The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

[Mike Phillips]

The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

This article can be found in the Meguiar's How-To Articles forum

~~~~~~~~~~~


An accurate indicator of whether there is a protective wax coating on the surface of your car's paint or not is a test Meguiar's has been teaching for probably close to 50 years if not longer. We teach this at all of our detailing classes here at Meguiar's on Saturdays' also, it's called the Squeak Test.

Note: It's vitally important that you first wash your car before performing the squeak test, the paint needs to be clean and free from any dirt or dust. Wiping with a quick detailer may give you a false reading as most quick detailers add gloss and slickness, thus adulterating the test

Here's how you do it, you get a clean, soft 100% cotton terry cloth towel. In this case, I'm using Meguiar's new Soft Buff™ Terry Towels polishing towel.

Lay the towel out flat, then fold it in such a way as to ball it up, in my case, I fold each corner into the middle, and then repeat that a second time.



This gives you a ball of terry cloth toweling that provides a flat surface against your finish, plenty of cushion between your hand and the paint, and something for your hand to grasp onto.



Now, twist the towel firmly against your car's finish in a circular back and forth motion and listen...

If there is silence, and the towel glides and slips on the paint, then there is wax present.

If you hear a squeaking sound, (as in squeaking clean), then there is no wax present, (or very little) and it's time to apply more wax.

Here's how this works,

Your coating of wax acts as a dry lubricant, it creates slip and decrease friction, if there is wax present on the finish, your towel will slip instead of grab and you wont' hear any noise, in other words, you won't hear any friction.


If there is no wax on the surface, then the circular twisting motion will create friction and you will hear a squeaking noise.

Like Meguiar's Swipe Test, is a more accurate indicator of whether a wax has fully dried and is ready to remove, Meguiar's Squeak Test is a more accurate indicator of whether or not their is wax on the surface.

By the word wax, we mean anything that is intended to protect the finish, whether it's labeled polish, or paint protectant, or sealant, or whatever...

If it's a product designed to be applied to the paint to protect it, it can generically be placed into the wax category, or the 4th step of Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect
(The wax step, anything that is intended to protect the finish, whether it's labeled polish, or paint protectant, or sealant, or whatever... )

Step 5 Maintain


Hope this helps...

[jahnker]

gR8 roundup as always

[Bence]

Recently, I could hear light squeaking even right after the application of FK Pink Wax, Collinite 845 and Mothers FX Spray Wax...

Done with a Victoria Wax Ultra Plush MF.

[steini]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

I too did a full detail 4 weeks ago, used quik wax 2 weeks ago, washed it yesterday, and hear a light squeaking!

How comes?

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

I did not know threr was a scientific term for this. i always thought that if you placed a towel on your finish and it slid off you were good to go. Now I see i was performing a variation of the sqeek test. learn something new all the time. lol lol

[gasti_ako]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

nice!

[Megafast13]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

I have used some waxes that make the surface squeaky? Interesting write up

[rherring16]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

I used the squeak test for the first time today....When are moved very slowly with a fair amount of pressure there was squeaking, when I moved a medium speed there was no squeaking. Is it time to wax again?

[wOlfy]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

uh and if no wax is present you should get out a swirl finder light & check that you did not induce a micro scratch into the clear coat when using your finger on an un waxed surface>>>>>>>even though you washed the surface, no wash can remove bonded contaminants..... if it could there would be ZERO need for claying but that's common sense i reckon. AND TO DO IT WITH A TERRY CLOTH ON A UNPROTECTED SURFACE????? REALLY??? a terry cloth is on of the more aggressive clothes to every touch a paint finish. It is the hand equivalent to a wool pad on a D/A or rotary. I was always trained least aggressive method first & this should be especially true if on a unprotected surface!

I have gained customers that are serious enthusiast after they have seen methods like this from other detailers...... of course these are the same type of people that would shoot most that came close to touching there paint & get concourse details for shows..... they are always picky.

[Tuck91]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

uh and if no wax is present you should get out a swirl finder light & check that you did not induce a micro scratch into the clear coat when using your finger on an un waxed surface>>>>>>>even though you washed the surface, no wash can remove bonded contaminants..... if it could there would be ZERO need for claying but that's common sense i reckon. AND TO DO IT WITH A TERRY CLOTH ON A UNPROTECTED SURFACE????? REALLY??? a terry cloth is on of the more aggressive clothes to every touch a paint finish. It is the hand equivalent to a wool pad on a D/A or rotary. I was always trained least aggressive method first & this should be especially true if on a unprotected surface!

I have gained customers that are serious enthusiast after they have seen methods like this from other detailers...... of course these are the same type of people that would shoot most that came close to touching there paint & get concourse details for shows..... they are always picky.

Do you even know what your talking about?

[wOlfy]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

Do you even know what your talking about?

detailing for twelve years & apprenticed for two, business owner for three .... I do detail clinics for several car clubs in my area and judge an average of three to four car shows a year through out the state. Among all that I also do concourse details. So uh, yeah not only do I know what I am talking about but many others believe so to :P

So you think you could be more specific in your response? What part of my response do you disagree with?

this is not a hobby but a profession!

[Andy M.]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

uh and if no wax is present you should get out a swirl finder light & check that you did not induce a micro scratch into the clear coat when using your finger on an un waxed surface>>>>>>>even though you washed the surface, no wash can remove bonded contaminants..... if it could there would be ZERO need for claying but that's common sense i reckon. AND TO DO IT WITH A TERRY CLOTH ON A UNPROTECTED SURFACE????? REALLY??? a terry cloth is on of the more aggressive clothes to every touch a paint finish. It is the hand equivalent to a wool pad on a D/A or rotary. I was always trained least aggressive method first & this should be especially true if on a unprotected surface!

I have gained customers that are serious enthusiast after they have seen methods like this from other detailers...... of course these are the same type of people that would shoot most that came close to touching there paint & get concourse details for shows..... they are always picky.

We all do realize this thread is from 2005? Right? Just asking. I will call Mike Phillips tomorrow and see what he thinks.

Andy M.
MOL Moderator

[Mike Phillips]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

Hi w0lfy,

This article is about a technique Meguiar's has been teaching for probably decades. I'll guess it goes back to the time of single stage paints like solvent-evaporation lacquers and enamels. One of the things I've done over the years is to take techniques like this one and turn them into descriptive how-to articles. I didn't invent the Squeak Test, merely did my best to put into words the technique. If you have a disagreement with the technique then you have a disagreement with Meguiar's and/or whoever originated this technique probably back to the 1950's or 1960's, maybe longer than that.

Since you're a Mobil Meguiar's Detailer, you probably not only use a lot of Meguiar's products, but also a lot of Meguiar's techniques developed over the last 100+ years, possibly without even knowing it.

Over the years I've read on this forum and others where this technique doesn't work very well on clear coat finishes and that could be, I've never done any controlled studies to find out. Like I said, I take ideas and do my best to turn them into how-to articles to help others. If they are someone else's idea I always give them the credit, I never steal other people's ideas or work. If they are my ideas or techniques, then I do appreciate it when others give due credit to where credit is due. While I give credit to this technique to Meguiar's, I am the guy that put the technique into words, so I'm willing to take any criticism or feedback on what I've written and I appreciate your feedback.

AND TO DO IT WITH A TERRY CLOTH ON A UNPROTECTED SURFACE????? REALLY??? a terry cloth is on of the more aggressive clothes to every touch a paint finish.

At the time this article was written I used a terry cloth towel that Meguiar's had introduced as a part of their new accessories items and it was a very good quality terry cloth towel. There are low quality terry cloth towels on the market and their are very high quality terry cloth towels on the market so I would never personally make blanket statements that all terry cloth towels are aggressive.

Of course microfiber is the wiping material of choice for professionals and enthusiasts, but it's only been around for about 15 to 20 years, before that, or for the last 90+ years before microfiber was introduced and to the time the we transitioned from riding horses to driving cars, terry cloth was one of the better options.

I've written a lot of articles, and this was never really one of the more popular ones but it's an article that addressed a topic that during the years I taught the Saturday Detailing 101 Classes was a part of the Power Point Presentation used to teach the classes.

Mike Stoops has taken my place since I stepped down from my position here at Meguiar's and he may chime in and update us if this is a technique is still being taught in the Saturday classes or not. I don't teach it in any of the current classes I teach in Florida because again, it doesn't always seem to work very well and it's not a vitally important test for most enthusiasts because most enthusiast polish and wax their car's often.

I was always trained least aggressive method first & this should be especially true if on a unprotected surface!

And to my knowledge, using the least aggressive products, pads and processes is a philosophy and "Best Practice" that Meguiar's has been teaching sine their inception in 1901, long before either you or I were born.

It's also something that most knowledgeable people that teach detailing classes have adopted into their curriculum and pass on to others even if they don't give Meguiar's the credit, which could be because they don't know Meguiar's has been teaching this philosophy for going on 110 years.

And... I have taken this idea of using the least aggressive product to get the job done, which was a single line statement and turned it into an article to go more into depth on the idea.

"Use the least aggressive product to get the job done"

Thank you for your input, as I wrote when this forum came to life back in January of 2004,

As the Internet has evolved, discussion forums have become the primary way like-minded people come together to share their passion and their interests. Here on Meguiar's Online you'll find lots of friendly and helpful people willing to share their knowledge and experience when it comes to cleaning and polishing every inch of your car, truck or s.u.v.

And as long as the discussions on this forum are civil and respectful, without bashing other people, companies or products, then everyone is welcome and encouraged to post their thoughts and opinions on the multitude of topics on this forum, including the Squeak Test.

[wOlfy]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

red writing is quotes from mike... so much easier then multi-quoting
Hey yo mike..... thx for the response & i did not see the date of the thread either my bad .

to try to explain my point.....
Ok, On single stage paints I agree this would be great technique! However since over 80% of the paint on today's vehicles is clear coat, I do think there should been a "one-stage paint" disclaimer.

The thing about a forum is you have a ton of novices reading & taking to heart what is being said without question, which can be extremely bad if the are applying a technique designed for a different paint finish than what they actually have.

There is absolutely no doubt I use alot of techniques that originated from Meg's, being that Meg's was really the first in the industry & all detailing professionals originally stemmed from them. And in General I agree with megs techniques......if they are for the proper paint finish of course, single stage Vs. clear coat.

Thanks for conceding my point , as I was referring to clear coat;
Over the years I've read on this forum and others where this technique doesn't work very well on clear coat finishes and that could be, I've never done any controlled studies to find out.
Most of "today's cars" have clear coat, even my 82 ranger & 86 VW rabbit. Thus most reading here will be working on clear coat.

At the time this article was written I used a terry cloth towel that Meguiar's had introduced as a part of their new accessories items and it was a very good quality terry cloth towel.
& once again I was speaking of clear coat & the very best terry cloth is very aggressive on clear & especially so on unprotected clear.


Of course microfiber is the wiping material of choice for professionals and enthusiasts, but it's only been around for about 15 to 20 years, before that, or for the last 90+ years before microfiber was introduced and to the time the we transitioned from riding horses to driving cars, terry cloth was one of the better options.
That really made me laugh & I mean no disrespect in my statement. Indeed Microfiber has only been around 15 or 20 years, & in that time car finishes have changed dramatically & so has the care techniques. Terry cloths no doubt have their purpose in both today's finishes & even more so in early model vehicles. But as I mentioned before terry cloth is fairly aggressive on clear coat & in the hands of a novice with the wrong type of paint care advice for their finish it will lead to disaster!!!

well not really disaster, but when a novice trys to decode advice which is unclear the kind of paint finish the advice is for, well you get results like this, which you can find throughout the forum(& any detailing forum) by novices using way too abrasive techniques & compounds for the correction that is needed;




And to my knowledge, using the least aggressive products, pads and processes is a philosophy and "Best Practice" that Meguiar's has been teaching sine their inception in 1901, long before either you or I were born.

I think we would probaly both agree that the least aggressive approach to the single stage(lead based in 1901) paint finishes of 1901 are far more aggressive on any "modern" vehicale 110 years later, no?


I will always remain cavil in my responses & truly never try to give wrong info & honestly i do like to discuss/debate with others that truly have knowledge of detailing.

I see now that you wrought the article for single stage paints, but maybe its good that I posted for the novices sake?

[Andy M.]

Re: The Squeak Test - How to test for the presence of wax

Enough said. Thanks Mike for chiming in, and most importantly please everyone keep it civil.

Let's stop with the multi quoting and typing in red.

The statement that bothers me most so far is:

The thing about a forum is you have a ton of novices reading & taking to heart what is being said without question, which can be extremely bad if the are applying a technique designed for a different paint finish than what they actually have.

You are correct in that we have a lot of novices. We have weekend warriors and we have some professional detailers also. Mike Phillips, Tim Lingor, Nick Chapman, Joe from Superior Shine, Michael Stoops, forum admin, Mark Klies MOL Moderator. We put ideas out as to what the processes are that work. People can use these processes to achieve better results than they could not having this information.

Again, I want this thread to stay civil. When Mike Phillips asked me to be a moderator here it was one of the duties I "volunteered" for. I plan to keep that promise to Mike and Meguiars.

I will be keeping a close eye on this thread.

Andy M.
MOL Moderator

Please don't bash our forum!!!