Paint Protection, there's no magic answer
Discussion
As the title suggests when it comes to paint protection there's no magic answer.
I keep seeing posts on here about this wax and that sealant and which one lasts the longest, shines the most and requires the least maintenance.
The top and bottom is that no matter what you put on your car it will last as long as it lasts. Everything comes into factor to effect durability. How the car was prepared, mileage, garaged, not garaged, weather & wash routines. The list goes on and on.
The protection coat itself will deal with the elements differently depending on whether it is Hydrophilic or Hydrophobic. A Hydrophilic sealant such as Aquartz will absorb water where as a Hydrophobic layer such as a wax will bead and shed water as we come to expect. Therefore how do you really know your Hydrophilic sealant has stopped working?
The best way in my opinion to protect your car is to wash it thoroughly, clay it, cleanse it with a pre-wax cleaner then wax it with a proper Carnuaba wax that needn't cost the earth. Wash it fortnightly (weekly if you must) with a mild shampoo and top up your protection with a quick detailer when drying. Wax again in 3 months and repeat from scratch after 6 months.
But like I said, this is only a guide. If your protection has gone after 2 months then get the wax out. If you want the low down on waxes speak to Andrew at Swissvax UK, like he says "you wouldn't cover yourself in sun tan lotion on the 1st day of your holiday and expect it to last until you come home, you top it up as required". Same for your car unfortunately.
I find a lot of the mass market liquid sealants unable to live up to the claims made by the manufacturers in the best of the British weather. Aquartz, Gtechniq and Nanolex are exceptions but easy to get wrong so best left to the pro's.
I keep seeing posts on here about this wax and that sealant and which one lasts the longest, shines the most and requires the least maintenance.
The top and bottom is that no matter what you put on your car it will last as long as it lasts. Everything comes into factor to effect durability. How the car was prepared, mileage, garaged, not garaged, weather & wash routines. The list goes on and on.
The protection coat itself will deal with the elements differently depending on whether it is Hydrophilic or Hydrophobic. A Hydrophilic sealant such as Aquartz will absorb water where as a Hydrophobic layer such as a wax will bead and shed water as we come to expect. Therefore how do you really know your Hydrophilic sealant has stopped working?
The best way in my opinion to protect your car is to wash it thoroughly, clay it, cleanse it with a pre-wax cleaner then wax it with a proper Carnuaba wax that needn't cost the earth. Wash it fortnightly (weekly if you must) with a mild shampoo and top up your protection with a quick detailer when drying. Wax again in 3 months and repeat from scratch after 6 months.
But like I said, this is only a guide. If your protection has gone after 2 months then get the wax out. If you want the low down on waxes speak to Andrew at Swissvax UK, like he says "you wouldn't cover yourself in sun tan lotion on the 1st day of your holiday and expect it to last until you come home, you top it up as required". Same for your car unfortunately.
I find a lot of the mass market liquid sealants unable to live up to the claims made by the manufacturers in the best of the British weather. Aquartz, Gtechniq and Nanolex are exceptions but easy to get wrong so best left to the pro's.
Edited by matt will on Tuesday 30th November 21:05
Every product produced has a different characteristic - colour enhancement/muting, beading/sheeting water, durability, and how well dirt adheres to/released by them. That much is a given, and in relation to the first characteristic mentioned, is in the eye of the beholder.
Your process of claying (fully at first, then any patches thereafter when required) and using a cleanser to make the paintwork as bare as possible is fully endorsed for sealants, but less of a requirement for waxes, as they are less fussy, and can work over glazes to provide the colour enhancement property some users/viewers see.
As pointed out, elemental influences, parking conditions, etc will all play their role in how often a chosen LSP needs to be cleaned to keep it working effectively.
Where we possibly disagree is QD's - strictly speaking a QD does not offer protection (even the carnauba in liquid suspension versions), and is pretty much old skool tech and thinking for Californians having to deal with a dusty car.
That some people view DJ Red Mist, Zaino Z-8, and others as QD's is just an unfortunate case of ignorance, as they are in fact short-duration liquid sealants.
Regarding Swissvax's remark that waxes are akin to suntan lotions is a poor, but well intentioned analogy. Car paintwork, and human skin are totally different - paint does not have pores, nor does it need 'feeding'!
The reason glazes work, is the paintwork is far from perfectly flat - it's more valleys and peaks, so the oils sit in those valleys, as does the wax, which bonds to the glaze and the peaks.
I have no doubt Garnier, Ambre Solare, etc could manufacture a suntan lotion which never washes off, but due to skin slophing off naturally, and needing to breathe/expire sweat, then the practicalities of having a 2-week duration protection spray/cream is more of the barrier than the formulation.
To that end, car LSPs vary widely as a result of their formulations, which are governed in part by the marketing strategy of the brand - use often/sell more.
Your process of claying (fully at first, then any patches thereafter when required) and using a cleanser to make the paintwork as bare as possible is fully endorsed for sealants, but less of a requirement for waxes, as they are less fussy, and can work over glazes to provide the colour enhancement property some users/viewers see.
As pointed out, elemental influences, parking conditions, etc will all play their role in how often a chosen LSP needs to be cleaned to keep it working effectively.
Where we possibly disagree is QD's - strictly speaking a QD does not offer protection (even the carnauba in liquid suspension versions), and is pretty much old skool tech and thinking for Californians having to deal with a dusty car.
That some people view DJ Red Mist, Zaino Z-8, and others as QD's is just an unfortunate case of ignorance, as they are in fact short-duration liquid sealants.
Regarding Swissvax's remark that waxes are akin to suntan lotions is a poor, but well intentioned analogy. Car paintwork, and human skin are totally different - paint does not have pores, nor does it need 'feeding'!
The reason glazes work, is the paintwork is far from perfectly flat - it's more valleys and peaks, so the oils sit in those valleys, as does the wax, which bonds to the glaze and the peaks.
I have no doubt Garnier, Ambre Solare, etc could manufacture a suntan lotion which never washes off, but due to skin slophing off naturally, and needing to breathe/expire sweat, then the practicalities of having a 2-week duration protection spray/cream is more of the barrier than the formulation.
To that end, car LSPs vary widely as a result of their formulations, which are governed in part by the marketing strategy of the brand - use often/sell more.
Sorry if I wasn't being clear but I wasn't suggesting a link between sun tan lotion and car LSP's.
I was merely using the example to highlight when it fades, top it up. Regardless of what manufacturers claims may be in relation to durability.
Yes, waxes are less fussy when it comes to applying to the surface than some sealants, however a wax applied to a totally clean surface will adhere better and last longer than one applied over dirt. Waxes do not bond with the surface they are applied to.
And whilst some QD fall into the category of spray sealants, they are still sold, grouped and marketed as QD. The practice of using one to top up the protection of your LSP still stands in my opinion as part of your wash routine.
I was merely using the example to highlight when it fades, top it up. Regardless of what manufacturers claims may be in relation to durability.
Yes, waxes are less fussy when it comes to applying to the surface than some sealants, however a wax applied to a totally clean surface will adhere better and last longer than one applied over dirt. Waxes do not bond with the surface they are applied to.
And whilst some QD fall into the category of spray sealants, they are still sold, grouped and marketed as QD. The practice of using one to top up the protection of your LSP still stands in my opinion as part of your wash routine.
QD's are QD's - none of which offer protection.
Sprayable sealants, in a handy spray bottle which ignorant-of-the-chemistry people still refer to as QD's are still sprayable sealants, not QD's, no matter how often they are considered as such.
If you're (everyone in general I'm referring to) going to get antsy about car cleaning to the degree of separate items for the different parts, then you can't be lazy about classifying Red Mist/Z-8 as the same functionality as Last Touch!
I understand the lazy approach to pigeonholing a product so newcomers can appreciate which stage of the process it fits into, but even so, it's not the best practice.
Anyway, aside from that, a decent post you've made at the outset.
Oh, and I wasn't saying you said suntan lotion and wax were the same - just the analogy used by someone from Swissvax was a poor one to choose to illustrate the point they were trying to make - especially in light of the fallacy some people hold that paint needs feeding due to lost oils!
Sprayable sealants, in a handy spray bottle which ignorant-of-the-chemistry people still refer to as QD's are still sprayable sealants, not QD's, no matter how often they are considered as such.
If you're (everyone in general I'm referring to) going to get antsy about car cleaning to the degree of separate items for the different parts, then you can't be lazy about classifying Red Mist/Z-8 as the same functionality as Last Touch!
I understand the lazy approach to pigeonholing a product so newcomers can appreciate which stage of the process it fits into, but even so, it's not the best practice.
Anyway, aside from that, a decent post you've made at the outset.
Oh, and I wasn't saying you said suntan lotion and wax were the same - just the analogy used by someone from Swissvax was a poor one to choose to illustrate the point they were trying to make - especially in light of the fallacy some people hold that paint needs feeding due to lost oils!
I'm not so sure that anyone has said that there IS a "magic answer" TBH. LSP choice is a massively subjective area - and has been for a few years now. My experience tells me that the difference between a cheap paste wax (let's say sub £25) and one at over £100 is noticeable in terms of how long it lasts - I tested waxes from Nattys at £15 to Zymol Vintage (at the time circa £1800) and I promise you that the "slightly" more expensive waxes continue to demonstrate protection to me for far longer than the cheaper ones. My testing is by no means scientific and consisted of water beading and repelling when washing, to drag on drying towel.
Looks-wise it can be the placebo effect, but many who have actually used more expensive waxes (rather than those who dismiss them without actually trying them) concur that there is something there. Would I spend my own £1000+ on a car wax? Not a prayer - that pays for a week's holiday for the family.
Products such as Gtechniq and Nanolex are getting a lot more air time now than 5 years ago when they were usually viewed with the same cynicism as any of the stuff car dealers try to flog you but they seem to have gained support within the detailing scene - I will be using one or t'other on my new daily driver shortly for the simple reason that they reduce maintenance. Additionally, I used Gtechniq G1 and got close to 40k of protection (which in this case I defined as doing what it said on the tin); for me that's a clear result and means that I will opt for the paint sealant. On a 45k a year car that's crucial to me and on my toy, once repainted next year, I will likely do the same as I want to drive it without worrying about whatever wax is on it.
Not trying to have a crack but I genuinely think that few detailing enthusiasts believe in a Holy Grail of LSP.
Looks-wise it can be the placebo effect, but many who have actually used more expensive waxes (rather than those who dismiss them without actually trying them) concur that there is something there. Would I spend my own £1000+ on a car wax? Not a prayer - that pays for a week's holiday for the family.
Products such as Gtechniq and Nanolex are getting a lot more air time now than 5 years ago when they were usually viewed with the same cynicism as any of the stuff car dealers try to flog you but they seem to have gained support within the detailing scene - I will be using one or t'other on my new daily driver shortly for the simple reason that they reduce maintenance. Additionally, I used Gtechniq G1 and got close to 40k of protection (which in this case I defined as doing what it said on the tin); for me that's a clear result and means that I will opt for the paint sealant. On a 45k a year car that's crucial to me and on my toy, once repainted next year, I will likely do the same as I want to drive it without worrying about whatever wax is on it.
Not trying to have a crack but I genuinely think that few detailing enthusiasts believe in a Holy Grail of LSP.
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