Saturday, July 29, 2017

Synthetic Waxes Durability Test Update: Month 3 (end)

It has been slightly more than 3 months and the results are as follows.
Please see here for the initial post.



This was taken on July 29th 2017.

The below picture shows what were applied.





SealantsWater BeadingWater Sheeting
Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection11
Finish Kare Hi-Temp Paste Wax11
Fusso 12 Months Wax22
Meguiar's Ultimate Paste Wax11

It seems that the effects of most of the sealants are starting to diminish. However Fusso seems to be still working but I am not impressed.

True to most of our understanding and suspicion, there are "severe" water marks on the Fusso section.






As discussed in earlier post:
"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".

My wife drives to work every weekday and the car is park under the sky at her workplace. If it rains, the rain water plus surface dirt will bead up on the Fusso section. When the rain stops with the sun coming out, the water bead will dry up and whatever that is inside the droplet would be etched onto the car surface.

So far, I did not see any water mark on other sections. That is why I used the word "severe" earlier. As such, I do not intend to continue this evaluation. As mentioned in the initial post, to have a fair evaluation I skipped using spray wax on this particular test surface. Being a spray wax lover, I believe using spray wax would have minimized the water marks.

As a general conclusion (based on my personal observations and opinion), most sealants tends to last about 3 months in our Malaysian climate. Fusso might seem to be the strongest contender but the high water beading is also its biggest downfall. It does give the "wow" effect but in terms of protection, other sealants might be doing a better job. I think it is quite conclusive that high water beading might not be a quality one should look for in terms of protection in a tropical climate.

I strongly believe that using spray wax after every wash would not only prolong the longevity of the sealants but add to another layer of slickness and protection. So get yourself a spray wax and start spraying! Read about spray waxes here.

That's it for this comparison.
I would like to thank those who followed this comparison and provided constructive comments.
Stay tuned for more new posts.
Happy detailing.

8 comments:

  1. I also notice that the Fusso wax is kind of misleading. No doubt the water beading effect are exception and last longer than all the wax i have tried. But my white car tend to have much severe "oil slick" after rain fall.

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    1. I think "oil slicks" or what I call bleeding marks tend to be more pronounce on high beading sealants. I had the same problem on Fireball premium easy coat on my own DD.

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  2. Thanks for the good review, I was planning to buy this 12 mos protection fusso wax to replace my mothers synthetic wax due to its hype for having a strong water beading capability.

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  3. Thank you for your infromative review on car waxes.I'm thinking of applying a new coat of wax. May i know what is your preferred method to remove the old wax before putting in a new layer?

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    Replies
    1. Hi there. Thank you for reading :)
      As for your question, that depends on the condition of the surface. If it is still good, a good wash is all you need. And if you really want it to be squeaky clean, dish washer would be good.
      A step further would be to use a mild polish or paint cleaner. Something like Dodo Juice Lime Prime or Lime Prime Lite.
      Try to feel the surface of the paint for any contaminant after washer. Use a sandwich bag as a glove. That would enhance the sensitivity of your palm. If it is rough and "dotty" you might need to clay it. Follow up with a mild polish after claying.
      Hope this helps and happy detailing.

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  4. First of all thanks for your advice Wong. Appreciate it.
    After polishing the car, do u do anything to remove the polish first before waxing? I read that some ppl would do an IPA wipedown before waxing. Apparently the wax bonds better to a naked surface. IPA sounds scary to me haha. Just wondering isit necessary to do that.

    Best Regards, and happy cny in advance. :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kenneth,
      IPA wipe down depends on what you used for polishing and what you intend to apply. Since most polishes out there are oil-based (there are water based though), if you intend to apply a sealant or wax that is oil based, then IPA wipe down is not necessary. Oil and oil is miscible. However, if you intend to apply some kind of special synthetic wax or coating, then IPA wipe down is necessary to remove all the oils left behind by the polish.
      For IPA dilution, I recommend reading this (http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=208081).

      Hope this helps. Happy CNY too :)

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