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Long store here, so I apologize ahead of time...
Ok, to start, I have about 40-50 different wax's and paint sealants in my collection so far and have been trying different brands over the past 30+ years. At the beginning, I only wanted something to quickly make my car look good and did not give a crap about durability. As I'm getting older though, I find it tough to do some of the stuff that I did when I was younger. Applying wax/sealants to my vehicles is no exception. Nowadays, I like to find products that last quite a long time, even if I have to sacrifice a small amount of depth & shine. The hot Florida sun usually destroys a wax coating in a shorter amount of their expected lifetime.
Between my wife and I, we have three cars. I have my GTO and a GMC Acadia. Both have a good layer of clearcoat on them and a wax coating protects them for about 6-8 months before I need to re-apply.
My wife's car though has a ~very~ horrible paintjob on it. It's a 2007 Accord (white) and it looks as though it was a single stage paintjob. There are many of small divots in the surface and dirt finds it's way into them easily. I just went out and took a photo of the hood, up near the wipers. Look closely and you'll see what I mean.
So now, everytime I wash her car, I start with soap/bucket to get the heavy stuff off, then either claybar -or something like Collinite's Sapphire PreClean Wax. Believe it or not, the Sapphire pre-cleaner wax does a faster job removing the embedded dirt. I use a certain sponge (wet), liberally apply the pre-wax stuff to it, then go over the paint to get all of the dirt out. Depending on the last time it was washed/cleaned, it can sometimes call for a 2nd application of the pre-cleaner.
I have used a heavy duty car wash from Chemical Bros., but it did not work well.
Basically, what I'm currently using to seal the white paint on her Accord is:
*Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. I apply, let dry, then use a mist of detailing spray and micro towel when removing it. Tough stuff!
*Next up is a layer of Collinite #845. Legendary stuff and comes off easily without the need for detailing spray.
*After that, just for fun, I use a layer of Adams' Patriot Wax.
So far, the three step process has done wonders for sealing out the dirt that gets into the surface. BUT, I usually have to apply them about 3x's per year. Any less, and I have to go and order more Sapphire Cleaner.
I didn't get into ceramic coatings only because I've tried it on her car years ago and was not impressed. I bought the Opticoat 2.0 from Autogeek.net, but it just didn't seem to protect the finish as advertised since the embedded dirt was back a few months later.
With all of that being said, anyone here have a recommendation on something that may be more durable than my "Klasse/Collinite/Patriot" steps?
Ok, to start, I have about 40-50 different wax's and paint sealants in my collection so far and have been trying different brands over the past 30+ years. At the beginning, I only wanted something to quickly make my car look good and did not give a crap about durability. As I'm getting older though, I find it tough to do some of the stuff that I did when I was younger. Applying wax/sealants to my vehicles is no exception. Nowadays, I like to find products that last quite a long time, even if I have to sacrifice a small amount of depth & shine. The hot Florida sun usually destroys a wax coating in a shorter amount of their expected lifetime.
Between my wife and I, we have three cars. I have my GTO and a GMC Acadia. Both have a good layer of clearcoat on them and a wax coating protects them for about 6-8 months before I need to re-apply.
My wife's car though has a ~very~ horrible paintjob on it. It's a 2007 Accord (white) and it looks as though it was a single stage paintjob. There are many of small divots in the surface and dirt finds it's way into them easily. I just went out and took a photo of the hood, up near the wipers. Look closely and you'll see what I mean.
So now, everytime I wash her car, I start with soap/bucket to get the heavy stuff off, then either claybar -or something like Collinite's Sapphire PreClean Wax. Believe it or not, the Sapphire pre-cleaner wax does a faster job removing the embedded dirt. I use a certain sponge (wet), liberally apply the pre-wax stuff to it, then go over the paint to get all of the dirt out. Depending on the last time it was washed/cleaned, it can sometimes call for a 2nd application of the pre-cleaner.
I have used a heavy duty car wash from Chemical Bros., but it did not work well.
Basically, what I'm currently using to seal the white paint on her Accord is:
*Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. I apply, let dry, then use a mist of detailing spray and micro towel when removing it. Tough stuff!
*Next up is a layer of Collinite #845. Legendary stuff and comes off easily without the need for detailing spray.
*After that, just for fun, I use a layer of Adams' Patriot Wax.
So far, the three step process has done wonders for sealing out the dirt that gets into the surface. BUT, I usually have to apply them about 3x's per year. Any less, and I have to go and order more Sapphire Cleaner.
I didn't get into ceramic coatings only because I've tried it on her car years ago and was not impressed. I bought the Opticoat 2.0 from Autogeek.net, but it just didn't seem to protect the finish as advertised since the embedded dirt was back a few months later.
With all of that being said, anyone here have a recommendation on something that may be more durable than my "Klasse/Collinite/Patriot" steps?
Approaching Legendary Status
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