This was the behavior of the sealants last weekend (May 20th).
The below picture shows what were applied.
| Sealants | Water Beading | Water Sheeting |
|---|---|---|
| Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection | 1 | 2 |
| Finish Kare Hi-Temp Paste Wax | 1 | 4 |
| Fusso 12 Months Wax | 5 | 5 |
| Meguiar's Ultimate Paste Wax | 1 | 3 |
As can be seen, Fusso 12 Months Wax is still beading water very well after 5 weeks of application with several washes in between using Meguiar's Ultimate Wash & Wax and Gold Class. As for the others, although they are not beading water, they are still sheeting water quite well. Kudos to all manufacturers.
Again, I want to stress that the above rating is very subjective and not absolute.
I received some questions about water beading and water sheeting - which is better?
Not a straight forward answer but here is my take on it.
If water beads up it shows that the surface is hydrophobic (hydro for water and phobia for scared/ disliked) and because of the own surface tension of water, it will not "wet" the surface and beads up. The general idea of a hydrophobic surface is that dirty liquid will not "wet" and smear all over the surface. But if those water droplets are left to stay till dry (hard water and/or with some dirt encapsulated in them), there could potentially be water mark. If the car is moved before the water droplets dry off, then it should be good.
In my opinion sealants protects the paint by being a sacrificial barrier. They prevent dirt from sticking directly onto the paint. Be it hydrophobic or slick. A slick surface that sheets away water and dirt is as good as a surface that beads water. It is just that a surface that beads water gives a Wow effect. And this is where the marketing gimmick works :)
I am more into durability than gloss and deep shine. That is why I only have synthetic waxes or sealants but the wowing effect is irresistible. Having my car parked directly under the sky in my office every weekday, maybe it is not such a good idea.
Opinions? Please share them :)
That's all for this post. Next post will be on the next month on this durability series.
Happy detailing.
