Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

[Nuclear]

hello, just wanted to know why Gas Station/quickie lube/oil/detailer shops still use this brand?

why dont they use Meguiars brand since its gotten sooo many positive results?

is Blue Coral in bulk that cheap compared to Meguiars?

on a positive note, what are the pros' if the detail shop use this product over Meguiars wax products??????

thank you

[CharlesW]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

hello, just wanted to know why Gas Station/quickie lube/oil/detailer shops still use this brand?

why dont they use Meguiars brand since its gotten sooo many positive results?

is Blue Coral in bulk that cheap compared to Meguiars?

on a positive note, what are the pros' if the detail shop use this product over Meguiars wax products??????

thank you

There can be lots of reasons for a Professional to choose a certain product line.
1. Price. I don't know anything about Blue Coral Wax prices, but their car wash is less than $3 a gallon at Walmart.
2. Does the job. Here again, I can't speak from experience, but if the pro continues to use it, it must be doing the job.
3. Convenience and availability. Many shops have a supplier that calls on them. Whatever product line that supplier has is likely to be what the pro chooses.
The good suppliers take care of keeping your inventory adjusted, make sure you have updated products and information.
Time spent shopping for products isn't billable and a lot of Professionals don't want to mess with all the comparison shopping.

[BigLeegr]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

Another thought is that the Blue Coral "wax" is a spray wax applied at the end of a tunnel wash, not a paste or "liquid" wax like #26, for instance. Blue Coral, Turtle Wax and others do some big bulk business in tunnel wash/gas station bay/touchless wash set ups, but aren't generally (IME) used in the higher end hand wash/polish/wax shops. I don't think Meg's has really gone after the tunnel wash business.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

I'm not going to speak directly about Blue Coral, or ANY brand for that matter, but just a thought on the question of "Why would a detailer/shop/car wash choose brand X?" in general.

Also, this is **NOT** an official Meguiar's answer, but my **personal** take as a BUSINESS STUDENT and practicing professional detailer.

Ok, that said, I have found the more that I detail, and the more that I learn about business in general that not all people or companies have the same standards, goals, or expectations. I, for one, am an extreme perfectionist with incredibly high standards for myself and my products. I strive for perfection as best as my skills, products, and time allow me EVERY single time. That is what drives ME.

However, being a former "lot boy" at the tender age of 16 at a car dealership I also realize that other companies have completely different outlooks, goals, standards, and expectations for the same type of work. For a dealership or a high volume shop for example, they are looking to turn as many customers as possible...often letting quality and perfection take a back seat to profitability.

That said, some people choose products because they are "the best" regardless of cost, some choose products because they are the cheapest, regardless of performance, and then there are those who do research and find the best blend of performance and price to suit THEIR needs.

The only experience I have with Blue Coral is knowing my dad (who is quite thrifty) used to buy their soap from Wal-Mart, until I began supplying the household with Meguiar's products.

There's my 2 cents on the subject...

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

hello, just wanted to know why Gas Station/quickie lube/oil/detailer shops still use this brand?

Blue Coral switched from focusing on individuals and went after the car wash business in a big way a long time ago instead of the Consumer Market.

Car washes use mass volume products and provide consistent sales volume over time without the hassle of retail marketing and sales via auto parts stores. The average person taking their car through a car wash just expects a clean shiny car so that's a pretty easy goal to reach. Supplying quality products for "Do-It-Yourselfers" that are critical of how a single product performs when it comes to working on scratch-sensitive clear coat finishes that are difficult to work on no matter whose products you use is a much, much tougher nut to crack and so far one that we excel at due to our our Research and Development Team and Barry's high standards for product performance.


Don't know about the rest of you but I've never taken a car I own or otherwise through a car wash in my life no matter whose products the car wash is using. Not once. I tend to take ownership of the car wash process as well as most other aspects of car maintenance. At least for the older cars, for our only new car, a Honda Pilot we take it to the dealership for a number of reasons but one being outside of appearance care new cars are to complex for a do-it-yourselfer to work on.

Have never let a "Charity Car Wash" wash any of our cars either, we'll pull in and give them $5.00 if we want to support them but we won't let them wash the car, that's just a recipe for swirls.

[DarkBlue]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

Guys.... take a look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZjWkB_q2lE

[CieraSL]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

Guys.... take a look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZjWkB_q2lE

That's crazy. I would of thought the hand wash would've won. Of course, if they were using dirty wash mitts and poor washing techniques...

[tguil]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

A history lesson:

The “original” Blue Coral was actually a Cadillac accessory that you bought at GM dealers. At least I did. It was a two step process -- polish and wax. It was a great wax, but really hard to apply and remove. (Meguiar's #16 is easy compared to the "original" Blue Coral.) All work was by hand of course. After you removed the wax, the directions said to wet it down with cold water and wipe it dry. This was to "set up" the wax. Back then we applied polish and wax with soft cotton rags (old t-shirts) and removed both with cotton cheese cloth.

I used the stuff on a beautiful 1961 Honduras Maroon Corvair Monza as well as the Black 1964 Chevelle SS 327 (Yes, 327 not 283) that followed it. So much for the "good old days”. Doggone, I’m getting teary just thinking of them.

Charles W., I'll bet that you remember the "original" stuff too.

Tom

[Larry A]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

I remember the old Blue Coral. It done a great job on the old lacquers used at the time. There were 2 other products that were used at the time for special finishing treatments, they were Porcelenize and Lustur Seal. They were also very good . In the mid 60s I worked for a Pontiac dealership buffing out new lacquer paint after they were sprayed . There was no swirl remover at the time , and I used Blue Coral cleaner as a final polish.

[Eddie6th]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

Is Meg's pro line products a normal selection that you'd find in body shops all across the states or is it more localized?

Over here,it's all 3M or stuff that originates here.

[RacerX88]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

Blue Coral did go after the car wash biz in major way. In fact, Blue Coral is a brand for the mega chemical conglomerate known as Ecolab.

It appears to be easy to get in mass quantity and there's plenty of marketing support from what I've read on their Web site.

I've never viewed the brand as anything that special.

[roushstage2]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

I know Ecolab chemical for food service, and their branch Kay Chemicals. Didn't know they owned Blue Coral too! Huh, neat.

[oldthudman]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

hello, just wanted to know why Gas Station/quickie lube/oil/detailer shops still use this brand?

why dont they use Meguiars brand since its gotten sooo many positive results?

is Blue Coral in bulk that cheap compared to Meguiars?

on a positive note, what are the pros' if the detail shop use this product over Meguiars wax products??????

thank you

Don't know how many detailer's use Blue Coral, but I used it exclusively on my 1961 Chevy Impala.........The old BC was a 2 part wax system with part A being a cleaner.....looked kinda like a light blue milk of magnesia.........Went on and off fairly easy.......Part B was a small jar of dark blue paste wax.......One applied it in patches about a foot or foot and a half squares.......once applied you immediately removed the wax........BC had a silicon hardener in the wax and if you didn't remove it quickly you'd play h*ll removing it.........
The results however were spectacular.....Gave a deep high gloss.........
Today's BC products may be cheaper to buy in bulk and that is why detailer's use it......Can't really speak to it..........Today I use Meguiars or Mothers......

[the other pc]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

And speaking of Blue Coral,

In case you weren't confused enough, there's been another round of musical chairs since this thread was started way back when.

Blue Coral commercial car wash products and Blue Coral consumer car care products haven't been the same company since 1999 when parent company Pennzoil-Quaker State sold the commercial products to Eco-Lab.

After that, in 2002, Pennzoil-Quaker State (and therefore Blue Coral consumer car care products) was acquired by Royal Dutch Shell.

More recently (2011), Shell/Pennzoil-Quaker State sold off Blue Coral (along with Black Magic, Rain-X, Westley's and bunch more stuff) to industrial conglomerate ITW.


Ready for more? Cue the music...

[manicrodder]

Re: Blue Coral Wax? why do auto detailers use this wax?

When I lived in Vegas about 2000, I took my black Blazer to a hand car washin which had a hand wax special using Blue Coral with some fomblin for commercial only application,etc. I gave it a try and the filling/hiding effect was amazing! I tried to buy some but the owner was not willing to sell. Shine was above average and lasted about a month.