First Heavy Use of Poorboys

HondaMan

HondaMan

2004 Civic EX magnesium
Took care of my sister's 2003 Honda Odyssey today (sorry, no pics).

Wash, Clay, and then PB PP followed by EX-P. This was the first time I had used PB PP and EX-P (before, I had used AIO, SG, and UPP at various times).

I was impressed with easy manner in which EX-P went on. I did need to "spritz" some water onto the app to make it glide better, but I had some new mini-bottles especially for that.

She also had a 12" scratch across 2 of the driver-side sliding doors. I hit the thing with SSR 1, 2, and 2.5 with the PC and a SONUS Orange pad at Speed 6 for about 20-30 seconds each time. I even tried rubbing some 2.5 by hand with a MF and also did 2 swipes with Meguiars Scratch X. The scratch is much better -- before you could see it from 15-20 feet away, now you need to be right ontop of it to see it. I am going to order some SSR 3.0 and see if that does the trick. I ran my fingers over it and it SEEMED like I could feel the crevice, which I believe indicates that the scratch is deep and might need a professional. But I'm not sure -- it is borderline (maybe part of the gash is deep, and part is on the surface?). Anyway, it looks alot better and maybe the SSR 3.0 will do the trick.

How long does EX-P last, assuming the car stays out all the time? I may re-wash it next week and add another layer of EX-P to give it a bit more protection, would like the car's finish to last through the NY-NJ winter if possible.

Sorry I've been away, been busy, will try and post a bit more often.
 
How long does EX-P last, assuming the car stays out all the time? I may re-wash it next week and add another layer of EX-P to give it a bit more protection, would like the car's finish to last through the NY-NJ winter if possible.
How long is a piece of string? You will get different answer from everyone as there are so many extrogenous factors to take into account. This is a figure you will have to discover yourself......
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Fair enough. I know that most of the Carnubas last under 2 months and that the acryllics and polymers usually last 3-6 so I figured that EX-P, being a synthetic resin, probably fell into the latter camp.

Whatever, 2 coats should be better than 1 !
 
HondaMan said:
Fair enough. I know that most of the Carnubas last under 2 months and that the acryllics and polymers usually last 3-6 so I figured that EX-P, being a synthetic resin, probably fell into the latter camp.

Whatever, 2 coats should be better than 1 !
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Well what works for you may not work for me. Some people think EX-P lasts 3 months or more, and I have seen others say they reckon it gave up the ghost in under a month. So who is right and who isnt? Same with NXT, the durability is a wide open feild and depends on who you talk to....

FWIW, I got 2 months out of EX-P. But Im in Australia, so comparison wise its probably not worth a pinch of salt?!?
 
Longevity of any product is always affected by many variables such as application, weather , and maintenece.

First for application, you went the correct way..using a pure polish like PP will ensure a clean surface for the EX-P to bond to, many people are looking for a "LOOK" and will use a glaze/ wax/ acrylic previous to application( VM, PwC, AIO) these products will enhace the look but shorten durability.
Second weather... everyone deals with different weather and some environments that have a lot of minerals in their rain and tap water will surely deteriorate products faster, as well as those who have smog or live near Mt. St. Helen:eek ...extreme heat will also affect some durability especially on black or dark vehicles left in the sun all day.
Third mainenence: a good mantenence regimin with a quality wash or waterless wash will extend the durability as well as using a good QD regularly to keep the surface clean and slick.
 
So using AIO as a prep will decrease the life of EX-P? I really liked the look of EX-P on my car ( carbon gray TSX ) but didn't think it lasted all that long. Is PP a better product to use prior to EX-P and does it contain any abrasives?
 
PP is more of a chemical polish/ cleaner with light abrasives ...using a polish or SSR with no oils or fillers is always better way to get more durability with a sealant. IF you were looking for the least abrasive way to polish avery good finish, I'd recommend SSR1 , lots of glow and works well with sealants:)
 
I just used the Spray and Wipe for the first time last week after seeing it on this board.

My car is black and I started off with Ardex 1000 and my Cyclo. It cuts very gently and swirl marks are a thing of the past. Polishing for dummies here :beat

Then I used Ardex Topaz with Carnuba.

The Spray and wipe I applied with a terry cloth and removed with a MF cloth.
Easy on , easy off. Price was excellent. I am very impressed so far. A very deep gloss and good for glass too.
 
Poorboy, since AIO is part-sealant, that's the reason why you wouldn't want to use it before EX-P, right? I didn't think about that before I made the decision to use PB PP -- I went with PB PP because I had it and figured this was a "PB" operation from Step 3 (SSR's) onward. Makes sense that if you use something like AIO (1/2 cleaner, 1/2 sealant) that it wouldn't be as good as the pure PB PP. I guess using AIO followed by SG is different; maybe they work better together and the composition of the two means you don't need a pure chem cleaner before applying the SG.

When you say "waterless wash" do you mean S&W or something similar?

How's my plan for washing the car (with soap? or should I use S&W if it's not too dirty?) and then applying another layer of EX-P sound if I do it next week or in 2 weeks (obviousley, the longer I go between sealant layers, the more likely I'm gonna need to do a regular wash)?
 
Oh, needless to say -- I kind of implied it -- I strongly recommend the Poorboys products. They're great...I loved the ease of applying the Poorboys Professional Polish and the EX-P (once I remembered to spritz the applicator). And you can tell from my lineup that I swear by the SSR's -- too bad I stopped at 2.5, figures I would need 3.0 the one time I have a bigtime scratch!

Gotta order that this week....thanks Poorboys!
 
HondaMan said:
Poorboy, since AIO is part-sealant, that's the reason why you wouldn't want to use it before EX-P, right? I didn't think about that before I made the decision to use PB PP -- I went with PB PP because I had it and figured this was a "PB" operation from Step 3 (SSR's) onward. Makes sense that if you use something like AIO (1/2 cleaner, 1/2 sealant) that it wouldn't be as good as the pure PB PP. I guess using AIO followed by SG is different; maybe they work better together and the composition of the two means you don't need a pure chem cleaner before applying the SG.

When you say "waterless wash" do you mean S&W or something similar?

How's my plan for washing the car (with soap? or should I use S&W if it's not too dirty?) and then applying another layer of EX-P sound if I do it next week or in 2 weeks (obviousley, the longer I go between sealant layers, the more likely I'm gonna need to do a regular wash)?
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AIO is cleaner with acrylic protection , thus the All in One label..it is designed to work best with SG but if used with another sealant it can look, last and work well, just maybe not as well as with its counter part SG.
Most sealants will last longer if apllied directly to the painted surface, but they might not give the look you really want. A small sacrafice in either direction for the subject look most people want.

As for waterless wash yes I meant Spray and Wipe, but there are some others out there too:rolleyes:
Yes if you maintain the vehicle well with Spra yand Wipe for a few weeks or so you can easily go right to another coat of EX-P...a regular wash is fine too, but any rubbing of the surface will slowly wear down the protectant.
Hope this helps:)
 
HondaMan said:
Oh, needless to say -- I kind of implied it -- I strongly recommend the Poorboys products. They're great...I loved the ease of applying the Poorboys Professional Polish and the EX-P (once I remembered to spritz the applicator). And you can tell from my lineup that I swear by the SSR's -- too bad I stopped at 2.5, figures I would need 3.0 the one time I have a bigtime scratch!

Gotta order that this week....thanks Poorboys!
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As for your scratch..sometimes they are just too deep to fully remove and if you do get that aggressive then remember you are thinning out the clearcoat around the scratch...sometimes it's best to live with some imperfections, unless you are planning on getting rid of the vehicle in the near future:dunno
 
Gotcha, PB....understood. You saw what I did above -- the multiple passes with the PB (20-30 seconds, tops) and even a few hits with 2.5/Meguirs X by hand with a MF -- you think that is too much?

I was thinking of hitting it with the 3.0 and then, if it's still there, that's it. As it is, it DOES look a lot better -- before you could easily see the thing from 10 or more feet away...now, thanks to the passes and the coat of EX-P you have to be right ontop to see it.

I was thinking of taking off the EX-P next time I have the car with PB PP, doing the passes with 3.0, then re-applying the sealant when I do the whole car for the 2nd time. Or do you think I'm not likely to get any more fading with 3.0 than I did with 2.5? I don't think using another pad will help, right?
 
This scratch my sister thinks came from a shopping cart. Since the car is a minivan and since she may in fact give it up when the lease is up (3 more years), I wasn't too worried about going too deep into the clearcoat. If I screwed up -- which I was being very careful not to, hence the SSR 1 - 2 - 2.5 progression -- it's not like she and my bro-in-law are car connessuirs and the car was a Ferrari !! :) :) :)

But I hear you, she/them may have to live with it. As it was, she liked the overall exterior look and the fading of the scratch was great. Unless her friends are right on top of the driver door and looking downward, it's tough to see. Glad I bought all the SSR's....just wish I had added 1 more !! lol :)
 
FWIW I found the durability of EX-P over VM on my car ( black ) was not that flash ( I felt it was gone in under 1 month ) and I didnt even get the "look" I was after, so that was disappointing. Second attempt with EX-P was applied after Menzerna FP and thats the 2 month durability figure I got ( QEW weekly, no QDing ).

And my gf's car is metallic grey and I did AIO/EX-P and that is holding up extremely well ( just under 2 months and STILL going strong with weekly QEW and no QDing ). And believe me, she does it no favours :nono and its usually an AIO/SGx3/S100 combo on it ( being re-waxed monthly for 6 months before starting fresh ), but I wanted to try something different and so far ( touch wood ) its going well.

AIO ( IMO ) leaves a very clean base for any sealant or wax, even the "fussy" zaino, so I personally wouldn't be concerned about using it as a base for EX-P. ;)
 
Thats interesting to know, my experiences with EX/EX-P have all been used after VM or 1Z PP. I'd be curious to see if my durability increases with maybe SSR2.5 on a polishing pad than straight to EX-P. I'm really surprised this hasn't been brought to attention, because VM+EX-P seems to be a really big hit on here and Autopia.
 
Remember that 90% is the process and 10% is the product ..most people on these boards tend to be perfectionist and prep and remove the slightest swirl with much diligence, creating a better set up. Also you will find that memebers of both boards do tend to take care of their cars more often and don't push products to their maximum potential, but would rather have the ultimate "Look" and then will add another coat or another LSP to the equation, which totally changes everything again:lol
 
Poorboy is right....it IS 90% process (thanks for the compliment on the use of PB PP btw, PB...I was almost NOT gonna do that step for time-reasons and am glad I did now!!).

While there might be slight differences in similar chemically identicle products (i.e, carnubas, acryllics, resins) they all are about the same. Maybe some look a bit different, maybe some last a month longer, maybe some work better on dark colors than light colors, maybe some work better on fiberglass than metal. Sometimes I do think we can all lose sight of the forest for the trees (guilty as charged).

BTW, Poorboy, I want to say that I like the way you go out of your way to commend competing products. Instead of pointing out every little flaw or shortfall, you compliment them and give what appears to be a 100% honest opinion. Glad you're hear on the boards to answer our questions and glad that I've bought alot of your stuff to compensate you for your fine products and your honesty. I mean that. And I would also say the same thing about Dwayne and 4*.
 
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