Silicone Sealants in OCW

zippymbr

zippymbr

New member
Can anyone tell me more about the silicone in OCW? It seems like something you would not want to put on your car. It seems like we generaly think of silicone as a bad thing in detailing products.



From Auotgeek's description "Optimum is the first and only wax that contains UVA and UVB absorbers to shield your paint from all the sun’s harmful rays. The patent-pending formula combines high-grade carnauba wax and silicone sealants to give you outstanding shine and protection. The carnauba produces a warm, high-impact shine that is the standard in the auto care industry while the silicone sealants bond the shine to the paint to create the long-lasting durability typical of a synthetic wax." :nixweiss
 
Should I stop bathing in OCW? :o



Seriously though, I think there was a discussion about this a few months ago and the end result was that there are hundreds of products with silicone and they're probably harmless, however if it does bother you then definitely use silicone-free products. Peace of mind, and all that.
 
I did do several searches and came up with stuff on different tire dressings and waterbased vs silicone but nothing on silicone as an LSP.
 
I thought the consensus of the previous discussion was that virtually all LSP's have some silicone content; it's the "gloss enhancer".
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I thought the consensus of the previous discussion was that virtually all LSP's have some silicone content; it's the "gloss enhancer".
Click to expand...



I believe that was the conclusion - there are "silicone free" LSP's, and there has been evidence that silicone can adversely effect paint over an extended period of time, if used heavily (although this is, of course, debatable and heavily subjective). I can't remember why, the thread I'm referring to was quite long. In the end I think it comes down to perspective and peace of mind. If you think silicones will hurt your paint, there are products you can use which don't have them. I really like OCW and a number of other products with silicone, so I am going to keep using them.



Edit: here is a thread that confuses the issue and says that OCW shouldn't be used over products with silicone oils.



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=61225&highlight=OCW+silicone



I suppose it's possible there is good silicone and bad silicone?
 
silicone isn't good when your paint is fresh and still gassing, aka curing. as it can clog the porous paint. but once your paint is cured, silicone isn't what does damage to your paint and trim, it's more of the solvents for the silicone in the product. i would assume that most of the boutique brands that have silicone content in their products have the minimal amount of solvents in there to make the product work. i would worry less about the ol'silicone issue nowadays.
 
zippymbr said:
It seems like we generaly think of silicone as a bad thing in detailing products.
Click to expand...



Well, it seems this thread is going to be a rehash of the good/bad/solvent silicone drama...so I will just take exception to the above quote as being untrue; I believe that the overwhelming majority of detailing products have silicone in them, and that includes LSP's, dressings, QD's, and even washes. Granted, Klasse and Zaino are probably free of them, but based on past discussion, I would bet that the "beauty" carnaubas, like P21S, Souveran, Natty's, all have silicone content.



What do you think is giving you that oily slick feel to the surface, that frequently goes away after a wash or two? Probably something slick and oily...like a silicone oil/compound. If you go to the Dow Corning website, you can see that silicones are used in a variety of car products, some of which may surprise you: Dow Corning Auto Appearance Chemicals
 
atticdog said:
I didnt think any carnauba's or sealants were
Click to expand...





You and I both, let me find the link where I read it.



EDIT*** Here it is:



http://chemicar.com/cardetail_wax.php





Easy to use, takes less than 15 minutes to wax the whole car

Durable, 1 application lasts up to 5 months

UV Protection helps reduce fading

Non-abrasive formula will not create swirl marks like traditional car wax/polishes

Environmentally friendly, contains no harsh chemicals or VOC's

Body Shop safe
 
I did not mean to rehash an old debate, or start a flame war. I just asked a question based on a false assumption.
 
zippymbr said:
I did not mean to rehash an old debate, or start a flame war. I just asked a question based on a false assumption.
Click to expand...



Hey man...didn't want to rain on your parade, just the silicone thing always breaks bad. No disrespect intended.
 
Here is the official product description on Optimum's website:



PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Optimum Car Wax is the only spray car wax that provides the durability of a paste wax and long-lasting UV protection. A combination of high-grade Carnauba wax, sealant polymers and UV inhibitors forms a protective layer on the painted surface to protect the paint from sun damage and environmental elements for up to 5 months.



http://www.optimumcarcare.com/optimumwax.html
 
I don't see why they would be horrible for paint that is cured. Actually, silicone polymers are fairly good at repelling water, have high boiling points, and are pretty slick.



Lets be reminded that when we say "silicone" we're being broad. It's only a little more specific than saying "polymer" in reference to what something is made out of. "Silicone polymer" is still fairly vague, if that's even what optimum has in it.



Would you be happy to hear that if these silicones really are bad, the bottle is still full of mostly water? ;)
 
I just got alittle concerned about silicone being safe for paint having heard negative things on several detailing forums. I ordered a gallon of the stuff after loving the first spray bottle I bought.
 
zippymbr said:
I just got alittle concerned about silicone being safe for paint having heard negative things on several detailing forums.
Click to expand...



Believe me, there is a wealth of mis-information about detailing on the internet.
 
Hey, I was reading that Dow Corning stuff, and here's a silicone hard wax ingredient you can use in a car wax blend that is body shop safe. If you go back to my other link earlier in the thread you can see that they make silicones for shampoos, glass cleaners, you name it. When members here talk about some glass cleaners leaving a slick surface afterwards, it doesn't take much imagination to figure that they are probably using a silicone surfactant as shown in this formulation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top