Badwrx,
General Caution:
1. Pls be careful when using this product on soft-clearcoats.
2. Requires 24hrs curing period without getting wet.
3. All application and buffing MFs MUST be discarded after use
Note: I'll explain why later.
Testing and Observation:
This is what happened based on my testing on current Honda Civic (soft clearcoat).
1. Machine prep.
2. Wipe with alcohol etc to remove as much polishing oils as possible.
It was 100% swirl free.
3. Spray Nano Lack Prepare (the tall can) to further clean and boost the gloss a little. Nice gloss, no rich waxy feel. Still 100% swirl free.
4. Spray Nano Lack Protect (short, small can).
5. In hot humid weather, I waited for the recommended 45secs-60secs (I think), and it was difficult to remove with MF. Press a little harder, and scratches were created!!!!!!
6. Then, I did another section and waited only 15secs and buffed. Easy to buff off, but lots of micro-marring started to appear.
Gloss, Reflectiveness etc:
Very high level gloss and reflectiveness, especially on well-prepped surfaces.
Darkens dark colours perceptibly.
Most car owners would love the effect.
Hand-Feel:
Definitely not the rich, thick waxy feel of polish and wax, and not the super feathery smooth feel of sealants (eg: Zaino, Klasse etc).
It feels like there's nothing on the clearcoat. Feels just like plain, bare clearcoat after it has been stripped from everything. Some people might not like it.
Durability:
I tested it out to 7mths. Washed each week and 100% no QD.
Still beaded and sheeted water. Gloss remained great.
Definitely, that layer is still there...but......
Resistance to stains:
I was very disappointed by this aspect, especially on white cars.
I deliberately left a white Civic unwashed for 3weeks, and it accumulated lots of stains, especially those vertical black lines running down from the side mirrors. It was very difficult to remove any stains from that Sonax'ed car.
Resistance to strong chemicals:
Our friend here is not bothered by full strength MPC left on it for 3mins.
It's also not bothered by engine degreaser left on it for 1min.
Sonax Nano Lack Protect - some background info:
When you spray the coating on, wait and buff off, millions of tiny pyramids bond to the clearcoat. Imagine 1 layer of nano-pyramid with another layer on top. Hence, the topmost layer that you can touch, is full of sharp peaks. These micro-pyramids will harden very quickly and the objective is to buff/level them while removing excess, while these mini pyramids are still soft, before the carrier fluid fully volatilises.
So, the particles on your MF tissue and cloth will harden very quickly and your cloths will be loaded with millions of super sharp particles that's very difficult to wash off. If you re-use these cloths on another area or car, you could risk creating very deep, nano-fine scratches.
I used new MFs when experimenting with Sonax Lack Protect and learnt it the hard way.
These micro pyramids with sharp tips are the basis for it's highly water-repelling qualities. Same basis for "self-cleaning" surfaces such as on radar domes, satellite TV dishes etc.
Hence, any future mechanical buffing or hard rubbing, will disrupt these sharp tips, and adversely affect the Sonax's durability. That's why coatings mftrs never encourage any rotary buffing, polishing etc after the coating is applied. Some even warn against using claybars, as the claying action can also "damage" the intricate pyramid structure.
