Beading is the easiest way to "show" the presence of product. In a way beading is a bit of showmanship that people have picked up on as "proof of effective protection". (but it does not really mean more than paint that is clean and in good condition)
It is neither right or wrong to measure your protection by observing the beads however, if you apply product to your car and/or know when it was applied. (beading ony proves your paint is clean and in good shape at the time it is observed) This week, the pollen was horrible, then it rained a bit. That was enough to leave a yellow, "moonscape" pattern of dirt, pollen, and blown particles of vegetative on the surface. Being that I HAD to do something about it, I hosed it off, and was preparing to give it a quick wash, and then I noticed, NO BEADING ! I washed it, and dried it, the car looked great, but in the back of my mind was the thought... no beads !Today it rained again, and voila', BEADS ! My car was clean again ! The paint in great shape. What does it mean? Still protected? Yes ! But not the entire story.
Beading occurs on clean,non oxidized vehicles only from what I have seen. The paint by its nature if not damaged in some of varied ways, enhances the effect of surface tension in clean water. Paint is like oil, in that it is non water soluble, it tries to repel water naturally unless the surface allows water to spread out, like filthy, oxidated (dried out) , chemically compromised ,and physically marred paint.
(unprotected new paint beads well) New paint is "super sealed" because it is usually unmarred, and presents no breaks in the surface to begin the degradation process . (why new paint beads for a long time) After some time in the elements, or exposed to them, micro-pitting, the sand blasting from road debris,and marring occur, this allows the paint to deteriorate slowly, but increasingly fast. This is why we need sealants. Beading is a clue, but not altogether conclusive proof of protection.:nixweiss
:nixweiss
Maintaining a schedule of polishing when nessesary, sealing , waxing, does give a sense of "proof" especially with Sealant products like Z2pro, AIO/SG, WG, EX-P, FMJ, to name a few. And/or Carnauba Products like Souveran, P21S, Collinite (among many). Keeping on top of the Maintenance is the only way an ordinary person can guarantee the vehicle is protected. Anyway, I am not a durability guy, I love to detail far too much to leave anything alone for long... Z2Pro Lasts 6 months, how horrible to have to wait to check that out ! It is a thing one tells a customer to "sell" them (why not?), for my cars, it's not my bag !LOL !:bounce
Its like with all the other waxes discussed on this site beading is irrelevant (sp) but with zaino being so good as far as durability goes...... where is this coming from if its not being based on the bead test.
I never got more than 2 or 3 months of good beading out of Zaino on my Tacoma, but it seemed to last a lot longer on my new Chevy. I thought maybe it was the Menzerna prep. Hmmm...