It was pouring out so I decided to let the G sit out for a couple minutes, parked it back inside. It has one coat of Bilt Hamber Autobalm applied on the 14th of August. So it's doing well as expected. The beading isn't as tight as say Collinite 845, but it still beads so thats what matters. I had to turn the contrast up way high to highlight the beading. Let me know what you think! I'll probably throw on another coat before it snows, that should last till spring. Anyways let me know what you guys think!
Looks good, I just had my first experience with AB this weekend putting it on my GTI. Boy I really do not know the meaning of thin coats. I thought I was using a little but when I went to clean my 4" blue LC pad it was SATURATED with AB, so much so I had to throw it out. I had no issues with buffing it off though, I could do a whole panel or about 1/3-1/2 of the side of the car and have no issues buffing it off like other did. I would sometime spritz a light mist of water to help buff if really needed but only did that a few times. AB is a great product and glad I came across this forum so I would get to know it! Great shots as well.
yeah I'm pretty much used to applying thin coats. I have to mist every panel before I apply it though haha. It's just habit for me to mist it now before apply AB
Did you do a final wipe down with a QD by any chance? I ask because in my experience, BH AB does not bead anything like that, in fact it has one of the worst beadings, so if you did hit it with a QD, that might be what is causing the beading. BH AB does look amazing though.
definitely no chance, it hasn't been washed in about a week. It hasn't been driven much but it hasn't been touched. Everything I've put AB on has beaded for me. Some not as tight as others though.
Interesting. I have not had that kind of luck with the beading on the cars on which I have applied it. :shead: Though the beading has not been great for me, the look is really nice.
It's possible you're applying it wrong. I applied it wrong once (waited too long to take it off) and it didn't bead at all, I think it was probably less protected than the cars where I applied it properly. It beads decently, not tight but it's still beading.
possibly a chance it has been applied wrong. It needs to be applied thin, I mist a panel with water and then I apply it. That way it goes on thin. Not sure, I don't have any of those products like Darkstar said, you might be applying it wrong
I applied and removed right away. I also sprayed distilled cold water on the applicator when applying. It did bead, but not tight at all like in those pics.
thats weird then, Ken has told me that he's seen it bead on some clear coats, and seen it do nothing on other clear coats. It's a weird wax/sealant...haha:shead:
It is very strange. On mine, it did bead, but a very loose uneven beading. Although the look was awesome, I ended up stripping it because the beading was driving me nuts.
I found the best time to wait is about 15-20 seconds. I do a small section (1/6-1/4 a hood) and really work it in for about 15 seconds, wait about 10 more and wipe it off. Make sure the applicator isn't saturated with water, it just needs to be damp. You'll know after some experimentation where it wants to be. It's enough to make it spread easily, too little water and it will be hard to spread it. Too much water and it glides too much and leaves visible water beads behind. I usually do 2 coats since application is so easy once you get it down. I'm not trying to knock on you at all, I'm just trying to share my experience because it took me a while to learn how to use it. This is what has worked best for me after a good amount of experiments, maybe it's not the best way but I'm just sharing my experience with it. The beading I get is similar to the OP's, kinda loose but it stays at the same point(beading wise)for a long time.
Yeah, I only sprayed a light mist to dampen it. I will try leaving it on a little longer next time and see if that makes a difference. Thanks!
No problem! Something I forgot to mention, when I did wipe-on, wipe-off, it seemed to just smear it around on the paint. Too long and it was difficult to remove, and seemed to almost pull the product off the paint. After about 20 seconds it seemed like the smearing was much, much less, and it was still easy to remove, that's probably what you wanna look for. I'm saying this because the time it takes to dry(?) to that point, the 20 seconds is subjective to the heat, humidity, etc. , so experiment and see what works best. I would make 3 small sections on the hood, and try say 15, 30, 45 seconds removal with each one and see what works best. Good luck!
Taking it off at the right time makes a huge difference in masking and beading. You almost have to wait until its just past "sticky" but comes off clean. I find removing in a small circular pattern works best and change your towels often. I apply it in thin coats with a dry applicator now. I've got it down so I can put it on the entire side of a car and wait a few minutes before removing it. After removing it, any streaky areas can be fixed by spraying the panel with water and wiping down with a clean towel. We even did this on a black Escalade out in the sun and it worked!
After 30 mins, the film should have formed fully on the surface - so after that you can use those or throw another layer on. Nice shots there xfactor. :mounty:
The longer AB stays on the surface, to a point, to more pores the prodcuts fills thus the surface will have less surface tension and have poor looking beads but better protection and performance from the layer that is formed. I am still waiting for the uber beading topper to come out but I dont really care for beads I just care about protection and having less water spots. Also leaving it sit for a bit, 20 secs, will let the AB settle into the light swirls to help mask them better as well.
