Turtle Wax ICE review.
05-19-06, 08:25 PM
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Turtle Wax ICE review.
I am stealing the format for this review from a recent Autopia review of Z5 pro. I hope Sean doesn't mind. 
So I was contacted by a representative from Turtle Wax through Dave, and managed to procure a sample of ICE from my supplier to test. I wasn't given any specific guidelines, which I like. Here we go.
Product: Turtle Wax ICE "polish"
Price & Price Per Ounce*: ~$16.99 for $16oz
Price per application (paint, windows, wheels)*: ~$1
Manufacturer Claims: Unlike traditional car polish, Turtle Wax Ice is a clear liquid that wipes on-and-off the exterior of a car with minimal effort while producing exceptional shine and protection. Turtle Wax is the No. 1 car appearance brand in the world and recognizes its new Ice as one of the greatest innovations in the company's 60 year history.
Turtle Wax Ice is a completely new technology formulated to deliver exceptional shine and durability. The clear polish can be applied to practically any exterior surface to restore color and shine, including bumpers and plastic moldings around side view mirrors, headlights and indicators. Turtle Wax Ice can be applied in direct sunlight, leaves no white residue on the vehicle and is designed to shine and protect your car's finish from the sun's damaging UV rays.
Notes: Turtle wax markets this as a polish. I personally dislike this method or marketing since ICE is not a polish. It is a synthetic sealant, the same as Zaino (which is also marketed as a polish). This confuses the average consumer, and while I understand "polish" is a known word and rolls off the tongue better than "polymer based synthetic sealant", I'd prefer they stick to the correct terminology.
How I used:
I applied ICE on two vehicles. One was on a customer car (2005 Anthracite Acura TL), one was my car (2003 black G35). On the TL I had polished before, so it was the only LSP. On my car I had stripped my LSP however I polished with Clearkote VM, which has some protective abilities (and typically lasts 3 months or so).
On both cars application was incredibly easy. Wipe on, let it haze (the haze is hardly noticeable), and wipe off. I applied to every exterior surface including plastic trim, mirrors, windows, grill, exhaust, wheels, etc.. It didn't stain and came off everything with almost no effort. I could have almost blown it off. My first impression was a product that removes this easily must suffer in the durability department. Application is obviously helped by silicone as it burns off rather quickly. I did notice some streaking on the glass and mirrors when I buffed it off.
Interestingly not only does ICE not stain, but it seems to dress trim. It left my trim rather black, which I thought was kind of cool. First time I've seen this with a sealant. I wonder about long term effects, though.
Appearance: In both cases the appearance was good. Very typical of a sealant - very reflective, not distortions in the reflections like a carnauba often gives. Very glossy, not a deep shine, but almost plastic-y. Very much similar to the look of Z2 Pro right after application. I did not detect any filling ability, however any product with silicone may have it. It's hard to say at this point. It seemed to bond over VM without any issues.
Durability: This is where the trouble begins. I'd been hearing that people were getting meager durability from ICE, however I was willing to give it a fair shake. I applied to my car on Wednesday May 10th, and to the customer car on Monday May 15th. My car is garaged at night and I had not used any products on it since the ICE application. It was driven in the rain this week. The customer car is parked outside and was in the rain all week. I washed both cars today and noticed that my car looked good and was beading water, however my customers car looked much less glossy and had *no* beading at all. Remember, my car also has VM on it so it's likely my ICE application is gone and I am seeing the VM. As with others it looks like my durability with ICE will be well under two weeks. I have to say I am not entirely surprised since the product seems to sacrifice durability for ease of use.
Overall I would say this product will appeal to weekend warriors who want to wax there car easily and quickly and see good results. ICE will provide that, however I do worry about people using it as a long term LSP. If Average Joe thinks that because he "ICE'd" in May that his car will be protected in August, he is mistaken.
On a more personal editorial note - it strikes me as interesting that so many people have been raving about ICE since it's "so easy to apply" and "doesn't stain trim" and "goes on in the sun!". Why? Because in my years as a detailer I've come across *dozens* of waxes and sealants that have been doing all these things for years, they just aren't mass marketed. A perfect example is Poorboys EX and EX-P. Both apply and remove effortlessly, both can go on in direct sun, and neither will stain. Clearkote VM, and Carnauba Wax, Acrylic Jett, UPP, etc... all have similar properties. In terms of off the counter products, I find NXT to be superior to ICE in most ways. It's a tad harder to remove, but has slight filling properties, looks as good, and will last 3 months.
Questions and comments - you know where to find me. Cheers.
Edit - I will post some pics of my car with ICE on it tomorrow.
So I was contacted by a representative from Turtle Wax through Dave, and managed to procure a sample of ICE from my supplier to test. I wasn't given any specific guidelines, which I like. Here we go.
Product: Turtle Wax ICE "polish"
Price & Price Per Ounce*: ~$16.99 for $16oz
Price per application (paint, windows, wheels)*: ~$1
Manufacturer Claims: Unlike traditional car polish, Turtle Wax Ice is a clear liquid that wipes on-and-off the exterior of a car with minimal effort while producing exceptional shine and protection. Turtle Wax is the No. 1 car appearance brand in the world and recognizes its new Ice as one of the greatest innovations in the company's 60 year history.
Turtle Wax Ice is a completely new technology formulated to deliver exceptional shine and durability. The clear polish can be applied to practically any exterior surface to restore color and shine, including bumpers and plastic moldings around side view mirrors, headlights and indicators. Turtle Wax Ice can be applied in direct sunlight, leaves no white residue on the vehicle and is designed to shine and protect your car's finish from the sun's damaging UV rays.
Notes: Turtle wax markets this as a polish. I personally dislike this method or marketing since ICE is not a polish. It is a synthetic sealant, the same as Zaino (which is also marketed as a polish). This confuses the average consumer, and while I understand "polish" is a known word and rolls off the tongue better than "polymer based synthetic sealant", I'd prefer they stick to the correct terminology.
How I used:
I applied ICE on two vehicles. One was on a customer car (2005 Anthracite Acura TL), one was my car (2003 black G35). On the TL I had polished before, so it was the only LSP. On my car I had stripped my LSP however I polished with Clearkote VM, which has some protective abilities (and typically lasts 3 months or so).
On both cars application was incredibly easy. Wipe on, let it haze (the haze is hardly noticeable), and wipe off. I applied to every exterior surface including plastic trim, mirrors, windows, grill, exhaust, wheels, etc.. It didn't stain and came off everything with almost no effort. I could have almost blown it off. My first impression was a product that removes this easily must suffer in the durability department. Application is obviously helped by silicone as it burns off rather quickly. I did notice some streaking on the glass and mirrors when I buffed it off.
Interestingly not only does ICE not stain, but it seems to dress trim. It left my trim rather black, which I thought was kind of cool. First time I've seen this with a sealant. I wonder about long term effects, though.
Appearance: In both cases the appearance was good. Very typical of a sealant - very reflective, not distortions in the reflections like a carnauba often gives. Very glossy, not a deep shine, but almost plastic-y. Very much similar to the look of Z2 Pro right after application. I did not detect any filling ability, however any product with silicone may have it. It's hard to say at this point. It seemed to bond over VM without any issues.
Durability: This is where the trouble begins. I'd been hearing that people were getting meager durability from ICE, however I was willing to give it a fair shake. I applied to my car on Wednesday May 10th, and to the customer car on Monday May 15th. My car is garaged at night and I had not used any products on it since the ICE application. It was driven in the rain this week. The customer car is parked outside and was in the rain all week. I washed both cars today and noticed that my car looked good and was beading water, however my customers car looked much less glossy and had *no* beading at all. Remember, my car also has VM on it so it's likely my ICE application is gone and I am seeing the VM. As with others it looks like my durability with ICE will be well under two weeks. I have to say I am not entirely surprised since the product seems to sacrifice durability for ease of use.
Overall I would say this product will appeal to weekend warriors who want to wax there car easily and quickly and see good results. ICE will provide that, however I do worry about people using it as a long term LSP. If Average Joe thinks that because he "ICE'd" in May that his car will be protected in August, he is mistaken.
On a more personal editorial note - it strikes me as interesting that so many people have been raving about ICE since it's "so easy to apply" and "doesn't stain trim" and "goes on in the sun!". Why? Because in my years as a detailer I've come across *dozens* of waxes and sealants that have been doing all these things for years, they just aren't mass marketed. A perfect example is Poorboys EX and EX-P. Both apply and remove effortlessly, both can go on in direct sun, and neither will stain. Clearkote VM, and Carnauba Wax, Acrylic Jett, UPP, etc... all have similar properties. In terms of off the counter products, I find NXT to be superior to ICE in most ways. It's a tad harder to remove, but has slight filling properties, looks as good, and will last 3 months.
Questions and comments - you know where to find me. Cheers.
Edit - I will post some pics of my car with ICE on it tomorrow.
05-20-06, 03:21 PM
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Thanks guys. I know a lot of you are savy enough that you shop online and probably use products far superior to ICE. I wrote this not only at Daves bequest, but because ICE has become popular amongst amateur "weekend-warrior" types who may not know any better. I've seen (and some of you may have too), many threads that start of something like "I used ICE and it's the best ever". I just hope that those folks don't get burned by a lack of protection.
Cheers.
Cheers.
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05-22-06, 09:48 AM
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Update - some guys on another forum are positive they're getting more than two weeks in the rain from ICE. I received a manufacturer sample so I assume it was good, but on the off chance it was somehow bad I am going to grab a bottle off the counter and re-test. I'd hate to give the product a bad rep because I got a bad sample. Look for an update in a few weeks.
05-24-06, 01:21 AM
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Thanks for the write up!
I'm entering my truck into the Dub show in a couple of weeks, it's my first show and i'm kinda nervous and I don't know about waxing or detailing or anything. This seems like a really good choice for me. I saw the commercail and my search yeilded the sweet write up.
Is there any reason why I can't wax it to see how it looks then do it again a week later?
I'm entering my truck into the Dub show in a couple of weeks, it's my first show and i'm kinda nervous and I don't know about waxing or detailing or anything. This seems like a really good choice for me. I saw the commercail and my search yeilded the sweet write up.
Is there any reason why I can't wax it to see how it looks then do it again a week later?
05-24-06, 05:15 AM
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Originally Posted by IVXX
Thanks for the write up!
I'm entering my truck into the Dub show in a couple of weeks, it's my first show and i'm kinda nervous and I don't know about waxing or detailing or anything. This seems like a really good choice for me. I saw the commercail and my search yeilded the sweet write up.
Is there any reason why I can't wax it to see how it looks then do it again a week later?
I'm entering my truck into the Dub show in a couple of weeks, it's my first show and i'm kinda nervous and I don't know about waxing or detailing or anything. This seems like a really good choice for me. I saw the commercail and my search yeilded the sweet write up.
Is there any reason why I can't wax it to see how it looks then do it again a week later?
06-05-06, 01:24 PM
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Any pics of your car with the wax?
Can I expect a shine like this:
I picked up the turtle wax ice, the squirt bottle shine stuff, and some foaming tire shine stuff. As soon as my truck is done getting painted (side mirrors, ect..) i'm going to test it out!
Can I expect a shine like this:
I picked up the turtle wax ice, the squirt bottle shine stuff, and some foaming tire shine stuff. As soon as my truck is done getting painted (side mirrors, ect..) i'm going to test it out!
06-05-06, 02:18 PM
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Just one:
I have more if you want them. It does look good, super easy to use. Durabilty has been terrible for me thought.
Speaking of - here is my update on the durabilty. I applied it to my car again and to two customer cars (both recently polished and rubbed down with alcohol, so naked paint), none of them lasted more than 10 days. Mine is still beading, but the gloss is gone. Like I said above, it's a fine product but don't expect more than 10-20 days of shine/protection out of it.
I have more if you want them. It does look good, super easy to use. Durabilty has been terrible for me thought.
Speaking of - here is my update on the durabilty. I applied it to my car again and to two customer cars (both recently polished and rubbed down with alcohol, so naked paint), none of them lasted more than 10 days. Mine is still beading, but the gloss is gone. Like I said above, it's a fine product but don't expect more than 10-20 days of shine/protection out of it.
06-06-06, 09:26 AM
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Originally Posted by picus
Just one:
I have more if you want them. It does look good, super easy to use. Durabilty has been terrible for me thought.
Speaking of - here is my update on the durabilty. I applied it to my car again and to two customer cars (both recently polished and rubbed down with alcohol, so naked paint), none of them lasted more than 10 days. Mine is still beading, but the gloss is gone. Like I said above, it's a fine product but don't expect more than 10-20 days of shine/protection out of it.
I have more if you want them. It does look good, super easy to use. Durabilty has been terrible for me thought.
Speaking of - here is my update on the durabilty. I applied it to my car again and to two customer cars (both recently polished and rubbed down with alcohol, so naked paint), none of them lasted more than 10 days. Mine is still beading, but the gloss is gone. Like I said above, it's a fine product but don't expect more than 10-20 days of shine/protection out of it.
06-12-06, 07:47 PM
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I've used ice on both of my cars (97 SC300 White and 05 Cobalt Black) and the shine is amazing. I normally use NXT but when it comes to the look of the car the ICE is on top. As far as durabilty, I've only had it on the Lex for two days and so far so good. The cobalt got two coats of it about a week and half ago and after two rain showers and days in the parking lot at work and one more car wash it still seems to have a decent coat on it (beading and gloss, though the gloss is somewhat duller).
Overall for a high gloss look I think this stuff is great but like others on the thread have posted, the durability is suspect.
Overall for a high gloss look I think this stuff is great but like others on the thread have posted, the durability is suspect.
09-10-06, 02:10 PM
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Ice is not the answer what is?
I read your comments and you seam to have a lot of knowlage when it comes to detailing cars.
I have have always used Zymbol on my dark colored convertibles and been happy but someone talked my into buying Ice...i am not happy with it at all.
Before I go back to Zymbol do you have any recomendations? I need lots of UV protection as I have convertibles that live outside in the South.
If you want to try a product that is the best for fabric protection 303 is awsome. I have 2 soft top convertibles and one hard top, the soft tops have never been replaced because of 303. i buy it at boating stores.
I have have always used Zymbol on my dark colored convertibles and been happy but someone talked my into buying Ice...i am not happy with it at all.
Before I go back to Zymbol do you have any recomendations? I need lots of UV protection as I have convertibles that live outside in the South.
If you want to try a product that is the best for fabric protection 303 is awsome. I have 2 soft top convertibles and one hard top, the soft tops have never been replaced because of 303. i buy it at boating stores.