Consumer Reports rates Zymöl as #1 car wax

"The overall score is based primarily on gloss and durability, as well as cleaning, resistance to scratching or hazing, and ease of use. For most tests, we used metal panels with a finish similar to that on car panels. We applied a quarter-teaspoon of polish and used an equal number of buffing strokes with each sample. To assess gloss, three engineers visually compared two products at a time. For our durability tests, more than 1,500 measurements tracked how water beaded as the wax wore away. We used a syringe to deposit two consistently sized drops of distilled water in the same two places on each test panel. An optical comparator enlarged each drop and allowed us to gauge the contact angle from the side of the drop to the panel's surface. We weathered the waxed panels outdoors, retesting periodically. The contact angle decreased from 90 degrees or more to 60 degrees or less as the wax wore away. Our cleaning and scratching/hazing tests were much like those for gloss, with side-by-side comparisons of test panels. For the ease-of-use tests, we used cars volunteered by staffers."