Are you a wax or sealant guy/girl? Why?

I find uses for both, my go to sealant is Opti-Seal, wax is Carnauba Moose. Also like a sealant wax blend like HD Proxy or Wolfgang Fusion. Playing around with Collinte 476 and Migliore Fine and Frutta which are both carnaubas.



As a general rule, I tend to use carnaubas on solid colors and sealants on metallics because I think those paints best suit the look of carnaubas or sealants.
 
I am more of a sealant guy. I have 3 layers of FK1000 on my Z. I just bought some Collinite 915 and decided I would do my own little test, so I put the 915 only on front of the car. The first time I applied it I was worried based on the horror stories of how hard it was to buff off that I didn't leave it on long enough, so it didn't feel very slick to me. However, I had washed the car today and since the humidity was low and it was a cooler day, I pulled the car into the garage after washing and drying it and put more 915 on the bumper. I waited, watched and checked the dryness with the swipe test... after 8 minutes I buffed the wax off... it was actually quite slick... much more so than before and a bit more than the FK1000.



The FK however has the benefits that makes me want to always continue to use it on my on my car, little things such as how it will remove small tar spots, obviously it's very durable, it's resistant to high heat and living in Md you wouldn't think that would be a big issue for me, but in the summer it gets VERY hot here as well as constantly high humidity (at least 70% and many times 90-100%). FK isn't the most slick stuff that I have used, but it sheets water very well.



Duragloss 105 gives so much of a candied look that I do love and it somehow keeps a car cleaner than other products i've used... I don't know how... it just seems like that, but it could be all in my head too lol.
 
I go both ways, even on our identical pair of silver A8/S8 Audis- one gets #16 and the other a sealant (currently UPP).



Just depends on the vehicle, sometimes on what level of correction I can do (which is usually dependent on the amount of paint I have to work with) as waxes generally do more concealing. Sometimes it's a matter of whether I can do more than one application of LSP (if not, I lean towards waxes). Sometimes it's a matter of achieving a particular look. And sometimes I just want to use a certain product; been itching to use some Pro Paste Wax, but I'll be all bummed out if it doesn't still smell like it did in the '70s.



Guitarist302008- Waxes often start out really slick and then become less so, I figure it has to do with oils dissipating. Interesting that your FK1000P sheets, mine beads, plus mine is very slick :nixweiss As you're finding, there are a scad of variables and "YMMV" always applies.
 
I like premium carnauba waxes for the garage queen. I demand sealant (long-lasting) on the daily drivers :)
 
I have been a sealant guy for a while. Reasons are durability and ease of use and I like the crisp optically clear reflection of a sealant on polished paint. I have been using UPGP on my trucks as the WOWA is awesome, Blackfire Wet Diamonds on my Garage Queen and my daily driver becasue it is easy to use, durable and feels super slick. I just picked up some power lock which I am told it similar to the BFWD but maybe not as slick-I will let you know.



I used waxes like P21S 100% carnuba but in a few weeks the slickness and tight beads we gone. I also felt that the finish attrached more imbedded debris with a wax making the claying process more detrimental to the clay as well as taking more time.





I try alot of products, I only do my own cars as a hobby.
 
Accumulator said:
I go both ways, even on our identical pair of silver A8/S8 Audis- one gets #16 and the other a sealant (currently UPP).



Just depends on the vehicle, sometimes on what level of correction I can do (which is usually dependent on the amount of paint I have to work with) as waxes generally do more concealing. Sometimes it's a matter of whether I can do more than one application of LSP (if not, I lean towards waxes). Sometimes it's a matter of achieving a particular look. And sometimes I just want to use a certain product; been itching to use some Pro Paste Wax, but I'll be all bummed out if it doesn't still smell like it did in the '70s.



Guitarist302008- Waxes often start out really slick and then become less so, I figure it has to do with oils dissipating. Interesting that your FK1000P sheets, mine beads, plus mine is very slick :nixweiss As you're finding, there are a scad of variables and "YMMV" always applies.
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I'll tell you the truth man, I really do like the FK1000 a lot, but I think that I really do like the duragloss look even more. I know it has cleaners in it and many will think it's in my head, but I layered the hell out of my Evo with it and it ALWAYS stayed clean looking and the more layers I put on the car the more candied it looked... and at 11.00 a bottle and able to apply it with my PC AND it being so thin, it's got to be one of the most durable products out there. It's a very underrated product IMO.
 
I like carnauba wax on my cars because I do the "traditional" 2-buckets car wash-and-rinse and the water flows much better off the horizontal surfaces (hood, roof, trunk) when I use a leaf-blower to dry off the car. I got the information (Dave Fermani?) from this forum. I use Collinite 476S (actually the 885 Fleetwax twin) for my daily drivers because of what I read about it on this forum.



I've tried NTX 2.0 because it was cheap and all-the-rage some time ago, but I never have tried Duragloss or Blackfire or Finish-Kare P1000. Nice, but it lacked the definition/glow of a good carnauba



It's a fine line between having surface protection and great shine, and if you find something that provides both, well, it's up to you if you want to apply it to your vehicle.



I am more in the camp of having great shine than protection, but in the winter here in the upper Midwest, protection is most important, since waxing is out of the question unless you have a heated faciltiy to do so.

That's one of the reasons I like Collinite waxes: it provides the best of both protection and shine and is reasonably priced and locally available from a boating supply store located here in town.



I know there is a resurrected thread about Optimum's Opti-Coat and now HD's new 3D Nitro-Seal that may change the opinions (and options) about finish sealants for many car owners who may not like to "wax" their cars on regular basis.



That's one of the reasons I "subscribe" to this forum. There's ALWAYS some new wax/sealant/hybrid to try out and something new to learn about the existing tried-and-true finish-care products as well. (Like someone who uses their pre-VOC Klasse Sealant Glaze or Meg's #16 wax judiciously)



On a COMPLETELY different note, has anyone won a car show with a sealant on their car? (Yah, I know; some Zaino-zealots are going to chime in!)
 
Lonnie said:
..(Like someone who uses their pre-VOC Klasse Sealant Glaze or Meg's #16 wax judiciously)..
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Hey, I resemble that remark!



has anyone won a car show with a sealant on their car?
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I'd be utterly amazed if there aren't a *LOT* of people who've done that. I'd be almost as amazed if anybody ever lost points for having used a sealant instead of a wax, even though I do appreciate the whole "period appropriate" argument.
 
Guitarist302008 said:
I'll tell you the truth man, I really do like the FK1000 a lot, but I think that I really do like the duragloss look even more. I know it has cleaners in it and many will think it's in my head, but I layered the hell out of my Evo with it and it ALWAYS stayed clean looking and the more layers I put on the car the more candied it looked...
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No argument agains a preference for the DG, and I've also had good results from multiple applications of a similar product (Autoglym SRP) that people say "shouldn't" layer. I think that with some such products the application method (namely, be very gentle) can make a huge diff.
 
Accumulator said:
No argument agains a preference for the DG, and I've also had good results from multiple applications of a similar product (Autoglym SRP) that people say "shouldn't" layer. I think that with some such products the application method (namely, be very gentle) can make a huge diff.
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absolutely! If it has a cleaner and it takes of just a little of the last layer... that's perfectly fine with me considering that it is SOOOOO easy to put on and take off. I never have tried it, but i'm quite sure I could even hand seal a whole car with DG and then come right back to where I started and it would come off just as easily.
 
I love the look of a good carnauba, but the looks fade after the first rain. Sealants look great even after a few washes.
 
I bought some of the 915 and most agree that it's just an awesome wax and it looks nice (I applied it to just my bumper to see how it works.



VS. FK1000 it's a little bit more slick, but not greatly... it doesn't bring out the white in my car as much as the FK does. It beads differently... not in a bad way but on the sides of the bumper where the FK just sort of sheets off when I use a hose... it beads up more... but easily blows off if I have to wash and go, or if we have one of those short rains when going somwhere. It has no cleaning proporties which I realized, but I like the fact that applying a coat of FK to the car will get rid of small tar and water spots. It's about equal when it comes to putting it on and taking it off. I time the FK... 20 minutes and then remove and as long as you are using a clean MF towel it comes right off. The 915 I give 8 minutes for... it has that nice slick finish after that. If the 915 would just have that cleaning ability, I would definitely use it more often.



I would imagine because the 915 is quite pure for what it is that it can be layered nicely which I do like.



The powerlock I have never tried, but have wanted to for a while since I really love Menzerna's products. What's that new sealant they have out now? Was it the powerlock or something else? I have heard good things about it.
 
These days I tend to be more of a sealant guy - primarily for durability and ease of use. I really hate detailing our minivan...the less I have to touch it, the better - that pretty much means sealant for me.



However, from an appearance perspective, I cannot deny my preference for a carnauba wax. I have been enjoying Trade Secret and Natty's Blue lately but the look is practically gone a few days later because of dust attraction, rain, or possibly the high Texas heat.
 
MCA said:
These days I tend to be more of a sealant guy - primarily for durability and ease of use. I really hate detailing our minivan...the less I have to touch it, the better - that pretty much means sealant for me.



However, from an appearance perspective, I cannot deny my preference for a carnauba wax. I have been enjoying Trade Secret and Natty's Blue lately but the look is practically gone a few days later because of dust attraction, rain, or possibly the high Texas heat.
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Finish Kare 1000p for that Texas heat my friend!
 
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