Sealant wearing off after one wash?

wannafbody said:
IME most products are pretty much gone after 3 washes. The exceptions are Collinite, Duragloss and Zaino.
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I'll add *layered* KSG and FK1000P to that list. The MPV had it's last layer of KSG applied forever-ago and it's still beading tightly, not even starting to sheet anywhere. The wheels I did with FK1000P have been washed many times (shampoo mix, not wheel cleaner) and they're still doing well too.



.... Lack of beading on sealants doesn't mean that the sealant is gone. Sealants tend to sheeth rather than bead...
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Good point. Whether lack of beading, in and of itself, means "time to redo" depends on how much you value the beading. I *generally* redo when the beading drops off, but some things that I only seal at *long* intervals (e.g., wheels, wheelwell bits, and brake calipers) quit beading and still stay well-protected for long after that.



When I experimented with sealants on the (always-outside) Volvo's satin-black trim, the sealants would continue to protect for quite a while after the beading dropped off; you could tell when the sealant was *really* dead because that trim would oxidize right away when not protected.
 
another for the IPA wipedown** i had the same issue, after polishing my first few cars (thankfully just family and friends) i noticed the waxes i was using werent lasting very long... collinite 845 was pretty much gone after a couple weeks... and then i searched autopia and learned about IPA wipe downs .. i use a 1/3 alcohol to 2/3 water. lots of peeople use a 50-50, but i ran out ha. seems to be working fine.
 
xxplosive said:
Hey all! For my first post I just want start off by saying that Autopia has been an amazing resource for me as I've learned how to properly detail my car. I finally worked up the courage to put my PC and detailing accessories to use last week and polished my black Audi A3 to a brilliant finish. Here is what products I used and in what order:



1. Pinnacle Clay Bar

2. XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover #3 w/ Orange LC Pad

3. XMT Carnauba Finishing Glaze w/ Blue LC Pad

4. Poorboys EX-P Pure Sealant w/ White LC Pad, left on for 15 min before removal



So far I've been happy with the results, but...



After washing the car today, I noticed that the water didn't seem to bead off as effectively compared to right after I detailed the car. The body also seems to have lost its glossy feel when I run a MF towel/finger lightly across the surface. All of this makes me think that the sealant has prematurely worn off, but how?



If I had to throw out a guess, I'm thinking the fact that I applied a glaze before the sealant might have affected the sealant's ability to fully bond to the paint. From what I'm reading the sealant needs to be applied onto bare, uncontaminated paint in order to bond effectively. Am I on the right track here? If this is the case what would be the best course of action to reapply the sealant? Would re-claying the car be beneficial?



Sorry for the wall of text, but I just want to make sure I'm not doing something horribly wrong. ;)
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True. The sealant must cure for 12 hours first before applying a layer of wax. When applying the sealant you have to let it bond to the paint. So you would need to wax for at least an hour for best.
 
Would using KAIO before applying KSG help with durability? The two seem to be a good combo from what I'm reading.



edit: Also, is there a way to effectively strip any remaining sealant from the paint short of using a clay bar? Will an IPA wipedown accomplish that?
 
So far, Ultima is the longest lasting sealant I've tried. I put a couple of layers on late last summer, then we moved into a house (after 13 years in the same apartment . . . yeah, I'm resistant to change). Between work and the house, I'd been swamped and had only been able to run through touchless washes through the winter and early spring, and it was obvious the sealant was still working well. Heck, unless the car was filthy, the touchless *soap/detergent* was beading up on the finish.



If my car didn't need a good claying (picked up some rust blooms from IFO and brake dust over the winter), I'd just toss another coat of sealant on and call it pretty . . . water is still beading nicely and the finish is slick enough that the car still washes and dries easily with ONR. As it is, I'm waiting for a weekend when I have enough time to clay, hit it with Ultima's paint cleaner, and reseal.



And, to add another data point to others comments, I've had good luck with Duragloss, Klasse (especially if maintained with Sonus Acrylic Spritz/Glanz, or even diluted KSG as an after-wash "booster), and Zaino in the longevity dept. However, IMO, older versions of Zaino were more durable . . . I gave up on Z2 Pro.



FWIW (YMMV, etc.)

Tort
 
xxplosive said:
Would using KAIO before applying KSG help with durability? The two seem to be a good combo from what I'm reading.



edit: Also, is there a way to effectively strip any remaining sealant from the paint short of using a clay bar? Will an IPA wipedown accomplish that?
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If you use KAIO before KSG, that should take care of any old sealant on the paint. An IPA wipedown won't hurt anything (and might make the KAIO job easier just because there's less stuff on the paint for the KAIO to cut through/clog up your pads). If you want to strip sealant without KAIO (or other paint cleanser), I'd suggest something stronger than IPA, like Prep-Solve.



Tort
 
jDizzle said:
another for the IPA wipedown...
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Whereas I hardly ever do an IPA wipedown and I often use less-than-durable products under my LSPs...without any problems at all. The Collinite that's still holding up on the Yukon after...sheesh, I dunno, a good nine months is on top of 1Z WPS.



The UPP on my S8 doesn't last any longer when I apply it over bare paint than it does over 1Z Pro MP either.



I won't argue *against* IPA wipedowns, but they don't seem to help *me* any in this regard. Consider that my (six layers of) KSG lasts "long enough" by *any* measure and it's on top of AIO.
 
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