Huge Fake Car Polish/Wax market in India

[NSK123]

I have been using Waxpol for last 10 years. I am pretty happy with it. The dry one take longer time but lasts longer than the liquid one.

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by vista_qjd

I just got this 3M Premium Wax-Liquid from the Shell outlet. Seems to be original, but am not sure how good it is. Havent tried it yet. And it costs only 90/-.
Anyone have any experience with this product? Here is the link to the product on the 3M site.
3M India: Premium Wax Liquid

90 bucks, that too for 3M Liquid Wax! How well does it work? I'm hunting for Turtle Wax in Delhi but if this 3M stuff is good, then its the end of my hunt.

[janitha]

Originally Posted by tsk13

90 bucks, that too for 3M Liquid Wax! How well does it work? I'm hunting for Turtle Wax in Delhi but if this 3M stuff is good, then its the end of my hunt.

It is only Rs.80/- MRP for 100ml. It is good but not as F1.

[drpullockaran]

Originally Posted by NSK123

I have been using Waxpol for last 10 years. I am pretty happy with it. The dry one take longer time but lasts longer than the liquid one.

I too noticed that the Waxpol hard wax cake is far better than their Liquid wax. I have not used Turtle wax as yet but have used all others mentioned in this thread and believe me none of them come close to Waxpol hard wax in the test of water beading as months go by.

Using the correct terminology I would dissuade every one here on this site from compounding or polishing their automobiles. Leave that to the professionals once a year. I sincerely suggest that lay people like us resort to only waxing the car after a real good wash. Do not use any product on the car that cuts the paint. Your trusted automobile painter is there for compounding and polishing. Give him 500 bucks or more once a year on a lazy Sunday morning and he will do a better job than you ever could even in your wildest dreams. He will charge you more for waxing the car if you want him to do a complete job which includes waxing. The only help he will need is that you get your car washed at the service center the previous late evening. In my case I am yet to get the polishing done by the expert because I fear the cutting of paint which also removes the final 2 layers of clear coat. To use the correct term I have only intended to wax my car but unintentionally might have used the cutting effect from using Formula 1.

[windiesel]

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

Whether we get the fake or the original International brands they do not compare to the trusted old hard wax polish from a small company in India called Waxpol. This company has far costlier polishing compounds but I can say with certainty that as far as water beading is concerned nothing compares to the cheap hard wax WAXPOL. You will ask why I am so cocksure about it. I am getting old now and from the age of 15-16 I have been polishing our cars once a month. I have experimented with nearly all polishes I could lay my hands on from India and abroad and in my experience the costlier compounds even from Waxpol do not stand a chance against their cheapest version. The costlier ones are cheaper to applyand buff out but they stop water beading sooner too. As an example: With Formula 1 I can finish the car in about 45 minutes flat. When using the hard wax Waxpol I need two sessions since my arms tire out and usually I require 3 and 1/2 to 4 hours( 2 and1/2 hours when I was much younger) to finish the same car. Both will water bead well for 1 month but since I am getting older the frequency of polishing has gone down and thats when I realized that water beading is acceptable for Formula 1 and 3M for about 45 days to 2 months after which a re-application is required but the hard wax coated car will water bead for at least 6 months and counting. Please note I am considering water beading as a parameter and not harmful ray reflectance and such. If you are willing to give your arms a work out just try half of your bonnet with Formula 1 or 3m and the other half with ordinary hard wax Waxpol and be pleasantly surprised with the result with the cheaper one.

Polish, Compound, Shampoo & Cleaner

The one I am talking about in the link is the one named Super Quality polish and believe me; the others in their line up even the costlier ones stand no chance against this polish which is made from pure Carnuba. Click on the link for its contents.

I fully agree with drpullockaran's experiments with various types of waxes. I too had reached the same conclusion years ago after trying out Turtle wax, 3M product etc which certainly do not water bead for as long as the good ol' Waxpol, though they are much easier to apply. They are costlier and specially the Formula1 wax finishes way too soon, being much less denser than Waxpol. My 10 year and 1lac km old Indica still produces appreciative remarks about its glossy paintwork thanks to waxpol. Whenever confronted with minor scratches, tar marks etc I have been carefully and rarely using small amounts of fine (as opposed to coarse) rubbing compound, again by waxpol. IMHO, Regularly polishing the car with modern Polishes, esp the ones with silicones will wear off the paintwork way too soon.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by windiesel

IMHO, Regularly polishing the car with modern Polishes, esp the ones with silicones will wear off the paintwork way too soon.

Since when did silicone start wearing off paint??? Speaking about "modern polishes", you just gotta know how to choose ones that aren't abrasive!

[Parm]

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

I too noticed that the Waxpol hard wax cake is far better than their Liquid wax. I have not used Turtle wax as yet but have used all others mentioned in this thread and believe me none of them come close to Waxpol hard wax in the test of water beading as months go by.

Using the correct terminology I would dissuade every one here on this site from compounding or polishing their automobiles. Leave that to the professionals once a year. I sincerely suggest that lay people like us resort to only waxing the car after a real good wash. Do not use any product on the car that cuts the paint. Your trusted automobile painter is there for compounding and polishing. Give him 500 bucks or more once a year on a lazy Sunday morning and he will do a better job than you ever could even in your wildest dreams. He will charge you more for waxing the car if you want him to do a complete job which includes waxing. The only help he will need is that you get your car washed at the service center the previous late evening. In my case I am yet to get the polishing done by the expert because I fear the cutting of paint which also removes the final 2 layers of clear coat. To use the correct term I have only intended to wax my car but unintentionally might have used the cutting effect from using Formula 1.

+1 to your reply. leave the polishing, compounding/rubbing to the professionals and stick to a good car wash shampoo and a good coat of wax.

dont worry about loosing/cutting the 2 layers of clear coat. during polishing/compounding/rubbing only few microns of the CC are taken off and not the full layers!

a good polisher using a fine cut compound of 3M or a similar compound which is not very coarse, will work fine on a vehicle with small and fine scratches.

[drpullockaran]

Originally Posted by windiesel

My 10 year and 1lac km old Indica still produces appreciative remarks about its glossy paintwork thanks to waxpol.

I too have a Indica which is May 2000 make and it too has got appreciative glances as far as paint work is concerned. Do note here that the first batch of Indica was painted at the Mercedes Benz paint booth and that could be the reason why the paint is so good even after all these years. Waxpol definitely has a role to play here but the paint too was exceptional in the earlier batch of cars. In fact the paint and the front suspension is the only good part of my car.

[sudipta]

In my last post I was pointing toward Waxpol only. I am a dedicated user of their products.

[tsk13]

Guys, I can only find Formula 1 Wax (350 bucks), some Chinese, Eagle One Liquid Wax and am yet to find 3M Liquid Wax.

Please suggest me a good detailing expert in Delhi NCR and which wax should I go for? I'm having Formula 1 Car Shampoo and it says it has Carnauba in it, so do I really need to go for a wax (but please answer my first question)?

[Parm]

Originally Posted by tsk13

Guys, I can only find Formula 1 Wax (350 bucks), some Chinese, Eagle One Liquid Wax and am yet to find 3M Liquid Wax.

Please suggest me a good detailing expert in Delhi NCR and which wax should I go for? I'm having Formula 1 Car Shampoo and it says it has Carnauba in it, so do I really need to go for a wax (but please answer my first question)?

well i havent opened a professional detailing centre as yet, so you wont find any good in NCR!

i would recommend going to Pandit & Co in Okhla for the meanwhile!

yes its true that these days some good brand car shampoo are having wax premixed in them to save you from waxing after shampoo. they dont offer much protection, so i would advice you to go for a separate wax for your car besides your car shampoo!

[prince_pervez]

Is this fake too ?!?!

[akshay_b]

The price sticker stays it is bought from M.K Ahmed, It might probably be a fake one cos' i've seen many fake car care products over there, And there is no importers sticker either. Try the prodcut on a less visible spot on your car and see how it works.

[prince_pervez]

^^ Damn! what are the sure shot signs of getting a genuine product ? Say all F1 products. Holograms ? etc.

[brilliantlights]

Most of the original car polish products from the US are having a sealing cap over the liquid polish bottle/wax-can that may have the company's logo printed on it.

Except for the sealing cap everything else is very simple to duplicate - the can, the sticker on it etc that has filled the super markets and online stores in India.

Since the bottles and cans are machine sealed with a foil (an automated process), this is the part the fake market guys find difficult to
replicate, as it is easier for them to just fill it (with junk wax or colored liquid with probably some oil) and shut it with the regular cap (w/o the seal)

So from the info I gathered - this is one sure way to ensure no one has tampered with the car polish if the seal is there.

BTW - those who've used waxpol - does it have a seal (aluminium foil probably) under the cap/lid that is to be taken off before you can start using the wax?