.







More important - they work GREAT!














And the final results? Freaking amazing!


























Final comments...

There simply is no downside to this product. My guess is, this is why it has such a strong following for so long. The product simple performs as advertised and it's easy to apply and wipe-off with a clear, high gloss shine famous to carnauba style waxes. And the price? At the time I'm writing this article, the Autogeek.com store has it listed for $18.99 - call it 20 bucks. It's a simple product at a great prices and a solid performer.

There was no dusting, zero streaking and after the final wipe the paint felt smooth and slippery. I should have tried this wax years ago. I know I'll be using it again in the future unless... I find I like the 476s better.




On Autogeek.com


Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax No. 845

White Flip Cap

Yellow Round Foam Wax Applicators - 6-pack (always stock up on these)



The towels you see in the pictures...

Here's the link to the towels I used to remove the wax. These are brand new to the AG store. I really liked them for removing the Collinite 845 wax. The thing about these super fluffy towels and any towel that's going to "touch" car paint - you need to have a protocol in place to keep your towels clean and uncontaminated from start to finish. That means, have a clean place to store them when not in use. Have a clean place to put them after use. Wash them, dry them, inspect them and then put them back in the clean place you store your microfiber towels.

These towels are very plush and luxurious.


Speed Master Cloud 9 Microfiber Buffing Towel - Blue - 6 Pack

[Mike Phillips]

More....


The car I used for testing and reviewing the Collinite Insulator Wax has an interesting story behind it. It was a Barn Find that found it's way to Stuart, Florida and then found it's way to yours truly.

It didn't start out looking as nice in the pictures you see above, in fact it was a hot mess when it arrived here.






The rest of these pictures I took when the car arrived.

First a few outside using bright overhead sunlight to do what it does best - reveal the true condition of your car's paint.













If you would like to get the story behind the car and also see the before and after pictures as well as how I did the paint correction on this super soft single stage original black paint that is 71-years old, then click the link below.


Barn Find - 1950 Pontiac Chieftain Deluxe Convertible - Extreme Paint Correction

[Cleankat]

It's a good wax, but I had to stop using it. The ghosting and re-hazing is beyond annoying. You'll realize that one that puppy get out in the sun and heats up.



Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

[Mike Phillips]

It's a good wax, but I had to stop using it. The ghosting and re-hazing is beyond annoying.

You'll realize that one that puppy get out in the sun and heats up.

This car will be on display at a local car show this Saturday, I'll find out where and if I can - go take a look.


Never heard of that before? I certainly didn't see any ghosting or re-hazing on the paint in the garage and I inspected with a Swirl Finder Light.

[Bill D]

IW is an old friend. I used to use it on my dad's van and customer cars because it's reasonably durable and has a good look. To this day I still occasionally use it on my wheels with good results. I think it's an oldie but goodie still worth having in the arsenal.

[John U]

Even in AZ, a cold night "thickened" up my IW sitting in the garage. It now stays in the house full time!

[MisterSnoop]

It's a good wax, but I had to stop using it. The ghosting and re-hazing is beyond annoying. You'll realize that one that puppy get out in the sun and heats up.



Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

I've heard about the rehazing. Isn't that resolved by washing it? Granted, that's another step you wouldn't otherwise have to do.

[davidc]

I have been using Collinite products for years now, pretty much all of them. The big difference between 845 and 476 is longevity. I have become fond of 915 also. 885 for the RV but also works great on vehicles. Their leather wax saved my steering wheel as the coating wore off and certain areas were looking pretty bad, after using it you would have to look under a microscope as it rejuvinated the leather and saved me from either wrapping or sending the wheel out to be recovered.

[briarpatch]

I have been using Collinite products for years now, pretty much all of them. The big difference between 845 and 476 is longevity. I have become fond of 915 also. 885 for the RV but also works great on vehicles. Their leather wax saved my steering wheel as the coating wore off and certain areas were looking pretty bad, after using it you would have to look under a microscope as it rejuvinated the leather and saved me from either wrapping or sending the wheel out to be recovered.

Which lasts longer ....845 or 476?

[PaulMys]

I have never, ever experienced "ghosting or re-hazing" with 845 or any Collinite product.

And I'm not sure where some of the "Hard to remove" rumors started. Mike just dispelled that in his review above.

I have posted this before, but one of the first times I used 845, I was in a rush to remove it one evening before it got completely dark outside. I got done just in time, (or so I thought).

The next morning, I discovered I had missed my tailgate entirely.

I thought to myself: "Well damn, this is going to really suck to remove."

I went in and grabbed my wax removing towels ready for a big fight. On the first swipe, I was amazed. The 845 was actually EASIER to remove than the night before!

Now, I would not want to try this with 476S. Lol



Mike: I can't wait until you try the 476S.