Sealant comparison

Pretty sure I tested PA Cosmic Spritz two times - will have to check. Maybe once when when I was testing coating and the Cosmic Spritz went over Cosmic coating. Didn't do particularly well either time. I could test it again, but I just haven't see it perform well relative to other products, as least not the way I'm testing it.

I have Brilliant Shine Detailer waiting for the next round of testing. Looking forward to it.
 
Pretty sure I tested PA Cosmic Spritz two times - will have to check. Maybe once when when I was testing coating and the Cosmic Spritz went over Cosmic coating. Didn't do particularly well either time. I could test it again, but I just haven't see it perform well relative to other products, as least not the way I'm testing it.

I have Brilliant Shine Detailer waiting for the next round of testing. Looking forward to it.
In your personal option what is the best stand alone spray sealant. I'm looking for something to use as a drying aid and would love to hear your input.

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You're asking me? I would ask you. I may have played with more products, but I suspect you have 10,000x more experience. :)

I think most of the spray waxes are good. Aquawax, Opt, McKee's fast wax, etc. I also like Reload+Ech20 - seems to be very slick and has great shine. Doesn't last as long, but looks great. I have to consider DG Rinseless as a QD as well. For the cost it's great. A 5:1 or 6:1 it can be streaky in the sun, so watch that.

I reach for Aquawax or Reload + Ech2o most often when I want a drying aid.
 
You're asking me? I would ask you. I may have played with more products, but I suspect you have 10,000x more experience. :)

I think most of the spray waxes are good. Aquawax, Opt, McKee's fast wax, etc. I also like Reload+Ech20 - seems to be very slick and has great shine. Doesn't last as long, but looks great. I have to consider DG Rinseless as a QD as well. For the cost it's great. A 5:1 or 6:1 it can be streaky in the sun, so watch that.

I reach for Aquawax or Reload + Ech2o most often.
I've been thinking about re visiting aquawax and possibly mixing with something to help with the streaks like Meg's 156 that stuff never streaks

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I also use BSD in a different spray bottle to get a better spray Pattern. I've been interested in those salon bottles as well to see how they would do.

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Those Flairosol spray bottles is very good option to BSD. Even if Sonax has updated their spray bottle bottle I still is not satisfied with the spray pattern from them to spray on the paint directly. The spray pattern from the Flairosol nozzle is awesome and distribute the product of choice thin and even. I have a gloss spray product that is stronger than reload but not up to the Gyeon CanCoat. And comes original in a Flairosol spray bottle. That's awesome to apply and even with it's pretty strong protection in it. Then of course it depends on the product it self too. This is a Si+(monokisel) based that has a very like properties of sio2. But even when the mf towel gets saturated from only used to spread out the product until it's disapare it's starts to leave a streaking after the mf towel but it's like some QD that clears up and evaporate clearly.

Forgot to link to the PNS kit in the last post.

SONAX Paint Protection Package
 
Washed and dried the Rover hood last night (N-914 @ rinseless). Did the hose test this morning. Everything has slowed down a little. SFX-4 still the best of this batch, but now taking longer to clear water. Nanoshock has slowed down enough that I'm calling it done. I had accidentally marked it done last time. 3M and 303 incorrectly marked as done also. Updated chart below. I also differentiated between summer and winter exposure.

Working ok
SFX-4 - clearing 100% of water in ~30 seconds
3M Synthetic - clearing 100% in ~50 seconds
McKees's Fast Wax - 80% in 1 min
Mystery #4 - 80% in 1 min
Four Star - 80%+ in 1 min
Dodo Supreme - 75%+ in 1 min

Barely working
BF Carnuba - 50% in 1 min
303 Spray - 50% in 1 min

Corrected chart:
YAyv15y.jpg


Some Q&A

Q: Why no new products on the Sentra hood?
A: Sentra is likely going to our oldest kid and I may not have regular access to it. Too bad, since I just polished the hood and roof to take some new products.

Q: Sentra replacement?
A: Yes, likely today. The bad news is that it's going to be another white car. When buying used on a budget you kind of get what you get.

Q: Next set of products?
A: Ultima Acrylic Spray Wax, Mother's Spray Wax, Megs Ultimate Quik Wax, Sonax Spray + Seal, McKee's 10 Minute Sealant, Mother's Speed Spray Wax, Sonax Brilliant Shine, FK 215 (an AIO).

Q: When?
A: Hoping to get the next products down this week. Certainly by this weekend.
 
Washed and dried the Rover hood last night (N-914 @ rinseless). Did the hose test this morning. Everything has slowed down a little. SFX-4 still the best of this batch, but now taking longer to clear water. Nanoshock has slowed down enough that I'm calling it done. I had accidentally marked it done last time. 3M and 303 incorrectly marked as done also. Updated chart below. I also differentiated between summer and winter exposure.

Working ok
SFX-4 - clearing 100% of water in ~30 seconds
3M Synthetic - clearing 100% in ~50 seconds
McKees's Fast Wax - 80% in 1 min
Mystery #4 - 80% in 1 min
Four Star - 80%+ in 1 min
Dodo Supreme - 75%+ in 1 min

Barely working
BF Carnuba - 50% in 1 min
303 Spray - 50% in 1 min

OTkl6NZl.jpg



Some Q&A

Q: Why no new products on the Sentra hood?
A: Sentra is likely going to our oldest kid and I may not have regular access to it. Too bad, since I just polished the hood and roof to take some new products.

Q: Sentra replacement?
A: Yes, likely today. The bad news is that it's going to be another white car. When buying used on a budget you kind of get what you get.

Q: Next set of products?
A: Ultima Acrylic Spray Wax, Mother's Spray Wax, Megs Ultimate Quik Wax, Sonax Spray + Seal, McKee's 10 Minute Sealant, Mother's Speed Spray Wax, Sonax Brilliant Shine, FK 215 (an AIO).

Q: When?
A: Hoping to get the next products down this week. Certainly by this weekend.
You got over 20 weeks worth boss finishing sealant??

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That doesn't sound right. Double checking.

UPDATE: Checked. The whole thing is a mess. Some issue with the sorting. I found the issue earlier today and was sure I fixed it. Will have go back to an earlier version and rebuild from my notes. Btw, Google Sheets is awesome in many ways. What's not awesome is some of the bugs. I think this one has to do with sorting when there are hidden columns.

UPDATE 2: Corrected above. Thanks Cruz! Glad somebody is paying attention.
 
That doesn't sound right. Double checking.

UPDATE: Checked. The whole thing is a mess. Some issue with the sorting. I found the issue earlier today and was sure I fixed it. Will have go back to an earlier version and rebuild from my notes. Btw, Google Sheets is awesome in many ways. What's not awesome is some of the bugs. I think this one has to do with sorting when there are hidden columns.

Will get the right data re-posted as soon as I can. Hoping it's tonight.
Your last chart and the chart you just posted have much different results for multiple products, or I I'm missing something I'm translation.

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That doesn't sound right. Double checking.

UPDATE: Checked. The whole thing is a mess. Some issue with the sorting. I found the issue earlier today and was sure I fixed it. Will have go back to an earlier version and rebuild from my notes. Btw, Google Sheets is awesome in many ways. What's not awesome is some of the bugs. I think this one has to do with sorting when there are hidden columns.

Will get the right data re-posted as soon as I can. Hoping it's tonight.

Not your fault, Rip. Damn computer bugs!
 
Your last chart and the chart you just posted have much different results for multiple products, or I I'm missing something I'm translation.
Not missing anything. The original one I posted was off by a mile. A sort in the spreadsheet went badly and I had results with the wrong products. Moving too quickly and didn't read the darn thing before posting.
 
Did the hood of the new car tonight. I shared that it was white, which is not ideal. It's also another Sentra. You can read about that below.

Prep process:
1. Washed with Reset.
2. Clayed with real clay (didn't want to use up my clay mitt on this car)
3. Polished with Mystery polish. (AG sells this company's products, but not this specific polish, so can't reveal)
4. Did 1/3 of the hood with McKee's Coating Prep polish. Mystery polish says it's sealant/wax ready, but I wanted to see if there was a difference

Clay after doing 1/2 the hood. Guessing this car has never been clayed before (it's a 2011).
hjobmIft.jpg



Polish, pads, and tape line for McKee's Prep Polish.
B1LDJTbt.jpg
Xg3vQgJt.jpg


Applied two Si02 touchless sealants - Hydro Blue and Hydro2 - and FK #215 by hand. Did the two touchless first, then dried and did the FK. I let it cure for 15 mins or so - it was about 85 degrees out. It seemed dry. (Why FK #215? See below.) EDIT: I removed the touchless sealants with a pressure washer.
cxz7f80m.jpg


Some Q&A that's mostly irrelevant - feel free to skip this.

Q: Why, WHY, WHY another Sentra!?!?!? This is what my kids asked. They are not happy.
A: We needed another car for teenagers to drive. We had ~$6K budget for used car and started looking. It's ugly out there. I have a preference for Mazdas. The paint seems to suck but mechanically I think they're ahead of many others. Could not find one that was decent in this price range. The closest one I found was $5500, badly needed both front wheel bearings, had 30% of the firewall insulation scratched away by rodents, needed 4 tires, and had 105K miles. They guy would't budge on the price. Similar story for Toyotas and Hondas in this price range. Absolutely filthy interiors from smokers and people asking $7K+ for cars with 100K+ miles. Looked for some smaller American cars, didn't find anything compelling. VW is out for me as a used car - didn't even look (no offense to VW lovers). So after looking at too many cars this Sentra came on the market. Arizona car and shows it (rubber is badly cracked, headlights fogged, etc.). Mechanically sound, 80K miles, doesn't go very fast. Seems like a great kid car.

Q: Why FK #215?
A: Because I have it and decided to test it. I just need to get it down and measure it so I can have it behind me. Not really doing AIOs, but it's here. I'll do HD Speed as well since I have it and somebody asked. :) I also assumed that #215 won't last longer than the SiO2 products I applied. I didn't want some 25 week product keeping the hood tied up into the new year. If they all fail in 2-3 weeks that would be very convenient for me.
 
Great thread! Thanks for all the info! Agree a used Sentra is a great kids car. And I have shopped for a $6K used car, just a beater to get back and forth to work, catch rock chips and door dings, and like you said, for that money it is mostly beat up, smoked up, scratched up, dirty junk out there. Ended up spending $12K just to get something decent.
 
Agree on the car. Once I get to the $10K range I may ask well consider a new car. The local Kia dealer occasionally has an ad car Kia Soul for about $12.5K. I've seen Nissan Versas and Ford Fiestas in the same price range.

This white Sentra has some terrible rock chips, smells a little inside, has a broken tail light assembly, and may need new rubber around the windows. All manageable. Kids are going to stink it up anyway and bang it up anyway, so not any of it matters much.
 
Agree on the car. Once I get to the $10K range I may ask well consider a new car. The local Kia dealer occasionally has an ad car Kia Soul for about $12.5K. I've seen Nissan Versas and Ford Fiestas in the same price range.

This white Sentra has some terrible rock chips, smells a little inside, has a broken tail light assembly, and may need new rubber around the windows. All manageable. Kids are going to stink it up anyway and bang it up anyway, so not any of it matters much.
After it was all said and done I got a new Ford focus for $9.5 out the door

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Wow... I would easily have done that. The kids are going to kill the car in 50K miles regardless, so having a warranty and new everything saves me maintenance costs. Will have to search harder for new deals next time.
 
I fixed the chart in the original post. Here it is again updated as of today. No new testing done since last post, but 3 projects added and more days elapsed. Some guidance to keep in mind as you look at the results:

  • My testing process is evolving. I wasn't timing water sheeting previously. I'm now using ~1 minute as my cut-off or comparing to un-treated areas
  • Winter vs. summer conditions, outside vs. garaged, and other factors need to be considered
  • I recently discovered that not drying after washing seems to impede sheeting, so some of the earlier tests may have under-called durability
  • Longevity is only one factor. Cost, ease of application, and preference are all important. Ex: If you like to use a drying aid every 2 weeks, longevity doesn't really matter
  • I'd like to re-test at least 10 of these to check for variation and to make sure my initial results were valid (or not)
  • Look at the results as relative comparisons - which ones generally last longer than others. Your results will be different.
  • I'm just some idiot with a lot of products. Please consider that. I have no real experience or training in detailing car products. I'd pay attention to what Mike and the other pros here have to say.

iDZjt6bh.jpg
 
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