Tripple - Car Polish

Tripple is and All-in-One designed to clean, polish and protect in a single application, it contains T1 grade carnauba to leave a wax protection layer with a durability of around a month. So, with this in mind you don’t have to apply a wax over the top because you already have a great protection layer on exterior surfaces – although there’s a few reasons why we’d always recommend doing so. The first is adding durability, the hard waxes in our Signature Collection offer more durability, up to 8-months in some cases and, as the wax in Tripple makes such a great base layer for these to bond to, using a separate hard wax means that you don’t have to reapply protection quite so often. Simply follow a safe maintenance routine using wash stage products that won’t degrade protection layers (such as Citrus Power Bug & Grime Remover, Avalanche Snow Foam and Lather Car Shampoo) to keep these layers in tip top condition over a for longer period. The second reason is that you can layer hard waxes (leaving around 3 hours between coats) to increase the barrier layer, making it more resilient to abrasion and the elements – the only thing better than having great paint protection is having more protection, right? Last, but by no means least, is adding even more gloss. Waxes work by levelling the optical finish of your paint, basically this means they smooth out the top layer filling in the microscopic ruts and recesses and leaving behind a level surface. This is important because the wax layer allows light to pass through to the paint and bounce back to your eye unobstructed and uniformly, making the paintwork appear deeper and glossier. An extra coat or two of hard wax over the top of your Tripple layer compounds the effect and, although you’re physically thickening the layer very slightly, the visual effect is that it looks proportionally deeper. So, the answer is that you don’t have to use a wax over Tripple, but you’ll get even more out of your detail if you do.

Yes. One of the key attributes – aside from adding a physical layer of protection – is that a wax bonds to level the optical finish significantly more than a bare paint layer. By this we simply mean that waxes are capable of making your paintwork appear to be deeper and glossier by smoothing the surface to which they’re applied and modifying how it looks to the eye. On a microscopic level, the top layer of your gloss plastics and paintwork - whether that’s the topcoat on older vehicles or the lacquer in more modern 2-stage paintwork – isn’t completely flat, even when it’s been polished. It will contain tiny ruts and recesses that may be essentially undetectable on their own, but will diffract the light bouncing off if it on different directions. Unlike swirl marks and scratches the effect is only slight, but it does change the way the surfaces is perceived in terms of depth and gloss. When a wax is applied over the top it fills any minuscule ruts and recesses to leave a layer that can be buffed to be smoother than the paint surface itself, in a way you can liken this to plastering a wall, only with a clear plaster. What this does is create a layer that enables light to bounce back to the eye more uniformly and this is what tricks the eye (and the brain) into thinking the paintwork is significantly deeper and shinier than the relatively thin layer of wax that’s applied on top.    

As with many processes in detailing, it all depends on the situation. Tripple All-in-One Polish has been developed using advanced fine diminishing abrasives which are designed to be extremely easy to break down by hand. Unlike a traditional machine polish or a compound that requires a machine polisher to fully work through the abrasives until they’re broken down all the way, Tripple allows this process to be completed by hand quickly and simply using a Microfibre Applicator, Polish Pad or Microfibre Spot Pad (and Handi Puck Applicator), and you’ll always get great results. That said, for a quick and easy way to get a consistent, professional finish over a whole vehicle, using a DA machine, like our DPX or MPX Dual Action Polishers, takes away most of the elbow grease. Generally speaking, machine polishers don’t get tired, won’t be tempted to cut corners on the last panels and will apply the same mechanical action to every panel for the best constancy. They’re also fast and you can tailor the pad you use depending on the severity of any light defects you’re trying to remove. In most cases we’d recommend using a soft Revitalise No:3 Pad (or the equivalent Revitalise Spot Pad) with Tripple for the best refinement and finish during enhancement details, but you can utilise slightly more aggressive combo, by using a medium Revitalise No:2 Pad, for maximum polishing performance on slightly heavier defects. It is worth noting however, that there are also many situations where Tripple can enhance your detail on painted areas that can only be accessed by hand with an applicator or microfibre Work Cloth. Or on other areas where a machine polisher simply won’t be effective because they’re not flat, too small, or have other parts blocking the action of the machine. You should never be without a bottle of Tripple in your kit for tackling awkward areas like engine bays, inner door, shuts, under door handles and a multitude of other parts of the vehicle. To give you a few ideas, see our article – Push Your Detail To The Next Level With Tripple.

No. Tripple has been developed as an all-in-one polish and intended to clean, enhance and protect paintwork in a single application. For this reason, it not only contains advanced abrasives, but the formula is also made up of a certain proportion of glazing oils and carnauba wax. Silica-based (SiO2) ceramic coatings, like those that you’ll find in our Caramics Paintwork Protection Kit, and other products such as Aqua Coat Hydrophobic Rinse Aid, Ceramic Spray Wax and Lavish Ceramic Foam are used to add hardy protection via a glass-like barrier to the elements. To do this effectively they must be allowed to chemically bond to top of the paintwork/lacquer layer to essentially become part of that layer, making them particularly difficult to remove and giving the maximum possible durability in terms of protection. A wax however physically bonds, which means that it clings to the top surface as a separate, smooth layer, and this wax layer will block the chemical bonding of any ceramic layer applied over the top. You can however add a wax layer over the top of a fully cured ceramic coating because it will already be a part of the paintwork, and this is useful if you prefer the trademark warm glow offered by a hard wax. So, to remove swirl marks and other paint defects before application of any ceramic coating, we recommend polishing compounds that do not contain waxes or glazes, that will give a true paint finish. Our Revitalise System V2 Compounds, and One Step All-in-One Compound are suitable for this task. For more on all polishes, how they work and which are best for use with different types of protection, see our full article – All Car Polishes Explained.

Aside from making sure surfaces are clean and free of contaminants, this always depends on the circumstances. Are you topping up wax protection from a previous full detail or adding wax protection for the first time? This is important because, first and foremost, polishing will remove any protection layer – the reason why we don’t use abrasives during routine maintenance, and only polish paintwork when it’s absolutely necessary. In this case of maintenance, we’d assume that any paint correction needed had been carried out before adding the first round of wax protection. When it comes to adding wax protection for the first time, we’d always recommend getting surfaces to the best possible level of refinement first. Although it’s wholly possible to apply a wax to car with swirly paint, and it will still bond, protect from grime and offer extreme water behaviour and beading, what it won’t do is hide any major defects, so essentially, you’ll be locking these in. Pure waxes are non-abrasives, so they’re not designed to correct or obscure defects in the surface underneath, they are purely for protection and to add extra gloss. So, for the best results, we’d always recommend correcting or enhancing any paintwork you’re not completely happy with the condition of, and fully preparing the surface, before applying any protection layer. The advantage with waxes over ceramic coating in this instance though, is that you don’t have to consider the chemical bonded needed for an SiO2 coating to adhere, so you can utilise any of our correction products and cleansers depending on the finish you require regardless of if they already contain waxes and paint glazes. This includes our Revitalise V2 System Compounds, One Step All-in-One Compound, Tripple All-in-One Polish and Rejuvenate Paintwork Cleanser. For more information, and some top tips on preparing your vehicle for a hard wax, see our full guide - Getting The Most From A Hard Wax. 

It’s important to look after any previously-applied wax layers as much as possible during routine maintenance, and the same rules apply as for looking after paint, lacquer and other sensitive exterior surfaces on any other detail. Wax protection is simply a top layer that’s impermeable to water molecules and it protects paintwork by installing a physical barrier, and by stopping grime (and water) from sticking, this in turn always makes maintenance washing easier. However, it doesn’t mean that the wax (and the paintwork underneath) can’t be damaged through improper wash techniques. Carrying out safe maintenance, including a thorough pre-wash, is crucial to stop heavy grit and grime from being rubbed in and abrading the wax or the paintwork, essentially stripping your wax and inflicting defects in the paint. Using wax, sealant and coating-friendly pre-wash products, such as Citrus Power Bug and Grime Remover and Avalanche Snow Foam will also help to prevent damage to coatings because they don’t contain harsh acidic or alkaline cleaning agents that may strip protection. As for the shampoo you use in your two-bucket wash? Well, that’s crucial, too. Our pH neutral Lather Car Shampoo is the ideal choice here, as it will never damage any previously-applied coatings, regardless of if they’re waxes, sealants or ceramic coatings. At this point of course, you can simply leave the vehicle, or choose to top up your protection for extra durability and shine. You can use your original hard wax or, for the ultimate in speedy details, utilise Radiance Carnauba Crème, or Glisten Spray Wax. Do not use abrasive products during maintenance, though, as these will remove the entire protection layer, requiring reapplication of your wax.  

Technically speaking both Tripple All-in-One Polish and Rejuvenate Paintwork Cleanser are compounds, because they use abrasives to ‘level down’ the top layer of your paint or clearcoat to refine, enhance and remove light defects such as minor swirling. These special diminishing abrasives are extremely fine and easy to break down, meaning that these products lend themselves being fully worked through when hand polishing as well as application by machine polisher. Rejuvenate and Tripple are also classed as ‘cleaner polishes’ because they utilise deep cleansing solvents within their formula to remove oxidation, staining and suborn contaminants. The difference between the two is that Tripple is an all-in-one and protection product which contains paint glazes and an infusion of Carnauba Wax to fill and obscure the appearance of defects, and leave behind a layer of wax protection, while Rejuvenate contains no waxes itself to offer protection, it has been specifically developed to prepare the surface to give the ideal top-layer for strong wax bonding, and to make the most of the individual characteristics of our Signature Hard Waxes, which are available for different paint types and finishes (along with Radiance Carnauba Crème). For more on Rejuvenate, and how it’s best used see our article - Three Steps To A Lightning Quick Showstopping Finish.

Both Tripple and One Step are denoted as all-in-one products – because their characteristics and uses go far beyond that of traditional products – but it’s for two very different reasons. Tripple is a 3-in-1 product made up of a blend of fine diminishing abrasives, deep cleaning solvents, paint glazing agents and carnauba wax. One Step is a polishing product that’s able to break down all the way from a coarse cutting compound, to a fine refining compound as it’s worked through. In practice this means that Tripple can clean away oxidation and lightly refine paintwork, removing light swirling by hand or with a machine polisher, leaving behind paint glazes to reduce the appearance of other swirling and a layer of wax to add even more gloss and protect the surface. One Step however has been developed specifically for use with a machine polisher, but is able to remove heaver swirl marks and other paint defects to leave behind nothing but a true finish. Because it contains no waxes or fillers, this also makes One Step suitable for paint correction before the application of a ceramic coating as well as waxes and sealants. For more on these amazing all-in-ones, see our full guide – Everything you need to know about Tripple and One Step.