Review: Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant

[CEE DOG]

Review: Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant

Introduction:
About a week ago information was posted by Nick on a new Wolfgang Product called Exterior Trim Sealant (ETS). After reading what information was posted I thought this sounds almost identical to Ultima Trim and Tire Guard. The application methods in the description on both hard and porous surfaces also sounded identical to the way I have been applying UTTG. I have now used the ETS on 4 different surfaces and I’m ready to report my findings. I’ll give you a hint now. The most important thing to follow will be durability, which will take time.

Index:
1.-Rubber Tire
2a.-Smooth Faded Plastic (Cowl and a water softener cover)
2b.-Semi Smooth Faded Plastic (Water softener cover)
3.-Textured Plastic Bumper previously coated with C4
4.-Metal-Aluminum (A cookie sheet wrapped in aluminum foil)
5.-Intentional “Accidental” Drip Test
6.-Condensation Beading

Product Claims:
This one product provides durable, clear protection on plastics, rubber, vinyl, and metal exterior trim. Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant is designed to maintain the beauty of your vehicle, not cover it up. The protection is strong enough for a daily driver but the finish is worthy of a show car.

Details:
1.- Packaging: Standard Wolfgang Bottle (I’ve always liked the design)
2.- Directions: Clearly labeled
3.- Viscosity: Possibly slightly thinner than my bottle of UTTG
4.- Color: Slight Blue Tint
5.- Scent: UTTG (Petrol)
6.- Regular Price: 4 oz. = $19.99 (On sale at time of review)
7.- Regular Price: 8 oz. = $29.99 (On sale at time of review)
8.- Regular Price: 16 oz. = $49.99 (On sale at time of review)
9.- Manufacturer: Wolfgang
10.- Made in: USA (assumed)

Products used for application:
1.- Various foam applicators


00-Product

01-Product on MF Suede Towel (Note: tint of blue)

02-ETS and UTTG side by side

03-Average Conditions

PART 1

Tire Preparation:

04-Tire Cleaning Products

Video: Preparation of Tire

I began by washing the tire and rinsing it twice with ARO and a nylon brush followed by a mf towel. It was dried with the Metro Master Blaster.

05-Tire Clean (Before Sealant Application)

Tire Application:
I began by placing Nitrile gloves over my hands. After shaking the bottle I applied a few drops to a foam applicator pad. I noted a slight difference on the visibility of ETS during application as opposed to the UTTG. While it was apparent the UTTG was on the tire, the ETS was not quite as apparent. This notation may only be a matter of difference in the amount of product I used on one side as opposed to the other. This observation should be taken with a grain of salt and really doesn’t matter with regards to the outcome. Please view the video for complete information.

Video: Application of WG ETS followed by comparison product
Note: Brightness adjusted in video to make tire visible

Tire Observations:
After as close to identical application methods as I could manage both sides look almost identical. Any slight difference would not be known if it was not seen side by side. Directly after application U was maybe 1/10th of a shade darker. As the day would progress it seemed W would end up maybe 1/10th of a shade darker. Again this is really not worth mentioning and not enough to convince me of a difference in the chemical makeup. Both products left a beautiful smooth satin appearance and dried to the touch.


06-Tire After 1

07- Tire After 2

08- Tire After 3

09- Tire After 4

10- Tire After 5

11-Tire After 6

12-ETS

13- UTTG

14-Two Hours later

15-Two Hours later

Video: Dry to the touch

 

[CEE DOG]

PART 2

Semi Smooth Plastic Preparation:
The cover from my water softener (which is installed outside) has never been sealed with anything (I know, shame on me) so I thought this would be a good faded item for testing. This piece was scrubbed with ARO and a nylon brush.

Semi Smooth Plastic Application and Noted Observations:
Here I decided to do something different. This is a very cheap alternative for a foam applicator (NOT paint safe). I think you’ll recognize the material used here. The product was applied and allowed to set for a bit before buffing off but buffing off immediately probably wouldn’t have made a difference on this material. Wolfgang ETS darkened the plastic considerably and after buffing was completely dry to the touch. On this surface ETS was just a 10th shade lighter than the its competition.

20-Homemade Trim Applicator

21-Homemade Trim Applicator

22-Products

23-Before Sealing (After Cleaning with ARO)

24-During (Applied but not yet buffed off)

25-During (Applied but not yet buffed off)

26-During (Applied but not yet buffed off)

27-During (Applied but not yet buffed off)

28- After Buffing dry an hour later

29- After Buffing

30-After Buffing

31-After Buffing

32-After Buffing

33-Finished

Smooth Plastic Preparation:
The faded and distorted cowl of my Green Saturn is the only remaining plastic on the vehicle not coated with C4 so it was also the subject of our testing. This piece has actually been the part of my daily driver that I just never do anything with. It was washed with Optimum Car Wash along with the rest of the vehicle and blown dry with the Master Blaster

Smooth Plastic Application and Noted Observations:
I used the same home made applicator previously mentioned. As a tip for others I recommend using a mf applicator on smooth plastic surfaces (unlike what I used here) but each user should experiment for himself. While both products seemed very similar here the Wolfgang seemed to be just a shade darker.


39-Before Wolfgang ETS

40-After Wolfgang ETS (Buffed dry as well)

41-Before

42-During (Applied but not yet buffed off)

43-During (Applied but not yet buffed off)

44-After Buffing dry an hour later

45-After Buffing dry an hour later

46-After Buffing dry an hour later

 

[CEE DOG]

PART 3

Textured Plastic Preparation:
A little over a month ago C4 coating was applied to the trim of this vehicle, so in essence this is another kind of test. We are not sealing the textured plastic but rather the C4 coating. The front bumper was washed with just Optimum Car Wash along with the rest of the vehicle and blown dry with the Master Blaster. Finally it was taped off so we could be sure our WG ETS had darkened the bumper beyond its C4 coating.

Textured Plastic Application and Noted Observations:
I used the same home made applicator previously mentioned to apply and spread the product across the taped off areas of the front bumper. ETS applied very easily and did not leave any streaking. That fact that it darkened beyond what the C4 left for me is a welcome treat and I’m looking forward to finding out if the product will bond to the C4 coating that is in place beneath it.

50-Before

51-After

52-After

53-After

54-After

55-After

56-After

57-After

58-After

59-After

60-After

PART 4

Metal Preparation:
None of the vehicles I was working on yesterday had a suitable metal surface for me to test so I took a cookie sheet and wrapped it in aluminum foil (Thank you R. Wright and K. Brown)

Metal Application and Noted Observations:
I used the same home made applicator previously mentioned to apply a couple drops of the product(s) in question to the testing surface. While the Wolfgang directions state to buff off of hard surfaces I know from experience with Ultima that on some of these surfaces (like high gloss metals) it can be best to wait a bit before removal. I assumed the same was true of ETS. I waited 20+ minutes and it buffed off easily with an mf towel and then moved it into the sun

70-After

71-After

PART 5

Intentional “Accidental” Drip Test:
As a final test I dripped a bit of each product onto the windshield and allowed it to sit 2 hours. After 2 hours in the sun it hadn’t completely cured throughout so I thinned it with my finger and allowed it to wait until the next morning.

Video: Intentional “Accidental” Drip Test

PART 6

Condensation Beading the next morning (today):


85-Bumper

86-Bumper

87-Aluminum

88- Aluminum

89- Aluminum

90-Cowl

Pros:
1.- Appearance: Beautiful smooth satin look on tires & the perfect look on trim
2.- Versatility: Use on tires, as well as plastic and metal trim
3.- Durability: ??? (Testing in progress)
4.- Dry: (Non-greasy) finish that doesn’t run from rain or water
5.- Application: Easy

???:

1.- What will the durability be? This question will likely decide if this product is equal to, greater than, or lesser than UTTG
2.- Does ETS match the heat range of UTTG (500F)?
3.-When exceeding its heat range (if used on the engine or exhaust tips for instance) will it disappear harmlessly in the same way Ultima does?

Cons:
1.-None so far – Durability is the only question

Final Observations and Summary:
Depending on the surface ETS is a shade darker or lighter than UTTG unless this was caused by inadvertent differences in amount or application. I think on smooth surfaces and tires it is darker while on textured trim it is lighter. The difference in shade would be impossible to tell if not one next to the other. It seemed that ETS might be ever so slightly thinner than UTTG. It seemed to soak into the foam applicator faster. This could just be a function of the particular batch or may be a consistently true statement. Durability studies are pending but so far Wolfgang ETS has behaved, performed, and appeared very similar to Ultima TTG. This is a high compliment. Personally I am expecting the durability results to be very similar but we will see. A question of whether ETS can withstand 500F is in order. I have seen nothing on that front and if it cannot, UTTG would have an advantage there. I have found it to be the best option in the engine bay (unless you like a greasy look). If ETS can match the UTTG heat range and if durability does hold up then ETS will equal UTTG as the very best trim and tire sealant (not coating) available without question. I look forward to trying it on Skybaby’s rims next time I seal them.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review! Cheers

 

[LegacyGT]

Corey - Another fantastic review.

I am not sure there is a whole lot of room for improvement, but that said, I am looking forward to sharing my experience with the Wolfgang ETS when it arrives this week. I am trying to think of some intelligent questions to ask, but you have done such an incredible review, I am having a hard time with this.

:urtheman:

 

[CEE DOG]

opcorn:

Hey buddy!! Gotta go... in big trouble with the wife! supposed to leave for beach a couple hours ago. I kept telling her xx more minutes! LOL

Later!Im the MAN

 

[Dubbin1]

Thanks for the review Dog!!!

I really have mixed emotions about this product. Something tells me its a ripoff of UTTG and will be stealing the thunder from my precious. IMO Ultima NEEDS to start selling UTTG and UIGP in smaller sizes or products like this are going to do them in.

The only plus side I see is that being a WG product it will go on BOGO at some point.

BTW how in the world did you get a bottle of this so quickly? I thought it was just released on Friday...

 

[LegacyGT]

I really have mixed emotions about this product. Something tells me its a ripoff of UTTG and will be stealing the thunder from my precious.

The thing that crossed my mind the other day is that there is a very real possibility that Ultima could be producing this for the Wolfgang line, the same way Menzerna produces TSR to AG's specs.

I will be excited to try it out this coming week.

 

[Ted S.]

Another epic review.:dblthumb2:

There is definately a difference in the beading, as it appears that the WG has slightly larger beads. I wonder what this means.

If the durability matches UTTG, would you consider it and equal, greater, or lesser product?

I'll probably have to pick some up...

 

[Rei86]

Thanks for the awesome review as always Corey. Can't wait for you to post up the durability later on.

BTW just ordered up my 16oz since it was on sale as VIP.

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

You are one amazing fella, Corey! Thanks for the outstanding review! rops:

FWIW, UTTG looks to be darker on trim, that's pretty important to me.

 

[CEE DOG]

Thanks guys!

D, I've given this some thought and I believe it's most logical that they would have purchased and contracted it from Premium Finish Care. Bill and I were talking about this as well and Bill actually said it first. They don't have their own chemical facilities there so it would make most sense to purchase it rather than send it to another company and pay them to both attempt a reverse engineered version and to supply it. Why not just pay for it to be supplied? Either way let's wait on durability but I think a benefit to competition is lower prices in the long run.
Living in Florida means it only takes 1 day to get your product from the day it's sent. I got it very quickly thanks to Meghan (Thank you Meghan!!) and worked hard to get it up asap as I know right now is when people will need the info the most.

Ted, if ETS is capable of the same heat ranges in the engine compartment then durability will decide if they are equal or not.

Mark, congrats on your 4999th post. It seems that the darkness varies so very little that you won't notice a difference if not side by side. On some material the UTTG is darker and on some trim the ETS is darker as mentioned in the review but it is a very small margin. My wife looked at the bumper (in person) and I had to wait more than 30 seconds before she could tell me which she thought was darker. When she did she agreed with what I saw. She did not know which product was on which side. Remember lighting location affects pictures so I tried to get pics from different angles to show this.

 

[Waxmax]

Thanks for the detailed review and comments. Looks like they are essentially the same products. Can't go wrong with either.

 

[Old Tiger]

Another Epic by the undisputed master! Well Done buddy!

 

[CEE DOG]

Bill, I can't wait to see your review! I know it's going to be top notch, entertaining, and will teach me more than I know now. Your threads are always the highest quality. If you had posted your review first I'd be in trouble!

Jim, thanks buddy! Always a pleasure my friend. Im the MAN

 

[UCD]

Great review!!

 

[CEE DOG]

Thank you!

 

[Bunky]

Another excellent review. It looks like a definite UTTG clone. The UTTG comes out to 2.7 cents per ounce and the WG is 3.1 cents per ounce (32 ounces) so when it goes on BOGO it will be a better deal.

BTW, You sure did scrub those tires!! The nice thing about having the MB handy is you can dry the tire to check for cleanliness. I wish I had it with me this weekend...two tries and still did not a a tire perfectly clean.

 

[BobbyG]

Corey,

Another extensive in-depth review of two fine products. rops:

To me, it appeared that Ultima Trim & Tire Guard have a little deeper color and was a bit more shinny but not by much. I'm curious to see over time which product holds up better and maintains its appearance.

Nicely done my friend....:dblthumb2:

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Another excellent review. It looks like a definite UTTG clone. The UTTG comes out to 2.7 cents per ounce and the WG is 3.1 cents per ounce (32 ounces) so when it goes on BOGO it will be a better deal.

Hey man...dollars per ounce! I didn't even think about BOGO (boy, this sale and random free shipping really messes with your judgement, eh?), I got it for $1.69/oz on the VIP+10% coupon. What I'm going to do with it IDK...I really need to start throwing out inferior products instead of hoping to some day use them...

 

[Mister B]

Nice review as always, Corey. Thanks for getting the review up so quickly.

I was contemplating whether or not to purchase some while it is on VIP.