AJT just NOT doing it for me

B

BMW335i

New member
I recently got a panel repainted so once it was cured I clayed the visible contaminants, Prime Strong'd it, then AJT'd.....I figured it would of make a nice test subject for AJT...about 2 or so weeks later I have bonded contaminants all over where it was previously clean and clear. When I rub a towel over the surface it sounds rough, that's how many contaminants there were.



Admitedly, I don't wash every week since I don't have the time. My last wash was probably almost 3 weeks ago, but it still should of protected my paint.



It made me think, about how much time I wasted on this product since I used it over my whole car. It's just not protecting it all, not beading nearly well enough, slickness is marginal, and is just a poor performer overall.



Am I doing something wrong?
 
This is actually my first. Yeah, you're right, I don't have a benchmark to compare AJT to, but it doesn't take a genius to know it's not doing its job. I feel like this product has left my car unprotected for nearly 7 months, and that feeling sucks.



BTW- everything was done by hand......and if I was to ever start all over again, it's definetly PC time.
 
No, I'm 19 so it's really my first and only vehicle. But I've read up on these boards more than enough to know how to apply the sealant. Spritz the panel lightly (one spritz for panel), take MF and buff till residue is gone.
 
Scottwax said:
Depending on what was stuck to your paint, it is possible no wax or sealant could have prevented it. :nixweiss
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They are just tiny specks, like bonded contaminants that would make a perfect clay subject. they are maybe a tiny bit larger in area than a pin head, and are circular.



Dirt also takes a bit of elbow grease to remove, and I find contaminants stick (bond) rather easily. There are maybe 2 or 3 AJT applications on the whole car and the first time AJT was applied was maybe 6 months ago (last winter).
 
BMW335i said:
No, I'm 19 so it's really my first and only vehicle. But I've read up on these boards more than enough to know how to apply the sealant. Spritz the panel lightly (one spritz for panel), take MF and buff till residue is gone.
Click to expand...





You asked a question. We need a little background on what has worked in your locale in order to give you an informed response.

What has your father/mother/older brother used with success in your area?

Are you parking under a tree?

Industrial fall-out sources near-by (i.e Power Plant, Refineries, etc)?
 
blkZ28Conv said:
You asked a question. We need a little background on what has worked in your locale in order to give you an informed response.

What has your father/mother/older brother used with success in your area?

Are you parking under a tree?

Industrial fall-out sources near-by (i.e Power Plant, Refineries, etc)?
Click to expand...



I don't know anyone who waxes cars (seriously). I am not parking under a tree..



No powerplants/refineries that I know of....



I highly doubt the particulates stick to my car because of any type of environmental factors.



Let me describe the particulates a little better. They are TINY circular specks, dark in color, and they are definetly above the surface, I can feel them. When I try to clay them (Blue Magic Clay), they take quite a few passes with heavy-medium pressure.



They seemed to have accumulated at the area where my rear bumper meets my trunk lid (the little ledge portion you could stand on). I was thinking that when it rained, the minerals in the rain water bonded to the bumper (because rain usually accumulates heavily in that area). Clearly, the AJT didn't do its job. I made sure to protect that area, yet I noticed quite a few more particulates a few weeks later (today).



I guess I just need to try something else. What kind of products are REALLY good at protecting from bonded contaminants and bead well? I have Collinite 845 however I would have to polish out the entire car by hand to remove the old AJT and that's a pain.
 
BMW335i said:
Let me describe the particulates a little better. They are TINY circular specks, dark in color, and they are definetly above the surface, I can feel them. When I try to clay them (Blue Magic Clay), they take quite a few passes with heavy-medium pressure.



They seemed to have accumulated at the area where my rear bumper meets my trunk lid (the little ledge portion you could stand on). I was thinking that when it rained, the minerals in the rain water bonded to the bumper (because rain usually accumulates heavily in that area). Clearly, the AJT didn't do its job. I made sure to protect that area, yet I noticed quite a few more particulates a few weeks later (today).



I guess I just need to try something else. What kind of products are REALLY good at protecting from bonded contaminants? I have Collinite 845 however I would have to polish out the entire car by hand to remove the old AJT and that's a pain.
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My guess from your description is sap or resin ( indoor parking lots are a great source for this resin weeping from the ceiling. Sap / resin plus hot summer sun = :wall in terms of removal.



You do not need to remove the AJT to test your 845 to see if it is more resistant or better yet resist such strong bonding of the foreign material.

I would also check daily to see if these blemishes are an accumulative problem or an episodic one. This may aid in discovering if this problem is avoidable or not.
 
I live in LI and I dont know what it is but I have had some of the same specs you described on my paint also. I have regular AJ on my GLI and they wash off and surface is smooth again. I was my car weekly though and use a quick detailer polycharged every other week.
 
Thanks guys. Well I just got back from:



Claying/Poli-Seal/845'ing my hood and the part of the rear bumper that was particularly contaminated. I will report back and let you guys know if this setup will work better than the AJT.
 
BMW335i said:
Thanks guys. Well I just got back from:



Claying/Poli-Seal/845'ing my hood and the part of the rear bumper that was particularly contaminated. I will report back and let you guys know if this setup will work better than the AJT.
Click to expand...





You never mentioned what part of the vehicle this panel, but is it possible this is brake dust? If its a fender or quarter panel the paint/clear may be soft and the brake dust is sticking to it fairly easily. If thats the case you can always try brake pads marketed towards less dusting. Just a thought.:2thumbs:
 
BMW335i said:
I don't know anyone who waxes cars (seriously). I am not parking under a tree..



No powerplants/refineries that I know of....



I highly doubt the particulates stick to my car because of any type of environmental factors.



Let me describe the particulates a little better. They are TINY circular specks, dark in color, and they are definetly above the surface, I can feel them. When I try to clay them (Blue Magic Clay), they take quite a few passes with heavy-medium pressure.



They seemed to have accumulated at the area where my rear bumper meets my trunk lid (the little ledge portion you could stand on). I was thinking that when it rained, the minerals in the rain water bonded to the bumper (because rain usually accumulates heavily in that area). Clearly, the AJT didn't do its job. I made sure to protect that area, yet I noticed quite a few more particulates a few weeks later (today).



I guess I just need to try something else. What kind of products are REALLY good at protecting from bonded contaminants and bead well? I have Collinite 845 however I would have to polish out the entire car by hand to remove the old AJT and that's a pain.
Click to expand...



^^ It is on the rear bumper, at the ledge where the top of it meets the trunk lid, or where the trunk lid meets the bumper when you close it.



I think it might be the minerals on the rain, they are accumulating and forming a bond with my paint. It's out there, but it may be true. Whenever it rains there's always a lot of drops remaining there many hours (even a day) after it rained.



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Yeah - I would try several other products (Zaino, Duragloss, Collinite).



Maybe you will find something else that works better for you in your situation or maybe you will discover that the problem you are having would occur with any sealant/wax - no matter how good.



No way to know for sure unless you experiment with several products.
 
K, so it rained today and I checked the beading on the Poli-Seal + 845...and all I can say is......AWESOME. The beads are just perfect, it almost looks like a work of art.



Miles ahead of the AJT...
 
Hope the Collinite works out for ya.



I never really liked the Werkstatt sealants. Didn't look all that great and the things I like most in an LSP just weren't there.
 
I've gotten twelve months out of AJT on mine and never gotten any fallout on it and any sap washed off with warm soap

However the car now has fireglaze DS on it and will have permagard next up

Definately ahead of the AJT but there's no doubt that AJT on top of fireglaze or other top sealant will give light coloured cars that extra level of shine that people want



There are a few things that sealants can't stop completely from sticking
 
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