My Ultima Experience

Those photos look fantastic! Great job, hopefully the durability is up to par with the awesome results after application.
 
Thanks again, guys... I'm up to three coats of UPGP now. Think I'll leave it at that for the remainder of the test. Still have durability, cleanability, and it's ability to prevent contaminants from penetratiing through to the clear coat (environmental protection) left to score.
 
Yes, actually, especially on the glass. I wouldn't recommend multiple layers on the glass at all. As it builds, it gives your glass a milky hazey appearance. The odd thing is that it doesn't appear to do this on the paint. Hmmm. Additional layers really haven't changed the look noticeably, IMO.
 
OK, so I mentioned how the glass started to look kinda filmy after three coats, right? Well, on closer examination of my car, I noticed several areas where I had gotten a little ham fisted with the UPGP application, and they hadn't leveled out and cleared up when it cured. it wasn't *really* noticeable, though, but even the slightest blemishes are unaccepetable to me. So here's what I did...



I knew I needed to do a touch wash on the car to try and knock down the high spots where I had over applied, and also to see if I could get the filmy/milky look off of the glass. So I did an ONR wash/dry. The car looked pretty good, but just an ONR wash didn't knock off the excess UPGP areas, and the glass still looked a bit milky.



So after the ONR wash, I used the Ultima Detail Spray Plus on the entire vehicle. OMG, the difference was amazing. Not only did the yucky areas and glass clear up, but the car looked even better than it did after the very first coat of UPGP. Guys, it looks *far* better than Z(X) followed by Z(8), and the finish is so slick a fly can't stand on it. (Yup, it's true. I watched one try and skate on my hood. :) )



So here's the problem... Using the Ultima Detail Spray Plus after the UPGP makes the car look *even better* than it did after the first coat of UPGP. Yes, that's a problem...I want the car to look the best it's capable of looking before I hand the keys back to a customer. That being the case, I would love to know how long I have to wait to go over the car with the Detail Spray Plus after an UPGP application? I know UPGP bills itself as a WOWA product, and for the most part that's true, but it still *does* benefit by some after-application love. Analagous to wiping/polishing the haze of Zaino or a wax off.



If I can't do an UDSP application shortly after the UPGP (and before I hand the car back to the customer), then I'm going to have a problem.



I know some people are going to say that "you just need to get better with your application technique", and undoubtedly that *is* true, but... IMHO, no matter *how* good your application technique is, the car will *still* look better after it's first UDSP wipedown.



Edit: This needs further clarification... The important point I want to make here is that the application process just isn't complete until you have (in some way... using a QD, or traditional car wash) knocked out any areas you have over applied, or any other hazey/milky areas. UPGP's look just isn't finished until you've taken this step, one way or another.



The "Application" score is gonna get docked for this one. UPGP is definitely a break through when it comes to WOWA products, for sure, but they need to have a way of making the finish look it's very best without either having to wait to do a QD wipe-down or having absolutely perfect application technique in order for it to get a perfect score.



Being able to do the UDSP wipedown (or even a traditional car wash) within a reasonable amount of time of the UPGP application would really help.



Thoughts, ideas, criticisms, gifts of money?
 
loving the review so far. I have 4 coats on my steel grey Saab and tomorrow it get an Ultima wash and the 5th coat. I DID find a significant improvement in looks between the first 3 coats, with a big difference in wettness especially. Maybe this is colour dependant as my wife's very dark grey pearl Honda also benefitted from a 2nd coat adding more wettness.



I have to slightly challenge your view about the UDSP & UPGP. Surley UDSP is a different product with a different purpose, and while it may add to the finish as you mentioned (not used it enough yet to be completely sure in my experience), is that a criticism of UPGP? I dont think so. It just means that the finish can be improved still further by the use of a different product afterwards. I found the same with my Zymol waxes when I applied Field Glaze afterwards - it brought out the finish even further but doesnt mean the original wax is somehow at fault IMHO.....



Not trying to criticise you or your point of view, but merely to offer a slightly different point of view on the products & expectations :2thumbs:



Interesting to see what it looks like on the softer yellow of my MG once the polishing is finished in the next few weeks, as I am going to try ditching the carnauba in favour of UPGP for a change
 
Bigpikle said:
loving the review so far. I have 4 coats on my steel grey Saab and tomorrow it get an Ultima wash and the 5th coat. I DID find a significant improvement in looks between the first 3 coats, with a big difference in wettness especially. Maybe this is colour dependant as my wife's very dark grey pearl Honda also benefitted from a 2nd coat adding more wettness.



I have to slightly challenge your view about the UDSP & UPGP. Surley UDSP is a different product with a different purpose, and while it may add to the finish as you mentioned (not used it enough yet to be completely sure in my experience), is that a criticism of UPGP? I dont think so. It just means that the finish can be improved still further by the use of a different product afterwards. I found the same with my Zymol waxes when I applied Field Glaze afterwards - it brought out the finish even further but doesnt mean the original wax is somehow at fault IMHO.....



Not trying to criticise you or your point of view, but merely to offer a slightly different point of view on the products & expectations :2thumbs:



Interesting to see what it looks like on the softer yellow of my MG once the polishing is finished in the next few weeks, as I am going to try ditching the carnauba in favour of UPGP for a change
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In my view, yes it is. Here's why... I don't think that the UDSP *improved* the look of the UPGP. It was more along the lines of *finishing off* the application process. In other words, it had the same effect that wiping off the hazey layer of any non-WOWA sealant or wax would. Put yet another way, it was the final step in the application, as there were areas that came out looking milky, hazey, or "not leveled out" on the car. Again, much the way any non-WOWA product would look prior to it's final wipe down. I'd be willing to bet I would have ended up with the exact same look had I chosen to do a traditional car wash with CG's CW&G and a MF mitt, and NOT using any QD afterward. This was simply a matter of finishing the application process of the UPGP; removing the excess and knocking down the areas that didn't self level. The fact that I used UDSP to do this (instead of a traditional car washing) is kind of irrelevant.
 
I don't have any money to give, but I have been doing my own UPGP testing. I have been applying layer after layer on the trunk of my steel grey BMW. I do notice after I wipe down with the spray detailer it looks better. I know that just doing the trunk is not very accurate since it is the smallest panel on the car, but I have not had the time to do a full polish yet. I will say that is goes on and dries much better than ZCS, which I struggled with until I found a way to get it to not streak. I am very familiar with the Z2/Z8 glow and hope once I get a chance to do my whole car, I get the same results with UPGP.



Steve
 
SuperBee364 said:
So here's the problem... Using the Ultima Detail Spray Plus after the UPGP makes the car look *even better* than it did after the first coat of UPGP. Yes, that's a problem...I want the car to look the best it's capable of looking before I hand the keys back to a customer. That being the case, I would love to know how long I have to wait to go over the car with the Detail Spray Plus after an UPGP application? I know UPGP bills itself as a WOWA product, and for the most part that's true, but it still *does* benefit by some after-application love. Analagous to wiping/polishing the haze of Zaino or a wax off.



If I can't do an UDSP application shortly after the UPGP (and before I hand the car back to the customer), then I'm going to have a problem.
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Intermaresting.



Haven't had a chance to try Ultima myself, yet. Still waiting for my G37 to come in.



Thanks for sharing your findings
 
Same experience here. My perception matches SuperBee's. The Ultima QD made a noticeable difference, and my initial application had minimal streaking, FWIW...
 
Yeah, that's what's so hard to describe about UPGP. It doesn't really *streak* per se, it just doesn't look it's absolute best after application. The over-applied areas don't level and clear out. They look like raised areas that don't reflect/refract light correctly. That same description matches the whole car, now that I think about it. Even the areas that weren't over applied just needed to be "finished off" for lack of a better term. Yes, the car looked *very good* after the UPGP was applied, but it looks *unfreakingbelieveable* after it's been finished off. Seriously, this stuff is the most beautiful looking sealant I've ever seen. It's just *gorgeous*. It just takes a bit more effort to get to that point than what the instructions tell you.



It's so beautiful that it *almost* has me to the point of switching my look preference from carnauba to sealant. And that's saying alot for me, cause I love me a good nuba. :)



I wish the instructions had a bit more to them... Maybe something like "to bring out the very best in your UPGP finish, wait X amount of time, and follow up with an application of UDSP." Or your favorite QD, or a traditional car wash.



David (if you're even reading this thread), I kinda suspect that you haven't said anything for professional reasons, and I really respect that. In fact, I'm *very* impressed with not just the Ultima products I've used, but every aspect of my dealings with your company. But I do have one request. Could you just answer one question for me? How long do I need to wait after applying UPGP before going over it with a QD or washing the car?



Edit: I got so wrapped up in the "finishing off the UPGP" thing, that I never mentioned anything about the UDSP. It's a very good QD. But, you must make sure that you get the finish completely dry when using UDSP. *Any* remaining UDSP on the paint will give you terrible spots and streaks. If this happens, it's very easy to remove with a dry MF (as long as your paint is completely free of debris, cause otherwise you risk marring your paint). I did a second UDSP application tonight to see if I could get better results with it. Using one MF to apply and a second MF to dry worked very well.
 
I think that the key to what you're seeing is summed up in the "over applied" issue. Once you back off on the amount applied it will simply dissipate. Be cautious of dirty applicators as well.
 
IME, I've had zero streaking problems, and Ultima Detail Spray didnt add anything to the final finish. I've used Ultima on about 8 vehicles and 3 of them I have applied addtional coats. Really, I think it has the most to do with application, I have significant experience with the WOWA products, that may have something to do with it.



The look of Ultima is good, about on par with OS + Z8. The beading of Ultima leaves a little to be desired considering the ambitous claims. Durability seems good so far, it been about a month, slickness has fallen off significantly, but it is beading close to day 1. THe ease of cleaning is about the same as anyother sealant I have tried. My main test car sits outside 24/7 and is washed once a week with DG 903.



Like you said, I definitely dont like UPGP on the windows, one coat made the windows hazy and would fog up in the pattern it was applied.
 
Yeah, I'm sure that my application method is partly to blame for the vast improvement I saw after the first washing and QD'ing, but I did try really hard to make sure I didn't over apply it. Take a look at the first picture on page one. That's all that I used for one complete applicaiton on the entire car, including the windows! I just don't think it's possible to use less than I did. Yes, there were a few spots that I *know* I over applied on, but I think that in general, my application technique was very good. Sheesh, I only used about 1/4 of one ounce on the entire car.
 
I can lay it down streak free on black at this point.:D I've applied about 20 coats in various applications and I'm about 3 ounces down.
 
I'm sure it's partly color-dependant, but I think that Ultima looks much better on my bright yellow 'bee than Z(X), CS, and Z8 did. I would be willing to trade my entire Zaino collection (almost full bottles of Z2, Z5, Z8, ZFX and CS) for one full bottle of UPGP.
 
SpoiledMan said:
I can lay it down streak free on black at this point.:D I've applied about 20 coats in various applications and I'm about 3 ounces down.
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Get yer butt up here to Utah and help a brother out, then!:chuckle:
 
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