Technical Questions

1. Silicone vs. silicone-free products: I've heard that silicone-based polishes and waxes are bad for paint. Is this true?

2. What is the difference between a polish and a wax?

3. How often should I polish and wax my car?

4. Can einszett Glanz Wax be 'layered'?

5. Why use car shampoo when I can use dishwashing detergent?

6. What is Formalin (a form of formaldehyde)?

7. Polymer vs. Non-Polymer: Please Explain.

8. Does your Detail-Spray "Lackfinish" remove wax?

9. Are einszett car care products compatible with other detailing products?
 

1. Silicone vs. silicone-free products: I've heard that silicone-based polishes and waxes are bad for paint. Is this true?

This is a long-standing myth that has circulated among everyday folks and professionals that proves to be unfounded. Since there is much concern as to whether silicone is good or bad we felt the need to confirm this information with BASF: the parent company of Germany's leading paint brand Glasurit GmbH. Glasurit is used by the majority of European car manufacturers from Volkswagen to BMW to Jaguar.

Silicone-based products are only harmful to new paintwork that is between 60-90 days old. During this period, fresh paint is still releasing solvents. This process is termed "off-gassing". The silicone in silicone-based polishes and waxes will clog the pores of the paint preventing solvents from releasing properly. This in turn prevents the paint from curing (drying) properly and achieving full gloss and depth of color. For this reason, einszett  offers silicone-free polish and wax in their Pro-Line of products for use by paint shop professionals. So unless your paint is new, take advantage of the enhanced appearance and results high quality silicone produces on your paintwork. If you still have a concern, feel free to contact BASF's technical support at 1.800.825.3000.

Note: Keep in mind that in addition to avoiding silicone-based products on fresh paint, also avoid applying wax and using polymer sealants which contain acrylic.


2. What is the difference between a polish and a wax?

Polishes, also known as cleaners and glazes, clean your paintwork while reducing the appearance of swirl marks, light scratches, remove oxidation, and restore oils into the paint. Polishes restore gloss and depth of your paintwork.

Wax on the other hand is designed to act as a second layer of paint. Instead of your paintwork receiving the harsh effects of the environment, wax does this job. A true wax will not clean or claim to remove swirl marks. Waxes come in carnauba-base or are synthetic base. einszett  chooses to produce a synthetic-based wax since synthetics are more durable for everyday driving. Yet einszett  has developed Glanz Wax to produce a depth of shine, normally reserved for carnauba based waxes, that exceeds that of its competitors as well as carnauba based waxes.


3. How often should I polish and wax my vehicle's paintwork?

Polishing

This all depends on how often your vehicle is used. If it is a daily driver, we recommend you polish the paintwork about 2-3 times a year. If your vehicle is rarely used we recommend 1-2 times per year.

Another factor is the color of your paintwork. Red pigment oxidizes the fastest. The more red pigmentation in a paint, the faster it will oxidize. Not surprisingly, red paint oxidizes the fastest. Yellow oxidizes at a higher rate as well. In this case, if your paintwork is either of these colors and it's constantly exposed to the environment, we recommend polishing closer to three times a year.

Waxing

Waxing can be done at a more frequent rate.  However, because Glanz Wax is primarily a synthetic wax and therefore more durable than carnauba-based waxes, the paintwork will remain protected as long as four to six months.  Again, many factors effect how often you will need to wax your paintwork. For instance, depending upon your local climate, whether conditions, etc, you may need to wax your more often or less often.
 

4. Can einszett Glanz Wax be 'layered'?

No. The term 'layering' needs to be defined since this is jargon used primarily by online folks in internet chat rooms and detailing boards.  'Layering' is the process of applying multiple coats of an acrylic sealant (an acrylic resin-based product) on your vehicle's paint.  Acrylic sealants are semi-permanent solutions that you apply on your paintwork like wax but must wait several hours to allow to dry.  The result is a semi-permanent resin coating.  The thought is that the more layers the better the results.  Before you know it, you have 'layering' competitions going on with users bragging how many layers they've applied on their paintwork.  Whether a wax or sealant (the terms have now incorrectly been switch around much like the terms polish and wax used to be) can be 'layered' has now become one of the qualifiers of whether or not a wax or a sealant product is on par with competing brands.

einszett Glanz Wax is a wax -- as its name states -- and like all waxes it is not a semi-permanent coating that can not be layered.  Glanz Wax applies like a liquid like sealants and is as durable, if not more durable, as other sealants but it is a wax.  Like all waxes, If you attempted to apply multiple coatings, you would only be successful in removing some of the coating applied prior.  There is absolutely no benefit to applying multiple layers of wax including improved depth and shine and longevity.  The only success achieved is using more product than is necessary and more importantly, more time than is necessary.  Less is more.  For this reason, professional detailers do not 'layer'.


5. Why use car shampoo when I can use dishwashing detergent or lower cost car shampoos?

While the differences may appear to be almost non-existent, there is a large difference between a quality shampoo such as einszett  Exclusiv Shampoo and einszett  Perls Shampoo and regular dish washing detergent or car shampoos found at major chain stores. The detergents they use have a pH that is different from that of shampoo specifically designed to work in harmony with automotive waxes and polishes. In the case of dishwashing detergents, they can not tell the difference between the oils that are food-based and wax. It looks at the two as one and the same and therefore will strip any wax or polish on your paintwork resulting in a loss of paintwork protection.

In the case of lower cost car shampoos, they contain aggressive detergents that are more cost effective and allow more shampoo for a better price but they strip wax and polish oils.  This not only exposes your paintwork to environmental influences but worse yet, it shortens the life of the polish and wax you spend time applying.

einszett Perls Shampoo and Exclusiv Glanz Shampoo are designed to work in conjunction with einszett's range of waxes and polishes. It's highly gentle formula will not strip wax or polish but is formulated to remove dirt and debris on your vehicle body's paintwork. In addition, einszett Perls Shampoo contains a revolutionary additive that adds a temporary layer of wax-like protection on your paintwork's surface adding both protection and unbeatable depth and gloss.


6. What is Formalin (a form of formaldehyde)?

Formalin is a generic term which describes a solution of 37% formaldehyde gas dissolved in water. Formalin, a common preservative is often used in car care products to extend shelf life but formalin also causes an allergic reaction with some people. For this reason, we avoid the use of formalin yet our products have an average shelf life of approximately seven years if stored properly in a cool place.
 

7. Polymer vs. Non-Polymer Wax:  Please Explain?

Many auto enthusiasts have heard that polymer-based waxes should be avoided--that 100% natural wax-based wax is the only true choice. This opinion, however, is usually based upon incorrect information.

The word "polymer" literally means a large molecule attached to a small molecule. In simplest terms, a "polymer" refers to any compound that is synthetic. Therefore, a product that has polymers in it means that it is synthetic-based. An example of this is einszett Glanz Wax. It is a pure synthetic wax.

Durability

The primary advantage of synthetic wax is durability. With all the environmental factors that today's daily drivers experience, synthetic wax is far superior in terms of longevity in comparison to organic waxes that are usually made from some form of naturally occurring wax like carnauba, bees wax, and paraffin.  Ironically, many organic waxes on the market contain polymers to extend longevity because by themselves, they are very short-lived. There isn't a wax on the market that is 100% pure organic wax. Application would be impossible since by nature wax is a very hard compound.  As a matter of fact, carnauba is the hardest wax on Earth.

To give you a sense of the durability of synthetic wax versus organic based wax, the synthetic wax in einszett Glanz Wax has a melting point of up to 280°F.   That's about a hundred degrees higher than carnauba.

Pure synthetic waxes poses no harm to paintwork. In fact, since they provide better protection, they are more beneficial to paintwork than organic waxes.

Shine

The one downside to the majority of synthetic waxes on the market is their lack of ability to produce as deep a gloss as organic based waxes. Usually, depth of shine is the tradeoff for durability. einszett however has perfected Glanz Wax to produce better results than many competing carnauba and synthetic waxes on the market.

8. Does your Detail-Spray "Lackfinish" remove wax?

No.  Our Glanz Wax and polishes form a durable layer of protection on your vehicle's surface.  Detail-Spray "Lackfinish" does not contain aggressive cleaners that can strip wax or polish finishes.  Dishwashing detergent and lower cost carwash detergents can.  See question 5 for more on this.

9. Are einszett car care products compatible with other detailing products?

We would suggest you use einszett products solely for best results since they are designed to work together as a complete system.  This is especially true in regards to the polishes and wax.  However, you can use einszett with other product brands without any concern.

Further, we suggest comparing other product brands side-by-side with einszett products.  We are confidant you will see the difference and make einszett your first choice.