BFWD 7 month durability.
- Thread starter iforcev8
- Start date
Here's what their website says about 303 on rubber. <blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >
<strong class='bbc'>303 Aerospace Protectant For Rubber
From aircraft pressurization door seals to the inflatable boats at Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon or for the rubber hoses, seals, and tires on your vehicle, manufacturers' tests show only 303 protects against rubber's worst enemies, UV light and ozone.
303 Aerospace Protectant is the World's Best for rubber.
[/b]</blockquote>
<em class='bbc'>clic pic[/i]
<strong class='bbc'>303 Aerospace Protectant For Rubber
From aircraft pressurization door seals to the inflatable boats at Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon or for the rubber hoses, seals, and tires on your vehicle, manufacturers' tests show only 303 protects against rubber's worst enemies, UV light and ozone.
303 Aerospace Protectant is the World's Best for rubber.
[/b]</blockquote>
<em class='bbc'>clic pic[/i]
I wanted to see just how long BFWD could last and take a midwest winter beating. So last October I prepped my Ford Flex and applied 3 coats of BFWD.
Process was:
Wash
Clay
Apply Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish as a paint cleanser using a mf applicator.
Applied 3 coats of BFWD with LC blue pad on speed three. I applied the first 2 coats just one hour apart and then let them cure overnight and applied the 3rd coat the following morning.
The Ford Flex is a daily driver but is garaged at night. *NO* Waxes, spray waxes, QD's, or any other coating was used during this 7 month period. Just standard two bucket washes and one wash using a high pressure washer after going down a mud road.
Yesterday it rained all day and while coming home with dinner the Flex got poured on and I decided to take some photos of how the BFWD was holding up.
Here is the hood.
Roof (Flexes are two toned so hence the white).
Door.
Now overall the BFWD is still beading and sheeting water great except on the lower 1/3rd of the doors and back trunk. Even while washing you can notice a big difference between the beading and sheeting action of the upper parts vs. the lower sections.
The photo of the door where you can see all the beading on the upper section vs. the lower section is pretty much what you see while washing as well. All beading and sheeting is gone on those parts of the car.
All in all though considering the brutal winter of ice, snow, road salt, some gravel roads and just 7 months of overall wear, the BFWD held up pretty well imho.
This weekend I'll be stripping the remaining BFWD and applying CQuartz to see how long it can hold up.
Process was:
Wash
Clay
Apply Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish as a paint cleanser using a mf applicator.
Applied 3 coats of BFWD with LC blue pad on speed three. I applied the first 2 coats just one hour apart and then let them cure overnight and applied the 3rd coat the following morning.
The Ford Flex is a daily driver but is garaged at night. *NO* Waxes, spray waxes, QD's, or any other coating was used during this 7 month period. Just standard two bucket washes and one wash using a high pressure washer after going down a mud road.
Yesterday it rained all day and while coming home with dinner the Flex got poured on and I decided to take some photos of how the BFWD was holding up.
Here is the hood.
Roof (Flexes are two toned so hence the white).
Door.
Now overall the BFWD is still beading and sheeting water great except on the lower 1/3rd of the doors and back trunk. Even while washing you can notice a big difference between the beading and sheeting action of the upper parts vs. the lower sections.
The photo of the door where you can see all the beading on the upper section vs. the lower section is pretty much what you see while washing as well. All beading and sheeting is gone on those parts of the car.
All in all though considering the brutal winter of ice, snow, road salt, some gravel roads and just 7 months of overall wear, the BFWD held up pretty well imho.
This weekend I'll be stripping the remaining BFWD and applying CQuartz to see how long it can hold up.
imported_firebird
New member
That's all I need is BFWD! Thanks for the write up!
BIOLINK
Icon Detailing
Very Nice! I like the Blackfire as well. It's good stuff.
Nth Degree
New member
I love BFWD also. It is my understanding it was designed for appearance more than durability. I don't doubt that there will still be parts of the car that will be beading water after 18 months, but I would consider protection lost when any part of the car fails to bead. The lower half of the doors is undoubtedly a result of salt. This is why I explain to my existing and potential clients that if any part of their car is not beading water it is overdue for protection.
"Pay now or pay later. You can pay to maintain regularly, pay to correct after damage is done, or you can lose value in the vehicle. If all those costs are comparable, wouldn't it make sense to enjoy a beautiful vehicle for the price?"
"Pay now or pay later. You can pay to maintain regularly, pay to correct after damage is done, or you can lose value in the vehicle. If all those costs are comparable, wouldn't it make sense to enjoy a beautiful vehicle for the price?"
Freddotron
New member
I don't know how you guys do this.
Last fall I put down some BFWD and then a layer of collinite 845 over it. It lasted MAYBE 3 months on vertical pannels.
how far did you drive this winter?
Last fall I put down some BFWD and then a layer of collinite 845 over it. It lasted MAYBE 3 months on vertical pannels.
how far did you drive this winter?
BIOLINK
Icon Detailing
I have had both Collinite and BF last much longer than 3 months. Instead of layering the two, try applying a few applications of either one. The first time I used Collinite I applied in (2 applications) Feb and the car was beading in Sept after a brutal summer in PHX. Same with Blackfire. :wizard:
imported_AudiOn19s
New member
Those are stellar results, I'm with the others I get maybe 6-8 weeks out of Blackfire on my daily driver that sits outside 24/7.
...but honestly I don't care, the looks and ease of use of the product really make it stand out and I just ordered another 1/2 gallon to keep going with. If I want outstanding durability I'll go back to Zaino, if I want ease of use and, in my opinion, the best looking sealant currently on the market I'll keep using the Blackfire.
Andy
...but honestly I don't care, the looks and ease of use of the product really make it stand out and I just ordered another 1/2 gallon to keep going with. If I want outstanding durability I'll go back to Zaino, if I want ease of use and, in my opinion, the best looking sealant currently on the market I'll keep using the Blackfire.
Andy
Old Pirate
AMG Classic Car Detailing
Keep them coming folks, great to hear about your results.
Freddotron
New member
This.
Just put down one fresh layer of BFWD 3 weeks ago on my DD, and the beading is looking a little lame already. I'm sure multiple coats will increase the durability but not by almost 10 fold.
before I applied the BFWD I washed with dawn (1oz/gal) clayed then washed again with dawn.
Since applying I've washed my car twice, once with auto glym soap, what ever it's called, and the second time with ONR.
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bmw5541
New member
Not quite sure why you didn't get better results. I have BFWD topped with 845, and it is still going strong since October. I live in NJ and we had a horrible winter and my car is kept outside 24/7.
BFWD is, as those crazy kids say "da bomb".....
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Freddotron
New member
I drive about 1.5k/month.Not quite sure why you didn't get better results. I have BFWD topped with 845, and it is still going strong since October. I live in NJ and we had a horrible winter and my car is kept outside 24/7.
BFWD is, as those crazy kids say "da bomb".....
Not a crazy amount but a good bit, I don't think that helps. Also not sure about NJ but Ontario, LOVES road salt.
imported_User Name
New member
Having lived in both NJ and Ontario, I can certainly say that the Ontario winter is much more severe (except maybe this past year - lol).
I've never got anything (except Zaino) to last beyond the 5 month mark. Typically I get about 3 months with BFWD which is fine by me.
My results with Collinite 476s were abysmal, but 845iw was better.
Todd@RUPES
Just a regular guy
That is a great testament to how well BFWD will perform on some paints. 7 months is rare for BFWD, but I have seen it on occasion.
While we all know that durability is greatly variable on a huge number of factors (driving habits, environment, washing habits, and so on and so on) another huge factor (that is often overlooked) is the type of paint that the product is applied to. Some products will just work better on some paints (whether they be specific brands of waxes, sealants, glazes, polishes, or compounds). In general, in most normal (whatever that may be) driving conditions Blackfire Wet Diamond should give between 3 to 6 months of protection. Some cars it may be less and on some cars it may be more.
On my wife's old Sonata, BFWD was easily good for 6 months, parked outside in the tropical Florida summer. It would usually bead strong after until about 8 months. However on my old HHR, prepped identically to my wife's old car, I would average about 4 months.
While we all know that durability is greatly variable on a huge number of factors (driving habits, environment, washing habits, and so on and so on) another huge factor (that is often overlooked) is the type of paint that the product is applied to. Some products will just work better on some paints (whether they be specific brands of waxes, sealants, glazes, polishes, or compounds). In general, in most normal (whatever that may be) driving conditions Blackfire Wet Diamond should give between 3 to 6 months of protection. Some cars it may be less and on some cars it may be more.
On my wife's old Sonata, BFWD was easily good for 6 months, parked outside in the tropical Florida summer. It would usually bead strong after until about 8 months. However on my old HHR, prepped identically to my wife's old car, I would average about 4 months.
BIOLINK
Icon Detailing
Have you had better luck with another sealant or wax?
never gone
New member
I have NO IDEA how you get 7 mo longevity. I LOVE me some BFWD but I don't know how 7 months is even possible if it's on a DD. I loaded up my Lexus and Jeep with BFWD in Nov and by Jan it was pretty much gone from both cars.
No, but I certainly haven't tried that many different things. I have a bottle of Collinite 845 but have barely used it. I also have not tried the klasse twins. I will be applying CQuartz this weekend though.
It is a DD but is garage kept and doesn't have any kind of ridiculous commute. My wife's VW CC has 4 coats of BFWD on and sits outside all day and I get 3-4 months out of the BFWD on it.
Some things I've found that I think helps the BFWD last longer are:
Machine apply if possible. You get a much more even and thorough coating.
Also make sure that the paint is clean. Do an IPA wipedown or use a paint cleaner. I really like the Blackfire Polish, which really isn't a polish but a cleaner and glaze. The paint feels like clean glass after the Blackfire polish is used. However I prefer to use a damp mf applicator by hand with the Blackfire polish, I didn't like how it spread via machine.
When buffing off, you're not trying to remove the sealant, just the haze. I barely apply any pressure, I'm not trying to scrub wine stains out of carpet.
SHAKE THE BOTTLE! My second bottle when I got it, felt like water was in it. I had to shake it for a good 3-4 minutes to get it nice and thick again. I shake the bottle really well before initial use and again each and every time for 5 seconds before I apply more to the applicator.