What is Automotive Wax

The general definition for wax is " made from natural secretions of plants or animals, artificially produced by purification from natural petroleum or completely synthetic product". Automotive wax is made from all natural and synthetic sources, based on the manufacturers product. Generally, the most common commercial wax product is based on crude petroleum. Not all retail and commercial wax is petroleum based, many are plant, animal, insect or lignite based. One of the most common among automotive enthusiasts is Carnauba wax, which is plant based.

For automotive applications, there is little difference in the consistency of the wax, either liquid, paste or cream, they all have the same effect and durability. The wax type itself has more to do with the advertising and production costs then it does with ease of use and functionality. The only difference that makes a difference in quality is the percentage of natural wax in the product. The normal percentage of wax in a retail wax product is about 15 to 20 percent, the rest is filler, suspension chemicals and wax delivery carrier systems. All natural wax require a solvent to soften them from their natural state.

Carnauba wax, from Brazil is an effective wax, but low durability. It's chemical composition is that the molecules are closely linked together and only but up together on the surface. As compared to a polymer sealant, which has open linked molecules that link together in long chain line structures, these products have a far greater durability over natural based waxes. Carnuabe based wax has generally no more then 30% by volume wax, anything over 35% and carnuabe wax is nearly impossible to work with. 30% by volume carnuaba wax is equivalent to 50% by weight content. Carnuaba wax is harvested from a palm tree family tree in Brazil, then refined to remove impurities. The unique properties of carnuaba, being a harder wax and having a high temperature tolerance and polishes to a high gloss. This makes is a very desirable product for automotive detailers and entheusiasts. There are other plant based waxes such as Ouricury, Montan and Candelilla, as well as other animal based waxes, but they are not redily available as an automotive wax, therefor will not be discussed.

Petrolium based waxes are more redily available and are easily produced in large quantities. They are based on 2 different formats, paraffin and micro-crystalline. Paraffin is a more uniform based large crystal molecules, where a micro-crystalline has smaller, yet irregular molecular structure. The micro-crystalline also has a higher temperature tolerance. Petrolium based waxes are classed by the degree of refinement. A fully refined paraffin has oil content generally less than .5%, and fully-refined micro-crystalline less than 1.5%.

Synthetic Waxes began in the automotive and retail markets about 50 years ago and are based usually on Polydimethylsiloxane or dimethicone silicon. These synthetic waxes are more durable than the natural carnauba. All synthetic waxes have the same basic structure, but the various production processes yield products with distinctly different properties, and these have a major impact on the use of products. Products from one manufacturer may satisfy one particular application, yet a similar product from a different manufacturer will not perform the same. The chemical composition of waxes is complex, but normal alkenes are always present in high proportion, and molecular weight profiles tend to be wide.

Storage of wax is simple, put it in the fridge. Retail wax products contain solvents, which evaporate. These solvents make it possible for you to apply the wax to the automotive paint surfaces in a uniform fashion, as the solvents evaporate, you are left with the residue powder you buff off. Once you open wax, you need to keep it as sealed as possible and keep it refrigerated to keep it longer.