What is a Simoniz?

Simoniz is a car care company that has been around a very long time, and apparently, long before even I was born, they had a very successful advertising campaign which resulted in their brand name becoming synonymous with waxing a car in much the same way that Hoovering became another word for vacuuming.

Although rare these days, it is not unheard of for some 'old-timer' to ask us to Simoniz their car, or give their car a Simoniz.

They made such a mark on popular culture, that there is even a joke involving the phrase, which I couldn't possibly repeat here because it isn't politically correct (ask your dad).

Simoniz are still going strong, are still in the UK and still make very good products even though it is not a brand we currently stock.

A visit to their website reveals they are still winning awards for their products from Auto Express, including their Original Wax, which tells us something!

Modern wax products make many claims and boast many special ingredients and features, but they aren't really such an improvement over products your great-grandfather was using.

What people usually mean by “a Simoniz”

When someone says they want their car “Simonized”, they are usually thinking of an old-fashioned hard wax treatment that makes the paint look deep and shiny. It is a bit like saying “Hoover” for vacuuming – Simoniz is a brand name that has become shorthand for a traditional hand polish and wax, not a special modern coating.

In other words, they are really asking for a good clean, a polish to lift the gloss, and a coat of wax on top, rather than anything to do with ceramics, graphene or paint protection film.

What a Simoniz-style finish actually is

In practical terms, a classic Simoniz job is a combination of cleaning, polishing and waxing with a hard carnauba-style wax.

• The paint is washed and dried, then polished to remove light haze and bring up the shine.
• A firm paste wax is applied by hand, left to haze and then buffed to a deep gloss.
• The wax layer gives a short term sacrificial film that beads water and adds richness to the colour.

Done well, the result looks great, but the protection is measured in weeks and months, not years.

How a Simoniz compares with modern protection

On a protection ladder, a classic Simoniz-style wax sits below modern sealants and well below professional ceramic coatings.

• Depth and gloss – a good hard wax can still look lovely, especially on darker colours, but it does not change the underlying paintwork the way machine polishing and coatings do.
• Durability – the wax film is relatively soft and thin, so it washes away far quicker than a polymer sealant or ceramic coating.
• Chemical resistance – it offers only modest help against bird mess, bug splatter and strong shampoos compared with a proper high solids coating.
• Maintenance – you will need regular rewaxing if you rely on it as your main protection on a daily-driven car.

This is why many modern detail packages use more durable protection and treat wax as an optional finishing touch rather than the main defence.

When an old-school Simoniz still makes sense

Traditional wax polishing is not wrong, it just suits some situations better than others.

• Short term or lower value cars where you mainly want them to look their best for sale, a show or a special occasion.
• Classic cars that are garaged and pampered, where you enjoy the ritual of hand waxing and the car does low mileages.
• As a cosmetic boost before you decide whether to invest in machine polishing and modern long-term protection.
• Owners who realistically do not want to commit to a multi-day correction and coating process but still like a glossy finish.

In these cases, “a Simoniz” style treatment is a perfectly reasonable choice as long as you accept it as a short to medium term solution.

Limits and myths around Simoniz-style waxing

Because the word Simoniz feels old school and tough, it is easy to overestimate what that kind of treatment can do.

• It cannot stop stone chips, supermarket dings or deep scratches – there is no impact protection.
• It will not fix heavy swirling, sanding marks or poor resprays. At best, the oils in the products can soften how obvious they look for a while.
• It does not make the car maintenance free. Poor washing with harsh brushes and detergents will still mark the clear coat underneath.
• On a hard-used daily driver that lives outside, a wax-only approach will fade quite quickly compared with modern coatings.

Treat it as a traditional gloss and beading boost, not a miracle shield, and you will be much closer to reality.

Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 01/12/2025 16:48