Winter is coming, need imput on a sealer

Ok, so winter is coming and I want to finally by a REAL sealer. I have been looking at a few different ones, but I want some input as to which of these provides the best shine and protection. The choices are:

1. Blackfire wet diamond

2. menzerna power lock

3. optimum opti-seal

4. Chemical guys V7

 

Power Lock

 

OPT Opti-Coat without question

 

Cquartz or Aquartz will easily get you through the winter. Powerlock and Optiseal will NOT have the durability to last the winter IMO. Optiseal, in particular will not last long enough but is easy enough to reapply if you are willing to do so every couple of months. The other option is Collinite 845. Lasted all last winter for me and held up well.

 

Two coats of Colli 845 lasted ALL winter (still beading in march and was waxed in early december) and the car was never washed. If you know how montreal winters are... they are very generous on salt here... so much that new cars will rust in the first year...

But if you really want a "sealant", Opti-Coat v2 if you have the budget. 1Z Glanz is supposed to offer great durability also.

 

The obvious first question is, "last the winter where?" Lasting the winter in San Diego is one thing and lasting the winter in Ely, Minnesota or Bangor, Maine are very different matters. How many months will the sealant have to last and in what conditions? What washing methods and materials do you plan to use? Will there be any opportunity to reapply the sealant or to top it with some sort of refresher?
TOGWT's suggestion of Opti Coat appears to have the longest durability based on current evidence but it is more of a semi-permanent coating than a temporary (as in four to six months) sealant. That may or may not be what you are looking for.

 

I would suggest more than one layer of PL; my combo of PL and AG HD finally broke down after about 2.5 months (and that was summer). I'll be trying 845 this fall with some topper.

I also have Aquarts - I think I'll put that on my dad's car.

 

Colli 845 X2

 

I will be trying out new things - Gtechniq, Cquartz/Aquartz, Wolf's nano sealant.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, please keep them coming. I live in north west PA and we have some harsh winters. Is fmj still made and/or is it inferior these days.

 

I don't like the idea of "permanent" what if it turns out bad or I don't like the way it looks. I guess I just worry to much lol. I am thinnking about buying something for my car (it's driven in the summer only and only on perfect days) what sealer would provide the highest level of gloss for that car? Might as well buy everything at once.

 

There are so many variables in play that it is difficult to provide definitive answers.
My experience has been that two coats of BFWD can, just barely, last through a northern winter provided that you use relatively gentle shampoos* and top it off a couple times a month with their Deep Gloss Spray Sealant.
I've used Opti Seal but not through a winter. I'm dubious that it would last in winter conditions but I like it as a summer sealant.
I have no experience using MPL.
Two coats of 845 might last. While it isn't quite as effortless as modern sealants to apply it isn't all that difficult either..
I've used CG Jetseal but not V7. My experience and that of others users I've talked to does not support claims of great durability for the CG sealants.
I have limited experience but Duragloss 105 seem like it might get it done, especially if you go the full 501>601>105 route and top off with 921 or 951 periodically.

The various new nano sealants have lots of claims of great durability but there are also quite a few "nowhere near that" reports as well as some reports of application issues. I think the jury is still out on most of these.

Opti Coat v2 and Opti Guard really do seem to be extremely durable but I totally understand your concerns about them being too far in the direction of semi-permanent.

Looks wise I've liked BFWD the best of the sealants I've used. 845 can also look great but it is a hybrid wax rather than a sealant. I really do think surface prep matters far more than LSP choice in the quality of the final look but that is not that there is no difference in look among LSPs..

*Barring a stretch of atypically warm weather I use self-serve car washes set on rinse to get the worst of the crud off and then wash the vehicles at home with ONR. It isn't ideal but short of a heated garage with a floor drain what can you do in 26F - 38F weather?

 

First let me thank you for such an in-depth response. I actually have jet seal and I do like it. Maybe I could try doing 2 coats of it (4 coats if you go by the instructions on the bottle. Then again I like to try new things and my daily driver/winter car is a truck and the paint is not horrible but it does have some chips etc. Therefore I don't thing I will be quite the perfectionist with it, I may try the Cquartz. I think for my car I am going to try a combo that goes like this...polish with adams polishes then maybe some wet CG mirror glaze, CG black light, wet diamond then topped off with CG pete's 53

 

Maybe I am intimidated by the syringe lol.

 

LOL........... Im still trying to understand if its more a marketing gimmick or without it will dry up, my cquartz and Aquartz have no issues being stored, in fact in one of the Opt. videos Chris puts the product in a small spray bottle, then back in the syringe. Either way its a cool way to sell a product.

 

What do you think of the cquarts VS the opti-coat

 

That's all the colder Maine gets in winter? Shoot, I'm moving from MN then. :applause2:

Phil, that makes me wonder what you do in winter. Do you spray cars off just inside your shop? I'm curious what the barrels look like after a season of not cleaning - I assume the Opti-Coat makes it super easy to clean even with a good coating of crud?

I believe the jury is still out on that one. Want to be the first guinea pig?

 

Actually coastal Maine does have a much more benign climate than Minnesota's. Winter lows tend to be in the -5 to +20 range and winter highs are usually +20 to +45. This does mean that we often have temps hovering right around freezing which can produce ice storms or fluctuating from rain to ice to snow to rain. Way up in northern Maine it gets much colder although not Embarass or International Falls cold. The summers here are much cooler than Minnesota's too, highs in the 60s - 80s with lows usually in the 50s. The downsides are a completely jacked economy and consistently high humidity, say hello to mildew, mold, moss and algae.

 

Yes I do

 

that is good to know, because Im considering getting some for my truck........