Collinite Marque d' Elegance for the win!
Backstory
In a previous article, I documented how I used the new McKee's 37 BEAST Compound and McKee's 37 FINISHER Polish to remove the swirls and holograms out of the paint on a 1968 Chevelle Malibu Convertible.
Review: McKee's 37 BEAST Compound & FINISHER Polish - Swirl City 1968 Chevelle
After doing all the paint correction the next step is to seal the paint to protect it while maximizing the gloss, shine and depth to the beautiful black paint on this classic, iconic muscle car.
Collinite Marque d' Elegance 
Whenever I seal the paint after doing any machine compounding and polishing, I take a few things into consideration, for example,
- What type of car is it?
- How is the car used?
- What are the owner's preferences?
After speaking with the owner, he said he was a fan of Collinite products, so I chose a Collinite wax that I had never used before and also offered both the high gloss features of carnauba wax and the extended protection and longevity from synthetic polymers - the Collinite Marque d' Elegance.
Secret Slot
One thing everyone loves about the Collinite Paste Wax collection is the classic tin cans the wax comes in. Something a lot of people might not know is the Secrete Slot. Unless you already know about the Secret Slot of look closely before opening the can, you likely wont' see the Secrete Slot but it's there.
Top open a classic tin can of wax like the Collinite Marque d' Elegance, simply stick a quarter (or the blade of a flat head screwdriver) into the secret slot and twist the quarter and bingo - the lid will pop open.
2 methods for applying a paste wax - by machine or by hand
Whenever I can work by machine I tend to choose this option simply because in most cases, whatever the task, machines tend to do a better job. The cool thing about the Collinite wax cans is with the lid off, the inside diameter of the can is approximately 4 1/2" wide and this means the 3.75" Redline white foam polishing pads fits perfectly inside the can. This means you can use the FLEX PXE-80 polisher to machine apply this paste wax.
Machine applying a paste wax
Simply place the face of the pad inside the can, then blip the on/off switch for a few seconds to get some wax onto the face of the pad and then machine apply the wax over a body panel or section of paint.
I find the high speed setting, (4 light bars lit up), makes moving the pad over the paint effortless.
Machine application is fast and easy and lays down a uniform layer of wax.
Allow the wax to dry to a haze and then remove using a clean, soft microfiber towel.
Old School Hand Waxing
Hand application is also fast and easy and there's something about hand applying a traditional paste wax that's both relaxing and therapeutic.
Always fold your microfiber towels 4-ways as this will provide 8 sides to wipe with and the 4-layers of folded towel create plenty of cushion to spread out the pressure of your hand.
Here's the final results...
Here's Tom, the happy owner...
With the top down, it's time to enjoy the sunny weather here in sunny Stuart, Florida!
On AutoForge.net
Collinite Marque D'Elegance Carnauba Paste Wax No. 915
FLEX PXE 80 12-EC Cordless Mini Polisher Deluxe Kit
3.75" Redline White All-In-One Foam Polishing Pad
Orange Brushed Edgeless 365 Premium Microfiber Terry Towels
Questions about paint correction? Machine or hand wax? Detailing cars in general? Shoot me an email - I'm always happy to talk shop.
Mike Phillips
Mike@AutoForge.net