My impressions of NXT durability at the nearly 2 month point

Scottwax · 03-19-04, 06:18

Regarding NXT durability-

I polished out a BMW 545 (pics in my gallery from that detail) on January 23rd and topped with NXT. I washed it today and it was still beading very well. I also asked my customer and he says it is beading when it rains. He normally takes it through one of the local car washes about once a week and has me give it a hand wash monthly. A 1995 Lexus LS400 I wash every two weeks was waxed with NXT on January 25th (either in my autopia or photohost gallery) and it is also beading very well. I might also mention we had 15 days of rain and a day and a half of snow during this time.

Appearance-wise, both cars still look very good, NXT seems to really hold it's look. I went over an LS430 at the same office as the LS400 today and nearly two month old NXT may not have looked quite as good, but held it's own in comparison. Slickness is only so-so though. At this point, Clearkotes Carnauba Moose is noticably slicker.

At the nearly two month point, I'd grade NXT this way:

Beading- B
Appearance- A-
Slickness- C

tom p. · 03-19-04, 06:30

I am beginning to wonder how relevant "slickness" is. We had another lousy week of weather and I looked at the 4 panels I did last weekend on my daily driver. "Slickness" diminishes rapidly.

( test )

I walked around the car this morning and it was covered with ice and snow. The untreated side of the car looked no better than the opposite side which was treated last weekend....the ice and snow were clinging with tenacity on both sides....no difference.

I washed the car this afternoon and the 4 panels looked good. The NXT section may have looked the best but the sun was going down and it was hard to say.

Only time will tell....

ajbarnes · 03-19-04, 06:44

Quote:

Originally posted by Scottwax
Regarding NXT durability-

I polished out a BMW 545 (pics in my gallery from that detail) on January 23rd and topped with NXT. I washed it today and it was still beading very well. I also asked my customer and he says it is beading when it rains. He normally takes it through one of the local car washes about once a week and has me give it a hand wash monthly. A 1995 Lexus LS400 I wash every two weeks was waxed with NXT on January 25th (either in my autopia or photohost gallery) and it is also beading very well. I might also mention we had 15 days of rain and a day and a half of snow during this time.

Appearance-wise, both cars still look very good, NXT seems to really hold it's look. I went over an LS430 at the same office as the LS400 today and nearly two month old NXT may not have looked quite as good, but held it's own in comparison. Slickness is only so-so though. At this point, Clearkotes Carnauba Moose is noticably slicker.

At the nearly two month point, I'd grade NXT this way:

Beading- B
Appearance- A-
Slickness- C

Same opinion here.

I agree the CCM does stay slick for a while.

Scottwax · 03-19-04, 06:46

As far as slickness goes, it is mostly a personal preferrence that the paint remain slick so that washing is easier.

ajbarnes · 03-19-04, 06:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Scottwax
As far as slickness goes, it is mostly a personal preferrence that the paint remain slick so that washing is easier.

Yeah, that really pays off up here in the north when we get all the road salt on the roads.

Brad B. · 03-20-04, 04:41

WOW! You have had incredible luck with the NXT. I have been using a couple 3' square painted test panels over the past couple months and have noticed some interesting things.

It obviously has some fine abrasives in it because it polished the surface upon application. It also has a fair amount of solvents in it which helps clean the surface. These two things alone would help make the surface shinier even if it had no residual protection at all.

I found NXT to have a great shine, initially, but it diminished extremely fast telling me that it is pretty rich with silicones and/or other oils. A hot wash of a freshly waxed panel would pretty much take the panel from a water beading surface to a sheeting surface. Cold washes faired better but the protection still diminished rapidly. I felt the panel was ready for a rewax within three to four weeks. It wasn't what I had expected for a polymer product. In fact, in my tests it really acts more like a carnauba. This isn't a bad thing, but I don't see this as a product that will last many months.

It goes on very easily and polishes off with no effort. I really like the cleaning ability of the NXT shampoo and am certain that it would boost/extend the life of the wax. Use of the QD/spray wax would obviously do the same. Using both these associated products on a frequent basis would be the best bet to get more life out of NXT.

Redcar GUY · 03-20-04, 04:56

Good posts!

White_F150 · 03-20-04, 05:00

I'm really amazed at what seems to be.......... complete opposite results. Could it have something to do with the type of car wash...... or water used in the wash? The prep? Something just doesn't make sense?

Brad B. · 03-20-04, 05:50

For the record, I use paint test panels that are stripped with a alkaline detergent wash prior to any testing. The panels are exposed to everyday conditions. One panel is outdoors 24-7. The second panel is taken inside a heated garage every evening to simulate a garaged car. Applications are always done following the manufacturers instructions. The panels are washed weekly with a cotton mitt, warm water and cold variations. The water is untreated and not hard. Drying is done with MF waffleweave. I have dark painted panels so I can easily track scratching and swirls. I don't use shampoos and quick detailers on wax tests as they tend to skew the actual durability factor of the wax itself.

RIC · 03-20-04, 07:38

"I'm really amazed at what seems to be.......... complete opposite results. Could it have something to do with the type of car wash...... or water used in the wash? The prep? Something just doesn't make sense?"

Subjective testing vs Objective testing

Scottwax · 03-20-04, 09:13

Quote:

Originally posted by White_F150
I'm really amazed at what seems to be.......... complete opposite results. Could it have something to do with the type of car wash...... or water used in the wash? The prep? Something just doesn't make sense?

I have always used a glaze or polish prior to using NXT since it is supposed to be a last step product and its cleaning/polishing ability is pretty mild. I normally wash cars with QEW, except at the office with the pressure sprayer and water deionizer. QEW apparently has a light wax content from what I have been told, but on an unwaxed surface, QEW will not bead at all, it just lays flat, which is why they recommend using it only on waxed/sealed paint. The guy with the BMW only has me wash the car once a month, so I have no control over how he washes it the rest of the time, which makes it an even truer test, IMO.

groebuck · 03-20-04, 09:48

I've found that slickness with sealants is relative - my water is very hard here and after hand washing and Waffle weave dry it can kill the slickness of anything - when I follow up with Poorboy's Spray and Wipe..then I know if the slickness is there or not - (although I agree with your NxT findings - I've found it to be back on my metallic - seems to almost kill any of the sparkle I get with other products)...but on my roomate's black ford ranger is looks good