Future material science engineers, take note!
When Meguiar’s announced a consumer friendly lineup of Hybrid Ceramic spray-on waxes, me, the average joe car detailer who only ever used paste and spray-on carnauba-based waxes, was excited to give the Adriatic Blue semi-thick goo a go.
Priced at around $14 a bottle before taxes, it’s more money than I typically want to spend on spray-on paint protection given I only use the stuff on Corollas and Civics but adding ceramic-like levels of paint protection to my car care lineup with little to no learning curve and I could justify the costs.
I bought my first bottle of Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax on Amazon and ran through the entire bottle in about six months with regular applications every-other time I washed our family’s fleet. The stuff worked as advertised. It amazed me at the level of water beading between washes, and Iwas happy with another layer of protection against the relentless Central Valley sun and dust.
My second bottle, however, was a disappointing experience. This time, I ordered a bottle from Wal-Mart.com, the shipper’s strategically wrapping the Hybrid Ceramic wax in a clear plastic bag, a foreshadowing of what was to come.
My bottle of came completely intact, no signs of cracks or leaks. But, after around my third use, I noticed a small blue puddle forming around the bottle after I placed it on the ground. A quick inspection revealed a tiny crack had formed at the bottom right corner, right at the corner’s edge, an area particularly prone to cracking remembering my semester taking materials science and engineering.
I don’t know if it was a tiny crack that happened during shipping and slowly grew or a crack formed when I placed it on the ground, but my hybrid wax experience was now comprimised.
With no JB-weld or other plastic affixing paste at hand, I futilely tried all sorts of tape and glue to no success, the blue goo was dripping out too fast. Finding another spray bottle, I transferred the rest of the ceramic wax into its new container and duct taped the Meguiar’s misting spray nozzle on.
For such a fantastic product, what a crummy experience that was. Some rough maths and I probably saw $2-3 worth of Ceramic wax wasted, washed away into my city’s sewer drain.
It turns out I’m not the only Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic wax user whose suffered a cracked bottle or spilled product upon receiving there’s or during use. Here are a handful off Amazon with as disappointing experiences.
Future material science engineers and bean counters take note, when you’re engineering plastic spray bottles for future products, choosing a durable and thick enough plastic to not only withstand the rigors of shipping but a material that can last for at least as long as the use cycle of the average user and then some, is to be expected.
In addition, accounting for the occasional fall onto hard ground and a tumble from your shelf might be a good idea if it doesn’t eat into the total cost of the product too much.
I’d expect this thin type of plastic on Dollar Tree products, but not from an established company like Meguiar’s. I’ll still buy Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic wax because I like the results and protection, but I’ll buy the bottles of their blue stuff in-store from now on.
And, if you’re a frugal detailer, value every dollar you earn, and don’t want to go through the frustrations of a cracked bottle, it would behoove you to buy this spray-on Hybrid Ceramic Wax in-store, too.
Hi all….
I thought I was having an issue with my meguires bottle draining from it tipping over while in my trunk. Through the years this happened with all the bottles. Then i paid close attention to two newly purchased bottles to find both develop cracks on the bottom of the bottle. Really sad from such a reputable company. They really skimp on bottle quality. I purchased a regular clear bottle and just dumped the meguires in it and use it. Shouldn’t have to do this.