The Spray wax myth, specifically Aqua Wax

[davidc]

I have read many of the stories of spray waxes lasting 1 to 3 weeks and I do not really see that with Aqua Wax. This van was bought new in 2012 and never waxed or sealed to date. It has been washed with 901 or 932 for its life so far.The last wash was about 4 months ago. During our big storm the other day I was with a guy with the exact van on a job and noticed his van had absolutely no beeding, just wet. I snapped a pic of mine which proved the AW is around a lot longer than I read.

Dave

 

[kevin_1981]

Dave,
I use Duragloss AW, and UQW, and have noticed that it lasts a long time (i tested it on an unwaxed panel of g/fs car). I'm not sure how much paint color/weather makes a difference. I use the same products on my vehicle, and after leaving it on the street collecting tree sap, i washed it, and the protection did not seem to be nearly as good as on my g/fs car that is a DD, but garage kept.

 

[FUNX650]

It's nice that Duragloss Rinseless Wash with Aquawax (DG#932)...
is a rinse-free car-wash, and Wax-booster in one!

Bob

 

[davidc]

Dave,
I use Duragloss AW, and UQW, and have noticed that it lasts a long time (i tested it on an unwaxed panel of g/fs car). I'm not sure how much paint color/weather makes a difference. I use the same products on my vehicle, and after leaving it on the street collecting tree sap, i washed it, and the protection did not seem to be nearly as good as on my g/fs car that is a DD, but garage kept.

This van sits on the street 24/7 and has seen 100-115 temps, the yearly dust storms and monsoon rains. The latest was this leftover hurricane that came up from Mexico. This is Aqua wax over virgin paint with nothing under it, does that make a difference, I do not know. Aqua Wax is used on the personal vehicles but they have DG sealants under the AW. I have become a firm believer in using products from the same manufacturer as some state that they bond with any durable LSP. I think if this occurs AW will bond with DG's products. Anything else to me is a tossup if it actually bonds or not.

Dave

 

[cfiiman]

Is beading an accurate measure? The reason I ask is b/c I used an IPA wipedown on a panel and then "tested" it by spraying it with water from a spray bottle and it beaded just fine. I guess it is possible that I didn't get all the wax off but I used a heavy concentration and did it multiple times, so I'm wondering how accurate "beading" can be used as a benchmark.

 

[VISITOR]

i don't use AW weekly like many but rather every other wash as it's overkill, but with the rinseless wash diluted to QD using it weekly is okay since the AW content is not as high...

 

[davidc]

Is beading an accurate measure? The reason I ask is b/c I used an IPA wipedown on a panel and then "tested" it by spraying it with water from a spray bottle and it beaded just fine. I guess it is possible that I didn't get all the wax off but I used a heavy concentration and did it multiple times, so I'm wondering how accurate "beading" can be used as a benchmark.

All I can say to that as I stated earlier. Another van was on the job that was bought at the same time (they bought 4 total). There was absolutely NO beading on that van what so ever. Mine was beading everywhere so my personal opinion is yes, beading must mean something.

Dave

 

[FUNX650]

Is beading an accurate measure?

so I'm wondering how accurate "beading" can be used as a benchmark.

Besides usually not having access to cost-prohibitive "measuring devices"...What else do we have?

Perhaps: Well defined re-application time-frames?

:dunno:


Bob

 

[cfiiman]

All I can say to that as I stated earlier. Another van was on the job that was bought at the same time (they bought 4 total). There was absolutely NO beading on that van what so ever. Mine was beading everywhere so my personal opinion is yes, beading must mean something.

Dave

That does seem like definitive proof...Maybe I need to do my test again with a hose instead of a spray bottle :dunno:

 

[swanicyouth]

Is beading an accurate measure? The reason I ask is b/c I used an IPA wipedown on a panel and then "tested" it by spraying it with water from a spray bottle and it beaded just fine. I guess it is possible that I didn't get all the wax off but I used a heavy concentration and did it multiple times, so I'm wondering how accurate "beading" can be used as a benchmark.

IPA isn't a good "wax remover". It may be sufficient to remove polishing artifacts - but it likely will not remove wax off a panel alone.

While some people say beading is not a good measure of durability - they can never seem to tell you what is. So while beading may not be a perfect metric, it's probably all we have to go by.

So while you can't prove that a wax that isn't beading isn't there - you can prove that beading will be stronger right after a car is waxed. This is enough evidence for even a most cynical person like me.

 

[cfiiman]

IPA isn't a good "wax remover". It may be sufficient to remove polishing artifacts - but it likely will not remove wax off a panel alone.

Did not know that, I thought it was pretty potent at removing wax, that probably why I got the result I did.

 

[Klasse Act]

Been using DG rinseless for a long time and I have NO reason to look elsewhere (but sometime use TW rinseless when its on sale and/or to change thinngs up)

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

 

[Desertnate]

Is beading an accurate measure? The reason I ask is b/c I used an IPA wipedown on a panel and then "tested" it by spraying it with water from a spray bottle and it beaded just fine. I guess it is possible that I didn't get all the wax off but I used a heavy concentration and did it multiple times, so I'm wondering how accurate "beading" can be used as a benchmark.

Like Bob mentioned, its all we often have to measure. I think you can tell a lot about the type of protection you've got by how the beading looks on a clean car. Over time I've watched a car go from tight uniform beads, to large round blobs, followed by mishapen kinda-water beads, to nothing but a flat wet surface. You can really tell when it's time to do something about the LSP.

 

[c8n]

Did not know that, I thought it was pretty potent at removing wax, that probably why I got the result I did.

Swanicyouth is right. There was a whole thread about this but think about it.
Wax is meant to protect your finish from the elements but if all it took was some alcohol to remove it, it really isn't doing its job very well.

 

[PiPUK]

The point is often raised that a freshly polished surface will tend to bead significantly. This is typically extended to mean that a totally clean surface will bead - as far as I am concerned, this is just plain wrong. The vast majority of polishes have oils in them, that is basically what keeps them lubricating and workable. When you are done, you tend to leave behind a residual film of oil. It will be very thin, it will probably be invisible but it will be there (at least for a while, until it evaporates away). There is a very strong chance that the beading people observe on a (supposedly) clean surface is simply down to the fact that there is a transient oil film (i.e. the surface is not as clean as they thought!).

 

[Desertnate]

The point is often raised that a freshly polished surface will tend to bead significantly. This is typically extended to mean that a totally clean surface will bead - as far as I am concerned, this is just plain wrong. The vast majority of polishes have oils in them, that is basically what keeps them lubricating and workable. When you are done, you tend to leave behind a residual film of oil. It will be very thin, it will probably be invisible but it will be there (at least for a while, until it evaporates away). There is a very strong chance that the beading people observe on a (supposedly) clean surface is simply down to the fact that there is a transient oil film (i.e. the surface is not as clean as they thought!).

How does this apply to a vehicle months after the LSP has been applied and a week or two after washing? Is that still the oils causing the water to bead or some other property of the LSP applied?