Turtle Car Wax:
Going from good, to really good!

Turtle car wax is a massively popular product! It has been around as long as I can remember. 

While I cannot say it was officially the very first car wax product I used on my first car, I have always been pleased with the results of any of the Turtle Wax products I have used.

The biggest issue I take with Turtle Wax is their use of hyped-up marketing and labeling. But most companies use these tactics and it would be hard to find a company that doesn't.

But the real question is more about what you as a person likely consider more important questions you want answered.

The Winning Balance:
Is Turtle Car Wax a Good Balance?

• Is Turtle Car Wax a good product?
• Is there better car waxes than Turtle Wax?
• What car wax does Darren use?

Perhaps these questions along with a few others are more important questions you would like answers to.

Answers that I will provide based on my decades of professional detailing experience.

Turtle Car Wax:
So many choices!

To ask if Turtle Wax makes a good car wax is similar to asking if the Germans make a good car. Germany produces many cars from many different manufacturer's.

While I accept you came looking for a car wax made by Turtle Wax which is only one company, Turtle Wax makes an almost countless amount of car waxes, sealants, polishes, and compounds.

But the question remains, does Turtle Wax make a good car wax and the answer is yes!

Is There Better Car Waxes Than Turtle Wax?

If you are asking me (which in an indirect way you are), I would tell you yes, there are many waxes and sealants I prefer over Turtle Car Wax.

Your choices are truly without number and you could consume a year of your time filtering through one car wax review after anther.

My goal is to help you make an informed decision so I can say that Turtle Wax makes some really good products and you can confidently use them.

What Would Darren Do (WWDD)

So very often I am asked by my long term followers what I would do. They find themselves overwhelmed with endless opinions along with the endless choices.

Finding themselves frozen with anxiety, they just want to know what I would do. Which is a question I am happy to answer:

"The best car wax is the wax that makes it onto your car more often, not less often"

And because I could reduce my answer down to something as simple and basic as that, I default to my "go-to" wax here:

Turtle Wax Ceramic Coating on Amazon

• My "go-to" car wax for my own cars
• Easy to use spray version (when compared to a liquid or paste)
• Non-staining (won't stain black trim)
• This wax is so user-friendly, I am willing to wax way more often than using other car waxes

Turtle Car Wax:
The original paste wax by Turtle Wax

I accept that you may be change-averse (You don't like change) and prefer time tested and time proven products like a traditional paste wax for your vehicle.

I can appreciate this and you can still get this in the original Turtle Wax paste wax.

Turtle Wax Original Paste Wax on Amazon

The Turtle Wax T-223 Super Hard Shell Paste Wax provides legendary protection and a brilliant shine for your car, lasting up to 12 months. (I am admittedly skeptical on this claim but I would be with any wax product)

Known as "The King of Car Wax," it offers durable, super hard shell protection to keep your vehicle looking its best.

This wax is easy to apply and provides a professional-grade finish.

Key Features

• Long-lasting protection for up to 12 months.
• Delivers great shine and brilliance.
• Super "hard shell" protection for a durable coating.

Darren's Turtle Car Wax Tips

One of the things most website reviews will either miss entirely or glaze over is the need for proper preparation of your paint.

Most car owners oversimplify the car waxing process down to washing, drying and then waxing.

You will certainly be working through all these steps, but I am of the opinion that anything worth doing, is also worth doing right.

In the context of teaching you directly from my experience, I cannot over-state how important it is to prepare your paint by performing what is typically called claying your paint.

The name is derived from a very useful tool called the clay bar.

And it is exactly as it sounds: a clay type material that you will rub back and forth across your paint to shear away what are called bonded paint contaminants.

This page is not intended to be a deep dive into the subject of clay bars and other "tools" that serve the same purpose, I do want to add the most important information points so you can make an informed decision directly from this page:

• There are airborne pollutants that will bond to the surface of your car paint (along to any other hard material of your car: glass, chrome, etc.)
• These pollutants, once they bond, will not come off during the normal washing, drying, or even the waxing process.
• You can both see and feel these pollutants. (On light colored cars these look like rust specs. If you slide your hand across the hood of your car once it has been washed, you will feel tiny grit particles)
• If you accept that these unwanted particles are a form of dirt (which they are) then if you fail to remove them, then you are literally applying wax over these dirt particles.
• Not only do you not want to wax dirt particles that are stuck to your paint, you will also want your paint to feel silky smooth after you wax it. 
• Only by removing these bonded contaminants can you expect to get a truly silky smooth finish to your car once you have waxed it.

I can tell you there are few things in life that feel as satisfying as a freshly washed, clayed, and waxed car!

This means if you skip the claying step, your final results will  be less than what they could be and I don't want that disappointment for you.

I hope I have opened your eyes a bit wider with some useful information to the topic of car wax and car paint sealants you may have not considered before.

I wish you much success in your efforts regardless of what car wax product you finally land on!

Sincerely,

Darren Priest