I tried IGL Renew F4 for the first time today

I tried IGL Renew F4 for the first time today on my wife's Honda Accord. For anyone not famliar with Renew F4, it is a graphene-infused paint cleaner/rejuvinator/ and protectant all in one. It does not contain any abrasives but it is supposed to fix and fill minor blemishes before laying down a layer of graphene protection.

I did a rinseless wash using Mckees 37 N-914, used a clay bar with N-914 as the lube, and then a final wipe down using the paint prep dilution strength of N-914. I applied the Renew F4 using a Torque DA polisher with a black polishing pad. Overall, I really liked the product. It was easy to work with and the paint was super glossy and felt very slick. I am going to let it cure for 24 hours and then tomorrow I am going to apply IGL Premier, which is their SiO2 spray sealant and recommended topper for Renew F4. The combo of Renew F4 and Premier is supposed to be outstanding, so I am excited to try the Premier tomorrow.

One specific unexpected benefit was on the headlights. The car's headlights were heavily oxidized and I was planning on buying a headlight restoration kit. I applied the Renew F4 to the headlight and 90% of the oxidation is gone.

I posted a pic of the car as well as one of the headlight after the oxidation was removed.View attachment 70009View attachment 70008

Mike Phillips said:

Looks great!

F4 is a product I need to use and write a review for but so far I just haven't had the right test car for it.

Also - I'm not sure why but your above post was in the Moderation Queue? I approved it so now everyone can see it.

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Thank you, Mike. Much appreciated! I would love to hear your thoughts on this product once you have a chance to test it out.

I did come across one concern. The IGL website says F4 is PPF and Vinyl safe. But when I looked up the actual chemicals in it, IGL says that F4 contains Naphtha. I have Xpel PPF and Xpel's website says that Naphtha is bad for PPF. So I am hesitant to use F4 on my PPF even though the IGL website says it is PPF safe. Perhaps the concentration of Naphtha is small enough that it won't harm the PPF?

Do you have any thoughts on whether or not F4 is safe to use on PPF?

Thank you,
joebruin77

Rsurfer said:

If IGL said its PPF and Vinyl safe..what better source.

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I see what you mean, but in this case, there is conflicting info. IGL is saying it is PPF safe, but Xpel, the manufacturer of the PPF, says you should not apply anything with Naphtha (5% or greater concentration). Nearly all PPF safe sealants and waxes I have seen do not have any naphtha in them, so that is why I am a little confused and a bit concerned.

acuRAS82 said:

Was the Accord wearing a previous coating, or F4 was applied to clean paint?

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There was no coating. The only protection on the paint was an SiO2 spray sealant (it is not sold on Autogeek or else I would name it). The clay bar and wipe down with the N-914 at paint-prep strength should have removed the sealant. So the F4 was applied to clean, bare paint.

vobro said:

https://www.xpel.com/web-assets/downloads/XPEL_Paint.Prtctn.Film_.Sealant_V1.1.pdf
There’s Naphta in Xpel’s own sealant

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Thank you for sharing the post re Xpel's sealant. That is helpful. I do see petroleum distillates listed in the SDS but I do not see naphtha specifically listed. My knowledge of chemicals is limited. Is there a chemical listed that is the same thing as naphtha? Thanks for your help.

Rsurfer said:

Call or e-mail IGL and express your concerns.

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Good idea, thx.

vobro said:

ChemIDplus - 64742-88-7 - Solvent naphtha (petroleum), medium aliph. - Searchable synonyms, formulas, resource links, and other chemical information.
The Chemical Abstract number listed is indeed Naphta

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Thank you for educating me. I will email Xpel and ask them why naphtha is in their own sealant (at 8-10%) and yet in they advise in their own cleaning and maintenance section not to use naphtha in concentrations greater than 5%. Maybe Xpel is the one with the misinformation, not IGL. Thanks again.

WillSports3 said:

How was F4 to use? Was there a lot of dusting? How easy was it to wipe off? Did you find the process temperature dependant?

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Overall, it was very easy to use. Dusting was minimal and it was easy to wipe off. In terms of temperature, are you referring to the temperature outside at the time of application? If so, I did it in the early morning to avoid direct sunlight. It was probably about 60 degrees at the time of application. I used a polishing pad with zero cutting ability on a low speed setting on the DA.

Today I saw the car in the sunlight. I noticed that there had been a couple of bird poop etchings on the paint previously. The F4 took care of the etchings.

Although F4 is not a replacement for paint correction and using a compoud, it does clean the paint and removes minor marks and etchings. I believe IGL offers their compounds and polishes F1, F2, and F3. F4 could be used after a complete paint correction using the first 3 for maintenance and jeweling.