Help in choosing affordable wax

Tip if you have areas that are too thick/dried out apply little 845 to it and it will come right off...or little QD can help.

 

I guess I am different but I don't really understand what the deal is with "nano sealants". I honestly don't know much about them but people seem to be crazy for them. I thought one could not top the nano (i.e. Wolfs Body Wrap, Aquarts, or Opti Coat 2.0) sealant? If I were to get a nano, I would want the easiest to use, cheapest, etc. How are these applied also?

 

I keep wondering if they will be the next huge thing or just the current flavor. But they will likely just settle in as another choice.
I got Wolfs BW (back before they sold it here) and liked it. I also tried Cquartz and found that it easily lasted over 3 months this summer and beads like it was just applied. But they are trickier to use and require more specific prep and don't allow for glazes.

At first I thought it was great that it didn't need reapplied but then I found myself not even bothering to wash the cars anymore and then just recently polished off the Cquartz and applied the Body Wrap only to find it wasn't beading properly when I washed it so I must not have applied or prepped it right so I got out the old tub of Zymol Glasur and I had forgotten how nice it was to use a LSP that is just super easy to work with and doesn't require any specific, exacting steps. Just wipe it around, wait just a bit and wipe it back off. No making sure everything is free of any contaminates, no 'woops, I goofed up there. Have to polish it off later'. Just a good ol' connection to the car.

And when I was done it hit me. The Cquartz had protected the car all summer. Which was great. It even kept the hood from oxidizing and it really likes to do that fast usually. But on the downside I hadn't been excited about the way the car looked anymore. It no longer had the just waxed, wow it looks so great thing going. It had the: it looks good but not great thing going. Which is great for some people but I really enjoy shining the car up when I get a chance. I hadn't found myself turning around to get another look at the shine under the lights in parking lots anymore.
On the one hand I saved a ton of money by not trying out more new products but it was missing something. I've liked using sealants under nubas before to get the little extra paint protection. 2 of my vehicles don't have the greatest paint in the world and one is thin enough in places to see the primer if it is in the right light so I can't polish it more. So the one with the super thin paint gets the Cquartz because I like having nearly 40 year old paint on the car. But the other car will likely get more variety. It would be nice if the new 'coatings' would play nicer with nubas though.

So it is a good point you bring up and I've wondered if people are giving up on the ol top coat since the recent 'nano' stuff doesn't like being topped. Even in the short time I've been on here I've seen so many products come and go from being the popular item; it is hard to say what will stay.

 

Opti Coat is a completely different coating(think *almost* urethane) that most of the other ones, which again..... are super siloxanes. Again, these are the same types of siloxane polymers in something like DG sealants.

Nano = a size identifier.


Alot of this is market hype, they do offer great protection, they do last longer than something like Swissvax, Glanz all the other regular sealants, but has anyone done a direct comparision between a nano coating and 476s from Collinite? I would imagine Colli would put up a damn good fight. But again, if you pay more, the mentality is you MUST be doing something better... time will tell.

OC is the real deal. No doubt about it. We will have to wait and see about the other ones because if you noticed, when things fall off(after people have spent the money on it and talked about it) they certainly wouldn't go saying how crappy it is.. makes the coin they dropped on some hype look bad.

but that would be shooting the mfgs in the foot...and we are involved with distributing this stuff - I just believe in serious customer education and get a little disappointed when someone is duped for inferior stuff. "I used the same and got nowhere near the results" is a common post in this regard.


I would say watch some forum trends and the way certain people push certain things... then see how they don't go well and watch the trends on "POPULAR" stuff.

845 FTW in your case.



EDIT: Many people forget that while we really do want to protect our paint, OEM coating(read: paint) is far more advanced than it was to UV resistance and wear. Thus heat is the issue and etching issues are the biggest desirable properties. Paint protection of any kind is going to be sacrificial. I would hope something that claims a year, could AT LEAST protect 5 - 8 months, but if you look there are now issues arising where some simply don't last.

Safety is an issue that is NEVER addressed. If you look up true nano stuff, nitrile gloves I don't think would cut it and these things can be quite dangerous.. which again leads me to "?"

Stay knowledge thirsty my friends . Plus don't always eat what you are fed.

 

opticoat scares me. I have trouble with the easier to use, doesn't last as long, stuff so something so long lasting I'll leave to the pros for now. I don't need to be reminded of my goof ups for the next few years.
Unfortunately, I've never gone long enough without getting the bug to redo the vehicles to really test how long the lsp lasts. Usually I get the itch after a couple weeks to try something different for even just a slightly different sort of shine, deep one week, wet the next, glassy the next. Although I was impressed with the cquartz beading like crazy after 3 and a half months of summer heat. Between 3 vehicles I've got really old singe stage paint, not very good clear coated paint and one that the clear coated paint does really well so it keeps me hopping with what to use.
It is really easy to get excited about whatever product someone is writing about. Especially with the skill level so many have in the prep work the results look so amazing. I still do need the fillers to help with the surface damage that is too deep and to cover for not quite perfect polishing yet.

 

If 3 month crazy beading is what puts a smile on your face(coupled with easier to clean etc) I think you simply need to try a durable wax. People get in the mindset that "good looking" means "not durable" and "durable" means "not good looking" but thats never the case. Sure some look a little different and some are simply awful but I think forum chatter makes people think that 476s for example is a crappy looking wax - but it looks awesome and last long.

Alot of times I will read 3 months is durable but to me that's not considered any sort of appreciate longevity.


The best looking products I have ever used cost a measly amount of money and will literally last 5 months MINIMUM. Which tells me its surface prep, period.

 

As Mike said, some of the cheapest LSPs can garner some outstanding results. The following pic is after a single stage polish ( PC / B&S Green / Menz Power Finish ), Werkstat Prime Acrylic and Autoglym Hi Def Wax ($20 at Walmart ). With properly prepped paint, Hi Def should give 5 months of protection.

 

That is exactly what I am getting at Ken. I will stick to my DG 105 and AG HD but I will also pick up some Power Lock and Colli as well I think just to have variety. I recently picked up PG and PF so I need to try the PF for a 1 step soon!

 

I was thinking along these lines this weekend. I have most of the nano tech products, and as a hobbyist, I think I may have decided to stick to traditional waxes and sealants.

That being said, it would be nice to continue to use the long term sealants on things like wheels, and use the shorter lasting, sometimes more attractive lsp's on paint.

For the pro's, I guess it is all about striking a balance between looks and durability, and I'm sure the longer term sealants will continue to have their place with them on paintwork.

Either way, my pockets will continue to spew $ @ the latest and greatest.

 

Does not have to be swissvax'd to look its best....... while I can afford it, i choose not too since I have seen several of their products and honestly I cannot tell the difference, I was very happy with p21s, Glanz, AGHD, even megs #16.

Ive used Cquartz and Aquartz and they look great and make life easier to clean, but maintained MPL does the same if you ask me.

 

915 has to be a 4 to apply and a 9 to remove.

 

I think I learned this earlier this year. Prep, prep, Prep. Give your LSP some good surface to stick to. Even the cheap P21s paint cleanser creates a surface that makes a $15 bottle of 845 look like it should cost $2500.
I am now on this PowerLock kick. I love Collinite 845 too. I find them to be near the top in terms of durability, ease of use AND shine.
Notice how after 8 months, your dedicated PowerLock and 845 pads are still slicker than anything you've ever touched? That told me alot.

You cant go wrong with Powerlock or 845.
Joe D

 

Aha! Now I know why my wife got me underwear that says "Nano" all over them.

Even if that Mikey was last man on the earth, mankind would still stand a chance.

JD

 

I am very satisfied with waxes like Meguiars #16, CG 50/50, Poorboys Nattys Blue and Dodo Juice Supernatural.