I'm confused and overwhelmed with Waxes/sealants

In the past I've only waxed my car with carnauba waxes like Mothers, etc...
I'm looking to try applying a sealant and/or wax.
I've been reading this forum and seem a little overwhelmed with the choices.
- Can anyone suggest any good OTC sealants and waxes or reasonably priced higher end products?
- Are there any tips for applying these products?

What's a good procedure to follow when detailing my car? Should I be claying my car?

Wash, Clay, Sealant, Wax?

I could use some help.

 

You would only need to clay your car once or twice a year. Wash -> Clay -> Polish -> Protect -> Maintain.

You might want to take a look at the Duragloss Products as well as Collinite.

Do you plan on doing any polishing?

 

I don't plan to polish - not sure what's involved with that. Can I hand polish or does it require a rotary tool and lots of expertise?

 

Have you tried Mothers FX or Meguiar's NXT 2.0? These are both high shine products available OTC or you can pick up Duragloss at Carquest.

 

For "OTC" you can't really get better than Duragloss #111 or #105 OR #101

Combine this with #601 (optional) if you desire, and the Duragloss AquaWax after the 111 or 105 'sets' and you can get exceptional shine and a really long bead time.

Duragloss' #901-904 (only size variations) Car Wash Shampoo is also excellent.

You can find these at Carquest if you have one in the area.

I've also heard good things about their Quick Detailer. Fast Clean & Shine #921.

 

You should try FC&S mixed with AW (70/30 ratio), it was recommended by a member(Al53) here,you get a good QD with some sealant for protection.
BTW welcome to DB.
You too mookiewils ,you guys will love it here.

 

Yep, DG is probably about the best you'll do OTC. You can polish by hand, but you will not obtain the same results as you would with a machine (DA or rotary). This rabbit hole can go pretty deep, pretty quickly. If you're just maintaining your own cars, the probably something like the Porter-Cable 7424 and some pads would work. Although I am smitten with my Flex 3401, but that's about double the cost of the PC.

 

I would have to agree with the guys here as far as sealants go you cant go wrong with Duragloss :thumb:

As far as a wax goes, I'd recomend the Victoria wax. They aren't expensive at all but they do deliver and the end results are very impresive.

You got the system right wash, clay, sealant then wax. That is if your not doing any point correction.

 

Thanks for the replies.
Is the Duragloss 101, 105, or 111 a polish or a sealant?
Do you guys typically use a machine to apply sealants and waxes?
Is there anything that is best to do by hand? It looks like there's a lot of reasons to purchase a tool like the Porter Cable.

 

If it's OTC you're looking for, then your best bet is Duragloss like the above members have mentioned.

 

I have to say Zaino for a sealant with Duragloss being my second choice.

 

A professional detailer told me once that if you clay you almost have to polish and he recommended it to be a machine polish (maybe he was trying to sell his services, who knows). But heck, you can do whatever you want. If you are happy w/ the quality of the paint finish after claying then you can follow it w/ a sealant and / or wax. Just bear in mind the sealant might not adhere as well.

Generally, a good sealant should last twice as long as a good wax, so if you want to protect your car you can just do the sealant step and skip the wax (btw: ppl suggest 2 layers of sealant). People usually add the wax just b/c they prefer the look it provides.

 

All the terms can get confusing if you haven't been around so long.

Duragloss 101 - cleaner sealant, removes old waxes while laying down a layer of protection.


Duragloss 105 - long lasting paint sealant

Synthetic Polymer/Wax Formula. Super-tough coating forms a protective barrier which protect against acid rain, tree sap, bird droppings and other environmental pollutants.

Duragloss 111 - paint sealant

All these are not true "polishes" as duragloss.coms but instead sealants. I've only had personal experiences with Duragloss 105, it's a fantastic sealant for the price. My recommendations for starting a new are:

Duragloss 105 the Sealant
Duragloss 601 A pre-sealant bonding agent to promote proper bonding of 105
Duragloss 951 Duragloss aquawax - a sealant booster to enhance the shine and protective properties of the sealant, apply after your washes.

As it has been said, you can pick them up at your local carquest, it should only set you back around $25. Great products!


You can apply waxes/sealants by hand, that's what the majority of us do. A machine like the porter cable is to polish out imperfections like marring or swirl marks in the paint. It's really a fantastic investment for an enthusiast to getting true mirror reflection in your paint, but it's like a vacuum on your wallet if your not careful, the temptation to buy more stuff as many of us here know!

 

Hmm, I can't seem to remember the details exactly but if you're going to top a sealant with a wax, should I be waiting for the sealant to bond before applying the wax?

 

Depending on the sealant, I've read a minimum of 12 hours. But I think with Zaino + ZFX, you can apply the wax pretty much right after. I usually wait 24 hours during the week because I'm forced to. On the weekends I wait 12 hours b/c I'm impatient.

 

Correct, you can apply up to 3 coats at a time with Zaino when using ZFX. If you are using a sealant Zaino is the only way to go IMHO.

 

Well the sealants I work with happen to be OS and UPP. I guess 24 hours won't be too bad.

 

Garage it if there is dew on the car in the morning.

 

If you don't want to polish, atleast twice a year, clean the paint with a paint cleaner (sometimes called a pure polish due to no abrasives) or an AIO.

If I am not going to polish, I generally do the following:

1. Wash with Duragloss 905 Wash (Same as 901 except 905 comes in a gallon)
2. Clay with Sonus Green or similar mild clay.
3. AIO with Polycharged Jeff's Werkstat Prime Strong
4. Seal with Polycharged Jeff's Werkstat Acrylic Jet.
5. Glaze with Danase Wet Glaze
5. Seal again with Polycharged Jeff's Werkstat Acrylic Jet.

You can use whatever product line you like but I really like the Jeff's Werkstat line. I also like the polycharge the products to make removing them easier and makes them slicker. Other really good lines are Zaino, Ultima and Duragloss.

In step #3, if you are using a sealant that doesn't come with an AIO, I would use a cleaner there. If you are are using a wax instead of a sealant, in step three I would use Clearkote's Red Moose Glaze as your cleaner (don't use a sealant on top of Red Moose Glaze) and skip the Danase Wet Glaze.