How do some of the current sealants compare?

I think you have a lot of searching to do find a good answer but I have personally used reload, hydro2, Sonax BSD, and OCW.

I think if your list are the choices then you can't go wrong using reload.

There are too many variables. How well was the surface prepped? What kind of paint? How is the vehicle stored? How often does it drive? Where is it located? How old is it? How does it get washed and dryed?

From my personal observations:

Caranuba based waxes: 2-6 weeks
Synthetic Sealants: 2-4 months
Silica-based Coatings: 6mo-2 years+

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant (WGDGPS) can
spank those other Sealants you listed...with 1/2 of
its Super German Polymers tied behind it's back!!

Sho'nuff.

Bob

FUNX725 said:

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant (WGDGPS) can
spank those other Sealants you listed...with 1/2 of
its Super German Polymers tied behind it's back!!

Sho'nuff.

Bob

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lol.

power lock is durable too.

A few months ago I polished out my 1996 GMC ,so after I was done I applied half of the hood with the DP. Poli-Coat paint sealant and the of half with the Wolfgang Glossy Paint Sealant.

Once done I buffed both sides off and didn't notice any difference in shine but did find the WG side was much more slick.

After 5 months I didn't see either side to break done, after that I sold the truck but will say the WG to be better overall but found the DP to be buffed off with less hassle.

Sent from my LG-D800 using AG Online

I wouldn't leave Ultima Paint Guard Plus off the list.

Reload is a bit difficult to use in hot weather without streaking. It's do-able, but it takes skill.

Of all the ones you listed, Opti-Seal v2 is the easiest to apply. All of the others will take you 45 min, Opti-Seal will take you 5-10. And it doesn't streak like Blackfire Crystal Seal does.

Griot's Garage Paint Sealant is supposed to last up to a year. I seem to get about 8 months out of it.

driverone said:

Are you saying that certain products do better than others depending upon the quality of prep work?

Was the Autoglym EGP introduced earlier than the others and now considered a little behind the rest? I read reviews that Permanon wasn't up to par.

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All products do better on properly prepped surfaces! Just like paints. I don't think many have experience with Autoglym on this side of the Atlantic. I use and like the following synthetic sealants.......

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant
BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Paint Sealant
Duragloss 111
Duragloss 501

There are many hybrid waxes on the market that will hold up very well too, such as BLACKFIRE Black Ice and Wolfgang Fuzion.

Let's not forget the wonderful WOWA sealants that compete with the Optimum product you mention!

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Liquid Seal and BLACKFIRE Crystal Seal.

Any sealant from a respected manufacturer will provide a few months of protection as long as the paint is decontaminated and free from anything that will inhibit bonding.

I would have to say UPGP is the easiest. WOWA. 10-15 minutes. Durability is great

Durability is also my #1 concern when it comes to a sealant since I live in Michigan. So far, Z2 has proven the most durable in my little world but the only others I have tried is 105/601 and Col 845. Someone on here told me that Klasse High Gloss is the most durable sealant made but I have not gotten around to trying it yet. Getting low on the Z so I'll be ordering some Klasse pretty quick.

This is something that interests me as well. If anyone finds a comparison chart based on real life tests I would love to see the results.

I have seen posts on this forum last year with a guy applying various sealants to different part of his car... but I have never seen a follow up with the results.

I think sealant choice should be based on 2 factors: 1. Ease of application in the sense it won't stain anything so you are not forced to mask things off. 2. Durability.

Once the sealant is on, wax, quick wax and quick detailer should be the products to provide the extra shine. What I want in a sealant is protection.

PapaChop said:

There are too many variables. How well was the surface prepped? What kind of paint? How is the vehicle stored? How often does it drive? Where is it located? How old is it? How does it get washed and dryed?

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As PapaChop noted there is no way, short of a budget of several $100K and a few years for research, to answer this. All we have is isolated anecdotal evidence with a huge number of uncontrolled variables. Also, what applies in Tucson may not be true cold or extremely wet climates and vice versa.

My generalizations about life span are a bit different from PapaChop's but part of that may be definitions or just experience with different products:

Waxes (including hybrids, counting the Collinites as waxes): 10 days to six or seven months
Conventional sealants: six weeks to six months
Hard Coatings: six months to several years
Soft coatings are mostly terra incognita for me but forum buzz seems to suggest four to maybe nine months.

In my experience, Duragloss 501/601/105 has been the most durable conventional sealant but I recently had surprising good results with Prima Hydro (single data point so don't take this to the bank) as well. I haven't tried Klasse or Zaino.

To the best of my knowledge the Optimum coatings still hold the belt, at least among widely distributed products, for chemical resistance and straight up longevity (assuming proper application). This is not to say that there aren't other coatings that will last a year or more and/or that might be preferable depending on what you're after beyond longevity alone.

Blackthorn One said:

Griot's Garage Paint Sealant is supposed to last up to a year. I seem to get about 8 months out of it.

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Yeah good stuff, works very well on glass too without smearing:dblthumb2:

The durability argument for coatings is a moot point. Because they the are the ultimate sacrificial barrier, coatings take the same beating that your clear coat would...which means they too get scratched and swirled up and etched with water spots...which in turn requires they be polished out just as your yearly or bi annual maintenance on your clear coat requires to keep it maintained. Mike even wrote an entire article on the importance of regular maintenance polishing of your car's paint.

Because coatings are the hype right now, people get all caught up in the durability claims, and time will eventually prove its a moot point.

Having said that, coatings are the current ultimate sacrificial barrier...but they are far from immunity from requiring the need to maintain them as you would on any non coated surface.

I agree ^ even opti coat would need a light cleansing at least bi annually for dd's

Agreed that coatings offer the best durability, but we were talking sealants here

Didn't mean to get off track...my point being that most folks are just as well off with a sealant versus a coating because the longevity claims of coatings are irrelevant for the most part. I have gotten 9 months from DG 105 including a north east winter, and frankly for something that lasts that long, and looks that good for under $20....i mean, come on man....