Collinite 845 durability issues...

So far I've had Collinite 845 on my GTI since sometime near the end of November...and in that time my car has been absolutely filthy several times from all the salt they put on the roads here. And I've been very impressed with how well the 845 has been holding up to all that. But last night I did my first "regular" wash (not ONR) in a while, and saw that there was no beading on the back bumper or hatch of my car, it was like there was no wax on it at all. I'm a really forgetful person, but I know that I put two coats of wax on my entire car when I waxed it back in November.

I think I may have put the wax on too thin (can you even do that?) and because it's a hatchback the rear end of my car gets plastered with a TON of salt...and I guess those combined to lessen the durability of the wax? Still, I'm a bit confused...even if I put two very thin coats on I thought it would last longer than that. And I don't think it was the preparation, my car didn't need claying so I just did a 1:1 IPA wipedown of the entire thing (I had Powerlock on it previously, but it had been there for a few months) Anyway last night I clayed and did an IPA wipedown of the back of the car and then put two (thick) coats of 845 on it again. I'll have to see how well that holds up. Anyone know why the 845 would wear out so quickly?

Thanks,

Clark

P.S.--sorry if that's incoherent or a really stupid thing to post about, I'm quite tired right now :thud:

 

How long did you wait between coats. The only thing I could think of is maybe you didn't let the first coat cure so the second coat basically wiped it out. And like you said...the back of a car is usually the worst hit with the elements.

 

did you check the beading after you cleaned it properly?

lots of soaps have ingredients to sheet water, so when you rinse, it can appear there is no wax. also impossible to tell when doing the initial rinse if there is dirt on the car.

i'm gonna bet money there was still wax on there, but did you shake the bottle well?

 

there's still wax on your car. that happens to my GTI all the time on the rear hatch and lower sections of my doors, but it beads in the rain just fine.

 

I waited about a half hour or so between coats. And I checked for beading after I had washed the car and rinsed off all the soap off.

 

And I guess that could be true...but my Beetle beads up fine in the rain and I've never waxed it before...

 

I'm surprised your surprised... No wax can take the pounding of a daily salt attack.. I've used tons of sealants and waxes and nothing lasts. There is so much bs concerning the longevity of waxes and sealants its beginning to make me laugh. Sure one may last a day or two more than others but just be prepared to wax your car at least once a month if not twice.

Just my .02$ but i'm not a pro... just my observations.

 

I've used 845 for over 30 years and found it seems more durable when more frequently washed. Go figure. :crasy: I also noticed the rear end of hatchbacks, pickup trucks, vans etc don't have comparable longevity to the rest of the vehicle. The slipstream on those types of vehicles pummels the rear end, Throw in salt, brine and blasting from road debris, sand and cinders and it's a wonder we aren't down to primer! :yikes: I reapply 845 to the tailgate on my truck every couple of months in the winter, the rest of the finish is good til Spring. YMMV.

Thin is the operative word when using 845... on light colors you should have trouble seeing it go on. The benefit of multiple coats can be argued, good if you want to insure complete and even coverage but Pat @ Collinite told me any perceived increase in longevity may be negligable.

Once I get halfway down the bottle and the consistency is thin I keep some in a small spray bottle. Placed in hot water for a bit and shaken extremely well it makes for a nice spray application for touchups or a top up. Like I sez, I usually hit the tailgate more often than the rest. The sprayer makes it quick and easy.

TL

 

Thanks for the input guys. I guess I was surprised because of all the hype that 845 has got and I expected more than I should have from it. And we've had an abnormally bad winter this year, lots more snow than I can ever remember having and because people in Kentucky freak out when it snows, loads of salt and brine all over the roads. And we would get snow week after week so I didn't get much of a chance to wash my car in between. And the back of my car definitely gets the worst of everything...I love my hatchback but hate keeping it clean.

 

"The slipstream on those types of vehicles pummels the rear end, Throw in salt, brine and blasting from road debris, sand and cinders and it's a wonder we aren't down to primer! "

^^^^^^this, my Sti has the same issue..

 

I put on 2 coats of 845 probably mid-end of September. We got absolutely hammered here in the NE, tons of snow, tons of salt, and I was unable to wash my truck a lot. When I did wash I didn't top up with a quick detailer. I'd say those two coats lasted 3.5 months. All things considered, that's pretty damn good. It was still beading decently on the side panels but the hood was just about done.

 

This is an Awesome post. I love the spray bottle idea and I will try it. I am a recent convert to Collinite 845. It looks great and is very effective on a light silver and medium grey car. In a couple of weeks, I will try it out on a dark reddish car after the proper prep work is done. I cant wait. I love the stuff although I am thinking it could use a makeover in the smell department...
JD

 

something I thought was really interesting was the process Avi of Cquartz recommended to ensure thorough bonding. He said that an ipa wipedown may not clean all of the polishing oils off of the car, and to clean with a dawn-like soap before application.

i wonder if that would even further enhance (using this method in addition to ipa wipedown) the durability of 845 or any sealant / wax for that matter?

 

I was thinking about that too, but it seems like Dawn would leave more of a residue behind than IPA. Does he say to hit it w/ Dawn first, then IPA or was it a mixture of the two?

 

lemme check...i'll edit on this post # when i find it.

see step#5 here: http://www.cquartz.com/user-guide.html

 

Try Collinite 476. I washed my ES for the first time since October....it was filthy and ALL covered with salt and drenched with road dirt... after doing a pass with ONR I took a regular sprayer bottle with water and sprayed a panel to see if it beads and it bead just like the day I put the wax on. Still shines the same too. No difference at all. Make sure you prep the car right meaning you clay it PROPERLY to make sure the wax has something to stick to.

 

Sure it's gonna help. The cleaner the surface, the better the bond.

Avi was advocating a 90/10 mix of 90% IPA to 10% Dawn.

 

It should be worth noting that waxes/sealants don't last as long on bumpers compared to the rest of the vehicle. This is also a good reason why I am crazy about frequent maintenance washes and applying spray waxes/spray sealants/QD's after every wash. This can really extend your wax protection throughout an entire winter season.

 

I didn't read everything, but I don't want to create another thread about this, so I'll respond to it here. Sorry if this falls under "thread jack".


I was skeptical about the durability of 845 at first, so I had a genius idea. I have extremely hard water at my house, and when this testing began, we were 4 people people living here.

SO...I lined the walls of my shower with a layer of 845! It's been almost 4 months now, and after all the hard water, from 4 showers a day, with shampoos and body soaps, as well as dirt from mops and our bodies, the water STILL beads. I've noticed some spots are not as well protected and aren't beading anymore, but I'm assuming that it's simply because it's under constant leaking/dripping of soap from leaking bottles etc. and simply because the 845 was applied by hand/sponge, so some places probably received a smaller amount of protection.

I have to say I'm extremely impressed with this and recommend any man here to let his wife/live-in girlfriend know about this wonderful secret. The walls are ALWAYS clean the dirt just falls right into the drain.

I will be doing a full degreasing/stripping clean in the next few days and will be applying 2 layers of 845 to see if a second test will yield the same results. After all, I don't want to be praising a complete fluke if this is the case.

Disclaimer: If a moderator or the OP should feel this is irrelevant or not appropriate in this thread, let me know and I shall create another thread and edit this post to be blank. Thank you!

 

The shower is a good place for protection, stays cleaner longer and makes future cleanups easier. However, I'd recommend Opti Seal for the shower as the protection is excellent and it's an easier job since you remove the buff-off step. OS on the tile, glass, rubber, caulk, fiberglass... you name it. Ummm... except the floor. Not a good idea.

TL