Judging durability?

[imported_Unreal]

I was wandering how you guys judge the durability of a product?



I have been trying to figure this out.



Is it slickness? Shine? Beading? Sheeting?



If a product beads at first then starts to sheet does this mean its protection is gone?



Basically looking for info on how to judge the durability of a product?

[imported_eggroll]

I`m thinking when water just holds onto and pools on the surface.

[imported_Unreal]

Thanks.

[tom p.]

Originally posted by TQB





Is it slickness? Shine? Beading? Sheeting?



If a product beads at first then starts to sheet does this mean its protection is gone?





I seriously question "our" ability to gage when all the wax is gone via simplistic inspection. IIRC, the geekysteve report addresses a methodology to measure remaining wax. Also, if you ever catch the wax testing performed by Consumers Distort, they too have sophisticated ($$$) devices to perform meaningful measurements.



I suspect there is still protection remaining even when the beading has stopped. It`s human nature for us to re-coat/re-prep a surface as beading/sheeting action fades. The guys selling us these magic potions have got to luv it !



:p

[2wheelsx2]

I don`t believe sheeting/beading assessment can be accurate. When I judge how durable a product is, I decide by seeing how easy it is to wash a car. Not matter how clean a car is, an unwaxed car will be tougher to get all the dirt off than one which has protection. After doing a lot of cars, I have a pretty good feel for whether or not there is any protection left on the paint. Not how much is left, but just if there is any left.

[jerry@robs]

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33968

[jrToyota]

I am glad someone started this thread, as I was debating on starting one, with the question "to bead, or not to bead". I always checked my paint to see if it was still "slick", if not then I used some spray wax or just waxed it all over again. Depends on the time frame from the last wax job.



This is easy to do when it is warm weather, but in the winter time that is a different story. Hard to get into detailing when your teeth are chattering.

[jmsc]

is my main indicator of durability.



I just sealed my car 2 weeks ago with FMJ on top of the Menzerna quadruplets and I was amazed on how fast I was able to blot dry it with my Charisma bath towel following a wash...5 mins max not counting the door jams.



Drying, beading, sheeting, washing, slickness, shine, gloss go hand-in-hand and are the signs that I look for to determine durability of any product that`s on my paint.