DG Aquawax beading characteristics

[mikebai1990]

I applied a layer of Aquawax on one of the cars I was working on yesterday after a full wash and a full claying. I didn`t have any time to put on any durable wax, so I figured that I would do a AW wipedown and slap some temporary protection on there. So, through the night (and into the morning now) we have some rain coming down, and I went out to look at the water beading. The beading doesn`t seem to be very impressive, as they are weirdly shaped and not uniform. They do, however, have a relatively low surface tension, as when I blow on the water beads, they immediately spread apart. I applied Collinite to the glass parts earlier, and those beads look magnificent! So I`m curious as to whether this AW beading characteristic is expected (since it`s not a carnauba wax). Here are some pics:



Granted the car was parked under a tree overnight, so some sap/dirt could have diminished the beading, but the Collinite beading is holding up fine, so the AW beading shouldn`t have been changed too much.



http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/8779/img0447bk7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/9463/img0448hm1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[violentveedub]

That doesn`t look like the beading I usually get w/ AW. They are usually small, tight and uniform.



I usually get more comments on the beading of AW rather than IW on my car to give you an idea.



Maybe it was due to the lack of polish?

[wannafbody]

any dirt in the water will affect the bead size. I suspect the tree leaves are the cause as they can release acids. When a leave sits on (water) wet paint it leaves a brownish tinge to the water.

[sspeer]

Ditto..I get really tight beads with AW

[mikebai1990]

Yea, I understand that any dirt or contamination can affect the beading. But I`m a bit confused because the Collinite was applied a day before that and it`s still beading nicely, as you can see (sunroof). Maybe I should have done 2 layers?

[imported_dirtdiggler]

looks like you are getting good uniform beading on the paint closer to the sunroof where you might have overlapped the IW and wiped off, then AW`ed over ?

[mikebai1990]

That`s correct. When I was applying the 476S, it went over the edges a bit.

[frostydog]

I`m also wondering if the AW didn`t have enough time to cure before the rain and tree contaminants got to it. I agree with the others that it should produce some pretty tight & uniform beads.



My wife has an SUV and I wash it twice a month and only use AW because of it`s size. I haven`t polished it in 16+ months and never use a proper wax/sealant...just AW. AW will easily produce tight beads on her truck for 4+ weeks.



Collinite may setup/cure faster than AW

[TigerMike]

I have found that parking under a tree and collecting the rain water from said tree, is an absolute killer to wax and sealant protection. It will eat through anything in short order. I haven`t found any protectant that will stand up to that kind of abuse, including Zaino, DG, Klasse, or any other. I think that is your problem. My mom has parked under a tree for many years at her work and her paint is actually failing on most horizontal surfaces, even though she used Zaino. I think the years of collecting tree acid has eaten away her paint. Point being, trees are bad! ;)



The beading I get from AW is as tight and small as any product I`ve ever used. It sounds like your finish became contaminated and started degrading the AW immediately. If I apply AW and park under a tree at night during rain, the beading is not at all uniform and looks like blobs. But, it`s the same way with any other sealant or wax I`ve used, so I don`t blame the AW for lack of protection.

[VTechFan02]

I have never used AW but have used other spray portectants (OCW) and have been extremely impressed with the beading. Very tight, small and deep beads. As soon as I hit the breaks the water just gushes off the paint down the windshield. Love it for protection. Decent looks.



-Frank

[mikebai1990]

frostydog, there was at least 24 hours before the rain hit the paint, so I think the cure time wasn`t a problem. TigerMike, I understand that the rain water degrades protection, but I don`t understand why Collinite would bead so much better. I`m certainly not bashing AW, as I love using it and do so very often.



Maybe I didn`t apply enough AW or didn`t spend enough time spreading it evenly on the paint surface. I`ll spend some time experimenting (when the rain stops) later. I`ll try applying multiple layers, buffing off completely, and I`ll see if it makes a difference. I`m also gonna try out my brand new bottle of AW and see whether that`ll make a difference.

[clipperfan]

I agree that AW beads with tight consistent beads that lasts a long time. That`s very confusing.

[ManiZ]

AW beads waaaaaaaaaay better than that. I used it for the first time last Sunday night and as luck would have it, we got a major downpor on Monday afternoon while the car was parked outside work (away from trees; I NEVER park under those).



I only wish I had a camera on me when i returned to the car to drive home. Perfectly round little beads of water. It looked quite gorgeous actually!

[mikebai1990]

Alright. At this point, I think I can conclude that this was simply a result of user error on my part. I`ll report back when I get the chance to do some experimenting.



Do you guys think that the AW has to cure in order to bead properly? I`m thinking of trying the AW again, but the rain is definitely going to start again soon.

[TigerMike]

Do you guys think that the AW has to cure in order to bead properly? I`m thinking of trying the AW again, but the rain is definitely going to start again soon.





I think give it at least 24 hrs to fully harden. Also, after that time, you`ll notice a definite increase in "pop" after it has set up. Quite amazing actually, but after letting it sit overnight, the next day is really impressive with gloss and slickness. so, yeah, give it a full day of no rain, no interruptions and you`ll likely be set.



:)