paint sealant

[adamgl]

Originally Posted by Russell James

Back to reality and the basics. All these dealer paint sealants BS is 100% scams. It is purely to add profit to the sale. Period.

If there was a magic sealant that protected the paint forever, the factory would use it. Do you think they like paying warranty claims for damaged paint?

Wax your car a couple times a year, and accept the fact that just about anything the dealer is adding to the car is a frickin scam. Paint sealants, fabric protection, tire insurance, undercoating.... oldest tricks in the book to empty your wallet.

I agree the dealer applied is a rip off. I meant buy the sealant aftermarket, it's not expensive, and not get raped. And use it instead of wax. Some people claim it lasts longer. ??

[adamgl]

Originally Posted by OCDetails

^^^ That is not true. It is true that nothing is going to protect your car forever, but don't confuse the dealership's "paint sealants" with the products available on the consumer and enthusiast markets. Anything the dealer sells you is going to be marked up and quite possibly pointless. This includes any kind of paint treatment. They are likely just applying some professional grade (simply meaning it isn't available to the general consumer) paint sealant and roping you into some sort of agreement to return and have them reapply it over and over and charging you for five years of detailing in advance even if you don't ever return. Dealerships know squat about paint care and they only want to prey on your desire to have your brand new car look brand new forever by convincing you that if you give them several hundred dollars they can spray a magic forumula on which will protect it from ever looking bad. That isn't true at all.

Dealerships rarely pay warranty claims for anything that waxing your paint could have prevented anyway. If the paint is going to peel off and crack, then it is going to do that regardless of what you put on the paint.

Again, dealership paint treatments are a scam. Paint sealants themselves are not a scam.

What are the better paint sealers out there?

[SIRLOIN]

Originally Posted by adamgl

What are the better paint sealers out there?

On the first page, post #16, i layed out some of the best sealants on the market. You can find everything you could imagine at this website right here. Lots of information and product reviews. http://www.autogeek.net/


That website right there is a car detailers dream... Enjoy!

[OCDetails]

Forgive me for going off topic in this forum on this. Detailing is a passion of mine. It isn't what I do full time and I'm certainly not trolling or shilling at all when I make these recommendations. I just want to make the disclaimer in advance that this is my opinion and based on 15 years of detailing professionally, although not as a full time gig. It is winter 6 months out of the year here and it is not a climate supportive for the mobile detailer.

Anyway, here are some great sealants that I can recommend along with some pictures of the results. I try not to take 'money shot' pictures where the car looks great regardless of the product, so these pictures reflect, to the best of my ability, the appearance of the product.

It is kind of automotive racism when I say this I guess, but in my experience Zaino seems to have a tremendous following with the domestic car crowd. Particularly Camaros and Mustangs. I have no idea why that is, but it seems big in those clubs, so I would be surprised if at least some of you hadn't heard of it. Zaino (named for the owner, Sal Zaino) is an incredibly glossy sealant with amazing durability. I've seen it on certain shapes and colors and it is definitely mind blowing. However, I believe detailing is an art and sealants are merely colors on your palette. I don't think Zaino is the right product for the shape of the new Camaro. It looks great on the last generation and even better on all generations of Corvette, but the Camaro just doesn't have the right shape to really show off what Zaino does in my opinion. The shine of Zaino is something I call "plasticy". To me it looks like really glossy wet plastic. That is awesome on some shapes, but I don't prefer it on the Camaro. But art is in the eye of the beer holder, I'm told, so I won't argue with anyone who disagrees with that. I'm actually not a user of Zaino, so I don't have any vehicles to show off with it. I will say that in the ten or so years that I've been aware of Zaino, to my knowledge they have not changed their formula much at all. Personally I prefer using products that are progressive and recognize the need for change once in awhile. As a note, Zaino is only available online or through an authorized distributor. You can't get it in stores.

Meguiar's NXT is something that you can pick up locally at AutoZone or wherever you buy car care products. Look for the purple bottle with the green lid. Actually, NXT provides a look very similar to Zaino if you want to try it on for size. It looks really nice. The thing that is really nice about NXT is that it is a carnauba/synthetic hybrid. You get the gloss and protection of a sealant but the glow of a carnauba. It also has micro abrasives in it to remove fine swirls (the kind you might get from a dirty wash mitt) and fillers to hide some of the more serious ones. It isn't going to hide everything, mind you, but it does help. However, because of the abrasives in it you cannot layer it. I find that sealants only look better the more you layer them. I've seen cars with ten or fifteen coats of Zaino on them and it is mind blowing. Anyway, I recommend NXT to people looking for a one step sort of cleaner wax/sealant in one bottle.

Another great local sealant is Meguiar's Ultimate Wax. This is one of the more advanced sealants out there. The durability is reported to be outstanding and there is no faulting the gloss. It is a mind blowing shine and worth every penny. I frequently use this product when I have a vehicle that I maintain not very often, but often enough to really want to impress the owner. Here are a couple examples of it:









While black cars in the shade always look good (the sun had gone down and the driveway faced East, so I was kind of screwed there) this product looks absolutely amazing on it.

Something a little harder to come by (meaning you have to order it online) is a product line from Autogeek. I order from them because I know them to be truly car care fanatics. They have a couple product lines they formulate and have manufactured especially for them with very different purposes for very different kinds of car enthusiasts. I trust their products enormously. So here are a couple suggestions from their line.

XMT 360 is a one step cleaner sealant. I've seen it do some pretty amazing things all by itself, so I frequently use it when I need to just do a quick once over on a vehicle. Not everybody is interested in paying me to spend 5 hours perfecting their paint, so this is a good product that provides exceptional gloss. It is a sealant, but it also has incredible cleaning powers. Here is what it did on an old Raider:





That is the roof of the truck. It was a single stage paint job and just seriously oxidized. Nothing 360 couldn't handle and the truck turned out looking great.



You can see similar results on this red truck. That pink part on the left side of the fender is just what I haven't polished yet. You can see it takes the oxidation off well and leaves a great looking gloss.


So maybe not what I would use on a show car, but it works great in a pinch.

While we are talking about great cleaning 'waxes', Klasse makes an awesome cleaning sealant as well. It is the one in the red bottle. The real sealant is in the grey bottle though. That is right up there with Zaino in terms of shine and durability. Very strong and gorgeous sealant. The cleaning power of the Klasse All In One is rivaled by very few and the durability of the Klasse Sealant Glaze is rivaled by fewer. It is what comes with being one of the few acrylic sealants left on the market still selling.

So those are both great options if you have vehicles that need a little clean up and protection, but the real beauty is in the next product.

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant is probably my favorite product of all time. It looks amazing on every single color and is the only product I've ever used where I can see an immediate difference in the paint before I put it on and directly afterwards. As a detailer I am often too close to the forest to see the trees. By the time I get to putting on the sealant I have already seen the paint transform from oxidized and scratched up neglect to something smooth and polished. That process takes time enough, but to see it bump up several notches with just one application of product is an amazing thing. All I can tell you is that without exception, everybody I have ever spoken to or read about who has used this has praised it. I've never seen it flamed on any forum. It is tough to have anything but positive things to say about something that looks this good.





















It is the depth of the reflections I want you to look at. As well as the 'wet look'. I've got hundreds of pictures like these and they all looked far better in person. Sometimes it isn't always possible to get the best light for a picture or have the best camera available, but I think those show off the product at least a little. It is spectacular.

Another product that is awesome is Wolfgang paint sealant. It is very similar to Blackfire, but does things on lighter colors that very few products do. In fact, Four Star Ultimate paint sealant and Blackfire look too similar for me to tell apart in pictures. I could spot Zaino or Wolfgang a mile away, but Blackfire and 4*Ultimate are very close, so I am not sure which I used on some of these.













It is the reflection I get in white which really makes me a fan of those products. It is also the way they make body lines glow on colors with a little metalflake in them. It is tough to get white to look like anything more than a blindingly bright wall of pain, so if I can get something to reflect well on it, then I'm going to use it. And believe me when I say that seeing a white car reflect in the direct sunlight is impressive as can be.

So those are some of my favorites. NXT, Meguiar's Ultimate Wax, Zaino, XMT 360, Wolfgang, Klasse, Blackfire, 4*Ultimate... There are a lot to choose from. There are even more I haven't mentioned, but that would just take too long. My advice is to go with the Meguiar's Ultimate which you can get locally. That will give you a great taste of what sealants can do for you. Then if you want to do some research and see what else is out there, then head over to a detailing forum like Autopia and see what the flavor of the week is. There is always something new coming out or an older product getting a make over. It is too much for anybody to keep up with, so my advice is to find something you like and then use it often.

Sorry again if that sounded preachy or spammy. I love talking about this stuff and I do believe there is no better looking car on the roads right now than the Camaro, so anything I can do to help point you guys in the direction of what to use to make it even more gorgeous is my pleasure to do so.

[Dave K]

Wash,clay bar,Rejex sealant, P21S wax,you can't believe the wet look, you can give the wax multiple coats and give it real depth.Autogeek.com

[mcamisgroup]

OCDETAILS.... I have an Ashen Gray ZL1. What would you recommend as a sealant for this color? My vette friends are all saying Rejex, but now as a result of reading your post I am leaning toward Meguiar ultimate wax or Wolfgang deep gloss sealant. By the way, at my age I am looking for something that is easy on easy off.

[ZL1Dave]

My question is what to use on the painted black wheels? The same sealant as the body, nothing at all, or a special product? I like to give my wheels some extra protection if possible but would be leary of just putting anything on them from the heat the wheels see from the brakes or a reaction to wheel cleaners when used together

[OCDetails]

For Ashen Grey I would go Wolfgang for sure. That is roughly the same color as my Corolla and it does amazing things with it. It is just dark enough to look awesome with this product, but light enough that the body lines look dripping wet. It would absolutely be what I would use on that color.







Get that color in certain light and it is mind blowing. It makes the paint look seriously dripping wet and it stays looking that way for months.

Example of the right light and dripping wet...



Wolfgang comes off like butter. There are sealants out there which dry very hard and are quite the workout to remove, but Wolfgang literally wipes off smoother than anything I've ever used. It is right up there with Pinnacle Souveran wax, if anybody has ever used that. Very easy to remove.

For wheels there are a couple different products specifically made for them. I applied some to my friend Cameron's ZL1 and we'll see how it does. You really can't prevent brake dust on your wheels though. If your brakes are going to dust, then it is going to get on your wheels. All you can do is help make them easier to clean. A sealant is definitely better to use than a wax simply because of the heat and environment your wheels are in. I wouldn't use a spendy product like Wolfgang on them though. I'd stick with something like Meguiar's Ultimate Wax or even NXT. They will protect and last and not break the bank. Or you could go for something specifically designed for wheels like I did on Cameron's car.



For that I used a product from Autogeek called Wheel Wax. It is a jelly looking purple stuff which is designed to protect wheels long term from brake dust and corrosion. It looks great and glossy on wheels and it does help make them easier to clean. I have done tests where I apply it to one wheel and not the other and there is definitely a difference in brake dust accumulation, but you should still wash them fairly regularly to avoid brake dust build up and damage.

[LS3 SS]

Bookmarking this page. Excellent discussion!

[adamgl]

Originally Posted by OCDetails

For that I used a product from Autogeek called Wheel Wax. It is a jelly looking purple stuff which is designed to protect wheels long term from brake dust and corrosion. It looks great and glossy on wheels and it does help make them easier to clean. I have done tests where I apply it to one wheel and not the other and there is definitely a difference in brake dust accumulation, but you should still wash them fairly regularly to avoid brake dust build up and damage.

Even for the painted black wheels?

[KLR ZL1]

I have used all kinds of waxes on all my vehicles and when I got the 2010 I used the Zaino brand and was very impressed with the results. Here are some pics when my car was new and some from this year.

[OCDetails]

Originally Posted by adamgl

Even for the painted black wheels?

Yup. The color doesn't matter much. They powdercoat wheels, so it is a lot more durable than typical paint. Anything should work, but you just want to make sure it is a strong enough product to last through the heat.

[jshaf]

ye dealer sealants are generally a cheap way to extract money from customers, something you can do yourself for 1/20th of the cost in an hour or so. don't fall for it! I can vouch for Collinite 845 and Klasse SG, both good products. will be ordering a can of Collinite 476 to give it a whirl for winter!

[htron50]

^^^ what he said!

If anyone is interested in "sealants".. I'd research KLASSE.
First treat with KLASSE AIO (all in one) Then KLASSE High Gloss Sealant
http://www.autogeek.net/klashiggloss...FQY3nAodFW0Agg