Like My Old Girlfriend, This Stuff Is Easy But Dull
Written: Feb 03 '05 (Updated Feb 03 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It actually does wax the car; easy and fast to apply
Cons: Dulls the finish of the car
The Bottom Line: With Eagle One Wax As You Dry, you can can do it fast and get some protection. What you won't get is a killer shine.
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| pvreditor's Full Review: Eagle One Wax As You Dry |
There is simply no way around it: Waxing a car is as boring and strenuous as it is necessary. Everyone who enjoys owning a clean, shiny car wants to keep that look. After all, I'm convinced that my cars are faster and handle better after I've cleaned and waxed them, even if it's only a subtle difference.
Okay, it's a very subtle difference, so incrementally subtle as to be unmeasurable. Yet the seat of my pants tells me there's a difference.
Properly waxing a car, even with the expensive stuff, is such a strenuous and mind-numbing job that I now believe it is no coincidence that wax rhymes with tax. Therefore, I'm always looking for a way to make it easier on myself when it comes time to wax a car. When I spotted two large spray bottles of Eagle One Wax As You Dry at Costco, I bit the bullet and bought 'em. I actually bought two 32-ounce bottles for $9, which is much better than the normal 18-ounce bottle for $5 (the list price for the product).
What Is It?
Eagle One Wax As You Dry is a very liquid substance in a nicely ergonomic spray bottle. You wash your car, then spray this milky-looking stuff on your car while the car's surface is still wet. You then use a soft, clean terrycloth towel to wipe the wax and dry the car's surface simultaneously. Obviously, the towel gets quite wet, so there is a lot of turning and flipping of the towel to effectively dry the car.
From an ease-of-use standpoint, Eagle One Wax As You Dry really couldn't be much easier. All I do is give the bottle a couple of shakes and spray it on the wet surface of the just-washed car. It has no detectable drag on the surface of the car as I wipe it. The biggest problem is that I frequently have to go over spots as the towel gets progressively wetter. Unless you mop up the water and wax more or less completely, it will leave streaks. Compared to an hour of rubbing and buffing with a traditional car wax, Eagle One Wax As You Dry takes less than five minutes to apply.
The product has no memorable smell and it mostly feels like water (or maybe milk) to the touch. It does not feel particularly slick, as I thought a wax product should. I don't recall any particular warnings about how to use Eagle One Wax As You Dry but it makes sense not to spray it into your mouth, eyes or other sensitive orifices.
How Well Does It Work?
Well, it does seem to leave wax behind and that is a good thing in many situations. There is no question that Eagle One Wax As You Dry also leaves a haze behind when the car is dry and this haze is more visible on darker colors. I have four cars and they vary in color from a light silvery green to a dark (nearly navy) blue. Eagle One's haze is barely noticeable on the light-colored car but it is conspicuous on the darker car.
When it's a nice day in December and it's the last chance to give the car a good cleaning before the really lousy weather arrives, a treatment with this product does put wax on the paint and give the car a little protection. This is a good thing to do in advance of all that wintry filth that will soon coat the car's finish. However, on a darker car, it's not a particularly satisfying thing. On the lighter car, I can hardly see the haze, so this Eagle One product brings more pleasure.
How Long Does It Last?
There are two ways to answer this question. First, once I apply Eagle One Wax As You Dry, it seems to have decent water bubble action for at least two weeks. You know those little round bubbles of water that form on a freshly waxed surface? That's what I'll see for at least two weeks and then the wax seems to fade.
Since my dark blue car is a fancy sports car, I gave it a wash, spritzed it with Eagle One, drove it for a week and parked it in my garage for the duration of the winter. I'm sure the wax is still giving the car some protection. My other cars are at the mercy of the weather, until I can wash and spritz them again when the weather breaks.
The second way to answer the "How long..." question is to say that I've applied this stuff four or five times now and I'm not even close to being half done with the 32-ounce bottle. I probably have 75 percent of the stuff left. From a usage standpoint, a bottle of Eagle One Wax As You Dry lasts for a couple dozen treatments or so.
Just Tell Me What You Think
Using a lot of musclepower and a good quality wax brings the pitter-patter of joy to every car guy's (and gal's) heart. You're tired but elated with the knowledge that you have the finest-looking car on the street and none of your other neighbors has the automotive love and stamina to do what you just did. Those of you who have rubbed a good-quality wax on your cars know what I mean; it's a great feeling.
Eagle One Wax As You Dry will not give you that feeling. For one thing, the effort is just not there to give you that endorphin kick in the cerebrum that makes you want to take pictures of your car from 14 different angles. This Eagle One product will put wax on your car but it won't really make it look any better. Like a condom, it offers protection of a sort but it dulls the overall experience.
However, to carry that analogy just a bit further, sometimes this protection is just... ahem, what the doctor ordered. There are times when a little dulling wax is better for your car than the naked exposure of paint to elemental pestilence. And if your car is lighter in color, you'll hardly feel... er, I mean, see the dulling effect.
So my recommendation for Eagle One Wax As You Dry is mixed. It is not the most attractive car wax and you may be disappointed in the appearance of your car if you expect to have a gleaming gem in just five minutes of easy work. However, it will put wax on your car and that has value at certain times.
Eagle One Wax As You Dry is not an April wax; it is a December wax. (Please reverse this if you live in the southern hemisphere!) It is a useful car-care product but it doesn't eliminate the hard work required for a truly great shine.
Recommended:
Yes
Ease of Application: Good; takes little time to apply
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