Re: 2015 BMW X5 M Exterior - Pinnacle correction and Angelwax protection
Has the Four Star car soap the same polycharger polymers as the Ultima Paint Guard Wash?
UPGW did take over it`s properties on the LSPs I have used it on. And often it`s a degrading one sadly as I really like it cause of it`s lubrication and cleaning ability from it. But since moved on from the UPGP and tried it on other LSPs a couple of times. I don`t use it on the SiO2 protection I useally have on the cars now. After a wash with Reset the LSP properties was revived to a higher water behavior than after the UPGW wash. So what`s in that definitely mess with the hydrophobic caractics of my LSP. Four Star and Ultima is IIRC close to each other products and maybe just a very little difference between them. For me it`s worth washing with car soaps that leaves nothing behind. As you get the question if it`s degrades the water behavior out of it. So I would buy or use if you have a car soap that leaves nothing behind to use while you are testing. To be sure that it don`t interfear with the different LSPs you are testing out. And I would not be surprised that you will notice such a car soap will revive the water behavior from some of your LSP that`s intact under the glossenhancers the soap leaving behind.
Did you use the Four Star car soap this wash too?
I don`t think that the Enigma Wax has carnuaba wax in it. But it`s organic wax in it as it`s a hybrid wax a blend with organic and synthetic waxes and ceramic infused which I think is a silicon gel or if it`s called a silica gel.
Very interesting to follow your testing and thanks for shareing your experience!
/ Tony
2 Attachment(s)
2015 BMW X5 M Exterior - Pinnacle correction and Angelwax protection
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SWETM
Has the Four Star car soap the same polycharger polymers as the Ultima Paint Guard Wash?
UPGW did take over it`s properties on the LSPs I have used it on. And often it`s a degrading one sadly as I really like it cause of it`s lubrication and cleaning ability from it. But since moved on from the UPGP and tried it on other LSPs a couple of times. I don`t use it on the SiO2 protection I useally have on the cars now. After a wash with Reset the LSP properties was revived to a higher water behavior than after the UPGW wash. So what`s in that definitely mess with the hydrophobic caractics of my LSP. Four Star and Ultima is IIRC close to each other products and maybe just a very little difference between them. For me it`s worth washing with car soaps that leaves nothing behind. As you get the question if it`s degrades the water behavior out of it. So I would buy or use if you have a car soap that leaves nothing behind to use while you are testing. To be sure that it don`t interfear with the different LSPs you are testing out. And I would not be surprised that you will notice such a car soap will revive the water behavior from some of your LSP that`s intact under the glossenhancers the soap leaving behind.
Did you use the Four Star car soap this wash too?
I didn’t use the Four Star Ultimate Soap with polycharger for the reasons you mention above (changing of characteristics of the LSP).
Attachment 36671
I used this Professional Series version which I don’t find any proof of gloss enhancers in. It does say it reduces water spotting but I don’t consider it as leaving anything worth noting on the surface.
Attachment 36672
https://www.fourstarproducts.com/32ozauwash.html
This hasn’t been used recently. The last few washes I used Mckees SiO2 Auto Wash which, from what I understand, leaves close to nothing behind. Additionally, the rinse tests I’ve been doing are prior to washing. For the most recent pictures, the car was only driven once in nice weather and the surface was barely dusty. I think it was a true representation of the LSPs.
Re: 2015 BMW X5 M Exterior - Pinnacle correction and Angelwax protection
Final Closure 03/20/20 (for book keeping / future detailers wanting info):
I ended up putting a final two coats of Enigma Wax on the entire car, finishing on 11/01/19. The only prep at that time was washing with Mckees Coating Prep Wash. There was definitely still LSP left on the car during the 11/01 Enigma applications. That is, some combo of TI-22 + Enigma remained from mid-August 2019, then adding the new 2X Enigma applications. The behavior was great through the winter (mild winter though). I did wash a few times with Enigma Shampoo and dry aid with Enigma QED in the span between December 2019 and early February 2020.
Anyways, after a peculiar rain (possibly acid rain?) on 03/20/20 changed beading on all my cars, at least temporarily, the Enigma base was called dead by me. It had still been looking good enough up to that point, but I considered it 80% dead after this rain storm. That was enough for me to strip it off and move forward with Hydro Blue and 10 Minute Paint Sealant to get me through pollen season before polishing in early June.
To summarize for future, potential Angelwax users
8/10/19 - 8/15/19: Essence Extreme; 2X applications TI-22; 2X applications Enigma Wax
10/29/19 - 11/01/19: 2X applications Enigma Wax
Every month during period: ~1 Enigma Shampoo Wash; ~1 application Enigma QED dry or wet.
Finished 03/20/20: after large rain storm with potential acid rain.
Overall I enjoyed the TI-22 / Enigma products combo. They all apply easy. TI-22 and especially Enigma QED can take some effort to wipe off, but work very small sections and wipe off immediately and it’s fine. Enigma wipes off easy. Smells great. A very nice shine gloss that is somewhere between candy coated and glassy. Black sapphire metallic paint looked amazing in sun but especially overcast skies. Clouds would softly flow over some curves, but sun shine would give a harder, sharper effect to the same contours. A cold shine (unlike carnauba). Reflections dance on the surface of the paint rather than inside the paint.
After washing with Enigma Shampoo or using Enigma QED, looks from other parents were guaranteed at daycare drop off/pickup. Both the shampoo and QED go really far. I still have about 80% of both those 16oz bottles remaining. Great value for the price of these maintenance products.
Enigma Wax durability wasn’t the best for a ceramic product but not bad. Beading would slightly degrade after 4-6 weeks which made using the maintenance products an attractive choice. But despite degraded beading, the wax would probably have lasted about 4 months in my SW PA environment on top of TI-22 without maintenance. Not great but not bad, and I highly recommend spending the extra $45 for the Shampoo QED combo as they exhibit pretty much identical refresh as the wax when it was new.
I love ceramic waxes and really liked the whole experience and look of the Enigma line. I ended up buying the 250ml pot after getting ~6 mid-size SUV applications out of the 33ml sample pot.
Thanks for following!