Show & Tell - 3 new retail products *pic*

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imported_BretFraz

New member
I've been visiting local stores the past couple of days looking for some new products. Until this afternoon I had not seen much on the shelves. But a local Advance Auto Parts had on display several new products, including all new items from DuPont. I bought a few them but have not tried them so I cannot speak of performance (yet).



Meguiar's NXT Tech Protectant

This has been discussed before but I just wanted to let y'all know it's starting to show up at a few more places. 24 fl oz. $6.96. Has a lighter aroma than the NXT wax does. Clear liquidy fluid. Has a slippery, almost oily, feel to it. Appears to be solvent based, certainly not water based. Has UVA/UVB inhibitors.





DuPont Teflon Wheel Cleaner

Yep, DuPont is now in the car care products business. Advance had the wheel cleaner and a new spray wax for sale. Both have Teflon in them. Some quotes from the bottle label: "The only wheel cleaner with Teflon surface protectors that make future cleanings easier... Cleans tires too... contains no acids or harsh chemicals... also removes bugs and sap from all painted, plastic, glass nad chromed surfaces... contain surfactants..."

32 fl oz., $5.98, very nice foaming spray head, has a light, slightly chemical aroma, watery, has a soapy feel to it. http://www.dupontcarcare.com/





Eagle One Nanowax

As mentioned elsewhere, this is apparently a repackaged product from their Pro Detail line. Comes in a pump bottle, 16 fl oz, $9.98, sleek silver bottle, nice tropical aroma (pina colada?), doesn't feel gritty, includes a foam app and a couple other things noted below.

While the talk about "nanotechnology" is cheesy marketing, this product comes with two very interesting items:



(a) A coupon that will refund your entire purchase price up to $9.99. You have to send in the coupon, your receipt, the UPC, and a 15+ word comment regarding the product on a separate sheet of paper. I'm sure this will be used to promote the product somehow. But essentially this offers make Nanowax free.



(b) A microfiber towel to remove the wax. Its the usual size and grey in color. Did the CD test and it marred ever so slightly with heavy rubbing. Probably not good enough for the paranoid Autopian but for everyone else, it's fine.



So, for $10 you get a $10 refund and a MF towel worth about $2. Looks like Eagle One is going after some market share and is willing to pay for it. Even if the wax is so-so, the packaging and accessories make for an interesting product.



When I get a chance to test these products I'll post some comments. In the meantime, here's a pic:



621newstuff.jpg
 
Hey Bret, I wonder if that soapy feel to the wheel cleaner is because it's acidic? Turning your hand fats/oils into soap? (or is it bases that do that?) Just wondering.



The MSDS of NXT Tech Protectant makes no mention of water.
 
Dinzdale40 said:
I thought for Teflon to work as a protectant it had to be applied at like 600 degrees.
Click to expand...



Yup, you pretty much nailed it. Manufacturers put it in the product for marketing only. Lots and lots of people think it adds to protection, but guess what?!?

I know of one company that has a product with it in, and another product, exactly the same, without teflon...even they will tell you there is know difference whatsoever in durability, shine, anything.....

I can't think of who it is tho....DR427, if you are out there, you told me about this stuff.........!!!



:cool:
 
Dinzdale40 said:
I thought for Teflon to work as a protectant it had to be applied at like 600 degrees.
Click to expand...



It is very irresponsible of them to sell this product without an oven mitt. I guess it creates its own heat by mixing like 10 hour glove warmers.
 
Aurora40 said:
Hey Bret, I wonder if that soapy feel to the wheel cleaner is because it's acidic? Turning your hand fats/oils into soap? (or is it bases that do that?) Just wondering.



The MSDS of NXT Tech Protectant makes no mention of water.
Click to expand...



I've got some litmus strips coming so I'll test the cleaner ASAP. I've noticed most acid based wheel cleaners have a sharp chemical odor but this stuff is very mild. Surfactants = soap and I don't believe you can get an acid cleaner to foam with a foaming spray head. Worth a test, though.
 
Wasn't it DuPont themselves that issued a statement back in the early-mid 90's saying that Teflon did nothing added to car care products. I seem to remember that was when everyone and their brother was trying to add it to wax, etc., and using the Teflon name as a marketing ploy. DuPont basically said it would add no durability to wax as the surface would have to be heated to 600+ degrees for it to bond. I believe I may have read the exact statement they issued on Meguiar's site somewhere. It could have been a different site, but I do remember their making it. I'll try to look for it.

This type of marketing is a definite turn-off for me. It could be a very good product, but with their previous statement, I would consider this marketing strategy either hype or under-handed. Either way, my business will go to companies who show consistency and honesty in all their dealings.



The NXT Protectant is something I might try (based solely on my experience with Meguiars). My concern with it is the description of it being "oily". Is this an accurate description once applied and buffed? I prefer a matte/satin sheen to my interior, and really dislike oily shines. I currently use 303 (which I like), but have to drive 30 miles to get it locally at $15 for 16 ounces.



Disclaimer: These are just my opinions, and therefore could be wrong.



Dave
 
Aurora40 said:
Hey Bret, I wonder if that soapy feel to the wheel cleaner is because it's acidic? Turning your hand fats/oils into soap? (or is it bases that do that?) Just wondering.

Click to expand...



If it makes your hands feel soapy, it's a base, which means it's alkaline. After all, that's what soap is. If you get bleach on your hands, or anything that is very alkaline, it'll feel soapy. If you get Fantastik on your hands, it'll feel soapy.
 
That du pont stuff is made by Tenneco Automotive, the auto maker of Monroe and Walker. They and Du Pont have combined to release teflon added car care products for the retail car care industry. As i have posted recently, teflon is only a surface smoothener and will not protect one little bit. While i was getting some 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and other gear from Car Chem SA, the guys there said that they hate teflon as it flakes



The only reason i could see the wheel cleaner making future cleaning easier is that the teflon has slickened the surface and contaminants can't stick to it as easy.
 
bretfraz said:
I've got some litmus strips coming so I'll test the cleaner ASAP. I've noticed most acid based wheel cleaners have a sharp chemical odor but this stuff is very mild. Surfactants = soap and I don't believe you can get an acid cleaner to foam with a foaming spray head. Worth a test, though.
Click to expand...



eat some. bitter=basic, sour=acid

Afterwards, call your local poison control center
 
The NXT Protectant is something I might try (based solely on my experience with Meguiars). My concern with it is the description of it being "oily". Is this an accurate description once applied and buffed? I prefer a matte/satin sheen to my interior, and really dislike oily shines.
Click to expand...



I've used the NXT Protectant. It was oily when I applied it. i used a foam pad and it went on very shiney. Buffed it out with a MF and it left a matte finish. I also don't like shiney interiors. I really liked the look, but I can't compare it to 303, YET.
 
SVR said:
That du pont stuff is made by Tenneco Automotive, the auto maker of Monroe and Walker. They and Du Pont have combined to release teflon added car care products for the retail car care industry. As i have posted recently, teflon is only a surface smoothener and will not protect one little bit. While i was getting some 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and other gear from Car Chem SA, the guys there said that they hate teflon as it flakes



The only reason i could see the wheel cleaner making future cleaning easier is that the teflon has slickened the surface and contaminants can't stick to it as easy.
Click to expand...



that makes more sense as to why teflon is in the product. maybe the protectant is something else.......
 
2wheelsx2 said:
If it makes your hands feel soapy, it's a base, which means it's alkaline. After all, that's what soap is. If you get bleach on your hands, or anything that is very alkaline, it'll feel soapy. If you get Fantastik on your hands, it'll feel soapy.
Click to expand...
I agree (and this is something I remember from chem classes :D). A2Z for instance, has always felt exceptionally slippery when I accidentally get any on my hands.



I'm pretty sure I don't get that with the acidic cleaners I also have...





Bret, that's interesting about the NXT Protectant... AFAIK, if it's a clear liquid it's definitely solvent-based. I'm interested in knowing why Megs went this way instead of going with the more reputable and "safe" water-based route. Durability maybe?
 
I almost picked up a bottle of the Eagle One stuff the other day. It's free after rebate, but the two boxes on the shelf were all taped up. I wasn't even sure if the rebate coupon was on teh box so I took a pass.
 
Well, we finally had some nice weather today (and I had some time) to test a couple of these products.



DUPONT TEFLON WHEEL CLEANER



I usually start my routine by cleaning wheels and tires. To say my truck needed some TLC would be an understatement:



tire detailing pics 002.jpg




tire detailing pics 003.jpg




I applied the cleaner as directed to an unrinsed wheel and tire. There are two spray settings, foaming and hi volume. The foaming spray uses less product (obviously) but I noticed the cleaning action wasn't as good. I think for weekly cleaning the foaming spray is best but if your wheels and tires are really grubby, use the high volume spray and really lay on the cleaner. This pic shows the cleaning action from the high volume spray:



tire detailing pics 007.jpg






After scrubbing the tires with a stiff nylon brush and the wheels with a flagged tip bristle brush, then rinsing, here's the end result:



tire detailing pics 010.jpg




The tire was completely clean, the white lettering nice and bright, and I noticed no residual staining on the wheels. Friends, I think we have a winner of a product here. Certainly competitive with Eagle One A2Z.







MEGUIAR'S NXT TECH PROTECTANT



Next I applied an even coat of Meguiar's NXT Tech Protectant. Remember, this is an oily, solvent-based product, not a water-based product like most of us use and recommend. I used a new Eagle One Tire Swipe, sprayed the protectant onto the swipe, and wiped it onto the tire. It went on unevenly and took me several squirts of protectant to apply it on the tire. After 10 mins of drying it was still oily feeling but it did leave a nice, semi gloss shine.



tire detailing pics 013.jpg






For comparitive purposes I treated the left rear tire (also cleaned with the DuPont product) to an even coat of Zaino Z16 protectant. Z16 went on a little more evenly but it set up quickly and was dry to the touch in just a minute or two. The shine between the two was comparable. I don't think most people could tell the diff between the Meguiar's and the Zaino shine.



tire detailing pics 015.jpg












I'll keep an eye on the tire protectants and let you know how they hold up. We're expecting more rain next week and that's always a good test of how durable a tire protectant is.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading. :wavey
 
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