Wax or Paint Sealant??

[Jetta5]

Hi all,

To continue the recent tradition in this thread, I'm looking to get the thumbs up for a bunch of products I will be using for my new Polo...

• Optimum Car Wash - but is it PH neutral? (would get Duragloss, but it's currently out of stock at Car Care Products)
• Dodo Lime Prime polish to remove some specific swirling - the final remaining evidence of a run in with a (padded) road toll barrier arm!
• Paint Sealant - not really sure??? I'd like a compromise between something that is easy to apply but also lasts a long time... which of the following would suit me best? Duragloss 111 (Clear Coat Polish), Optimum Opti-Seal or Nanolex Paint Cleaner + Premium Paint Spray Sealant?
• Mint Glass cleaner
• Plus all associated towels, mitts etc

My feeling is that I'd rather not use an abrasive polish unless I have something specific to fix, which is why I haven't listed the Duragloss 601 + 105 combination, but please correct me if I'm under the wrong impression there.

Also - how important is it to use a pre-sealant chemical like Nanolex Paint Cleaner? If the car is under cover 95% of the time and washed carefully, is it still necessary? Does it remove old sealant layers so that a new layer can bond properly?

[Mrk_Mickey]

Hi all,

To continue the recent tradition in this thread, I'm looking to get the thumbs up for a bunch of products I will be using for my new Polo...

• Optimum Car Wash - but is it PH neutral? (would get Duragloss, but it's currently out of stock at Car Care Products)
• Dodo Lime Prime polish to remove some specific swirling - the final remaining evidence of a run in with a (padded) road toll barrier arm!
• Paint Sealant - not really sure??? I'd like a compromise between something that is easy to apply but also lasts a long time... which of the following would suit me best? Duragloss 111 (Clear Coat Polish), Optimum Opti-Seal or Nanolex Paint Cleaner + Premium Paint Spray Sealant?
• Mint Glass cleaner
• Plus all associated towels, mitts etc

My feeling is that I'd rather not use an abrasive polish unless I have something specific to fix, which is why I haven't listed the Duragloss 601 + 105 combination, but please correct me if I'm under the wrong impression there.

Also - how important is it to use a pre-sealant chemical like Nanolex Paint Cleaner? If the car is under cover 95% of the time and washed carefully, is it still necessary? Does it remove old sealant layers so that a new layer can bond properly?

Allow me to cover that for you

-I'm not 100% sure but Optimum car wash should be pH neutral...otherwise you could go with dodo juice sour power.
-Lime prime may not be strong enough by the sound of it! However I might be wrong; it depends how minor the stuff is.
-Glass cleaner is fine.

-As for sealant...the 601 + 105 combination isn't abraisive!! I'd definitely recommend it over everything else - it's heaps easy to use, and it lasts at least 6 months (much more if it's garaged and taken care of!)

-a pre-sealant (or pre-wax) paint cleaner is not essential in the detailing process if you've gone ahead with a de-wax wash (ie, washed with something non pH neutral) and clayed the car. Paint cleaners optimize bonding and application onto paint, so if you've just polished with a Menzerna polish and need to strip the polish oils off the paint to apply sealant or wax, then I'd suggest using a paint cleaner then.

[Jetta5]

Allow me to cover that for you

Thanks!

-Lime prime may not be strong enough by the sound of it! However I might be wrong; it depends how minor the stuff is.

The swirling is fairly light. I think most of the damage was done by the way I removed the coating left from the barrier arm padding.

-As for sealant...the 601 + 105 combination isn't abraisive!! I'd definitely recommend it over everything else - it's heaps easy to use, and it lasts at least 6 months (much more if it's garaged and taken care of!)

Okay, you've sold me.

-a pre-sealant (or pre-wax) paint cleaner is not essential in the detailing process if you've gone ahead with a de-wax wash (ie, washed with something non pH neutral) and clayed the car. Paint cleaners optimize bonding and application onto paint, so if you've just polished with a Menzerna polish and need to strip the polish oils off the paint to apply sealant or wax, then I'd suggest using a paint cleaner then.

Duragloss 601 does the same job right? Does that mean that a wash then polish followed by Duragloss 601 + 105 would be a good system? (assuming you don't want to clay the car)

[Psyk]

Wax or Paint Sealant? I would say both

Depends on what you want to do, how much time you have and the look you're after. DMS_Dan's post is spot on with regards to the looks achieved. Sealant's have great durability and can last for months, and although look shiny and give the car a constant clean appearance, can look sterile or artificial as people have commented. Waxes look great and really bring a richness to the color (especially dark colors) but maybe last a month or so at most... As a result, some people use both. However, I think you'd need to find a combo you like with products that compliment each other.

I've had great success with a standard Meguairs NXT wash, the Clay Magic Claybar plus Auto Magic 49 Lube combo, Klasse All-In-One and Klasse Sealant Glaze combo layered multiple times with a couple of days in between to allow it to 'cure'. No wax. The results are great and the car has this constant clean look about it even after being in a downpour or parked outdoors in a dusty car park. Dirt and residue are very easy to clean, you can literally drive up to a car-lovers car wash, spray with water only and drive off.

A friend is using the same combo as above but will switch to all Chemical Guys stuff soon - The Citrus Wash, The Claybar and lube combo, Jetseal 109 and Pete's 5050 Carnauba wax combo. As they're all from Chemical Guys, the results are predictable and achievable and you have a reference point to ensure all products are compatible.

Currently next in line for me will be a combo of products from Blackfire. These guys seem to get favourable comments all-round and pride themselves focusing on a really wet-look shine. Currently on order is the Blackfire Gloss Enhancing polish, Blackfire Scratch Resistant Clear Finishing Polish (designed for the new super-hard clear-coats or paint correction work) and their Blackfire wet ice over fire kit which includes their Midnight Ivory Carnauba wax and a sealant called the Wet Diamond Finish.