Ok, I got my APC+ and Engine-Kote yesterday. I used the APC+ on my wife's engine (I couldn't wait!) and it was great. I did have to agitate a bit with a brush. The engine isn't completely clean like it had never been used, but it is substantially better than before. The APC+ works great. Then I put on the Engine-Kote, and it is awesome! You have to spray a lot or wipe it around, but that might be because of my spray bottle. Next time I think I'll water it down a little so I feel comfortable spraying more of it for better coverage. It really does dry to this hard coating and it isn't sticky at all once dry (it's sticky as heck if you wipe it around while wet, though).
I also used the APC+ as a dewaxer today. I Dawn-washed yesterday and it didn't cut it. I could feel the wax was still on the surface. Today I filled the sprayer with 64:1 of water and APC+, hosed the car down, and then just walked around covering the paint with the spray. At that dilution level it was super mild and I felt completely comfortable with it on the paint. I let it sit for about a minute and then hosed off thoroughly. I could notice the water didn't bead as much (although it does still bead on the paint) and my finger squeaked as I dragged it on the surface. I did a second application with the sprayer just to be sure there weren't any spots that didn't get hit. I then washed the car with Gold Class and proceeded with my #7/#26 regimine. The APC+ was excellent as a de-waxer and I'd recommend it over Dawn (plus, you aren't dragging it around the paint like with Dawn. I always wonder how well Dawn encapsulates dirt since it isn't a car product).
The Engine-Kote is also very versatile. I used it on the lower air-dam on my car as well as on the front plastic grills (look at my car if you want to know what I'm talking about. It's posted in the gallery and in the
Member's Picts forum). I also sprayed it in the wheel-wells. It worked great on the front plastic. I'm not sure about the wheel-wells as they were impossible to get completely clean. However, it will probably last longer than #40 or 303 or something would. It isn't a product I'd try on any interior, weatherstripping, or tires, but it does have uses besides just on the engine. I think I'm going to detail my PC with it. Give it a nice dust-resistant coating...
The level of gloss that the Engine-Kote leaves seems to vary depending on the surface. I noticed that in my wife's engine, parts like the valve-cover (plastic) and airbox came out much glossier than hoses and such. Also, the front air-dam stuff on my car didn't come out very glossy (which is good). It seems to make glossy surfaces glossier, and keep non-gloss surfaces still pretty non-glossy but darker. So, I kind of like that. It doesn't make everything glossy, nor does it make everything matte.