Best way to keep your DD beading well?

S

sumptimwong

New member
I own a 2005 Honda Accord, color is Graphite Gray Pearl. My problem is that my beads look disgustingly deformed and flat whenever it rains, unless I have applied LSP within the past week and my car is still clean.



This car sits outside 24/7, but I do take good care of it. Wash weekly or every other week (very carefully, but not with the two bucket method), dry with long-nap Microtex MF, clay as necessary, rarely polish (only once so far), and I use NXT or Reflections on the horizontal panels EVERY wash, and do the whole car about every three washes.



(1) Is there something I'm doing wrong? (2) Are there any products that can help me get some more beading? I'm not really concerned with protection, as I am with long-lasting beading. I know I'm taking decent care of my paint, but I just want my efforts to show.



I noticed that my lady's Mazda6 and her mother's current-gen E320 are beading VERY well, despite their sub-autopian paint care standards. (3) I have a suspicion that their OE CC was done much more nicely than mine, how do you guys feel on this one?



Thanks in advanced guys, I have really enjoyed my stay here so far.
 
the beading will always look better on fresh or freshly washed and QD'd paint...if its been standing around unwashed a few days then the dust will affect the surface tension



what do you mean your not concerned with protection as much as you are beading? beading isnt really a good indication of anything other than a clean surface, brand new untouched paint will bead like crazy



as long as you detail often you shouldnt have a worry
 
Foremost, I would be doubtful that the hardness of clearcoat has much to do with beading, but I could be wrong. It's a good thing you pointed that out.



I am in the same dilemma as you, anyway.



But I'll see what I can offer. Mainly, is your car exposed to any sort of sap or industrial fallout that could be causing your LSP to fade away quicker than normal? How about the environment it is exposed to? Hot? Humid?



Next, your choice of LSPs (NXT and reflections) is going to have some significance,since I remember reading an article a while back that claimed that NXT barely lasted 2 weeks in terms of beading. I have never used Reflections, so another member will have to add input on that.



Now the part that I'm going to tackle, as I firmly believe it may be causing your beading dilemma. I think the lack of polishing in your routine has some influence on your beading since I feel that polishing can help even out paint and add some oils to it that help it to bead water better. Even if it something as simple as using SSR1 once a month to 'clean things up a bit', it may help.



But now that I think of it, since NXT has some cleaners in it, it may have the same effect as using SSR1, but I'll leave this point open for someone else to interperet.



So now that I have all of that off my chest, I can only suggest that you use either a tough LSP (Klasse twins) or a hard carnauba such as Collinite 845 or Meguiar's #16.



Frankly, I wish there was a wax that would cause rain to sheet off.. Beading has caused me much trouble in this state with its random thunderstorms followed by intense sunlight and 100*'s of heat.
 
steveo3002 said:
what do you mean your not concerned with protection as much as you are beading? beading isnt really a good indication of anything other than a clean surface, brand new untouched paint will bead like crazy
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Is it really true that beading isn't a good indication of protection? I can see that this might be the case for my lady's Mazda6, or her mom's E-class, but in my case, I KNOW when there isn't protection on my car when it isn't beading after a wash.



What I meant about beading vs protection is that I'm not concerned with finding something that is great for protection, I want something that will help my paint bead more. I feel this way only because I wash and wax often, so protection is not a huge issue for me. In other words, if there were a spray product that I could use to top my current LSP which lasts only 2 weeks, I would be cool with that.
 
truzoom said:
Foremost, I would be doubtful that the hardness of clearcoat has much to do with beading, but I could be wrong. It's a good thing you pointed that out.
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Yea, I'm not sure either, that's why I came here for the expert's opinions! ;D



truzoom said:
But I'll see what I can offer. Mainly, is your car exposed to any sort of sap or industrial fallout that could be causing your LSP to fade away quicker than normal? How about the environment it is exposed to? Hot? Humid?
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Well, my DD is outside 24x7, but it doesn't see any EXTREME conditions. No sap, no fallout, just the usualy dust and dirt (and pollen, this time of year). It does get up to 100degrees here in the summer, though.



truzoom said:
Now the part that I'm going to tackle, as I firmly believe it may be causing your beading dilemma. I think the lack of polishing in your routine has some influence on your beading since I feel that polishing can help even out paint and add some oils to it that help it to bead water better. Even if it something as simple as using SSR1 once a month to 'clean things up a bit', it may help.



But now that I think of it, since NXT has some cleaners in it, it may have the same effect as using SSR1, but I'll leave this point open for someone else to interperet.
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Interesting take, though I'm not sure if I can buy it. NXT has fillers in it, so even if I'm not polishing, the surface should be nearly level. I also believe that Reflections has fillers, though not as much as the NXT does. (I'm using liquid NXT, not the paste, if that makes a difference).





truzoom said:
So now that I have all of that off my chest, I can only suggest that you use either a tough LSP (Klasse twins) or a hard carnauba such as Collinite 845 or Meguiar's #16.
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I think I would like to try Z1 and Klasse twins someday, as Autopians seem to rant and rave about these products. But for now, they remain somewhat cost inhibitive to me. Thanks for the comments and suggestions though!!
 
sumptimwong said:
I think I would like to try Z1 and Klasse twins someday, as Autopians seem to rant and rave about these products. But for now, they remain somewhat cost inhibitive to me. Thanks for the comments and suggestions though!!
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I think I have good news if you want to try 1Z Glanz. A while back I was surfing the 1Z site and found that they offered small samples of Glanz Wax. I can't seem to find the link anymore, but if you head over to http://www.1z-usa.com and send them an email asking for a sample, I'm sure they'd send you one. If I recall, they were very nice about it.
 
yes its true beading doesnt really mean alot...i paint cars for a living, and if you take a car out of the oven and hose it down it beads like freshly waxed paint...



if you desire crazy beads...look into collinite 845
 
Collinite 476S. NO question at all IMO. I used that stuff on the Volvo wagon that I kept outside 24/7/52 and it worked great. Better than #16, better than 845 too (but that would be my second choice). I had the Volvo outside for years, I'm certain that the 476S will work for you.
 
Are 845 and 476S reasonably affordable? If so, where can I purchase these products at a fair price?



Also, are they sealants or waxes? Would they replace NXT and/or Reflections in my procedure, or would they act as an LSP after my sealant?
 
I just did my car with 845IW over NXT and it looks great. Beads like crazy.



The trick to keeping it that way is using QD every so often.
 
Wow, I didn't realize that Collinite would be in the price price range as Reflections, although Reflections is available OTC.



I'm having a tough time deciding between the 845 and the 476s. I was reading a little bit about them on the Pakshak website, and it seems like:



476s is developed specifically for automotive applications, and the description says that it is "detergent proof." Is this true? And is it more detergent proof than the sealants I'm currently using anyway?



485 seems liek an industrial-strength product that has a high durability. Will it be more durable than Reflections?



Sorry for so many questions, but I very much appreciate you guys' time and expertise!





EDIT: Also, are these products suitable for hand-application? 7424 is in the pipeworks, but not for at least another year!
 
sumptimwong said:
Wow, I didn't realize that Collinite would be in the price price range as Reflections, although Reflections is available OTC.



I'm having a tough time deciding between the 845 and the 476s. I was reading a little bit about them on the Pakshak website, and it seems like:



476s is developed specifically for automotive applications, and the description says that it is "detergent proof." Is this true? And is it more detergent proof than the sealants I'm currently using anyway?



485 seems liek an industrial-strength product that has a high durability. Will it be more durable than Reflections?



Sorry for so many questions, but I very much appreciate you guys' time and expertise!
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476S (same as fleetwax if you want a big tub) is a little more durable. 845IW is a little better looking. I've decided to use 845 in the summer and fleetwax in the winter. i detail less in the winter since it's cold out and i have no garage, plus road salt and all that **** means i need a rock hard coat.



Supposedly duragloss aquawax looks great on top of collinite. I'm eager to give it a try. It's something between a wax and a quick detailer so i've heared.
 
I just ordered a bottle of DG AW after reading some great reviews. I'm planning on using it as a topper for the 845IW. That's should be an absolutely unstoppable combination.
 
What I do to keep my beading up is to use OCW after each wash. This refreshes your (carnauba) LSP. Beading stays amazing for a much longer period of time :D
 
Neothin said:
What I do to keep my beading up is to use OCW after each wash. This refreshes your (carnauba) LSP. Beading stays amazing for a much longer period of time :D
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That's what I do as well. My paint seems to stay slicker and beads longer when I use OCW after each wash.
 
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