Meguairs Paint Protect review...

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wannafbody

wannafbody
Megs Paint Protect sitting on the shelf at WalMart finally got the best of me. After reading that it works on plastic trim, I figured for $11 why the heck not. My first attempt was using it on faded black cowl trim. I applied it to a paper towel and then wiped it on. Soon the paper towel became a black mess as several years of oxidation came off. I was greeted with glossy black wet look. As the product dried the finish became a matte black. I buffed it with a old sock just to see if it would shine up but it didn't. So for black plastic trim, I guess it kinda sorta works. It looks better than it did previously but suffice it to say, it doesn't produce much of a WOW factor.

Next up was a section of dark blue paint. The product glides easily as you apply it but on darker colors it produces streaking, kinda like original Z8(before being reformulated a few years ago). After sitting you can buff it down and get most of the streaking out but some remains. The finish finish is slick and looks reasonably good.

After that, I figured, what the heck, time to put it to a real test. I have a 96 Chaste White Miata with single stage paint so I applied it to the hood by hand. Application seemed fairly easy and an inspection of the pad revealed a slight chalkish white transfer, most likely from the solvents. I suspect that any solvent strong enough to remove some oxidized paint wouldn't allow for layering.

Time will tell if it's durable but if it lasts more than 4 weeks outside that will pretty much make it the King of Durability in the Meguiars lineup.
 
Depending on how you prepped the surface it should last longer than 4 weeks. I have been testing it on the hood of my car. It's been on the hood for 4 months and 1 week and it's holding up just fine. I clayed, polished the hood with M205 and then used some IPA to remove the polishing oils prior to applying. On light colored cars there is no change in gloss level. Same can be said on the dark paint that I applied it to test. It can be a pain to remove especially if too much is applied since it is oily.

It appears glossy because of the carrier oils within the product. They are gone after the first wash.

It states on the bottle to let it cure for 24 hours and over on the Meguiar's forum it's stated to not wash for about 7 days to take full advantage of the products protection.

I will be the first to say that the beading has gotten better as time has gone by. I'm still not sold on the "crazy water beading" as described on the bottle. There are other products that bead better and have tighter beads than Paint Protect. Slickness is ok. I can tell it's lost some of it in the time I have had it on the hood. Sheeting is good.
 
I've had mine brewing on the other test car for a bit over a month now, and it's really at the point to where a lot people would question if anything is left. Very slow sheeting, not completely hydrophilic because clean and decontaminated paint isn't fully hydrophilic, but the paint is begging me to throw some Sonax BSD over it. Guz noticed an improvement in the beading over the months, it's not something I've noticed yet, I've washed it about once a week since applying it. The residual oils left behind are pretty stubborn, it's not something to buff off 100% clean. In the sun it doesn't look bad, it seems to even itself out, but once you wipe with a microfiber and check with a light source you'll see that oily residue shift in the light. After washing the paint it clears it all up. For sure it's a bit of a letdown product, but I would judge it much more harshly if it were more than $10. This is actually a product that I would recommend if you don't want something known for being a strong beading/hydrophobic type.
 
I didn't bother to prep the paint on the Miata hood. It didn't appear to be heavily oxidized. I'm curious as to whether it works at all on single stage paint. Also, using a product on an unprepped surface is probably more in line with the average WalMart consumer usage of most OTC products.
 
You can see the photos I posted through out this thread.

Paint Protect 365 review

Basically this is what I started with

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This is of 6/5/2015

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Paint Protect is NOT an Enthusiast Product

If you expect it to compare well against more expensive products that require much more labor in the prep stage, you will probably be disappointed
 
Its not? Hmmmmm how can you say that when every "tom, dick, and harry" carry it? It is available at every single retailer I have been to since its release.
 
allenk4 said:
Paint Protect is NOT an Enthusiast Product

If you expect it to compare well against more expensive products that require much more labor in the prep stage, you will probably be disappointed
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I would have to agree with you. It's aimed at the consumer and that's what it is. Testing it was fun but meh there are much better products on the market. I would still choose M21 or Ultimate Wax over this.
 
I am in the process of testing this product as well. My test vehicle is a white work jeep. About a month ago put on a coat of Zaino AIO. Last weekend picked up a bottle of Megs paint protectant at the St Ignace Car show where Megs had a booth. Looks good went on easy. Only put on the hood. Water beading good. Waiting to see how it lasts.
 
dcjredline said:
Its not? Hmmmmm how can you say that when every "tom, dick, and harry" carry it? It is available at every single retailer I have been to since its release.
Click to expand...

It is a Consumer Product, as you point out, it is available everywhere OTC

Enthusiast Products generally would be less widely available, more expensive and require more expertise to use properly
 
I see that Turtle Wax recently released a consumer grade sealant as well. Obviously the big boys think there is a market for long lasting sealants. So far it's holding up on the hood of the Miata. It has a bit of a gloss improvement over the non treated panels.
 
Well, I checked today 7/31/15, one month after application, and the Megs Paint Protect is pretty much dead. Beading was almost non existent. This was on single stage white outside 24/7 and washed maybe once. Maybe the Paint Protect can't bond correctly with single stage paint.
 
wannafbody said:
Well, I checked today 7/31/15, one month after application, and the Megs Paint Protect is pretty much dead. Beading was almost non existent. This was on single stage white outside 24/7 and washed maybe once. Maybe the Paint Protect can't bond correctly with single stage paint.
Click to expand...

Single stage is very porous, I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

I have yet to try Paint Protect but a local customer of mine has had it on the roof of his minivan for about 4-5 months now. Last update I heard it was still going strong.
 
AutopiaTech said:
Single stage is very porous, I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

I have yet to try Paint Protect but a local customer of mine has had it on the roof of his minivan for about 4-5 months now. Last update I heard it was still going strong.
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I was at 4 months and it was still on the paint. I ended up removing it to try another polish product out and sealed the hood with something else. It was not my favorite product but it also was not my least favorite.
 
I used it on the plastic fender well liners of my front wheels (rears are that cardboard like material) and it is doing a great job. Really easy to clean the wells.
 
AutopiaTech said:
Single stage is very porous, I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

I have yet to try Paint Protect but a local customer of mine has had it on the roof of his minivan for about 4-5 months now. Last update I heard it was still going strong.
Click to expand...

That's a possibility. Remember, Zaino made a specific product for use on single stage.
 
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