How does duragloss 105 compare to these sealants?

[twgclari4]

Hello, I've tried the following sealants over the past few years and am currently looking at adding duragloss 105 to my collection.

Klasse Twins (old formulation) - great durability, adequate shine and depth, needed wax topper to make it special, pita to remove.
Zaino Z2pro/Z5 regular - looked significantly better than Klasse, great shine although slightly lacking in depth, outstanding durability.
Menzerna FMJ - best appearance, poorest durability, easiest to use.

Where do you think the DG 105 would lie in comparison to those sealants? Also, would you recommend using the pre-bonding agent?

Thanks!

 

[qadsan]

I can't give you exact details of comparisons between all these sealants, but I now have ~6 months of experience with 105 on my test vehicle and have been using it on customer vehicles, trailers, motorhomes, etc, with excellent results.

Last August I used 601 + 105 + 105 (12 hours later) + AW (12 hours later) on one of our vehicles so I could keep a better eye on how its performing. This vehicle is kept outside 24/7 in a dirty environment. It's been washed every 3 to 5 weeks with DG car wash soap and twice with ONR in between. I also wipe the car down with DG FCS after every wash + dry. Last week after washing / drying, the finish is still pretty slick, still very shiny, still beautiful and there was absolutely no signs of weakness in its protection. I've now had an honest ~6 months of protection from these products and I'm impressed. I'll probably let it go a few months longer with monthly washing, but it's going to get to the point where I need to polish out the scratches. Between the trips to Las Vegas, Arizona and other places where this poor car has been blasted with sand or rocks and abused from other things, it really needs to be polished out again.

Just today at the post office a 90+ year old lady was slowly making her way through the parking lot and using the hoods of each car to keep her steady & balanced. She had her keys in her left hand and I could hear them clang onto the hood as she pressed down on the hood with her keys in hand as they scratched into the finish. Argh!!! Of course she did it to my car and I cringed with each tiny slow step she took. A few minutes later she backed into another vehicle, then panicked and hit the gas instead of the brake. Things went from bad to worse for her. I guess I'm lucky I only had some scratching on the clear from her keys, but it stll erks me.

 

[Al-53]

Hello, I've tried the following sealants over the past few years and am currently looking at adding duragloss 105 to my collection.

I will try to help you here...

1..Klasse AIO & SG...This is a very good product..I used this exclusively before DG 105..Klasse has great durability...but needs to be topped to to improve the over all look...SG has a high gloss and no depth..sorta a sterile candy coat look...I used Collinite 915 to top it and it made it 100% better looking..plus great durability from both products...this was my winter protection program for a few years and worked great...

2..Zaino..I have the Zaino Z2Pro and Z5 pro and zfx...but have never used it yet..it was given to me last summer as a gift..But I do know people in work who use it and it does look good..Their cars look good during the winter..From what I have been told the pro series looks much better than the older versions and ZFX helps a lot over the Z1 ....the over all look is better than the SG ..the Z pro products do have some depth to it mainly on dark solid colors...and some of the dark metallic....The durability is good from what I see from friends that use it...I can not make any claims on it..Just what I see and hear..

3..Duragloss 101..111.105..

I have a neighbor that uses Duragloss and his truck looked great all the time...we talked one day and he told me how he used it for years...he used the 101 and 111 as 105 was not out then..I liked the look...so one night while on Ebay I seen a auction for the complete line of DG products...all but AW and 105 and a few other things (105 was not out then)..this was in Oct 2005..well I was excited to win it ..I got the package for 1.00 and 34.00 shipping..I guess DG was not popular...or unknown..

I got my boxes and sorted the stuff out...and decided to try it for my winter program..I polished my truck with my 3M pro products..got it to a mirror and applied the PBA and then the 111 ...It looked great..did another coat the next day for a total of 2 coats for winter...over all look was very good..nice wet glow and some depth..I topped it with collinite 915 as I was un assure of the durability claim..I also found some AW in a carquest store while getting some parts..so grabbed it...I used AW after washes in the winter when I could get one in...over all the truck looked great all winter and held up till late May when I did the truck over for the summer ...

May 2006 I got the 105...as it was just brought to market earlier...I polished the truck with the Menzerna polishes I got earlier but never used...I was a big 3M user as the results were great..but had a learning curve...The Menzerna polishes gave me a big wow as in how fast they worked and results..

I applied the PBA by hand and waited 30 minutes...then applied the 105 over the PBA..waited 1 hour to buff off...It came off as easy as it went on..The look was great...very wet and deep...slick as grease...I was happy....the next day it looked even better...I applied the second coat had a beer and then buffed it off...looks improved..made my Red look very deep and wet and darkened it a bit...that was that..It stayed like that all summer...i washed with DG 901 and used AW and Fast Clean and Shine over the summer and it looked like day 1 all summer...got many compliments and how good it looked ...

I do about 24 cars for friends in work all summer and I used 105 and every one was pleased with results..I tried a bunch of combos the see what worked best...and found that using 101 first as a base for 105 worked fantastic...101 cleans paint much better than Klasse AIO...but also leaves a very wet look...and no bonding agent needed when topping 101 with 105...

This past August or Sept I did the truck over for winter...and used 105 and no wax this year to see how 105 held up for winter with just using AW when I could...except the last wash I used Pin Spray SOV instead of AW and truck looks like it was just done like day 1....the truck looked grand all winter..beaded like crazy...rain just rolled off...dirt just washed off with just rinse water from the pay and spray wash ...I would get remaining dirt off with FC&S during the drying...

Over all I am very pleased with the performance of 105 and the looks and durability...I am going on 7 months now and looks like it was done yesterday.

I will use AW and Spray SOV from now on over it...those 2 products make 105 look a million dollars...

The DG products work for me and will stick to them ..best bang for the buck..I have used about 95% of their products and not found a bad one except 104 their paste wax..it is hard to remove...but gave a nice look...I called DG on it and they said do as a wipe on wipe off product..I just use it as my wheel wax now...


4..FMJ...this product was not for me..I bought it and used it and after a rain and wash it was dead looking...durability was sub par..looked good for a week and died after that...slickness and looks faded fast...for the cost it should last longer...I traded it off ...worse money spent...

I would use Klasse ..Zaino or DG or Wolfgang or any good product instead of the FMJ..

If it looks good to you and works for you use what you like..

AL

 

[twgclari4]

Great responses!

The main reason why I am considering #105 is because I sold my zaino after I bought FMJ (big mistake). Durability is more of concern to me since I can only do a full detail every 6 months and the car has to undergo salty NE winters. I figure a great sealant like duragloss on top of a menzerna prep job, can't go wrong at all

I still have the Klasse, but I tend to use that for my parents' cars. KSG (old formula) is too much of a pita to remove for me to use it on mine. I get a good year's worth out of KSG, and about the same with Z2 pro.

Any recommendations on how many layers of DG I should be looking at? I'm thinking ~2 with maybe a possible 3rd layer. I'll be applying by hand for all of the layers (after reading the comments posted about 105's mild cleaning agent)

 

[Al-53]

I live in NE also...I do 2 coats for the summer ...seems adequate and lasts all summer no problem...come fall I use 3 coats...thats the limit I was told by DG ..after that you may get diminishing results....

I use the DG shampoo for a wash..really seems to compliment the 105...

I use their QD in between washes when lite dust is present or just a pick me up after a wash..

I use AW every 6 weeks no need to use every wash...it lasts...

I use the QD and AW on dry surface...less chance of streaking...

even if you top 105 with a wax you can still use the QD and AW over it...works fine....I found SOV Spray wax looks great also...funny the AW retains the SOV look and locks it in from the elements......looks promising for the summer look for me....I may talk Max into doing gallons of Spray SOV....hottest product this year for them...

AL

 

[Jimmie]

Awhile ago I asked "what looks best on white?". Al and Sparkie both said DG105 topped with AW. I can't look at a white car now without picturing the WOW effect from that first coat of DG105. I'm a huge fan now as are a bunch of others.

 

[LayerMeDammit]

Hi guys, I just ordered some duragloss products from autogeek.net and was wondering one thing. I noticed that it does not state either on duraglosses website nor autogeeks that their #105 polish contains UV protection. I thought that was a given for sealants, but they usually state it. does anyone know??? Thanks.

 

[sparkie]

Hi guys, I just ordered some duragloss products from autogeek.net and was wondering one thing. I noticed that it does not state either on duraglosses website nor autogeeks that their #105 polish contains UV protection. I thought that was a given for sealants, but they usually state it. does anyone know??? Thanks.

You are right, it dose not state anything about UV protection. Here is what it says: Synthetic Polymer/Wax Formula. Super-tough coating forms a protective barrier which protect against acid rain, tree sap, bird droppings and other environmental pollutants.
I know this is true, I've seen it protect against acid rain and bird poop first hand from car I wash bi-weekly.

 

[Al-53]

They all have UV protection....I asked them before...the sealants...tire stuff...trim products..leather products..all have UV inhibitors for protection from UV....

Al

 

[qadsan]

Hi guys, I just ordered some duragloss products from autogeek.net and was wondering one thing. I noticed that it does not state either on duraglosses website nor autogeeks that their #105 polish contains UV protection. I thought that was a given for sealants, but they usually state it. does anyone know??? Thanks.

I asked their Chemist (Bill ???) last year this very question and he assured me their last step products such as Aquawax, Total Performance Polish, etc, provided plenty of UV protection. For now, I have to take his word for it, but I used to have a nice UV meter that measured UV transmittance that I'd use for testing various products. I never got the chance to test the Duragloss products that I started using in August of last year because my meter mysteriously dissapeared when one of the guys I trained to help me out detailing during the summer decided to branch out on his own and some of my things simply dissapeared when he left.

 

[LayerMeDammit]

I asked their Chemist (Bill ???) last year this very question and he assured me their last step products such as Aquawax, Total Performance Polish, etc, provided plenty of UV protection. For now, I have to take his word for it, but I used to have a nice UV meter that measured UV transmittance that I'd use for testing various products. I never got the chance to test the Duragloss products that I started using in August of last year because my meter mysteriously dissapeared when one of the guys I trained to help me out detailing during the summer decided to branch out on his own and some of my things simply dissapeared when he left.

Its good to hear that You spoke with someone directly from Duragloss about that. makes me feel better about my decision. I just wish they would state that on their website. I hope duragloss is as great at many people say it is. Thanks for the responses!!