Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax

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Sat 9 Apr 2011 01:07
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - k9dan

Hi folks, my tub of P21s polish is almost finished, (great polish) but it's now up to £40 a small tub !!! It's good but not that good. Done some searching in t'internet and there are some recipies. Looking at the P21 it's a mixture of carnauba wax and beeswax. Both are very hard waxes, but the shop bought is a very soft wax, I think there is some Lanoilin in there to soften it. The recipies on line mostly mention a mixture or carnauba and beeswax with the addition of proper turpentine. Anyone tried this? Anyone got any ideas? I feel some experiments on me. The waxes aren't that expensive to buy, the trick will be in the percentages of mixtures.

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Sat 9 Apr 2011 10:53
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - davmal

Beeswax and turpentine has long been used in finishing wood. The mixture is to put a quantity of turps (depends on how much you need) in a sealable container and add grated wax, shake to an emulsion, keep adding wax until you have a mayo type consistency. Never occurred to me to try it on paintwork, may give it a go.

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Sat 9 Apr 2011 11:30
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - k9dan

The p21s is very soft but not mayo soft. It's more like a butter it melts between your fingers. It's very good, but they are at it at the price asked for. I think there is lanolin in the mixture as well. I suspect carnauba, beeswax, and lanolin mixed. I don't smell any turpentine in the mixture. The last remaining bit had broken up so I melted it down to make it into one block again. I reckon if it had turps it would have ignited, it didn't.

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Tue 12 Apr 2011 23:21
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - m0bov

Never heard of anyone making their own wax, why not try a cheaper wax?

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Wed 13 Apr 2011 11:19
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - Ethan Edwards

Seems bizarre to me to. Why would you want to risk the paintwork on one of the most expensive things you'll ever own by making up your own concoction, when you can buy proven harmless alternatives for a fraction of the cost. I like Autoglym products myself (and Mer) but you have to be very careful these days. I belive clear topcoats are as much of a no no for waxing as metallic finishes.

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Wed 13 Apr 2011 13:50
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - davmal

Where is the risk?

I belive (sic) clear topcoats are as much of a no no for waxing as metallic finishes.

Doesn't this contradict your assertion that there are proven harmless products?

Using Barchetta man's recipe would cost around 7.50 for around 800g of product. Sounds quite reasonable.

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Wed 13 Apr 2011 17:15
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - Ethan Edwards

No it doesn't at all. There are proven harmless products for waxing SOME cars. I would use them in preference to a home made product for waxing some cars that are A not metallic and B not a clear top coat finish. I would not wax those AT ALL. I am aware some products claim to be OK for waxing A and or B but personally I would not use them either.

Hope that helps.

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Thu 14 Apr 2011 12:36
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - bathtub tom

>>I am aware some products claim to be OK for waxing A and or B but personally I would not use them either.

Will you explain why not please? I'll, erm, sometimes polish my car, but don't think I've ever waxed one (and certainly never used a claybar).

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Thu 14 Apr 2011 13:31
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - Ethan Edwards

Why not? Because I don't want to have to have my car resprayed at my own expense. Duh!

I'm sure you have seen old metallic finishes looking like a pile of poo? Old cars with the clear top coat thats failed and the weather has got under the top coat? so I'm not keen on experimenting with my cars paint. Your call.

BTW Whats the difference between my using the term to wax a car and you using the term to polish a car using polish even if you use say solid Turtle Wax? Surely we are describing the same process. Seems to me this thread has changed to the how many hairs can I split thread....six .....if I'm not mistaken.

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Thu 14 Apr 2011 15:35
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - bathtub tom

Please try not to be abusive!

I understand that polish is a mild form of abrasive, wax is a protective coat.

I've seen cars with the clear top coat that's failed and assumed it's due to the surface being broken in some way, perhaps due to scratching or by too much use of polish or other abrasives such as rubbing compound.

I've also seen products advertised as 'wax polish'. I assume these to be a combination product. Perhaps someone with sufficient knowledge could enlighten us?

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Thu 14 Apr 2011 18:44
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - davmal

Like so many threads on here, all anecdotal and opinion, no facts.

Yes we have all seen dull lifeless looking paintwork, but you have made the connection with homemade wax without any evidence, we all know that certain era of Vauxhall red was bound to go chalky, this happens to many epoxy and acrylic finishes. And not all metallics have a clear coat finish, thinking of older Volvo greys.

I have owned 8 cars from new, and I read the manuals (because if I didn't, no-one would) and I have never seen it stated not to wax the cars, just the opposite with the manual recommending the OEMs own products and the range generally given its own glass display cabinet in the showroom.

A clear coat is just a resin with no pigment

BTW waxing is coating with a layer of wax, polishing is finely abrading the surface, some "polishes" do both, Mer Ultimate, Autoglym Super Resin Polish and Nanotech for example.

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Tue 12 Apr 2011 23:25
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - barchettaman

* 8oz/225g carnauba wax * 2 tablespoons yellow beeswax * 16 floz/450ml turpentine 1 tablespoon pine oil.

In a double boiler, heat the carnauba wax and beeswax. Stir, then leave to cool until the mixture just starts to harden. Stir in the turpentine and pine oil. To use, dip a rag into the mixture, rub onto the car’s surface and then polish with a soft cloth.

Try it and report back!

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Thu 14 Apr 2011 11:00
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - davmal

This mix further appeals as it has no abrasives, such as kaolin, which is evident in many off the shelf preparations, or naphtha with its health implications.

Sounds pretty much like Jove Aerowax, don't know if it is still around.

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Sun 17 Apr 2011 10:47
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - captain chaos

Mate of mine had a brilliant shine on his '77 black Trans Am. When I asked him what he used he replied "Mr. Sheen"

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Sun 17 Apr 2011 12:40
Skoda Octavia - Homemade car wax - davmal

I have used "Pledge" on large areas of GRP for a short lived but dramatic improvement. Part of the bovine excrement that was expected of us :(

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