Which products for paintwork + layering wax / sealants ?

[sevenfourate]

DETAILERS UNITE ! 2018 V1.

My car came off the road maybe late September 2017 and has been garaged since. It was claybar'd, had a single stage light-cut machine polish and various waxes applied to it not long before that in one of my 25+ hour 'sessions' over 3 days.

So for the Easter weekend i'm planning an even more epic effort to welcome it back out into the fresh air Because the paint is so good (And the fact i really don't enjoy it it any way) - i won't be machine polishing; but plan on a hand cleaning the paint with Autoglym SRP via a Scholl concepts polishing puck and / or a Lake Country Hydro-Tech hand pad - really going into some detail in all those hidden crevices.


So - i'm looking for some advice from the knowledgeable ones here.....

I'm definitely more interested in long term protection / ease of continued maintenance washes than purely outright day-to-day 'shine' and have a few products here to use once the paint is prepped and ready.

I'd intended on getting a couple of layers on and am unsure what would be best as a harder / more durable (?) base-layer.....and then what to use ontop of that. I have the following at my disposal.

*Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid; being very long lasting and hardy from experience.
**AutoRevive Apotherapy Luxury Wax. Initial run sample - so no experience.
***Collinite 476s: I wasn't over-rawed with TBH. Gets amazing longevity ratings (?)
****BiltHammer Double Speed Wax - bought on the back of this review (Also winning in 2017):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/63776/best-car-wax-and-car-polish

*****Gtechniq C2 v3 Liquid Crystal spray: Many use as a spray top-up. Some use as a sole layer or some as a base protection (?)
******PoorBoys Black Hole glaze. For the Gloss Black parts. Obviously



It's going on this colour as reference:



So i guess my questions are:

1: What above products would you use and in what order ?

2: Is it really beneficial to multi-layer waxes / sealants ?


Cheers !

 

[LOCKE]

IMO if your paintwork is flawless and you don't have time to top up a wax then nano/chemical sealant is the way forward. Most waxes would normally protect you for a few months so topping up is essential. I personally enjoy waxing and initially I would apply 2-3 coats of wax over a month. Some would say overkill or could cause marring but it's what I do. Layering wax will give it more protection but in my eyes no more longevity. Wax can in some cases mute metallics but also give warmth and depth to solids. On a previous Crystal Grey Impreza I had machine polished I used Jeff Werkstat products (very hard to find now) which were chemical products and the metallic paint would sparkle through it but as said before the paint work must be flawless. I returned to Swissvax products which a lot of people would say are overpriced etc. I find the products easy to use and you choose a wax with a certain about of carnuba % content. My routine is Cleaner Fluid Regular to clean and fill in any light swirls, then wax say every 2-3 months after my initial wax as described earlier then after every wash a mist with Lotus Speed detailer. I use AutoFinesse Tough Coat on my decals to avoid the white excess that wax can leave around the edges of the decals. So basically if you're short on time or your car won't be exposed to the elements as much then nano/chemical is the way forward.

 

[Northloopcup]

I ain't no detailer, but I machine polished my AG (after a going over with the clay bar), then gave it 2 doses of auto finesse spirit wax (left it the specified amount of time between coats).
The finish that it leaves is imo, awesome, and the water just beads off it. It has also made it significantly easier to wash as the dirt can't stick to it.

Not sure if that's of any use though?! Lol

 

[LOCKE]

You can't beat your first wash after fully sealing your car. Your wash mitt glides and there is nothing more satisfying than watching the water just pour off the bodywork.

 

[jamesgw200]

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/collinite-no-845-insulator-wax/prod_208.html

this is the collinite you should be using. amazing product.

 

[Antti O]

My vote goes for ceramic coating, if you want best shine and long lasting protection.
Ceramic coatings are best if you can apply product just after polishing work.
If there is any imperfections in lacquer, it closes that surface and every swirl you have will be under coating.
Most of coatings are not so easy to apply compared traditional waxes and sealants.

For my recommendation waxes..:
I like meguairs M16, or collinite 915. Both are brilliant waxes which provide good gloss and are long lasting products, (at least so long you dont wash car with solvants).

Btw. here is my winterbeater with ceramic coating, after 1 winter / 30 hand washes. It is still like new and beads like mad. There has been solvant wash too, but i dont think you have to use lot of detar or solvants there.

Btw. for waxing..
1 layer is enough. There is no any benefit to add more layers.
Good carnauba wax will be fine for whole summer season. If the paintwork is really in good condition and you do waxing as instructed. You can always use some quickdetailers later if you want to boost beading.

 

[JMR]

I'd go Gtechniq C2v3, then overcoat that with a coat (or two) of BH double speed wax.

You can wax over sealants quite nicely, but not necessarily the other way round.

Last 3 years I've been using Polish Angel Master Sealant. Its amazing stuff, the beads you get are so small its eye opening when it rains. Beading is awesome, and durability is good IMO. (Applied with a soft pad by DA is sooooo easy) (you can do it by hand too though)
I also used to top up every couple of washes with Polish Angel Rapidwaxx. QD type top up wax that partners MS perfectly.
Car will last a year between 'proper' decontamination and re-sealing.

I've just gone for Soft99 Fusso Coat 12 month coating, because my 3yr old Master Sealant is a) almost gone and b) virtually dried up in the bottle.

Haven't tried it yet, but looking forward to it.
Don't know what I will 'top-up' with.

One thing I won't be doing again is going for something like Gtechniq EXO, it left loads of water marks when it rained from the beading that were a pain in the ar5e to keep removing.
Something I don't find with Polish Angel stuff.

I've also got Raceglaze '55' amongst other products. Thats quite durable and looks great.

....side note - if all else fails, whack a layer of Sonax BSD on it if not just to get some daft beading again for a month.

 

[Cossers]

Hi mate! Mind bending isn’t it! as I said on the phone there’s just too much stuff out there now, I’ll be honest the nano tech coating are not for me, I used gtech stuff a few times and ended up selling them, wax for me every time!as i said I’m going zymol was next time round and I’ve been more than impressed with the auto finesse revive on all the plastics and rubbers, just remember with nano tech if you have your paintwork anything but perfect you have a year of it reminding you every time you wash it with nothing you can do about it until it eventually wares off, again just my thoughts on it

 

[LOCKE]

I've lately been looking into ceramic coatings and trying to find as much info as possible on this, pros and cons etc. The ones in the "know" think that wax is now obsolete and like everything else products have moved on. There is a detailer local to me that uses Gyeon ceramic products...... watch this space!

 

[andy_coops]

Pros of coatings are ease of future maintenance and protection from bird poo, light scratches and swirls etc. The best also leave a very glossy finish and have a guarantee against premature failure.
Cons are that once it’s applied, that’s it. They don’t benefit from having a lot of other stuff slapped on top and in some cases a coating’s performance is actually reduced/diminished if, say, you apply a coat of wax or sealant.
They also need the right conditions to apply and cure - i.e. indoors with humidity below 60% in most cases.
Your paint also needs properly machine polishing prior to applying- I rarely promise 100% defect removal unless customer has the budget and timeframe to achieve it but in any event I never apply a ceramic without polishing.
So if you enjoy pampering your car and trying different products then I’d say a full blown ceramic probably isn’t for you. You can top with a sprayable product (Gtechniq C3 for example enhances a Gtechniq coated finish) but I usually see little need for this during the first 4-6 months after application.
FWIW, my 200 is protected with Zaino polymer sealants, the 172 with Fusso and my wife’s Kadjar with Serum Light/Exo.

 

[LOCKE]

Been there and tried everything through the years. My time is precious now so looking for a more permanent sealant with minimal maintenance. Plus my car rarely gets driven.

 

[Antti O]

Been there and tried everything through the years. My time is precious now so looking for a more permanent sealant with minimal maintenance. Plus my car rarely gets driven.

Ceramic coating
Long lasting, many years. Minimal effort. Just wash and go.

Here is my car with ceramic coating

 

[Grahamvalets]

The Krypton Ceramic Range from Tony Spears, they are very good indeed. I use his Krypton 5 on my enhancement detail & full paint corrections. If you are keen on learning how to detail cars, go and visit tony and spend a week with him. Many visit him from all over the world to do his training. He is one of the best around.