I'm thinking, sealants might finally be right for me

J

JustinR32

New member
It has to do with the way my driving habits have changed. The Miata used to be the fun weekend car, and the "other" car was the go-to-work car.



But my new job is 39 miles away, 78 miles round trip each day, and the sedan is a leased vehicle. Even at the 15k a year that my lease is, I'd be in deep mud if I used the Sube all summer for the daily driver. I have to save those miles for winter.



So the Miata now has to roll on the miles. I put a thousand on in the last two weeks. If I garage the Miata, the Subaru sits under a tree and gets sapped on (because I have to park it so that I can get the M out of the garage); but I can park the Miata outside the garage blocking the Subaru in, and it'll be out from under the tree.



So, in order to get max protection, I'm going sealants on the Miata. I just used the new Meguiar's #21 on it. I'll say this about #21: remember that Star Trek episode where the crew got some sticky stuff on their hands that wouldn't come off? I got this sealant on my hands and it took some serious scrubbing with APC and a terry towel to get it off. And the car is shiny as all h-e- double hockey sticks. I have never seen a product that spreads as thinly and is as sticky as #21. SG spreads as thinly, but it doesn't have that elastic feeling when you apply it, like #21 does.



I'm not getting into this brand name or that brand name; you guys know I think they're ALL good. I have some SG, some #20, #21, NXT, some UPP... enough stuff to last a while. I can #7 and 'nuba it for the shows, but I'm thinking it's going to be a sealant world for a while now. 'Nuba just isn't going to be practical for maintaining the car.





Tom
 
Mosca said:
I'm not getting into this brand name or that brand name; you guys know I think they're ALL good. I have some SG, some #20, #21, NXT, some UPP... enough stuff to last a while. I can #7 and 'nuba it for the shows, but I'm thinking it's going to be a sealant world for a while now. 'Nuba just isn't going to be practical for maintaining the car.
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Exactly the way I feel. :xyxthumbs
 
Amen to that, I also love having the selection to pick from, sort of like what kind of clothes I feel like wearing.



(too bad I stick to Zaino on my own car)



I'm in the testing phase of Meguiar's #21 too, so far I like the shine, just gotta see durability. (Reminds me of Alien doo doo, the purple neon stuff.)
 
Tom-have you tried that Shokar sample I sent you yet?



I really need to try some #21 one of these days. Once I burn through some of my current LSPs I'll have to give it a try. Keep us posted on the durability.
 
Geez Scott, I forgot it; I'm sorry! It's in the kitchen cabinet because that's where I opened the mail that day, in the kitchen!



"Honey, what should I throw into the chili this time? I have some habaneros, some pork shoulder, garlic, some Shokar...."







Tom
 
Axe said:
Sorry for the dumb question, but what is #21? Looking at the secret decoder ring, 21 isn't listed ?
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http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_detailpage.cfm?product=Synthetic-Sealant&sku=M-21



"Synthetic polymer formulation provides technologically advanced paint care and protection. Synthetic Sealant produces a noticeably deeper, more reflective paint finish. This advanced synthetic polymer formula delivers extreme protection and eliminates fine scratches and swirls, creating a flawless finish. Synthetic Sealant glides on easily with a smooth, resistance-free wipe-off"
 
#21 is MUCH easier to use than MPPP. It wipes on fast, wipes off fast, spreads like nothing else I've ever seen





timmah, I've used the Collinites and they aren't for me. I got different results than you did, I'm sorry to say. I didn't care for the look.





Tom
 
Scottwax said:
Tom-have you tried that Shokar sample I sent you yet?



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Where the heck do you guys find ShoKar? I havent been able to find anything of that name... or is ShoKar a nick name for something branded by another name...?:nixweiss



Megs #20 is a good product to start with. You can always top it with your favorite carnauba..:xyxthumbs
 
mochamanz said:
Megs #20 is a good product to start with. You can always top it with your favorite carnauba..:xyxthumbs
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Hehe.... youse guys always tryin' to get me!



#20 actually looks really phenomenal on the Subaru. Saturday night I was looking at it, and it has that "glow". Remember that I got to start with a fresh car, and I'm already a known fanatic. So far it's 4 months, 4200 miles and swirl free. I've really liked 3 different things on it: Zaino, NXT, and #20. All of those gave it that "ice cream" look, wet and white, but it's almost impossible to get any depth because of the "satin pearl". I'm going to try for a picture one of these evenings if I get home before darkness falls.



"My theory":



The illusion of depth isn't caused so much by reflection, but by the absence of swirls that give the eye what I call "surface cues". The more a person can see imperfections, the more obvious the actual paint surface is. Removing swirls = adding depth!



The satin pearl metalflake of the Subaru has its own depth/layer that draws the eye to it, making it impossible to "undefine" the surface, which is what we are trying to do when we polish out swirls and acid rain spots.



Older sealants that gave the "wrapped in plastic" look added surface cues by causing reflection before the light hit and reflected the color. Having used Z, I will say that I didn't notice a "wrapped in plastic" look at all. Newer sealants do a better job of "vanishing", IMO.





End of "my theory"





I've used #20 on the red Miata, and it's got a very hard look compared to #26 and #21, and NXT, but it's still within the Meguiar's Family look; very balanced and "handsome", not doing any one thing best but providing an even presentation.





Tom
 
mochamanz said:
Where the heck do you guys find ShoKar? I havent been able to find anything of that name... or is ShoKar a nick name for something branded by another name...?:nixweiss
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It was a Klasse-like system that eShine of Canada and Top of the Line were going to import until they were told it would be a minimum 1000 case order and apparently neither company can afford to carry that kind of inventory of a product that hasn't been sold here before. The polish works about as well as AIO and the sealant blows away SG in ease of use and looks very similar to Z2 Pro but without the need for an accelerant. Wipe on, wipe off and it takes maybe a 1/4 ounce to cover an entire car. I have one ounce left and am saving it for a couple of customers who really like how it looks and protects.



I am horribly disappointed the deal fell through. :(
 
Aww man just when I was going all nuba' :p . My car is a daily driver and have been using sealants for over a couple years and experimenting with nubas. Just today I tore everything down used RMG and some CMW and man it looks sweet on the dark blue metallic, call me shallow but I'll take the looks before the durability for now:D, I haven't seen the car this good in awhile:cool: . Man I'm such a risk taker going all nuba' in the summer:o !
 
true blue blood said:
Aww man just when I was going all nuba' :p . My car is a daily driver and have been using sealants for over a couple years and experimenting with nubas. Just today I tore everything down used RMG and some CMW and man it looks sweet on the dark blue metallic, call me shallow but I'll take the looks before the durability for now:D, I haven't seen the car this good in awhile:cool: . Man I'm such a risk taker going all nuba' in the summer:o !
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Same here when it comes to my black car. I always go back to carnaubas or products like Wolfgang or EX w/carnauba that have that deep wet look. Maybe if I had a Hummer I'd feel differently but my car is easy to wax quickly.
 
Scottwax said:
Same here when it comes to my black car. I always go back to carnaubas or products like Wolfgang or EX w/carnauba that have that deep wet look. Maybe if I had a Hummer I'd feel differently but my car is easy to wax quickly.
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Well I tried that combo off you mentioning it so many times, you weren't kiddin' thats a deep, wet look:cool: :xyxthumbs Thanks
 
LOL, guys! Maybe it's just that we all love change. For me it's part that I used to have an 18 minute drive and now I have a 45 minute drive. I used to get home from work about 8:20, and I'd change clothes and wash and wax the car and be done before 10. Now I get home between 8:45 and 9:00 PM. But I'm also concerned about the car being outside all the time, picking up more bugs in a week than it used to get in a month, stuff like that. I want the protection to last, too.





Tom
 
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