Meguiar`s HCW update

Don

Don

Darth Camaro 12/27/15
I`ve had the HCW on the car about 2 weeks now, with the 2nd application on for about 4 days. My observations so far:
For the first few days, the HCW is a dust MAGNET. After about the third day, the dust just seems to "fall off" and is gone. There was also some light smearing from the 2nd application that lasted about 2 days and then it was gone.

This morning it`s raining lightly, but it`s too dark to see the beading, hopefully it will rain harder later today so I can see how well it beads up under rain water ... I would say that I hope for heavier rain so I can see the self-cleaning, but since the all of that dust seems to have fallen off on its own ...
 
Maybe you put a static charge into your car which dissipated after a few days. Who was that member here who had a detailing shop who used to talk about taking a jumper cable and attaching it to the car chassis and to a drain pipe to ground the car so as not to build up a static charge when buffing off residues with a MF towel. He`s retired now...Jimmy Buffit, that`s it.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Maybe you put a static charge into your car which dissipated after a few days. Who was that member here who had a detailing shop who used to talk about taking a jumper cable and attaching it to the car chassis and to a drain pipe to ground the car so as not to build up a static charge when buffing off residues with a MF towel. He`s retired now...Jimmy Buffit, that`s it.
Click to expand...
That`s actually not a bad idea, I`m gonna try doing something like this and try it. Especially on the higher end jobs

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Here is the 4th application of HCW. This last time, I used a wet mf wax applicator and a single spritz of HCW per panel. Going one panel at a time, I applied the HCW, then immediately buffed it off with a clean dry microfiber cloth. Once complete, I took a fresh microfiber and gave the finish a final wipe.

The whole process about 20 minutes (I washed the car last night & it sat in the garage until I pulled it out to apply the HCW). I`m really starting to like this stuff, it seems like the car gets slicker and darker with every application.

tn_HCW_5.jpg


Forgive the haziness of the pic, my phone`s camera has been acting up lately.
 
Here is a beading pic of HCW after over 500 miles of accumulated dirt & driving in the rain. This was after a light rain after I got to work.

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My hood after a little rain today. The left side of the pic is MHCW. It’s been 4 weeks and 3k miles since it was applied or the truck has been washed PBs EX on the right side of the hood.


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Application #5

WARNING LABOR INTENSIVE

I got off work early today and the car needed washed, so I decided to try a slightly different application method ... applying it like a "regular" wax.

I washed & dried the car, then using a damp mf applicator I sprayed the HCW on the damp pad (one or two sprays per panel) and applied it in a cross-hatch pattern to ensure full coverage. It went on semi heavy this way and once I had the whole car covered, I rinsed it off the best I could, but I don`t have a pressure washer OR decent water pressure so I was left with a wet car, heavy smearing and so-so water beading.

Taking a clean mf cloth, I dried the car, which took about 90% of the smears away, and I didn`t want to `dry buff` the car and possibly cause marring, so I rinsed the car a second time.

THIS TIME, the water beading was the best I`ve ever seen with HCW, very tight and many of them were silver, almost like droplets of ice they were so tight.

The 2nd (actually the third) drying went extremely smooth and the paint finish was flawless, there must be some kind of filling properties because the few fine swirls in the paint were gone.

I would definitely consider HCW a "beauty wax," even more so than Pinnacle Sovereign, with much better longevity than Sovereign.

Speaking of longevity, I`m probably not going to be the one to ask, since I`m the type to apply SOMETHING after every wash, I`m THAT OCD.
 
Don:
What Last-Step Product ( i.e.; wax, sealant, or coating) do you have on this Camaro that is underneath the Meg`s Hybrid Ceramic Wax OR did you remove that LSP before applying HCW?
Seems to me that you used Meg`s Fast Finish sealant some time ago and that your co-workers noticed the appearance of your always pristine Camaro was even "better" or "different". Do you get comments from your co-workers about the appearance of your Camaro using HCW??

I also think that your "heavy application, two rinse methodology" might be a key to using this new product OR that the use of a pressure washer rinse may activate the chemicals better in this "wax" to make it "work" on a vehicle finish. What specific microfiber (s?) are you using to wipe down/off is HCW from the Camaro and how many are you using in this "HA-2R" process?

Your analogy comparison of HCW to Pinnacle`s Sovereign as a "beauty wax" is unique. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One thing that is definitely NOT comparable is the price difference. That is one characteristic that HCW has over sovereign: value for performance. If I can get 90% of the look for 25% of the price with half the effort, that`s a no-brainer bargain for me!

More questions: (What else is new, Captain Obvious!!)
1) Would you characterize HCW as a:
a) Stand-alone true Last-Step Product
b) Maintenance spray over Meg`s Fast Finish sealant or their Ultimate Wax
c) Topper/gloss enhancer, although you already KINDA answered that by saying it is NOT a quick-detailer
2) Any comparison to the much-touted Renny Doyle Double-Black Bead Maker Paint Protectant??
(I would hope other Autopians would chime in on this if they have any have tried and "experimented" with these two sprays.)
 
Lonnie said:
Don:
What Last-Step Product ( i.e.; wax, sealant, or coating) do you have on this Camaro that is underneath the Meg`s Hybrid Ceramic Wax OR did you remove that LSP before applying HCW?
Seems to me that you used Meg`s Fast Finish sealant some time ago and that your co-workers noticed the appearance of your always pristine Camaro was even "better" or "different". Do you get comments from your co-workers about the appearance of your Camaro using HCW??

I also think that your "heavy application, two rinse methodology" might be a key to using this new product OR that the use of a pressure washer rinse may activate the chemicals better in this "wax" to make it "work" on a vehicle finish. What specific microfiber (s?) are you using to wipe down/off is HCW from the Camaro and how many are you using in this "HA-2R" process?

Your analogy comparison of HCW to Pinnacle`s Sovereign as a "beauty wax" is unique. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One thing that is definitely NOT comparable is the price difference. That is one characteristic that HCW has over sovereign: value for performance. If I can get 90% of the look for 25% of the price with half the effort, that`s a no-brainer bargain for me!

More questions: (What else is new, Captain Obvious!!)
1) Would you characterize HCW as a:
a) Stand-alone true Last-Step Product
b) Maintenance spray over Meg`s Fast Finish sealant or their Ultimate Wax
c) Topper/gloss enhancer, although you already KINDA answered that by saying it is NOT a quick-detailer
2) Any comparison to the much-touted Renny Doyle Double-Black Bead Maker Paint Protectant??
(I would hope other Autopians would chime in on this if they have any have tried and "experimented" with these two sprays.)
Click to expand...

I`ll try to answer your questions the best I can, in the order asked.

What LSP do I have on the car BENEATH the HCW?

On the hood, roof and trunk, nothing. I polished those surfaces using Meguiar`s Ultimate Polish and a maroon Meg`s cutting pad, the sides had UFF applied a few months ago, but the saline spray from the snowy roads seems to have worn it down pretty well.

My coworkers definitely saw an improvement with the HCW. They have gone so far as to say that there is NO WAY that I could make the car any "Shinier." ... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

I`m using generic microfiber-wrapped application pads for the application and Sam`s Club bulk microfiber cloths for the drying and wipe-downs. For the "HA-2R" process, I use 3 microfiber cloths. One for the initial dry after the wash, one for drying the car after the "application rinse," and a third for the "final wipe" rinse and maybe a fourth (lightly damp) cloth for a "just for good measure" wipe to get the odd .remaining smear.

My comparison to Sovereign is not something I can describe or even show in pictures. It`s one of those: "You had to be there" things that only with the naked eye can you "detect." A subtle "over the top" thing that you have to see in person to appreciate - I hope that makes sense. And you`re right, there is no comparison on the price aspect

I would characterize HCW as: possibly "A" (like I mentioned, I`ve been applying it too often to test its durability), But DEFINITELY "B" and "C". It finishes off so smooth, so crisp and clear that IMO, it EXCELS as a topper, maintenance spray OR a gloss enhancer, though it`s definitely NOT a QD (unless used as a spray-on, rinse-off with a pressure washer).

I cannot answer #2 as I have never used Bead-Maker, or another rising favorite, Sonax PNS.

I hope I`ve answered your questions, though I`m sure you will have some more :)
 
After applying HCW to my car 5 times (the 1st time using WAY to much), this is how much I have left:


tn_Used_HCW.jpg
 
Finely washed my truck after 8 weeks and I’m guessing 4k-5k. HCW is beading just as well as before. PBs EX is the same as the last photo.

The day before the wash I hit it with a gas pressure washer just to see how easy the mud would clean off the my truck. I was a little disappointed to not see HCW clean up any easier then PBs EX.


In washing I noticed no difference in ease of dirt removal or slickness of paint. Especially while removing bugs one product didn’t clean up any easier than the other. After the wash while feeling the dry paint again I noticed no difference in slickness. Both products are considerably grabbier then they were after the application. Where the paint was extremely smooth and slick on both at that time.

Photos of just pressure washing
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I will also say I’m disappointed in HCW on glass. I noticed the water spots right away and they where harder to clean off then the rest of my truck that has RainX. I thought maybe it was due to not buffing the glass enough leaving some residue after application. Because it seem to get better after I clean the glass. But after washing my truck the whole passenger side of my trucks glass has water spots on it and there are none on the drivers. They are very minor, but did not come off with a hard scrubbing.


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HCW (2oz), Distilled Water (20oz), and Mckee’s N-914 (2oz) makes a pretty nice drying aid with rather impressive sheeting abilities in regards to how much water actually comes off the paint.

When Griot`s new Brilliant Finish Rinseless hits box stores, HCW could be quite a viable product as a coating maintenance product, even more than it currently is.
 
I got a new work truck and don’t have time to decon the paint etc, but I wanted some protection on it. So on my last wash I misted the truck with the HCW and spread it with the pressure washer and I’m pretty impressed with the results. Several gave it a hard time saying they had poor results if you didn’t do the first application the right way, but I sure didn’t. I was using a wash and wax soap, so maybe that helped spread HCW.


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