Today we’ve got, what I feel it, a very over looked product. I never see many people talk about this product unless it comes up on bogo. I was turned onto this product by my good friend Jim (Dr Oldz) and haven’t looked back since. When it comes to dressing engine bays, and even wheel wells, this product just can’t be beat. The product I’m talking about is Sonus Trim and Motor Kote.
I think one reason people have overlooked this product is because the application is unlike any other dressing I have ever used. Basically you just spray this product on, and let it sit, no wiping or any other touching. To make it work though you have to put it on super thin and you have to have the patience to let the product cure without messing with it. This sometimes can take almost an hour, and some people just don’t want to take the time to let this product do its thing. I personally know that it is well worth the wait though. In my previous testing I have seen over 3 months of durability with no signs of failure. That means you can keep your engine bay looking its best and spend less time doing it. Now let’s get onto the review!!!
This review was actually at the spur of the moment. I was changing the battery in my wife’s Explorer and noticed the engine bay wasn’t looking so great. It was just about freezing outside so I wasn’t interested in doing a full engine bay detail, but I figured I could take the time to clean it up and do a little review on this often overlooked product. To spray I rinsed most of the engine bay down to remove any loose dirt and debris, and then I sprayed some Optimum Power Clean (4:1) and agitated it with various brushes. I then rinsed it all down, and dried it with compressed air. This all took about 10 minutes, so it was far from perfect, but would certainly do for my wife’s vehicle
.
Here is a close up of the airbox, this is what I will show the majority of my testing on since it is the only large, flat piece under the hood. This is after being just cleaned and dried.
Here you can see how I taped of a section to show a 50/50 shot after the dressing has been applied.
Before I get to the application I want to give a small tip. I personally love putting most of my products into my own spray bottles, since I like everything to look the same, and I like to know exactly how much product I can expect to come out with a pull of the trigger. With this product however, you will want to leave it in the sprayer it came with. It is designed to put out a very fine mist of product, to ensure you don’t apply too much dressing. Here is my best shot at showing the atomization of the sprayer. Focus on the spray coming out of the nozzle, and not what has landed on the black plastic.
About to spray.
The next few pictures will show just how thin this product should be applied. Usually one spray will cover about a quarter of the engine bay. THIN THIN THIN. I used on 4 sprays to do this entire bay.
Here is didn’t move quite fast enough. A few little puddles developed. These are small enough that they will dry given enough time, but any bigger and you would want to wipe them off and spray again.
Here is how it looked vs. an undressed section.
Now that you have finished applying the dressing, just close the hood and walk away. Fight every urge you have to wipe or spread this product. It’s going to look like crap for a while, but trust the product and you will not be disappointed. Here is what you are left with after it dries. (NOTE thiese pictures were taken the next day, which had more sun than the previous day. Some parts make look a little brighter than in previous pictures.)
Overall Sonus Trim and Motor Kote is a wonderful product that I feel should be in every detailer’s cabinet. It surely isn’t the fastest working product, but it is the best IMO.
Pros: Goes on thin, which means the product will be able to do more cars than traditional dressings.
Price, even when not on bogo it can be had for about $10. When on BOGO it’s a STEAL
Durability. I have seen 3+ months, with no signs of failure
Cons: Has a learning curve, and takes a while to dry, but it is well worth it IMO.
Thanks for looking and I look forward to any questions or comments you might have!
I think one reason people have overlooked this product is because the application is unlike any other dressing I have ever used. Basically you just spray this product on, and let it sit, no wiping or any other touching. To make it work though you have to put it on super thin and you have to have the patience to let the product cure without messing with it. This sometimes can take almost an hour, and some people just don’t want to take the time to let this product do its thing. I personally know that it is well worth the wait though. In my previous testing I have seen over 3 months of durability with no signs of failure. That means you can keep your engine bay looking its best and spend less time doing it. Now let’s get onto the review!!!
This review was actually at the spur of the moment. I was changing the battery in my wife’s Explorer and noticed the engine bay wasn’t looking so great. It was just about freezing outside so I wasn’t interested in doing a full engine bay detail, but I figured I could take the time to clean it up and do a little review on this often overlooked product. To spray I rinsed most of the engine bay down to remove any loose dirt and debris, and then I sprayed some Optimum Power Clean (4:1) and agitated it with various brushes. I then rinsed it all down, and dried it with compressed air. This all took about 10 minutes, so it was far from perfect, but would certainly do for my wife’s vehicle
.Here is a close up of the airbox, this is what I will show the majority of my testing on since it is the only large, flat piece under the hood. This is after being just cleaned and dried.
Here you can see how I taped of a section to show a 50/50 shot after the dressing has been applied.
Before I get to the application I want to give a small tip. I personally love putting most of my products into my own spray bottles, since I like everything to look the same, and I like to know exactly how much product I can expect to come out with a pull of the trigger. With this product however, you will want to leave it in the sprayer it came with. It is designed to put out a very fine mist of product, to ensure you don’t apply too much dressing. Here is my best shot at showing the atomization of the sprayer. Focus on the spray coming out of the nozzle, and not what has landed on the black plastic.
About to spray.
The next few pictures will show just how thin this product should be applied. Usually one spray will cover about a quarter of the engine bay. THIN THIN THIN. I used on 4 sprays to do this entire bay.
Here is didn’t move quite fast enough. A few little puddles developed. These are small enough that they will dry given enough time, but any bigger and you would want to wipe them off and spray again.
Here is how it looked vs. an undressed section.
Now that you have finished applying the dressing, just close the hood and walk away. Fight every urge you have to wipe or spread this product. It’s going to look like crap for a while, but trust the product and you will not be disappointed. Here is what you are left with after it dries. (NOTE thiese pictures were taken the next day, which had more sun than the previous day. Some parts make look a little brighter than in previous pictures.)
Overall Sonus Trim and Motor Kote is a wonderful product that I feel should be in every detailer’s cabinet. It surely isn’t the fastest working product, but it is the best IMO.
Pros: Goes on thin, which means the product will be able to do more cars than traditional dressings.
Price, even when not on bogo it can be had for about $10. When on BOGO it’s a STEAL
Durability. I have seen 3+ months, with no signs of failure
Cons: Has a learning curve, and takes a while to dry, but it is well worth it IMO.
Thanks for looking and I look forward to any questions or comments you might have!
I took it over to the girl friends and it has never been seen again
rops: Sonus T&MK FTW!!!
