# My review of Zymol Titanium



## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

I've tried several waxes on my TT having initially defected from Zymol products which I'd been using for years. I wanted something that I could apply by hand rather than having to hold an applicator, so I decided to go back to Zymol and upgrade to a wax with some white Carbauba in it - Titanium. It seems to be highly rated.










The wax comes in a black bag with a drawstring to close it, and a certificate of authenticity. The pot just fits in the bag, which itself is made of a pretty cheap-feeling plastic material with an equally cheap easy-fray drawstring. It does the job of keeping light off the wax, although if you store it in the fridge the bag is superfluous anyway.

The container is Zymol's usual clear plastic affair, with a neoprene O ring to seal it. It's just like their other containers, except it isn't. For some reason the threads on the lid are a pain in the ass to screw shut. How hard can it be, right? Strange, but true.

*Preparation*
To prepare the paint surface I opted to use Zymol's HD Cleanse, which I was familiar with and which I would expect to work with the wax thus giving the best result. It smells chocolatey too  With my pearlescent paint I couldn't really tell where I'd cleansed and where I hadn't, so I could tell that that paint wasn't benefiting much from the oils in the HD Cleanse, and so was in good condition.

*Application*
Applying the Titanium was easy. Scrape up a little pea-sized amount with a fingertip, rub between your hands to melt it and then apply it to the car. The wax went on easily with overlapping strokes in the direction of the bodywork, and it was easy to see where I'd been. I spread the wax out as thinly as I could - basically being as far as it would spread. You then leave the wax for 60-90 seconds, without letting it dry, and buff it with a microfibre cloth. I had to stand on the door sills to get a better angle for spreading on the roof but apart from that, the application was easy.

You're supposed to leave the car for 3-4 hours and give it another buff. I didn't have that long before the dew settled so I did give it another buff over and the finish was superb. not necessarily any different to the first buffing, but overall the car looked very deep in colour and just had something a little bit extra about it.

I was expecting my hands to feel all waxy and horrible afterwards, but they didn't, which made for a more pleasant experience.

*Beading etc.*
The car looked great when it rained, with water beading and showing distinct tracks where it had run down every surface. What I did find though was that the car didn't seem to blow itself dry as I normally find with other waxes. Quite a lot of water, even though it's beaded, just doesn't seem to blow off the bonnet while you're driving. I'm used to the car being essentially dry after a drive apart from a few stray drops, so this seemed quite odd.

*Longevity of finish*
The initial finish was perfect, but seems to deteriorate quickly, which I was unimpressed with given that it's supposedly a wax originally designed for SUVs and is supposed to last months. Here are my observations from each weekly wash:

Week 1 - Obviously rain drop/bead marks on the car. These don't shift during washing, drying, or with detail spray. Collinite did this, so I'm unimpressed. Very fine water marks seem to be left easily in the wax. These show up immediately when sprayed, but do buff off. Swirls in wax impossible to remove or buff out. I apply some more wax to try and reduce the swirls, which makes some improvement to the finish.

Week 2 - as week 1. No appreciable difference in water beading performance. I didn't bother applying more wax.

Week 3 - No real difference observed in beading with rain etc. As for week 1. Swirl marks in wax impossible to remove. With the sun behind you, the wax finish looks smoky :? From other angles the car still looks great but standing by the bonnet with the sun behind and to one side it basically looked smoked across the entire surface. Combined with the unshiftable water bead marks the paint looks tired and lacklustre from the wrong angles.

Within 3 weeks. :x

*Conclusion*
This stuff is supposed to last months, and while it will probably be on the car for months by the look of it, the finish will look pretty shocking.

This is getting expensive. I'm not going to keep trying product after product that claims to work, but that actually either doesn't work or just makes MORE work for the user. The only way I'm going to get rid of those bead marks it seems is to strip the whole lot off and start again, and frankly what's the point? If I put more wax on it's just going to do it again and look bad in a few weeks again.

I'm not new to waxing cars, and never really had any problems with previous vehicles so I really don't see what I could have done wrong, or why indeed why others seem to love this product. I'm just left thinking "great, another £70 on something that didn't perform." Overall, I'm not really sure what to make of Zymol Titanium. The initial finish is perhaps the best I've seen yet, and it does look like it'll stay on the car for a long time, but to what value when it can make the paint look so tired that it looks unwaxed and neglected anyway? :? :?

Perhaps the TT's paint is just a massive pain in the arse. :?: :?:


----------



## leenx (Feb 8, 2010)

Interesting review!

It seems there are quite a few of us in the same boat! I have a Panther Black TT (dark pearlesent metallic) and I too have been recently experimenting with different waxes and glazes. My most recent acquisition - Blackfire protection and sunpaste wax! Same results as the Zymol Titanium, after just 3 days the paintwork looks like it's not been cleaned let alone waxed for weeks! WTF????? £140+ for the kit as well! and came with great reviews from the likes of Polished Bliss etc.
Most dissapointingly for me is the fact that after rain it leaves the whole car looking like it's been pelted with toilet water! :lol: A quick spray of Blackfire gloss enhancing spray seems to quell this! But kind of defeating the object!
Maybe it's some kind of rip off conspiracy - all these brands are made under one roof and made none other than Audi themselves?!!! :lol:


----------



## BLinky (Jul 3, 2009)

audi has a very hard clear coat, its a good thing you know! btw why not forget all the £70 stuff and just go all out on the best and be done with it once and for all? after all they're 70quid for a reason...


----------



## leenx (Feb 8, 2010)

They may well have a very hard clear coat, but that doesn't seem to stop scratches and stone chips from occurring, and I believe I have taken all neccessary steps to prevent scratching at least - the car is almost new. It seems to me in some respects we have the worse of both worlds. We have a paint and clear coat on our cars which prevents us from hand polishing out the tiniest of marks and which saeems to also attract the tiniest dirt molecules known to man! :x


----------



## MrHooky (Oct 27, 2009)

Scooby

Another great right up there. Sorry to hear a wasted £70. Personally I don't find those problems with Collinite btw and it's the budget 476 I've got on my car. I put a coat on in Feb time and again in June and it's still beading really well. Always use a detailing spray when drying down (spraying the DS on wet car gets superior results I find) and I'm still pleased with the results, very nice shine - not sure if that's the DS or wax creating in though. Still getting great beading too which tells me there's plenty of wax on there.

I'll throw this one out there. I've been quoted £150 for a 'paint enhancement'. Amongst the usual multiple washes/claying/pampering this will give the car a light going over with a machine polisher, in addition to using a wax of my choice (I'll probably get them to use Collinite as these guys will be experts at applying these things). For all the money I've spent on products, let alone the time it takes to give the car a good polish and wax, I'm tempted to pay someone else to do it. I'd only end up spending that on the products themselves and never getting round to doing as thorough or as good a job.


----------



## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

BLinky said:


> audi has a very hard clear coat, its a good thing you know! btw why not forget all the £70 stuff and just go all out on the best and be done with it once and for all? after all they're 70quid for a reason...


And your personal recommendation iiiis?



MrHooky said:


> Personally I don't find those problems with Collinite btw and it's the budget 476 I've got on my car. I put a coat on in Feb time and again in June and it's still beading really well.


Beading isn't the problem, it's the bead marks that won't shift that are the problem as they make the paint look rubbish. Ok, those and the cloth swirls and fogging of the wax despite the use of detail spray. I bought Collinite because I wanted something that would last a long time, and like the Titanium I don't doubt that it would last well BUT I don't see much point in that if the surface looks poor in no time anyway. When I tried Collinite surfaces like the rear quarter would catch the light and you could see all the little circles where beads had been, and they don't budge with washing, drying, spraying, etc. so I had to take the wax off and start again - which defeats the point of putting on a long-lasting wax. :lol:



MrHooky said:


> I'll throw this one out there. I've been quoted £150 for a 'paint enhancement'. Amongst the usual multiple washes/claying/pampering this will give the car a light going over with a machine polisher, in addition to using a wax of my choice (I'll probably get them to use Collinite as these guys will be experts at applying these things). For all the money I've spent on products, let alone the time it takes to give the car a good polish and wax, I'm tempted to pay someone else to do it. I'd only end up spending that on the products themselves and never getting round to doing as thorough or as good a job.


Time is the thing... I don't want to spend hours and hours every week cleaning the car or correcting defects in products I've tried. It used to be simple, so I don't really get why it's such a pain in the jacksy now :lol:


----------



## dbairduk (Aug 3, 2010)

this is why i just took the plunge and bough my own machine polisher... that way once i am practiced i can spend half the time applying the products that make the car look it's best, and if i do get any scratches I can correct them my self(well thats the plan!).

I am just going to go with poorboys blackhole glaze as I have a black car, and a chemical guys paste wax, and i might experiment with some £20-£30 waxes in the future. Nothing too expensive as I have put my intial investment into the machine.


----------



## leenx (Feb 8, 2010)

dbairduk said:


> this is why i just took the plunge and bough my own machine polisher... that way once i am practiced i can spend half the time applying the products that make the car look it's best, and if i do get any scratches I can correct them my self(well thats the plan!).
> 
> I am just going to go with poorboys blackhole glaze as I have a black car, and a chemical guys paste wax, and i might experiment with some £20-£30 waxes in the future. Nothing too expensive as I have put my intial investment into the machine.


Still thinking of taking the plunge with a dual polisher - could I ask how often you use it? i.e whenever you see a swirl or scratch do you go for it or just say do it once a month? Just thinking if I did buy one there'd be no paint left after a year! :lol: Also how long did it take to teach yourself or become competent behind the machine? Did you read up a lot on Detailing World etc?
Cheers


----------



## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Just an update: Week 4 - beading still really nice when rising the car after washing so in those terms it's shaping up to be a good wax.


----------



## MrHooky (Oct 27, 2009)

ScoobyTT said:


> Beading isn't the problem, it's the bead marks that won't shift that are the problem as they make the paint look rubbish. Ok, those and the cloth swirls and fogging of the wax despite the use of detail spray.


Scooby - how about Finishkare 1000P. I was just reading the sales gumpf and it says

_1000P delivers heavy duty resistance to UV, hard water, acid rain, bug spatter, tree sap etc while creating a customer appearance. Excellent for use on all automotive paint, gel coat and metal surfaces including critical aircraft surfaces.
_

Only cheap stuff and may help mask the watermarks, and drying hard may be resistant to the fibre marks you see on your car.


----------



## steeve (Jul 8, 2010)

I've used Titanium for years on solid colours and clear coats(now use Glasur) and had excellent results. But I usually put a couple of coats on over a couple of weeks. Its important you use a shampoo designed to leave your wax on, Zymol clear. Or you'll just wash your wax away. Another tip is to use very little of the shampoo, you dont need loads of suds.
I suppose its up to the individual.


----------



## TT4PJ (May 5, 2004)

Hiya,
Use Johnsons Baby Bath to wash your car as this will not remove your wax, smells nice too.


----------



## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Yup I use Johnson's Baby Bath  I just can't justify the expense of Zymol Clear. I used to use it but didn't see any real benefit to doing so, so I went for their Autobathe instead. The quality of that has declined over the years IMHO, so forking out for that didn't seem worthwhile either.



MrHooky said:


> Scooby - how about Finishkare 1000P. I was just reading the sales gumpf and it says
> _1000P delivers heavy duty resistance to UV, hard water, acid rain, bug spatter, tree sap etc while creating a customer appearance. Excellent for use on all automotive paint, gel coat and metal surfaces including critical aircraft surfaces.
> _


Gotta love marketing men eh... what the chuff is a "customer appearance"? :lol: Cough... Seriously though, it sounds like it's a hard wax that's tricky to apply. My reason for getting Titanium was the white carnauba content thus necessitating application by hand which I find much easier than using applicators. In my experience hard waxes (having tried Collinite and now Titanium being harder than the Carbon) are more susceptible to bead marks.

Steadily becoming disillusioned with car care products. Next week on Grumpy Old Men, ScoobyTT waxes lyrical about the goold old days when car waxes went on easily, came off easily and didn't create more work for the user before promptly remembering just how crap and short-lived Turtle Wax really was. :lol:


----------



## Robtur (Jul 6, 2009)

TT4PJ said:


> Hiya,
> Use Johnsons Baby Bath to wash your car as this will not remove your wax, smells nice too.


This made me chuckle a little, had the discussion with Dom @ Dodo Juice about this and people recommending to use "Johnsons Baby Shampoo", but there are still ingredience which will hinder the performance of a wax, I know, if its good enough for a baby then it should be ok for paint/wax, but we (being humans) are not paint work lol

I know Zymol shampoo is expensive, but there are alternatives out there, without being bias Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild ?


----------



## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

To be fair though anyone from Company A will always advocate against products from Company B. I've seen no evidence on my car that using Baby Bath strips wax or lessens its performance compared to Zymol Clear. Waxes that last well continue to last well, and those that don't don't. If I use my local jetwash's foam I can pretty much kiss a coat of wax goodbye within a few weeks.

Dodo's BTBM is a fairer price than Zymol's Clear but is perhaps more on a par with their Autowash product, which works well enough. Ultimately, a diluted product in water wiped over with a mitt or sponge isn't going to work considerable wonders compared to the wiping action itself. Until a company is prepared to explain their product's ingredients and its actions within that context, I'll not be shelling out excessive amounts.

Back to Titanium, I applied another coat to key areas a fortnight ago and was impressed last week at the beading performance. Water does seem to flow from the car a bit better now though the difference with something like Carbon is still noticeable in that the car doesn't blow dry to quite the same extent when you drive it. It's looking like it's off to a good start with winter on the way though.


----------



## leenx (Feb 8, 2010)

I bought some of this Zymol shampoo - don't think it was the clear stuff though as I got it from Halfords for £7 :lol: It smells of coconut and says it's a very mild shampoo and will not take the previous wax off of Zymol, just wondered if this stuff was ok to use as a weekly wash? it's in a clear tub and the shampoo is blue in colour - will it comprimise my previous waxing do you think? :?


----------



## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

The blue-green Autowash stuff is fine to use weekly. I used it for ages when I got tired of paying through the nose for their Clear stuff. It's less than half the price so £7 sounds about right.


----------



## leenx (Feb 8, 2010)

ScoobyTT said:


> The blue-green Autowash stuff is fine to use weekly. I used it for ages when I got tired of paying through the nose for their Clear stuff. It's less than half the price so £7 sounds about right.


Great cheers Scooby!


----------



## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

If you get on with it, you can get a 1.9L bottle for about £35, so a fairly decent saving.


----------

