Sealant + Wax Question!

televascular · 05-03-06, 10:04

Currently, I have 5 layers of Klasse Sealant Glaze on my car, and I topped it off with Meguiar's Gold Class Wax. The KSG is rated to last about six months to a year, depending on conditions. The Meguiar's Wax is like any other wax, lasting only about a month or so. I've researched, and I'm convinced the acrylic polymer/carnauba wax combination is best suited for me. MY QUESTION:

If I reapply wax every few weeks, my car will have a constant layer of wax on top of the KSG. Theoretically, the KSG never touches anything harmful (acid rain, brake dust, bug splatter), except perhaps UV rays. Does this mean that my sealant could possibly last years using this method?

I'm not sure as to the chemical properties of KSG; does the acrylic break down over time, regardless of wear and tear? Should I strip my wax occaisionally to reapply KSG and then wax again?

shortspark · 05-04-06, 01:33

This is similar to a question I asked recently about constant QD use over SG. The answers I got was that there is no reason to put down more SG if it is still protecting. Although it is hard to determine what "protecting" entails. Beading water for example is one indicator but that in itself may not tell the whole story. I think it is a good idea to AIO and SG once every six months, no matter how much wax you put on or, in my case, quick detailers.

In my case, I keep the truck in the garage every night and it is not driven much anyway. I seem to be always putting on things like Menzerna's HGAS, FK425 and other top quality QDs. The truck always looks good and never stays dirty. But in harsher climates than mine where things like salt, sand and constant use driving take their toll, it is even more important to clean the paint and seal it on a periodic basis anyway. In this case, I would consider the wax to be more decorative than as a lsp protection step.

Setec Astronomy · 05-04-06, 02:28

Unless you have a garage queen as shortspark does, the problem with trying to maintain your SG layer indefinitely is that you will invariably pick up some wash swirls or more importantly some environmental fallout (tar, brake dust, sap, other stuff that sticks to the car) which you will want to get off on some periodic basis. Usually however you do this results in some compromising of the SG layer, so at a minimum you would want to reapply. With a real world daily-driver, you usually wind up having to do at least some minor polishing (which will remove your LSP) twice a year or so. This of course varies with your local environment, whether the car is garaged part of the day, etc.

TigerMike · 05-04-06, 02:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by televascular

Currently, I have 5 layers of Klasse Sealant Glaze on my car, and I topped it off with Meguiar's Gold Class Wax.

Topping a sealant with a cleaner wax (Gold Class in your case) is counter productive, as it removed some or all of the sealant.

Topping with a pure wax (without cleaners) is not enough to keep the sealant going for years. It will also break down, maybe at a slightly slower rate than just the sealant alone. Also thrown in the mix, is that most carnauba waxes are much higher in oil/harsh chemical content (naphtha) than sealants, thus probably causing potential adverse affect to the durability of the sealant layers.

Mike

Setec Astronomy · 05-04-06, 03:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by TigerMike

Topping a sealant with a cleaner wax (Gold Class in your case) is counter productive, as it removed some or all of the sealant.

Thanks for noting that, I kind of blew by what "wax" the OP was using to top, but I wouldn't really consider GC Wax to be be a "cleaner" wax in the same sense as the Meg's A-12 Cleaner Wax is, for example, and I'm not sure it would do too much to a layered SG application. In any event, probably best to use a pure wax as a topper.

TigerMike · 05-04-06, 04:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

Thanks for noting that, I kind of blew by what "wax" the OP was using to top, but I wouldn't really consider GC Wax to be be a "cleaner" wax in the same sense as the Meg's A-12 Cleaner Wax is, for example, and I'm not sure it would do too much to a layered SG application. In any event, probably best to use a pure wax as a topper.

I agree, it's not a medium/heavy cleaner, like some others, but I thought it worth mentioning in any event.

hook · 05-04-06, 05:15

I've been using the AIO/Sealant (first it was SG, then I switch to UPP) topped with wax (in my case, Souveran) for three years now, and my experience has been similar to what Mike posted; it's not so much that the layers broke down, but that I picked up very minor spiderwebs and micromarring. My routine has been to completely strip it once a year, in the spring, using the mildest polish I can to get out the marring (which inevitably appear to be in the layers of SG/UPP), then I start over with 2 applications of AIO, followed by multiple layers of UPP, then finally topping with wax.

So for me, it's not that the protectio nbreaks down, it's that the sealant layers get micromarring and need to be cleaned up. Once a year has been enough for me, but the car is garaged when it's at home.

blue skies,
Andrew

foxtrapper · 05-05-06, 04:40

If you're applying a wax every few weeks, I don't know how you'd ever know if the KSG was there or not. It's not like it's a primer that shows through paint, it's invisible for intents and purposes in your scenario.

None of us know the chemistry of KSG because the manufacturer refuses to comply with the federal law regarding MSDS. Try and get one. No one has ever obtained it to my knowledge. That said, I very reasonably suspect it's an acrylic polymer. As such, it is going to break down from UV light. The rate of breakdown is unknown. The rate is also highly variable. While you could quite reasonably state that 10 years from now it will be broken down on your car, you can't really say what it would be in 1 year.

tanha · 05-05-06, 05:42

Someone fill me in here: I didn't know GC was a cleaner wax - I don't think it's labeled as a cleaner wax, so if it isn't labeled that way, how do I know?

TigerMike · 05-05-06, 05:52

NXT isn't labeled that way either...but...

Chris223 · 05-05-06, 11:06

Gold Class isn't a full blown cleaner wax... just contains "cleaning properties" but don't like that scare you, 90% of the waxes are the same. That's why those higher end waxes call their waxes "Pure" I use GC, but am thinking about trying out Mothers FX Synwax next time, topping it off with their Reflections Top Coat which is Reflections wax only with NO cleaners at all.

Setec Astronomy · 05-05-06, 11:40

Most consumer waxes...well at least the Meg's waxes like GC, NXT, MPPP, have some very mild cleaners in them to aid in bonding to the surface (the idea being that most consumers aren't going to prep the surface like an Autopian). This is different than a real cleaner wax like Meg's A-12 (consumer cleaner wax in the maroon bottle) or M-06 (Mirror Glaze Cleaner Wax).