Car Wax & Carnauba Paste Wax

If applying by hand:

1. Wash and thoroughly dry the car to give the wax a clean surface to bond to.
2. Grab a foam applicator pad and add a small amount of liquid or paste wax to it. Only a small amount is needed, and you should only be working on a small section at a time so the area is properly covered.
3. Using a gentle, circular motion, work the wax into a section of the panel about the size of a large tile.
4. Allow the wax to haze, following the manufacturer's instructions since the time varies by product. On average this takes a few minutes.
5. Buff the wax off using a clean, dry microfibre cloth. Use light pressure and flip the cloth frequently to avoid spreading residue.
6. Inspect the finished section for any missed spots or streaks. If needed, reapply to any areas you missed.
7. Move onto the next section and repeat.
8. Once complete, do a final pass with a fresh microfibre cloth to even out the shine and remove any remaining residue.

If applying with a machine polisher (liquid wax only):

1. Wash and thoroughly dry the car.
2. Attach a finishing pad to your polisher.
3. Apply the wax to the pad. A pea-sized amount is enough.
4. With the machine switched off or on its lowest speed, spread the wax over a small section to avoid splatter.
5. On a slow speed, work the wax into the paint using overlapping passes. Light to moderate pressure, moving the polisher slowly and evenly.
6. Allow the wax to haze, usually a few minutes.
7. Buff off with a clean, dry microfibre cloth, flipping it frequently.
8. Inspect for missed spots or streaks and reapply where needed.
9. Move onto the next section and repeat.
10. Finish with a final pass using a fresh cloth to remove any remaining residue and even out the shine.

Most car waxes give solid protection for one to three months, depending on the type, how the car is stored, and how often it's exposed to the elements.

Pure carnauba waxes like Collinite 915 or Koch Chemie Hand Wax give the deepest, warmest finish, but they're the shortest lived. Four to eight weeks is realistic.

Carnauba-polymer hybrids like Collinite 476 and 845 trade a little of that warmth for durability, and run four to seven months on a daily driver.

As a general rule, reapplying every four to eight weeks is a good starting point for a pure carnauba, and every few months for a hybrid. A garaged car that's only driven occasionally will stretch either. A daily driver that lives outside in sun, rain and road grime will shorten both.

The simplest test is water. If it still beads tightly after a wash, the wax is working. When the beads flatten into sheets, it's time to reapply.

Carnauba is a natural wax harvested from the leaves of a Brazilian palm, and it's the hardest natural wax there is. In its raw form it's a brittle flake, which is why every carnauba car wax blends it with oils and solvents to make it workable.

What it does on paint is the thing people chase. Carnauba fills in the microscopic texture of a clear coat and refracts light through itself rather than off a flat surface, which is what gives a properly waxed car that warmth and depth a synthetic sealant can't quite reproduce. On dark colours especially, the difference is obvious.

The catch is durability. Carnauba softens in heat and washes away with strong cleaners, so a pure carnauba wax lasts weeks, not months. That's the trade every wax in this range is making somewhere. Collinite 915 is as pure as it gets, all finish. Collinite 476 and 845 blend carnauba with polymers so you keep most of the look and get months out of it.

If you want the carnauba finish on a car that gets driven, a hybrid is the honest answer. If you want the best possible look for a show or a weekend car, go pure and accept you'll be reapplying it.

It depends what the paint looks like. Wax adds gloss and protection over the top of the surface, it doesn't correct anything underneath. Swirls, water spots and oxidation will still be there, just shinier.

If the paint is in good condition, wash, clay if it feels rough, and wax. That's enough.

If the paint has swirls or has gone dull, a polish first will make a far bigger difference than the wax will. A machine polish removes the defects, then the wax locks the corrected finish in and protects it.

Between those two, a pre-wax cleaner like Collinite 415 is the light option. It cleans the paint chemically and removes old wax and light oxidation without abrasives, which gets you a better bond and a cleaner base without a full correction.

Either way, apply the wax to a clean, decontaminated panel. Wax over dirt or old product and you're sealing the problem in.

Each type brings its own strengths.

Paste wax is known for deep, rich gloss and the most durable protection, especially a traditional carnauba paste. It tends to be more time consuming to apply and buff, but the finish is often unmatched in warmth and depth. A tin also goes a very long way, since you're using a thin film each time.

Liquid car wax is the all-rounder. It offers a good balance between shine, durability and ease of use, and it's the only format you can apply by machine, which matters on a large car or a fleet.

The honest difference is mostly application rather than result. A good liquid and a good paste from the same maker will look and last about the same. Choose paste if you enjoy the process, liquid if you want it done.

For topping up between full applications, a spray wax is the quick option, and that's a different collection.