how to do you guys reapply sealants if you are using a QD on top every car wash?

[rick100]

Here is one of those odd questions that I do not see a lot . If you had a ceramic coating applied to your car , lets say car pro cquartz, then you maintain that coating with car pro reload every 2 months , but you are one of the many guys that may be using another product to boost your gloss even more everytime you wash your car , lets say a product like bead maker

What do you do after 2 months when reload has to be re applied and you just applied bead maker the week prior on your regular car wash. So bead maker is still on your paint .

Do you try to remove bead maker with some type of harsh soap or iron x , do you just apply reload on top of beadmaker ? , or do you just keep putting bead maker and forgot about reload .

This is where topping products on top of each other gets confusing to me . Specially if your last topper is a different brand

I have done both , just apply reload ( topper) after a good car wash , regardless of beadmaker being there or not , and then applying bead maker on my next wash . I have also used at least some type of harsh chemical to try removing bead maker to apply reload. I have also tried stop using bead maker for 3 weeks prior to reload application and hope for the best. At some point I even used elixir which is a version of reload, so it was easier to just apply reload, since they were both in the same family.

I see people all the time using a base coat and a topper , seems to be standard. If the base coat is something like a ceramic coating , its not to bad since you do not need to re apply that for a long time. But if the base coat is something like a 6 month sealants and your topper is use every week , then it gets tricky to me. Or if you are using a ceramic coating , a topper, and a drying aid, there is always that questions once you need to reapply the topper, how do I remove the left over of the drying aid to apply the topper every 3 months

How do you guys do it?, or do you guys just stay in the same family all together and find a QD that is using similar products than the sealant?

 

[FUNX650]

•If a Sealant that I have applied to any of
my vehicles needs a “topper”, then I sure
won’t be putting it on any vehicle ever again.


•In cases such as this:
-C’mon Entropy: hurry up and do your thing!


Bob

 

[Desertnate]

It is important to realize many of the toppers and especially the QD's are very short lived. For most traditional QD's I'd be surprised if anything they left behind lasts more than a week or two, so by the time the next wash rolls around there is nothing left. Same thing goes for many of the traditional, non-coating toppers. They probably only last a a month or two, so there is very little product left by the time it's applied again.

OP: In your case, trying to flip between the Beadmaker and Reload probably wasn't the best idea. If you feel the need to use a booster, stick with one product. IMO using one like Reload, or Elixr which are made for coatings will give you better results.

I agree with Bob. A quality sealant or coating shouldn't need a topper. After every wash, I'll do a wipe down of my coated cars Ech2O to remove any water spots. The product leaves little/nothing behind and the CQuartz coating does just fine on it's own. When I had CanCoat on my car I'd top it periodically with Cure. Did I need to, no. I got the bottle as part of a kit, so I figured I'd use it. I did notice the surface was a bit slicker and glossier after each application, but the CanCoat did just fine all on it's own. Was the steady application of Cure the reason I saw 12 months from CanCoat which claims 6 months? Maybe, but I don't think it really helped that much.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

I would wait till the beadmaker wears off. Most of the 3rd level (coating, topper, 3rd level) is not that stout and should be gone in acouple weeks.

If i want to get to bare coating i use a coating prep soap. Will definitely remove the beadmaker and probably the reload.


I have seen no adverse affects to my coating.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Eldorado2k]

But if the base coat is something like a 6 month sealants and your topper is use every week , then it gets tricky to me.

How do you guys do it?, or do you guys just stay in the same family all together and find a QD that is using similar products than the sealant?

On my personal vehicle, I lay down a dedicated liquid [gel] sealant every 3 months. In my situation applying it every 3 months without fail leaves my paint to the point where it stays protected against bonded contaminants year round.

I also like to use Beadmaker as a drying aid but have come to the conclusion that Beadmaker does in fact weaken my base layer to a degree and if left to fend for itself for too long in unfavorable conditions it can turn into an actual hindrance to the overall protection of the paint. That fine line is usually seen whenever you apply Beadmaker and come back the next time around and find your paint won’t even bead at all when it see’s a hose nozzle.

What I’ve done is refrain from applying Beadmaker during the 1st 4-6 weeks after the sealant goes on and at about the 5-6th week or 5-6th wash in a “perfect world” then it’s ok to use Beadmaker as a drying aid as many times as I want because how bad could it possibly screw up my protection up in just 2 months time? Considering it’s applied fairly often, the answer is not much...

I came to my conclusion after having used Beadmaker too soon [i.e. starting within the 1st week and at the end of the 3 months the results were negative]

As far as products needing to be removed or washed off prior to applying a dedicated layer of sealant every 3 months? I don’t worry about it and it’s never affected the dedicated sealant at all. The only precaution I take is not applying BeadMaker after the wash just prior to re applying the sealant, which is just common sense.

IMO if a product is so finicky that it can’t handle at least that, then it’s weak.

As far as what’s defined as a “quick detailer”... I’m not completely sure if you’re calling Reload and Beadmaker quick detailers, but if you are that’s incorrect. They’re not quick detailers, they’re spray sealants.

It is important to realize many of the toppers and especially the QD's are very short lived.

IMO using one like Reload, or Elixr which are made for coatings will give you better results.

After every wash, I'll do a wipe down of my coated cars Ech2O to remove any water spots. The product leaves little/nothing behind and the CQuartz coating does just fine on it's own.

I respectfully disagree with that.^ there’s definitely a difference between a little and nothing and if it’s a little or to be specific Carpro Echo diluted anywhere between 6:1-10:1 it definitely has the ability to make bare paint bead alot better than most people would think. I’ve tested it several times on my own cars bare paint when I 1st started using it. IME Ech20 is comparable to typical spray sealants at those stonger dilutions.

6:1 may be overkill for most, but on the other hand I would never consider Ech2o in the same category as products that leave nothing behind.

Fyi: These days I dilute Ech2o + Reload @3oz of each into a 32oz spray bottle. My dilution with both combined winds up being 6:1, which is stronger than most like to use it at.

Reason I mix it strong is for use as a waterless on full on dirty vehicles.

 

[rick100]

On my personal vehicle, I lay down a dedicated liquid [gel] sealant every 3 months. In my situation applying it every 3 months without fail leaves my paint to the point where it stays protected against bonded contaminants year round.

I also like to use Beadmaker as a drying aid but have come to the conclusion that Beadmaker does in fact weaken my base layer to a degree and if left to fend for itself for too long in unfavorable conditions it can turn into an actual hindrance to the overall protection of the paint. That fine line is usually seen whenever you apply Beadmaker and come back the next time around and find your paint won’t even bead at all when it see’s a hose nozzle.

What I’ve done is refrain from applying Beadmaker during the 1st 4-6 weeks after the sealant goes on and at about the 5-6th week or 5-6th wash in a “perfect world” then it’s ok to use Beadmaker as a drying aid as many times as I want because how bad could it possibly screw up my protection up in just 2 months time? Considering it’s applied fairly often, the answer is not much...

I came to my conclusion after having used Beadmaker too soon [i.e. starting within the 1st week and at the end of the 3 months the results were negative]

As far as products needing to be removed or washed off prior to applying a dedicated layer of sealant every 3 months? I don’t worry about it and it’s never affected the dedicated sealant at all. The only precaution I take is not applying BeadMaker after the wash just prior to re applying the sealant, which is just common sense.

IMO if a product is so finicky that it can’t handle at least that, then it’s weak.

As far as what’s defined as a “quick detailer”... I’m not completely sure if you’re calling Reload and Beadmaker quick detailers, but if you are that’s incorrect. They’re not quick detailers, they’re spray sealants.



I respectfully disagree with that.^ there’s definitely a difference between a little and nothing and if it’s a little or to be specific Carpro Echo diluted anywhere between 6:1-10:1 it definitely has the ability to make bare paint bead alot better than most people would think. I’ve tested it several times on my own cars bare paint when I 1st started using it. IME Ech20 is comparable to typical spray sealants at those stonger dilutions.

6:1 may be overkill for most, but on the other hand I would never consider Ech2o in the same category as products that leave nothing behind.

Fyi: These days I dilute Ech2o + Reload @3oz of each into a 32oz spray bottle. My dilution with both combined winds up being 6:1, which is stronger than most like to use it at.

Reason I mix it strong is for use as a waterless on full on dirty vehicles.

thanks

I was calling beadmaker a quick detailer. I know its marketed as a sealant , but I dont think I got more than 2 or 3 weeks out of it , which would compared to a quick detailer to me at least. Its a nice product and it could get addictive that is for sure.

I even think most of the hate towards beadmaker ( and there is quite a big online) comes from the fact that they market the product as a sealant . To me a proper sealant should last longer than beadmaker. So I just started calling beadmaker a quick detailer or booster , at least that is how I use it . I wouldnt apply a sealant like reload , seal and shine every car wash or every second car wash... Anyways , that why I tend to call it a quick detailer

 

[Eldorado2k]

thanks

I was calling beadmaker a quick detailer. I know its marketed as a sealant , but I dont think I got more than 2 or 3 weeks out of it , which would compared to a quick detailer to me at least. Its a nice product and it could get addictive that is for sure.

I even think most of the hate towards beadmaker ( and there is quite a big online) comes from the fact that they market the product as a sealant . To me a proper sealant should last longer than beadmaker. So I just started calling beadmaker a quick detailer or booster , at least that is how I use it . I wouldnt apply a sealant like reload , seal and shine every car wash or every second car wash... Anyways , that why I tend to call it a quick detailer

Beadmaker is sold in a gallon. It’s a liquid spray that can be applied sparingly [I tend to apply it rather heavy].. If someone applys Beadmaker with the mentality of less is more or a thin layer is all you need + it would actually last somewhat or even equal to a normal dedicated liquid or paste sealant, then that gallon would last each person their entire lifetime. They’d discontinue Beadmaker faster than Meguiars discontinued D114.

It’d replace Megs D120 Glass Cleaner Concentrate as the 1 gallon that you’d never think you’d ever actually finish. But cmon now common sense tells you right off the bat that it was never intended to be comparable in terms of longevity to dedicated liquid sealants. Now that’s not saying they can’t produce it, but them selling it to you, at least 4-5 years ago wasn’t happening, no way.

However if you were to live in a perfect world where you bucket washed your car every 7 days without fail and applied Beadmaker after every wash I bet it would protect your paint from bonded contaminants year round even better than most peoples coatings protect their paint. [and that includes the people here]

I know for a fact it can be done because my good friend who I turned onto waterless washing with Megs D115 has been doing so for over 3 years and never turned back. I was almost certain that after 3 years his car would be in need for a claybar again but his paint was a smooth as the day I detailed it 3 years prior. Try that with a coating!

[I was in such disbelief that I actually went over a part of every panel on his car with the claybar and didn’t pick up even a light smudge of contamination off his paint]

Moral of the story is: Don’t be upset or let down because a spray sealant didn’t last the same way the liquid/paste sealants do.. It was never intended to last that long. They won’t give you the world that easy, at least not 5yrs ago they didn’t.

 

[rick100]

Beadmaker is sold in a gallon. It’s a liquid spray that can be applied sparingly [I tend to apply it rather heavy].. If someone applys Beadmaker with the mentality of less is more or a thin layer is all you need + it would actually last somewhat or even equal to a normal dedicated liquid or paste sealant, then that gallon would last each person their entire lifetime. They’d discontinue Beadmaker faster than Meguiars discontinued D114.

It’d replace Megs D120 Glass Cleaner Concentrate as the 1 gallon that you’d never think you’d ever actually finish. But cmon now common sense tells you right off the bat that it was never intended to be comparable in terms of longevity to dedicated liquid sealants. Now that’s not saying they can’t produce it, but them selling it to you, at least 4-5 years ago wasn’t happening, no way.

However if you were to live in a perfect world where you bucket washed your car every 7 days without fail and applied Beadmaker after every wash I bet it would protect your paint from bonded contaminants year round even better than most peoples coatings protect their paint. [and that includes the people here]

I know for a fact it can be done because my good friend who I turned onto waterless washing with Megs D115 has been doing so for over 3 years and never turned back. I was almost certain that after 3 years his car would be in need for a claybar again but his paint was a smooth as the day I detailed it 3 years prior. Try that with a coating!

[I was in such disbelief that I actually went over a part of every panel on his car with the claybar and didn’t pick up even a light smudge of contamination off his paint]

Moral of the story is: Don’t be upset or let down because a spray sealant didn’t last the same way the liquid/paste sealants do.. It was never intended to last that long. They won’t give you the world that easy, at least not 5yrs ago they didn’t.

Im not upset at beadmaker at all... I actually use the product as a drying aid for all my cars right now and I still have a whole gallon to go. I just said that I personally classify beadmaker as a quick detailer / booster for my application and driving conditions I guess.

But I would personally not call it or recommend the product as a sealant, as far as I remember that is how beadmaker markets their product, and this is the main criticism towards beadmaker. I think most people would find beadmaker disappointed as a sealant , if they were to compare to other products on the market, base on durability. The product has been out long enough for the word to get around that beadmaker is a good product and that durability is not the strongest point of the product, but the product gives you some amazing gloss and slickness which is what I look for on a product anyways. At least on my top layer

In that note I would like to compare beadmaker to tac system shinee , apparently tac system shinee outperformed beadmaker on the gloss test.

 

[Eldorado2k]

In that note I would like to compare beadmaker to tac system shinee , apparently tac system shinee outperformed beadmaker on the gloss test.

The quick search I just did revealed Beadmaker scored a 98 on the gloss meter vs. Tac System Shinee which scored a 96 according to the “influencer” who does this sort of testing on youtube.

As far as people disagreeing with what a product is labeled as based on their own experience in unknown conditions, I’ll stick to the manufactures official word and I certainly don’t agree with speading misinformation about what a product is or isn’t based on opinions.


That’s how the world winds up with a whole generation of swirled out Corvettes from unsuspecting folks who somehow end up using spray sealants to wipedown dusty cars at car shows... Who’s at fault? Yea he is, but the guy who recommended some “quick detailer” sure didn’t do him any favors.

 

[acuRAS82]

•If a Sealant that I have applied to any of
my vehicles needs a “topper”, then I sure
won’t be putting it on any vehicle ever again.


•In cases such as this:
-C’mon Entropy: hurry up and do your thing!


Bob

I don’t think anyone in this thread thinks a new sealant “needs” a topper. It’s about drying aids and getting that just-waxed look.

 

[FUNX650]

I don’t think anyone in this thread thinks
a new sealant “needs” a topper. It’s about
drying aids and getting that just-waxed look.

•Why would I want my vehicles’ Sealants
to ever have ‘that just-waxed look’?

-Why, I’d bet that they’d be embarrassed
if I were to take them out in public all
greasy & oily looking...

***********************************

•Using toppers as so-called “drying aids” on
Sealants, regardless their newness, is still
topping them...and that’s something I will
not have the Sealants I use on my vehicles,
to ever have to undergo!

-”Drying aids”:

Bob

 

[acuRAS82]

•Using toppers as so-called “drying aids” on
Sealants, regardless their newness, is still
topping them...and that’s something I will
not have the Sealants I use on my vehicles,
to ever have to undergo!

-”Drying aids”:

Bob

Right, got it. And it’s still not a need for those discussing doing it.

 

[FUNX650]

Right, got it.

And it’s still not a need for
those discussing doing it.

:cheers:


Bob

 

[Eldorado2k]

•Why would I want my vehicles’ Sealants
to ever have ‘that just-waxed look’?

-Why, I’d bet that they’d be embarrassed
if I were to take them out in public all
greasy & oily looking...

***********************************

•Using toppers as so-called “drying aids” on
Sealants, regardless their newness, is still
topping them...and that’s something I will
not have the Sealants I use on my vehicles,
to ever have to undergo!

-”Drying aids”:

Bob

Hey I pretty much agree with everything you said there especially the whole “drying aid” thing which honestly just plain sounds silly but that’s what they call it..

I was stubborn as hell, and I too preffer not to meddle with my protection, but a little extra slickness and a drop of that oily look ain’t all that bad.

 

[The Guz]

Here is one of those odd questions that I do not see a lot . If you had a ceramic coating applied to your car , lets say car pro cquartz, then you maintain that coating with car pro reload every 2 months , but you are one of the many guys that may be using another product to boost your gloss even more everytime you wash your car , lets say a product like bead maker

What do you do after 2 months when reload has to be re applied and you just applied bead maker the week prior on your regular car wash. So bead maker is still on your paint .

Do you try to remove bead maker with some type of harsh soap or iron x , do you just apply reload on top of beadmaker ? , or do you just keep putting bead maker and forgot about reload .

This is where topping products on top of each other gets confusing to me . Specially if your last topper is a different brand

I have done both , just apply reload ( topper) after a good car wash , regardless of beadmaker being there or not , and then applying bead maker on my next wash . I have also used at least some type of harsh chemical to try removing bead maker to apply reload. I have also tried stop using bead maker for 3 weeks prior to reload application and hope for the best. At some point I even used elixir which is a version of reload, so it was easier to just apply reload, since they were both in the same family.

I see people all the time using a base coat and a topper , seems to be standard. If the base coat is something like a ceramic coating , its not to bad since you do not need to re apply that for a long time. But if the base coat is something like a 6 month sealants and your topper is use every week , then it gets tricky to me. Or if you are using a ceramic coating , a topper, and a drying aid, there is always that questions once you need to reapply the topper, how do I remove the left over of the drying aid to apply the topper every 3 months

How do you guys do it?, or do you guys just stay in the same family all together and find a QD that is using similar products than the sealant?

Stick with Beadmaker as your topper. You are using it often so your coating is maintained just fine. Not many know but beadmaker does contain some silica. You will get about the same durability as Reload.

I respectfully disagree with that.^ there’s definitely a difference between a little and nothing and if it’s a little or to be specific Carpro Echo diluted anywhere between 6:1-10:1 it definitely has the ability to make bare paint bead alot better than most people would think. I’ve tested it several times on my own cars bare paint when I 1st started using it. IME Ech20 is comparable to typical spray sealants at those stonger dilutions.

6:1 may be overkill for most, but on the other hand I would never consider Ech2o in the same category as products that leave nothing behind.

Fyi: These days I dilute Ech2o + Reload @3oz of each into a 32oz spray bottle. My dilution with both combined winds up being 6:1, which is stronger than most like to use it at.

Reason I mix it strong is for use as a waterless on full on dirty vehicles.

You are correct as you are using a higher concentrate of EcH2O in your mixture. Most of use it as a drying aid at 1:20 which leaves a little something behind.

 

[acuRAS82]

Stick with Beadmaker as your topper. You are using it often so your coating is maintained just fine. Not many know but beadmaker does contain some silica. You will get about the same durability as Reload.

Include me as a former person who didn’t know BM contained any trace of silica. That won’t make me a huge fan of it, but interesting nonetheless and I’m surprised they don’t market the buzzword. I guess my ‘must-be-logical’ part of brain now feels slightly more warm and fuzzy that so many people top coatings with it. Not that anyone needed my quirky permission.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

Lol... Think that’s why i love Ammo products. You Put down Reflex then Skin then Reboot then Spit then Hydrate for a drying Aid.

It’s like Topper Inception. Some people believe less is more.... good on them.... look at all the money their saving.

The thing is most who don’t top are usually looking for best protection. Those who do top want the best looks (gloss, shine, depth). Does it look better to yourself? Answers yes then it’s worth it.

Great thing about this is you detail YOUR car how YOU like. If you want suggestions.....ask.... if you love your regimen keep on doing it.

None of you guys are right.... and none of you are wrong. It’s a difference of opinion and the Toppers ain’t gonna change the non toppers mind and vise versa.

Have fun and Happy Detailing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gofast182]

Interesting discussion but I don't understand why the OP wouldn't just use CarPro Elixir? It's in the "family" therefore compatible and a little goes a long way if you spray into a microfiber to apply. I have a bottle that's easily going to last me a year using it about every 3rd wash.

 

[Desertnate]

I respectfully disagree with that.^ there’s definitely a difference between a little and nothing and if it’s a little or to be specific Carpro Echo diluted anywhere between 6:1-10:1 it definitely has the ability to make bare paint bead alot better than most people would think. I’ve tested it several times on my own cars bare paint when I 1st started using it. IME Ech20 is comparable to typical spray sealants at those stonger dilutions.

6:1 may be overkill for most, but on the other hand I would never consider Ech2o in the same category as products that leave nothing behind.

1:6? Wow, that's pretty concentrated, I bet at those ratios you do leave something behind. CarPro recommends the QD and WW ratio be 1:20 which is significantly less product in the mixture and most likely very little left behind. At 1:6 do you find it hard to spread, i.e. you get streaking or have to buff it off? Ech2O is really thick and I'm amazed at the "thickness" even at 1:20 compared to other QD's like Kenotec.

Fyi: These days I dilute Ech2o + Reload @3oz of each into a 32oz spray bottle. My dilution with both combined winds up being 6:1, which is stronger than most like to use it at.

Reason I mix it strong is for use as a waterless on full on dirty vehicles.

Isn't this essentially Elixr...or more like a highly concentrated version of Elixr since you mix your Ech2O at much higher levels than typically recommended.

 

[rick100]

Interesting discussion but I don't understand why the OP wouldn't just use CarPro Elixir? It's in the "family" therefore compatible and a little goes a long way if you spray into a microfiber to apply. I have a bottle that's easily going to last me a year using it about every 3rd wash.

I dont like elixir or reload too much anymore , thats why. I want to try something new