What the heck happened to my Hydro Blue???

A little over a year ago I got a gallon of McKee`s 37 Hydro Blue and have been using it out of a spray bottle about once a month during the time the weather is nice. The gallon sat untouched/sealed for the first ~6 months after I got it because I got injured racing motorcycles the summer I got it and then when I healed up enough to wash my car it was winter. I opened it for the first time ~6 months ago and it has been fine until the last time I used it.

I`ve been using it out of a 33oz Kwazar bottle so I filled the bottle once and a couple of weeks ago was the first time I had refilled the bottle out of the original gallon jug. That`s when things seemed to go wrong. I didn`t notice until the drying stage that the Hydro Blue had started to congeal (or something) and the semi-solid particles didn`t get rinsed off with the pressure washer after applying the product and have proved nearly impossible to get off my car.

I strained what was in the bottle back into the gallon and have included a photo of what is now stuck to my car. Thankfully not much made it through the sprayer so it wasn`t a complete catastrophe but the spots that smeared on the glass are the biggest nuisance.

Any idea what the heck happened? Anyone every see this happen before? The only possible thing that could have contaminated the product would have been possibly a few drops of moisture but I don`t think that happened as I am pretty careful. Do you think this stuff is trash now? I have about a half gallon left. I was thinking of continuing to use it after straining it even though it is probably far less effective at this state. It`s going to be a shame to throw away $40 worth of product. https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=36304&stc=1

Try contacting Nick at McKee’s. I’ve heard of the stuff turning green after sitting, but I don’t think I’ve heard of it congealing like that. I think he’s helped people out when it’s done the color shift.

Thanks for sharing - I’ve got a 16oz bottle that I started last summer, I’ll definitely check it before using it...

Yeah the stuff I had in the bottle turned green while the stuff that was still in the gallon jug was still blue. If I remember right the turning green thing isn`t a cause for concern but perhaps something happened when I poured the blue stuff into the spray bottle that had some green stuff still in it? I`ll shoot McKee`s an email to see what they say. I really like this stuff so I hope we can figure out what happened.

I spoke to the fine folks at McKee`s and they are not sure what could have happened but they are going to send me some replacement product which is very nice of them. I think from now on I will keep what I am using in a smaller spray bottle and pour it through a strainer each time I refill it as now I am going to be a bit paranoid. lol

It`s SiO2 that has started to hardern. Useally it`s doing so around the 1 year mark. The strange is that it was pushed through the Kwazar spray bottle. Have used Gyeon Wet Coat when it has done beginning to hardern without any problems. The old version of Gyeon Wet Coat you saw through it when the hardened SiO2 was swimming around LOL. Have had the same with Carpro Hydro2 lite also.

The thing is to store it as cool as possible out of lights and especially out of any kind of sunlight. To get it hold as long as possible before it starts to hardern. But real nice that they replaced you with a new gallon. Sadly many of the SiO2 based products has a short shelf life compared to other protection products. It`s around the year mark when things going bad with them even if you store it good.

Thanks for the info. I`m surprised the folks from McKee`s didn`t mention this when I asked them about the shelf life. There is no way I will go through an entire gallon in a year. I only got through about half a gallon in a year using the product much more liberally than the instructions call for. lol

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Originally Posted by EKhatch

Thanks for the info. I`m surprised the folks from McKee`s didn`t mention this when I asked them about the shelf life. There is no way I will go through an entire gallon in a year. I only got through about half a gallon in a year using the product much more liberally than the instructions call for. lol

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Yeah it`s hard to know about the shelf life of products. There are some spray on SiO2 products that has water soluble solvents in them that can extend the shelf life of them. Carpro has a little sticker under their bottles where both the manufacturing date and when it expirering. As with most products if stored properly you can go over the expirering date for some time. But if as in your case it spits out partially cured SiO2. Then it`s a no go as they are a PITA to remove. Also you could experience it flashes and cures faster on the paint. And with the spray on rinse off products you useally needs to be working quite fast at least in the warmer temperature outside. I never forget the looks on a car when a domestic forum member applyied Gyeon Wet Coat over the whole car and took his time doing it. Let`s say that not much got rinsed off as it has cured. Think that a detailer needed to be useing a P3000 or p5000 to knock it down then the last was compounded off. It was a very thick layer of protection at least LOL. But man the splotchy and like a rainbow effect and hazy he had on the dark grey paint was horrendous to see. That`s why I also think that bigger brands like Meguiars and Mothers that does a lot of OTC products. Was late in to the SiO2 spray on products. That the user errors can be very bad if they just don`t read the directions and use it like other simualar products. To then noticed if dwelled too long you can`t buff it off with a mf towel or with an assistance QD. Sometimes the like desolves the like but many is scared to apply it again right after the bad experience and maybe not have the knowledge to do so.

Don`t know if you maybe got from the batch that had the discolored problems with the Hydro Blue. So it`s why they replaced you with a new gallon. Either way nice of them to do so.

I did notice that the stuff I had in the spray bottle had started to turn green while the stuff that remained in the original gallon jug was still blue.

This is why I prefer clear bottles to dark plastic bottles. I want to see what I’m spraying before I spray it.