Ultima Product Review

[66#1]

Let us know how you like it. I recommend 3 coats of UPGP 12 hours apart.

Will do! I`m going to try it on my wife`s car that`s outside 24/7.



No telling when I`ll get around to giving it a shot.

[MattPersman]

I bought the sample pack and the TTGP a little while back, had a few opportunities to try it and here are my current impressions.



Ultima PPP: had no expectations, high or low. really was kind of just a bonus in the sample pack in my eyes because I merely wanted the PGP to try. tried in on a few light scratches/scuffs on our 2002 Honda CR-V by hand and it worked very nicely. no dust, minimized the marks to an acceptable level for a quick fix until I had time to break out my cyclo in spring. perfect LSP ready finish. so initial impression is good, by hand seems to do well on light stuff. probably can get more out of it by machine (duh). Will attempt to do the entire CRV with it when I polish it out. will update after that happens.



Ultima PGP: now I had super high expectations of this, who wouldn`t it is a rather pricey LSP. this is my first wipe on walk away (WOWA) product. so the first vehicle to get this treatment was our 2003 Black VW beetle convertible. the paint really needs to be polished thoroughly come spring. we bought this used and I did not have much time to put in it when we bought it and still have not had ample time. I found out very quickly the clear is very tough. Will be stepping it up to Menzerna. anyways on to the PGP. application: take out the brick sized applicator, some like, some don`t, spray 2 pumps like the instructions say to prime, wipe interesting application, very light, like you are not using enough, so I used what I thought was an appropriate whisper thin application. being somewhat cool when I applied it I figured I would wait a while and check on the progress and be ready to be blown away with appearance. because it surely was not completely vanished where I started when I was done. the car being a convertible takes like no time at all to apply. so application time is superb. anyways enough wait time and there are streaks in many spots. I try to spread them back out some and it helps a little bit, but my application was too much in areas. overall look to me is very good. very top of the chart. I am a simple guy so I can`t look at pictures all day of cars and say man look at the depth of that finish compared to the shine and clarity of that one. simply it just looked darn good, after I cleaned up the streaks :p . coat 2 a couple days later same application woes. streaking in some spots. the car has 4 coats now, and I am gotten a bit better at it. less streaking. maybe it will be better in warmer weather. also on coat 3 I went to a round blue MF applicator, probably 3.5" in diameter, seems to have helped.



figured it looked good on our black VW, why not try it on the other side of the spectrum, WHITE. so it IPA down my White WRX, 3 times to get off what ever is on there, and ready to go to town with the PGP. application this time with the 3.5" round blue MF applicator, very easy on white, can not even tell in garage lighting on some spots if I am getting it, so I move my head to different angles and can tell it is going on. streaking this time comes on windows. I was PGP`ing my trim and some got on the windows and left streaking. wiped off but still an inconvenience. overall look very nice. streaking on paint too hard to see if there is any. getting application process down much better now.



come new year`s eve day, leave work early because we are slow, temp is a nice 60ish incredible for Indiana in winter. so i get to ONR the CR-V, IPA wipedown x3 to get prepared for it`s first application of PGP. goes as planned with round MF applicator. looks good. still streaking problems. this is a metallic blue so it shows streaks like the black VW but unlike the white Subaru.



it seems my streaking is coming from when I add another spray to the pad, that first wipe after the spray is too much product on the vehicle area. thinking this is the problem I will try to remember that on next application and work it in accordingly. perhaps that will help.



I have stopped with 1 application on our CR-V my wife has been driving it 65 miles a day and I want to see durability with 1 coat. easy to remember application date.



overall happy with the look, application is super easy, but then again it is not because you have to be nearly perfect with the amount or it will streak. once I get the application down 100% it will surpass all products application wise. currently I can apply AJT better because of no streaking. unless I am blind and miss some of the haze on removal. AJT (my previous favorite) is easier for me cause it is wipe on, wipe off no streaks but say 50% more time to apply from the wipe off step. so if a car took 10 mins with PGP it would be 15 with AJT. that is just a rough estimate, because I can do either very quickly. durability will be the big one.



on to the TTGP. now I REALLY wanted to like this. price is high but by description should be worth it. first to Michelin tires on VW. clean with westley`s bleech white and a tire brush, rinse, let dry, ready for TTGP. first coat with applicator. ho hum. wait 20-30 mins, 2nd application, looking better, wait another 20-30 mins, 3rd application, looks where I want it. cool, the tire is sealed my day is done. oh wait it says I can use on painted wheels. it just so happens this vehicle has painted wheels, cool. apply a few coats. looks fine. nothing incredible just hoping for ease of cleaning. fast forward a day or 2, drive a few days, have the first rain in the car with the tires "sealed", rims look super dirty, tires, ha ha, they look like crap now. basically they are black but what I think of when I see just a normal persons car driving around. like nothing is on the tire. so lets try this again, maybe I didn`t get them clean enough. so lets dawn wash x3, westley`s bleach white x2, hi-temp safe wheel cleaner x2, zep degreaser x2, another dawn wash. hmm if they are not clean now I guess I need new tires :grrr so dry and let dry even longer, apply 4 coats this time to the tires only, because I forgot to mention DO NOT put the TTGP on your wheels cause it makes the brake dust stick and are super hard to clean. I used JW PRIME to re-clean the wheels. still very unimpressed by TTGP on these tires. after a couple days of just normal driving, even it does not rain, not looking impressive. Initial look is almost where I like, maybe a hair matte, but livable if it lasted. I went back to my previous choice of tire product Optimum. after days of driving back and forth to work in rain and nice conditions it remains MUCH better than the Ultima.



I couldn`t leave my other 2 vehicles out of the tire fun. different brands, different profiles. on to CR-V. it has Goodyears, they are naturally taller, same initial nice look, but believe it or NOT much better durability. I think I have only 3 initial coats on it, and then 1 when I put the PGP on it on Dec 31. today is the 13th and they do not look bad at all for being 2 weeks. not going to win a car show with the look but very black, they are dirty from daily driving, but still decent matte sheen.



on to WRX, Bridgestones on it. pretty much a garage queen. i did have to drive it to a shop to dyno one day in the rain and I must say when i was back home the look was black, yet disappointing like the Michelins on the VW. just unlasting it seemed. and this was driving it once in the rain, maybe a few times to work in dry conditions.



now on to trim, being the CRV has that blackish/gray plastic trim along the bottom of the entire car and bumpers I figured this would really be a product to use. so when I did the single PGP treatment on Dec 31, I put TTGP on the plastic of the CRV. so that will depend on durability as well.



summary of TTGP, I seem to have the opposite problem of why version 2 is being made. seemingly people with lower profile tires got the stuff to last, where as my tallest tire seemed to be the best. perhaps it is brand. people say Michelins are good with most products, but those and the Bridgestones nothing to write home about. High profile Goodyears overall the best from my 3 samples. note all these tires are basically new. goodyears have less than 2000 miles on them, Michelins have 2500, Bridgestones have 4800 on them.



unless TTGP really improves on version 2, there is no way I would purchase again with tires in mind. for trim hopefully the durability is there.



did not use the wash or the detail spray. I use ONR for washes, this time of year rare for me to use a detail spray, if I do I have ONR in QD form.



OVERALL



PPP: so far so good, no worries about Ultima bonding issues

PGP: if you can get streak free, it is worth the 30 some bucks for 4 oz pending durability

TTGP: maybe for trim pending durability. for tires I am sure most members can find something they like better or already use



comments, suggestions, tips, tricks, secrets, flames, complaints

[KnuckleBuckett]

Hey wow!



Nice work.



Streaking goes away when it dries out with very minor exceptions where it is heavily overapplied. That is why I suggested doing a buff at the end of the four coats with a big thick MF.



I have had very good luck wiht the TTGP. When it runs low however I am going to try a friend`s 303 just to check it out.



PPP in my book is a 10/10. It really does what it says it will. No problems no issues.

[MattPersman]

303 for tires or trim? awfully expensive to try on tires. it is not very durable for trim IMO either. think of it like newer Armor All, or if you have tried Optimum interior protectant it is VERY similar to 303. 303 is nice on interior but that is about it.

[KnuckleBuckett]

Thanks. Good to know. So far I like the Ultima Interior solution but I may check the 303 out in the minivan.

[jshillin]

I use 303 for lots of things, including tires. It`s not the only thing I use, but I use it a lot.

[KnuckleBuckett]

I use 303 for lots of things, including tires. It`s not the only thing I use, but I use it a lot.

Durable? Look ok?

[AeroCleanse]

I bought some UPGP before reading this and its amazing.



I am wondering how the Interior Shampoo Gel is and how well the UIGP is holding up.



As for the comments re: Elastofoam Paint Cleaning System, is it anything like: Hi Tech Magna Sponge the Hi-Tech Body Sponge? I use the Hi-Tech Body sponge all the time and love it.

[loco]

I used UPGP for the first time last weekend based on recommendations made to me in my "best sealant to protect against water spots" thread. I got two layers on and I can already see a difference! We had quite a few thunderstorms last week, followed by sun. This problem had been giving Zaino Clear Seal fits on my black car, leaving hard to remove water spots. But the UPGP has held up well so far! The spots all came off easily! Plus the paint is really slick.



How many months could I reasonably expect out of 2-3 layers of UPGP? Thanks for all the great reviews and recommendations!

[wascallyrabbit]

i`ve had simialar results with ttgp. i don`t like it on low profile tires they just look black and doesn`t seem to last long. on my truck with much taller and smooth side walls it looks good for about a month.

[AstroMax]

It`s now three years that I am using Ultima products, and I am really satisfied.

Pity this topic is almost dead.

[dervdave]

It`s now three years that I am using Ultima products, and I am really satisfied.

Pity this topic is almost dead.

Its funny how things can go out of `fashion`, it does mean they`re any worse than newer stuff, in fact I`m sure some of it is better, another example is CarLack/Klasse which is still a superb product.:xyxthumbs

[SpoiledMan]

I still use the products with great results.

[john1r]

How many months of protection are people getting from UIGP? Or is it hard to tell compared to something UTTG which you can really see on your tires, etc..?

[KnuckleBuckett]

Bump from the thread originator.



UPGP durability is directly related to application. Worst case 2 months or so. Best case a PA winter. Prep well, use UPPP, and multi-coat with at least 12 hours between coats.



Ultima products I still use: UPGP, UTTP, UIGP, UPPP.



I still use UPGP on most of my details. With the exceptions being FK1000P and Black Diamond Paint Sealant.



I use the UTTP on everything it is recommended for, though I find that once it has dried overnight on the tires, a coat of Black Diamond tire gel adds a nice look and significant durability.



I use UIGP and UPGP for interior plastics and trim.

The exception being leather. For leather I use the Lexus brand product to condition and 10:1 water to Woolite HE for cleansing.

Oh. One other exception I recently switched to Einszett Gummi Pflege for all door seals. It is a pretty amazing product.



I find that after a complete detail full polish when I am otherwise ready to apply my LSP, I finish with a red LC pad using a FLex and UPPP. Kind of like jeweling but less for appearance and more because I find that it significantly boosts the durability of UPGP. By a factor of a couple of months.



For my exterior glass I clean with Aquapel glass cleaner and seal with Aquapel. I clean my interior glass with Stoner`s.



I use a variety of polishes. Menz, Megs, and 3M (I favor the 3M more every year).



Pads are always LC CCS.



MF are a mix between Sam`s club for the silly stuff and Megs.



I wash with P21S concentrate for the tough spots and foam canon Optimum shampoo with a MF glove and pinnacle bug sponge.



Clay with diluted ONR and Pinnacle poly.



I like FK for my QD.



I use Adams undercarriage spray dressing for wheel wells.



I use a Flex (6.5" wheel) and a Makita rotary (4" wheel). I have a PC but rarely use it.