Smart Wax
Price £14.99 per 473ml bottle
Tel 0845 230 7071
Web www.speeding.co.uk You can use this product on wet or dry surfaces, so you don't have to wait or wipe after washing your van. Apply it with a cloth, wait for it to haze and rub it off. Its mixture of carnauba wax and fluorocarbon-polymer resins gave one of the best finishes to our new Quasar's aluminium and GRP panels. The manufacturer claims the wax has a sunscreen to prevent UV damage to paint. Occasionally, a wax will leave behind a chalky residue. This one didn't; instead it stained the GRP panels of the Avondale Wren a pale pink, which was probably due to the age of the panels. The wax did not leave a shiny finish to the Wren, even when we used a proprietary cutting polish first. However, water beaded very easily on both vans after the wax was applied.
Verdict This is one of the best waxes for new caravans. Because it is non-abrasive, it can be used again and again to build up layers of protection, as well as shining it up. But its lack of 'cutting' power means it is not up to creating a good finish on something as old as the Wren, even when it was used with a proprietary polish.
Rating: * * * *

Mothers California Gold Sealer and Glaze and Mothers Pure Carnauba wax
Price Sealer and Glaze £11.49, Pure Carnauba Wax £13.49, both per 473ml bottle
Tel 0121 694 3559
Web www.performance motorcare.com
Although it was designed for new clear-coat paints, this two-phase system did a very good job on the old bodywork of the Wren, bringing its vfaded paint back to life. Unusually, the Carnauba wax bottle smelled of bubble gum. Either the sealer or the wax can be used on its own, but we tested them together to get the full effect. On our 2006 Lunar Quasar, it produced exceptional gloss without swirl marks. Water beaded well on the finished area. As with the Autoglym (reviewed below), the Mothers products had to be applied to a cool, dry surface. But you have to wait only a short time for the final coat to be ready for buffing. Moreover, despite the liquid wax's high proportion of carnauba, which can be difficult to remove, buffing up the treated surface was easy.
Verdict Although this polish and wax system was designed for cars and modern paint finishes, it works wonders on old caravan exteriors and does an excellent job on new tourers as well. This is a great product, even if it comes at such a premium price.
Rating: * * * * *

Muc-Off Fluoro Polymer Miracle Shine
Price £11.99 for 500ml
Tel 01202 307 790
Web www.muc-off.com
Containing a blend of three waxes, including the all-important carnauba wax, this product is designed specifically for caravans and motorhomes. It did a good job on the new caravan, creating a deep shine without swirls. Like the Smart Wax, this liquid is pink, but it didn't stain the Wren's exterior. Unfortunately, it also failed to leave behind much of a shine on the Wren. On the plus side, though, it left a finish on both vans that was highly water repellent, thanks to its use of fluoropolymer technology. The manufacturer claims that this technology will prevent dirt from getting ground into your tourer, making it easier to wash. Muc-Off is not as easy to use as Smart Wax, because your caravan has to be dry and you cannot use the polish in direct sunlight. Again, after you've applied the polish, leave it to dry for a short while to a hazy film. Then buff it up with a clean cloth.
Verdict This produces an impressive finish without swirls on new caravans, but does not do a good job on old models. The inclusion of carnauba in the mix should help the protective coating last a long while.
Rating: * * * *

Fenwick's Superior Bobby Dazzler
Price £6.95 for 1-litre bottle
Tel 0800 915 8991
Web www.amazingoutdoors.com
This is the ultimate, lazy polish: wash your caravan with Fenwick's Motorhome Cleaner and it rinse off with one capful of Fenwick's Bobby Dazzler dissolved in a bucket of water. In areas with hard water, you may need to rub it down with a chamois, but that's all. The Quasar got a shiny surface that repelled water well. The finish lacked the deep gloss left by Smart Wax, Care-avan and Mothers, but it looked good with half the effort. It contains no abrasives, acids, silicones or solvents, so it's safe for use on Perspex windows and can be applied regularly to aluminium. However, the Wren's badly deteriorated bodywork needs something more abrasive to make it shine, but Fenwick's did leave a water-repellent finish.
Verdict This polish is the easiest to apply and produces a very good finish with no swirl marks, but not quite the gloss of other polishes and waxes. It is hard to beat for the price.
Rating: * * * * *

AutoGlym Super Resin Polish and Extra Gloss Protection
Price Super Resin Polish £7.99 Extra Gloss Protection £8.99, both per 325ml bottle
Tel 01462 677 766
Web www.autoglym.com
Renowned for its car polishes, AutoGlym says its products also work on caravans. We used the two-step process of the Super Resin Polish, which is formulated to remove oxidised paint, followed by Extra Gloss Protection, which seals in the shine and leaves a protective coating. Either can be used separately, but we used both in our test. We achieved good results on the Wren. The polish cut through the oxidised paintwork to leave a glossy finish. It worked particularly well on the aluminium side panels, but as with any polish, it should be used only occasionally or it will make the thin layer of paint disappear. On the Quasar it also produced a good result. The liquids had to be applied on clean, dry, cool surfaces, meaning you had to have more or less ideal conditions to start the work. The Extra Gloss Protection had to be left to dry for 30-60 minutes before it could be buffed up. The gloss finish was meant to be only lightly buffed, but we found it took a bit of effort to get a good finish and there were swirl marks.
Verdict The polish and sealant work well on ageing and new vans. But they have to be applied in ideal conditions, which limits use in our climate, and it takes lots of effort to get a good finish.
Rating: * * *

Big Wipes Automotive Exterior
Price £9.99 for set of three varieties (interior, exterior and glass), 40 wipes in each
Tel 01628 894 374
Web www.bigwipes.com
No cloths, or bottles of wax and polish are needed for the Big Wipes, making them very easy to use, but you need an awful lot of them to polish a whole van. Of course, they are intended as a convenient way to remove bird lime and tar spots, leaving a waxy finish. They were also very good at polishing under window frames and other areas that are hard to reach with other products, without leaving a chalky residue. The finish was not a high gloss, but the surface of both vans looked clean with a gentle sheen. The result was not as water repellent as with the other polishes in the test, but did provide some surface protection.
Verdict For convenience these are tops, and they can be used to get into crevices that other polishes cannot reach, but the finish was not as good as those left by other polishes we tested.
Rating: * * *

Care-avan
Price £9.99 per 500ml bottle
Tel 07771 977 746
Web www.care-avan.co.uk
The results we got with this polish, designed specifically for caravans, were outstanding. This single bottle worked wonders on our old Wren, bringing the front GRP panel to a gloss that it probably has not had for 15 years. It was also very effective on the aluminium side panels. The Lunar Quasar also benefited from the high gloss this polish produced, although the finish was not quite as good as that produced by Mothers, because it left slight swirl marks that were visible in bright sunlight. It is fairly easy to apply, even though the surface has to be clean, dry and cool, and you cannot apply it in direct sunlight. It buffs up beautifully without leaving a white residue.
Verdict This produced the best results on our old Wren and also gave an impressive finish on the Quasar. It is also easy to apply, which helps put it at the top of our selection.
Rating: * * * * *

Turtle Wax Original and Gloss Guard
Price Original £5.49, Gloss Guard £6.99, both per 500ml bottle
Tel 01695 722 161
Web www.turtlewaxeurope.com
These can be used together or singly. Turtle Wax recommends using its original liquid on older surfaces to remove oxidised paint and then the Gloss Guard. We tested them together and found they produced a very good result on both the Wren and the Quasar. No swirl marks were visible on either van and water beaded very easily on the finished surface. As with many of the other products, the polish and wax cannot be used in direct sunlight, or when the surface is wet. The maker also recommends allowing two hours between applying each treatment, which extends the whole process. But the application and buffing-up itself is quick and easy, although there was some chalky residue.
Verdict This is an effective pairing of polish and top coat that results in an impressive finish without swirls. They are easy to apply, but the two-hour wait between applications is a bore.
Rating: * * * *

Quixx Polish
Price £9.50 per 175g bottle
Tel 01454 312 831
Web www.scratchexpert.com
The manufacturer of this product promises that it will clean, polish and protect any exterior surface. It contains no carnauba wax, but is made with modern polymers and silicones that combine to create an effective and resilient polish. Although it is formulated for use on cars, it still did a good job on our caravans. As it is a polish, it contains abrasive material, so it should not be used too often on aluminium panels. That said, it worked a treat, cutting through the oxidised surface of our Wren's old paint, and left behind an impressive finish. It also did a good job on our Quasar, leaving very few swirl marks. Water beaded as soon as it fell on the surface. However, it did leave some chalky residue and left white marks on rubber seals. It was relatively easy to apply. Just wet the sponge and apply the polish to the surface of the caravan. Allow to dry and then polish it with the cloth provided.
Verdict This is great for renovating old caravan bodywork, but it may be a bit harsh for regular use on the aluminium side panels.
Rating: * * * *

Mer Ultimate car polish
Price £8.99 per 500ml bottle
Tel 020 8401 0002
Web www.merproducts.com
This scored full marks for ease of use: the surface can be wet or dry, warm or in direct sunlight. Apply with a cloth (a damp one if the surface is dry), let dry and rub it off. It produced an impressive shine on the Quasar and was abrasive enough to bring out a good shine on the Wren's oxidised bodywork. It left a few swirl marks on the Lunar and some chalky residue on both, which was difficult to remove from the black rubber seals. The finish was one of the most water repellent we tested, with water beading and running off the surface immediately. It contains carnauba wax, so its protective coat is likely to last
Verdict This is easy to use, protects and produces a good shine on new and old vans. The chalky residue is our only gripe.
Rating: * * * *