Difference in LSP wear on horizontal vs. vertical panels

mikebai1990 · 04-19-07, 12:59

Sorry, no pics

I've noticed that after waxing a car thoroughly and after a few weeks, the trunk, hood, and the other horizontal surfaces show significantly decreased beading compared to that on the vertical panels. I understand that the horizontal panels are exposed to the air when the car is driven, but is it normal that the beading on the hood is all distorted while the vertical panels are still beading very nicely? If so, what do you guys do to maintain even protection on the car? Perhaps add another coat of wax on the horizontal surfaces (I'm using Collinite 476S)? I'll try to take some pictures when I get the chance.

Blake · 04-19-07, 01:53

Totally amazing that you are noticing a change after a few weeks. I have a neighbour with it on his vehicle from last August and it is now starting to poop. Two months ago it was beading very well.
What are you washing it with? Collinite is tough stuff.

mikebai1990 · 04-19-07, 01:59

I've been washing it wish Meguiars Gold Class. Accumulator has suggested that maybe the Gold Class could be compromising the Collinite durability, but 1) Nobody else has had problems with Gold Class affecting the durability, and 2)I'm on a tight financial leash, so I don't have too much freedom with buying products. Gold Class is all I have now

Blake · 04-19-07, 02:08

There's nothing wrong with Gold Class. It's one of the better OTC washes and I have used it often myself. That shouldn't be your problem.
My neighbour put the Collinite on very thin and just buffed it off with a mf towel. Nothing special there and most of the users on this board seem to agree that Collinite is very durable. Just trying to figure out why it didn't stand up for you. Certainly I can see by your location that you (and I) haven't been plagued by hot weather this spring.

Driven-528e · 04-19-07, 02:12

At what strength are you using GC? While the directions say the usual one ounce per gallon, I find this to be overkill. I probably use an ounce per 3-5 gallons. Then again, Collonite 476 should be able to handle a lot...

mikebai1990 · 04-19-07, 02:14

Well, I generally follow the ounce per gallon directions. Maybe a bit less, but I think that one ounce for 3-5 gallons doesn't provide sufficient lubricity and cleaning ability. After I've gotten my PC, I have been applying the Collinite by PC, so the application should be fairly thin and even.

mikebai1990 · 09-15-07, 05:58

I'm bringing this post up again, because I've switched to using ONR, and I'm still having the same issues... A week after I washed the van, we got a rainstorm yesterday. The sides were beading up very nicely, the windshield was beading very well after a few swipes with the wipers. But the hood's beading was just.. ugly. Do you guys think that maybe since the hood is exposed to more dust/particles, that the dust is preventing the hood from beading properly?

I haven't used Collinite in a while, because I've been refreshing with AW every two weeks.

I just don't understand why my experience with Collinite doesn't seem to exactly match that of other people on the forum...

I might be doing a Collinite 476S vs. Duragloss 105 half and half on the van for the winter, and see whether there's any major difference in terms of protection, looks, etc..

Setec Astronomy · 09-15-07, 06:29

The horizontal surfaces are the ones most subject to fallout. Whether it's pollen, acid rain, sap, leaves, bird poop, a hundred other compounds of local or regional origin (airports, boilers, industrial exhaust, your kitchen exhaust fan, lawn mower, etc. etc. etc.) All of this stuff will react with the LSP to some extent. Plus, the horizontal surfaces will get the most sun.

Think of it this way, if you had something fairly fragile, say a wood sculpture, and you kept it outside, it wouldn't stay nice looking as long as if you kept it inside, right? And if you kept it outside part of the time it would last longer, but not as long as if it was inside all the time. Because the horizontal surfaces get more stuff dropping on them and more sun, they will be affected more and faster than the vertical surfaces, which will be more affected than more protected surfaces.

Scottwax · 09-15-07, 07:20

How old are these vehicles?

When I had my Accord, I noticed this effect (wax/sealant not beading so well on horizontal surfaces) was more pronounced as my car got older. When the front end got repainted, the beading on the hood lasted longer and was tighter than the roof and trunk lid, even a few years down the road.

smprince1 · 09-15-07, 08:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

The horizontal surfaces are the ones most subject to fallout. Whether it's pollen, acid rain, sap, leaves, bird poop, a hundred other compounds of local or regional origin (airports, boilers, industrial exhaust, your kitchen exhaust fan, lawn mower, etc. etc. etc.) All of this stuff will react with the LSP to some extent. Plus, the horizontal surfaces will get the most sun.

What he said .....

Don't underestimate the power of the sun damage too which affect the horizontal surfaces more than the vertical. UV rays are quite destructive and also the horizontal surface get much hotter which tend to degrade carnauba products.

cgage · 09-15-07, 08:26

If you polish with a PC or rotary it should improve it quite a bit...

mikebai1990 · 09-15-07, 09:19

Scottwax, your observation seems to match mine. We have a 2005 minivan and a 1993 Acura. While both vehicles exhibit this "phenomenon", it much significantly more pronounced on the Acura.

Setec, I definitely agree with you. But it just seems to me that other people aren't finding their Collinite beading to begin diminishing as early as mine.

cgage, I've polished the Acura before, but I haven't noticed any significant increase in durability of my waxes after that.