For a vehicle tha`ts always outside or even one that`s sheltered but driven alot I really question the benefits of a sealant coat and think they are best reserved for garage cars that barley see any roads. Paint is so delicate & stock cars don`t have a thick custom paint job.
From my experience so far with my ride always sitting in my drive way and driven say once a week or fortnight under no trees, a product like fk1000p looks to last only 2-3months. Even by 2months the beading of water & slick feel reduced alot.
For me applying a wax/sealant requires a huge amount of extra work for what looks like very tiny results. I would say it`s not worth it unless you have a shelter for the following:
For outside: The time required for a full wash, dry, & wax, cleanup can be 2-4hours working like a dog & that can be very hard to find the time especially in non summer months with rain, in my area there simply isn`t time & when doing this every 3months it`s pretty taxing. With a garage I could just work on it at random times throughout the day even late at night.
Usually there is fine debris floating around from nearby trees in wind that lands on panels given the time past waiting for car to dry. This along with the microfibre towls getting worn in I suspect over time what I`m really doing is adding fine swirl to paint despite being as clean as I can. There is no way to know when the microfibre waffle towls should be replaced or if they are really soft enough. You have to really take your time to make sure the towl is held right & also avoid getting product all over molds & in tight gaps ect.
Finally before I started using a sealant, I had my ride for two years washing once a week, & all the damage I got on paint was from falling twigs chipping the paint, birds landing on car & small chips & fine cracks that appeared over time maybe from heat & cold? Or chips if I went for a drive at moderately high speeds.
That was before I gave the paint a mild cut with m105 & polish with m205. Back then bird poop would really stick in summer but I could always rubb it off.
I`m trialing fk100p again with 3 coats to see if it will last longer, but i think at the most I might just use it only once every 6months regardless.
What do you think?
From my experience so far with my ride always sitting in my drive way and driven say once a week or fortnight under no trees, a product like fk1000p looks to last only 2-3months. Even by 2months the beading of water & slick feel reduced alot.
For me applying a wax/sealant requires a huge amount of extra work for what looks like very tiny results. I would say it`s not worth it unless you have a shelter for the following:
For outside: The time required for a full wash, dry, & wax, cleanup can be 2-4hours working like a dog & that can be very hard to find the time especially in non summer months with rain, in my area there simply isn`t time & when doing this every 3months it`s pretty taxing. With a garage I could just work on it at random times throughout the day even late at night.
Usually there is fine debris floating around from nearby trees in wind that lands on panels given the time past waiting for car to dry. This along with the microfibre towls getting worn in I suspect over time what I`m really doing is adding fine swirl to paint despite being as clean as I can. There is no way to know when the microfibre waffle towls should be replaced or if they are really soft enough. You have to really take your time to make sure the towl is held right & also avoid getting product all over molds & in tight gaps ect.
Finally before I started using a sealant, I had my ride for two years washing once a week, & all the damage I got on paint was from falling twigs chipping the paint, birds landing on car & small chips & fine cracks that appeared over time maybe from heat & cold? Or chips if I went for a drive at moderately high speeds.
That was before I gave the paint a mild cut with m105 & polish with m205. Back then bird poop would really stick in summer but I could always rubb it off.
I`m trialing fk100p again with 3 coats to see if it will last longer, but i think at the most I might just use it only once every 6months regardless.
What do you think?
