Ultima Product Review

[J.J.]

The problem is I have a full bottle of Opti-Seal to go through and it too last forever and looks great. I need some tire and trim sealant though!

[KnuckleBuckett]

UPDATE



October 28th, 2007

Ultima Paint Guard Wash

First use after initial detail.



Car was filthy top to bottom with sprayed on road grime from 500 to 600 miles of mixed travel in mist and rain.



I wet the LS as well as possible, considering the beading the UPGP caused.



I stirred up a 5 gallon bucket of the wash. As described above it was...

"Nice concentrated soap. Really creamy and sudsy. No spots at all. Easy to rinse. Smell was fine. Worked exactly as advertized."



The filth nearly flew off as I applied the thick sudsy soapy water. Even the bug guts and black tar spots just wiped right off. I only had to work two spots (bug guts) that required more than just a good wipe. Simply a perfect match with the Ultima Paint Guard Plus. I am thrilled!



One more thing. I noted earlier that the smell was fine. Actually it is pretty great. Not that you feel the urge to sip it, but it really leaves a pleasing clean scent. Reminded me of fabric softener smell.

Sonus Der Wunder Mitt - 9/10

I loved it. I would have liked the elastic wrist to have been a bit firmer/tighter. It often threatened to slip off. FYI I have XL paws. The interior is split for better control. I thought this worked well and is a feature all mitts shoud posses.

Ultima Paint Guard Plus - Application After Wash

I was simply going to use the Ultima detail spray, but considering the amount of filth removed, and that we are quickly cycling into the winter months, I applied a coat of the UPGP instead.



Not too much to mention here. Went on in about ten minutes and the MF applicator came out looking perfectly clean. More props for the Utima PG Wash I suppose.



I found no areas at all that seemed to have lost their glow or that had a reduced slick feel.



Again this stuff is looking to be the best and easiest sealant I have ever encountered.



End of update.



If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.

[KnuckleBuckett]

Ultima Detail Spray Plus - 9/10



October 29th, 2007

Works as advertised. Smells great. I applied with MF and found it to be a bit grabby as I wiped. No big deal, I just expected it to be slicker than it is.



Final result was a sharp clean candy apple.



The process takes very little product, thus, I am sure that this spray bottle will last quite a while. Probably at least a year or so.



Seems like a keeper for those in between times or maybe when you want "The Look" and don`t have the time to properly suds and seal.



Careful this is not a waterless wash only a simple detail spray. Grit and oxydation can still scratch your finish. Watch what and where you are wiping.



:xyxthumbs

[KnuckleBuckett]

A few photos of the car mostly finished.



:kewlpics



I still have to shampoo the carpet and finish detailing the rims.



Neither is obvious in the photographs.



So....



Whaddya think?

[SpoiledMan]

White wetness!



What did you use in the engine bay?

[KnuckleBuckett]

I used Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus. Works out nearly as well on the engine as it did the tires and trim.



Easy to apply and dries quickly to a matte finish.

[KnuckleBuckett]

Update November 2nd, 2007



The Ultima PGP ia olding up perfectly. The car is good and dusty, but still has a nice candy look, good reflection and depth.



Still feels smooth.



Will wash this weekend...

[KnuckleBuckett]

Ultima Detail Spray Plus - DROPPED to 5/10



October 29th, 2007

Noticed that after I had used the detail spray as noted earlier in this thread, that even with the most careful application, I created swirls.



To me the point of a detail spray is to utterly avoid this issue. Now I could have understood swirls appearing if the paint had been heavily soiled. However my paint had a barely detectable layer of dust and occasional bug guts. Nothing remotely heavy. Further I did not spare the spray. I used plenty, wiping with a nice clean and plush MF and turning often.



This product seems silly to me, considering that applying a coat of the Ultima Paint Guard Plus takes a quarter the time and has no aparent downside.



So the detail spray will be relegated to bottom trim until it is used up and will not be replaced.



From here on I will wash with the Ultima wash, and then finish up with a 10 minute seal with the UPGP. This seems to me the best way to maintain the paint.



Occasionally as required I will wash the paint, Sonus clay bar the paint, wash it again, Ultima Paint Prep Plus with the Porter Cable and orange pad, then 3x reapply the UPGP.



See next post for a current complete summary...

[KnuckleBuckett]

Ultima Product Review Summary

November 2, 2007

The Ultima Web Site: Ultima Finish Care



The Sonus web site: Sonus Car Care & Detailing Products - Car Wax, Car Polish, Detailing Kits



The Porter Cable Web Site: Product Category Overview



Note: The MF towels and wash mitts I have used throughout the review are located on either the Sonus or Ultima web sites. I consider the soft products ordered from both sites equally acceptable and without any disadvantages.

Ultima Paint Guard Wash 10/10

Great car wash soap. Couldn`t be better. Perfect in every way.

GOOD JOB ULTIMA!!



Sonus Der Wunder Mitt - 9/10

I loved it. I would have liked the elastic wrist to have been a bit firmer/tighter. It often threatened to slip off. FYI I have XL paws. The interior is split for better control. I thought this worked well and is a feature all mitts shoud posses.

GOOD JOB SONUS!!



Ultima Elastrofoam Paint Cleaning System 5/10

I initially used the correct side of the elastrofoam block, and found that nasty rubbery streaks were a regular result as the elastrofoam softened. this no matter how lightly I wiped. These streaks were thick and very difficult to remove, thus I decided that I must have been using the wrong side of the esastrofoam block and switched to the grip side. I was wrong and finished the car utilizing the wrong side of the block. No damage that I could detect was done. I do not like this concept and in my opinion, this is a terrible product. I rated it a 5/10 and would like to drop the rating even lower, but for my inexperience with this product concept. However, this product may simply have not been suited to my detailing personality. I look forward to posts from other Autopians that can offer further opinions and or reviews of this product. I will never use it again.

[CENTER]







Ultima Paint Prep Plus 10/10

Great product. Perfect for cleaning up finishes with mild swirls. Perfect for well cared for finishes after a winter. A product that keeps its advertised promises to the letter. A keeper!!

GOOD JOB ULTIMA!!



Porter Cable 7424 Car Polisher 9/10

Great tool. I used it with an orange pad and quick change system. Another keeper.

GOOD JOB PORTER CABLE!!

Ultima Paint Guard Plus 11/10

This is simply an amazing product. I had poor expectations at the outset, but this product has proven to be by far the best final sealant or wax I have ever used. Word has it that Ultima is due to come out with a revised formula for PGP. I cannot imagine why. I would not change this product in any way whatsoever.

This stuff ROCKS!!

AMAZING JOB ULTIMA!!



Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus 10/10

Good stuff. It is matte, durable, dries quickly and easy to apply. It has the look I like. If you want a shiny/glossy look, look elsewhere. For me this is a keeper.

GOOD JOB ULTIMA!!



Ultima Detail Spray Plus 5/10

*cut and paste from previous post*

Noticed that after I had used the detail spray as noted earlier in this thread, that even with the most careful application, I created swirls.



To me the point of a detail spray is to utterly avoid this issue. Now I could have understood swirls appearing if the paint had been heavily soiled. However my paint had a barely detectable layer of dust and occasional bug guts. Nothing remotely heavy. Further I did not spare the spray. I used plenty, wiping with a nice clean and plush MF and turning often.



This product seems silly to me, considering that applying a coat of the Ultima Paint Guard Plus takes a quarter the time and has no aparent downside.



So the detail spray will be relegated to bottom trim until it is used up and will not be replaced.

:nixweiss



Ultima Interior Guard Plus - 9.5/10

Really nice stuff. Applies well, dries nicely, matte finish seems very durable, does not seem to attract dust. I found that this may take several applications in some cases. Once this is done and the surfaces are fed properly, a single coat seems like it will be fine. I do not have a problem with this, however I thought it worth mentioning. This to me is a keeper as I have yet to find its equal. Having spent more time with it in various vehicles lately I am sold.

GOOD JOB ULTIMA!!



Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay - 11/10

Sonus Glyde Clay Lubricant - 10/10

Couldn`t be better. Works as advertised and does not cause a catastrophie if you slip off of the lubricant. This is a keeper and has proven itself to be above and beyond any other clay bar brand/type I have used. Best in class to me.

The lubricant is simply a lubricant nothing of special note either way. I use it because it is recommended by Sonus for their outstanding clay bar and for no other special reason. I am fairly sure any good lubricant will work epually as well.

AMAZING JOB SONUS!!

I have been detailing cars as a hobby (mostly) and never as a job since the mid-eighties. I have tested and tried an astonishing selection of products and product lines. I have had the good fortune to have worked near people who prepare high end multi-million dollar one-of-a-kind automobiles for product launches at worldwide shows. Many of my skills and techniques were taught to me by these fine fellows. Many other techniques and skills were simply learned through trial, error, and hard work.

I am not advertising products here, simply giving my opinion as to how they have worked for me in specifc instances.

My goal is to help others make good choices, and maybe pass on some of my knowledge along the way.



I hope this summary helped a few of you and has helped to clean up and better define this increasingly deep thread.

[Brian_Brice]

Wait, which surface did you put to your paint?



The Elastrofoam thing`s affective side is the rubberized side. The five sides of just foam is what you`re supposed to grip. When the rubberized surface gets "dirty," you just rinse off whatever, lube the surface and keep going. I uh, don`t get the impression you did this...

:chuckle: that`s just funny, sorry op

[Brian_Brice]

Well...





I apply it with a sponge.

I let it dry and reapply again in a few minutes.

It dries to a matte new tire and trim look.

Really strange, they must have changed the formula from the beta test i received. There was a considerable, respectable high shine on my tires, that definitely lasted. did you apply to tires with the side of the sponge that had the product on it? :lol just kidding. Anyhow that is strange, I have a picture of the tires I dressed with it, and it was a very nice high shine without the look of vaseline. Matte wouldn`t be anywhere near the word I would use to describe it.

[KnuckleBuckett]

Really strange, they must have changed the formula from the beta test i received. There was a considerable, respectable high shine on my tires, that definitely lasted. did you apply to tires with the side of the sponge that had the product on it? :lol just kidding. Anyhow that is strange, I have a picture of the tires I dressed with it, and it was a very nice high shine without the look of vaseline. Matte wouldn`t be anywhere near the word I would use to describe it.

If you want to see the dried about an hour results, see the pictures above. The photo captures it pretty well. It is matte enough that it just looks like a good clean new tire. It was shiny before it dried if that is what you mean, but dries with in my opinion a minimal gloss.



The next time I apply it, I will take pre, during, and post pictures outside so that Autopians can get a feel for the glossiness acheived. This is probably just a difference of the definition of gloss. Previous to using the Ultima, I used Meguiars Endurance, now that, to me, is much shinier.

[Eliot Ness]

If you want to see the dried about an hour results, see the pictures above. The photo captures it pretty well. It is matte enough that it just looks like a good clean new tire. It was shiny before it dried if that is what you mean, but dries with in my opinion a minimal gloss..................

Different tires take on different gloss levels than others. I know I have some tires that never get a glossy look with Z-16 like some pictures I`ve seen. I`ve only used the UTTGP once so far, but I did three applications about 30 minutes apart and they actually turned out glossier than I normally like. A quick buff would probably have taken care of that, but I wanted to test durability w/o buffing them first. It did hold up through several road trips in hard rain better than I expected, and like all dressings the gloss eventually died down but the tires still look nice and black. I believe DavidB is working on a new formula to address the low gloss/durability on some tires.

[KnuckleBuckett]

I like the low gloss!!

[Pats300zx]

I believe DavidB is working on a new formula to address the low gloss/durability on some tires.

David is working on a new formula that has a touch more gloss. He sent me a small test sample and I applied it on my Toyota 4Runner. Here are a few pics.